Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
Once a Spy (Spy #1)
by
Keith Thomson (Goodreads Author)
Drummond Clark was once a spy of legendary proportions. Now Alzheimer’s disease has taken its toll and he’s just a confused old man who’s wandered away from home, waiting for his son to fetch him.
When Charlie Clark takes a break from his latest losing streak at the track to bring Drummond back to his Brooklyn home, they find it blown sky high—and then bullets start flying...more
When Charlie Clark takes a break from his latest losing streak at the track to bring Drummond back to his Brooklyn home, they find it blown sky high—and then bullets start flying...more
Hardcover, 325 pages
Published
March 9th 2010
by Doubleday
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
This book is not yet featured on Listopia.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
1,089)
Charlie Clark is a habitual loser at the local race track. He visits his father once a year, and otherwise, he has little to do with dad. So, when he gets a call to come and fetch his father from a local senior center, he thinks nothing of it. What he does not know is that Drummond Clark, his father, was once a spy of legendary proportions. Now Alzheimer’s disease has taken most of his memories, but occasionally, he remembers bits and pieces of his former life. When they arrive at his father's h...more
The fine folks over a Doubleday recently sent me Once a Spy and it's brand new follow up, Twice a Spy. And what a treat! The hubby and I both ate them up like candy. Let me say, if your looking for an action packed read that can make you cringe and laugh (sometimes at the same moment) then this series is for you.
Once a Spy is the impressive debut novel from author Keith Thomson, who himself isn't too shabby. His resume inludes being a semi-pro baseball player in France, editorial cartoonist for...more
Once a Spy is the impressive debut novel from author Keith Thomson, who himself isn't too shabby. His resume inludes being a semi-pro baseball player in France, editorial cartoonist for...more
Charlie Clark's father, Drummond Clark, was konce probably the best secret spy in the world. Today, Drummond Clark is a former spy suffering from Alzheimers.
Charlie thought his father was an appliance salesman that paid very little attention to his son, Charlie's mother, a doting mother, was killed while Charlie was still a young boy. Well, maybe not, could it be that his mother was a spy also and her death had to be arranged by the government?
Charlie finds himself, and his father, in a fight fo...more
Charlie thought his father was an appliance salesman that paid very little attention to his son, Charlie's mother, a doting mother, was killed while Charlie was still a young boy. Well, maybe not, could it be that his mother was a spy also and her death had to be arranged by the government?
Charlie finds himself, and his father, in a fight fo...more
Drummond Clark is a retired appliance salesman who is now suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. His son Charlie is plays the horses and has just lost a huge amount on a “sure-thing” winner who came in second. He now owes his bookie a fortune, which he doesn’t have. Charlie is contacted by Drummond’s Social Worker, when Drummond is declared unfit to take care of himself. As Charlie starts to make plans to place Drummond in an appropriate mental health care facility as well as stay out of reach of h...more
An entertaining book about a serious topic, Once a Spy revolves around an unlikely duo of heroes: a one-time superspy now suffering from Alzheimer's and his deadbeat gambling-addicted son. When it turns out someone's trying to kill them, they have to go on the run and figure out who's after them. Also, the son has to figure out just who his old man is, because he always thought his dad was a boring appliance salesman. Turns out the dull drone was just a cover.
The ex-spy has moments of lucidity w...more
The ex-spy has moments of lucidity w...more
I feel a little bad about giving ONCE A SPY only three stars, but that does indicate "liked it," and I did. I just couldn't make myself love it, and not because it's a bad book, but because it is so NOT my kind of book. It is probably the ideal "beach book," something you'd consume with a giant bag of chips and super-size slurpee. But I don't go to the beach and don't much like chips, so ... I liked the hero-concept of a retired CIA agent with early stage Alzheimer's, but that rather unique devi...more
I came across this thanks to Mystery Scene magazine where I have found many great recommendations.
Imagine a super spy managing to live long enough to develop Alzheimer's. What happens when he may inadvertently let slip some of the big secrets he knows?
Such is the premise of this really enjoyable book. Drummond Clark is the aging spy in question. His son Charlie is addicted to betting at the track and desperately trying to figure out how he's going to pay back a Russian mobster when his father tu...more
Imagine a super spy managing to live long enough to develop Alzheimer's. What happens when he may inadvertently let slip some of the big secrets he knows?
Such is the premise of this really enjoyable book. Drummond Clark is the aging spy in question. His son Charlie is addicted to betting at the track and desperately trying to figure out how he's going to pay back a Russian mobster when his father tu...more
Drummond Clark is a retired appliance salesman with Alzheimer’s disease. His son, Charlie Clark, has been betting a little too heavily on the horses and is thousands of dollars in debt to loan sharks. After another losing day at the race track Charlie receives a call that his father was found wandering the streets of Brooklyn and could he please come and pick him up. He does and as the two approach Drummond’s home they hear a loud explosion as the house blows up. Charlie thinks the loan sharks a...more
This was a smart, fast and fun read. What a head-turning spin through several of the conflicting Russian and American intelligence agencies. It was credible and fascinating to watch the son grow from his time losing bets at the horse races and to look back and see how the early scenes planted the clues for that growth and for his later skills. It takes a highly-skilled writer to make the twist and turns happen this fast - WITH the added complexity that one of the two main characters - a former s...more
Once a Spy had an appealing cover. I was walking through Target and saw the paperback. As I read the premise, I was even more intrigued. I’ve shied away from the “spy” genre quite a bit as of late. Not sure why, I just felt that the action and fun I was looking for wasn’t always there. This novel is cut from a different cloth and I loved it. It was fast paced, thrilling, and comedic in all the right places.
I don’t want to spend a whole lot of time on the premise, since it’s readily available if...more
I don’t want to spend a whole lot of time on the premise, since it’s readily available if...more
This book was a very pleasant surprise. Every once in a while a book just reaches out and grabs you and you really can't put your finger on why. Once a Spy was this month's mystery book club selection, again one I typically would not have picked myself. I started Saturday morning and it grabbed me and by late that night (early Sunday actually) I finished it.
The story centers around Charlie, a unabashed lover of the ponies. You can see within him the organized mind and one who is very observant...more
The story centers around Charlie, a unabashed lover of the ponies. You can see within him the organized mind and one who is very observant...more
I found this book at Target, and when I read the back of the book I was intrigued by the plot. Indeed, Thomson creates an interesting spin on the traditional spy novel. I liked it okay, but I am not really excited about his new book coming out.
I cannot put my finger on why I am not ecstatic about this work. The writing style was okay. The characters were so so. The story itself, aside ex CIA guy having Alzheimers, has been told before. The same old cliche of government hunts down their own to k...more
I cannot put my finger on why I am not ecstatic about this work. The writing style was okay. The characters were so so. The story itself, aside ex CIA guy having Alzheimers, has been told before. The same old cliche of government hunts down their own to k...more
I really enjoyed this book! The pace was great....never any slow spots and the plot had enough twists and turns to keep you guessing. The father/son bonding dynamic adding a nice emotional component, and provided some depth to both characters. The humor was fantastic, the technical details interesting, and the espionage tactics constantly surprising. I wasn't sure if all the convoluted ciphers were tongue-in-cheek or actually legit, but they were entertaining either way. This is the kind of book...more
AUTHOR: Thomson, Keith
TITLE: Once A Spy
DATE READ: April 2011
RATING: DNF
GENRE/PUB DATE/PUBLISHER/# OF PGS: Crime Fiction/2010/Doubleday/222 pgs of 324
SERIES/STAND ALONE: #1Drummond & Charlie Clark
TIME/PLACE: Present/Brooklyn
CHARACTERS: Drummond Clark & his son Charlie
FIRST LINES: Brooklyn was booming.
COMMENTS: Despite reading 2/3 of the book, I had no inclination to read anymore. Not my cuppa. Sounded like an interesting premise -- father in his early 60's w/ early onset Alzheimer's. Son...more
TITLE: Once A Spy
DATE READ: April 2011
RATING: DNF
GENRE/PUB DATE/PUBLISHER/# OF PGS: Crime Fiction/2010/Doubleday/222 pgs of 324
SERIES/STAND ALONE: #1Drummond & Charlie Clark
TIME/PLACE: Present/Brooklyn
CHARACTERS: Drummond Clark & his son Charlie
FIRST LINES: Brooklyn was booming.
COMMENTS: Despite reading 2/3 of the book, I had no inclination to read anymore. Not my cuppa. Sounded like an interesting premise -- father in his early 60's w/ early onset Alzheimer's. Son...more
ALWAYS A SPY-by Keith Thomson a Thriller- with sidesplitting dark humor about a degenerate Gambler and his former top spy father- who has early onset alzheimers - who are on the run- this book is brilliant- superb characters, plot, dialogue and a sensitivity to the terrible disease- yet somehow almost every page had me laughing out loud or unable to guess what will happen next- A classic in the making!!! Keith Thomson is an author who is a true treasure!!!
ONCE A SPY-by Keith Thomson a Thriller- with sidesplitting dark humor about a degenerate Gambler and his former top spy father- who has early onset Alzheimer's - who are on the run- this book is brilliant- superb characters, plot, dialogue and a sensitivity to the terrible disease- yet somehow almost every page had me laughing out loud or unable to guess what will happen next- A classic in the making!!! Keith Thomson is an author who is a true treasure!!! Quite simply- this book is as fine a boo...more
1 like · like · see review
I want to hold off on final judgment of this book until I have read the sequel "Twice a Spy", but as a stand-alone the ending of "once a Spy" felt rushed and left me wanting. Book 2 picks up right where this one left off and the teaser for Twice a Spy, was enticing. I did enjoy Keith Thomson's 1st offering enough to want to read the sequel so that's a good sign. Once a Spy is an action packed story almost from the start. Charlie Clark is a professional of the racetrack, any racetrack with a bett...more
This story focuses on a father and son duo. While the son is a no-good loser who borrows money from the Russian mob to bet on horse races, his father is a retired spy. Not that the son knows anything about this, at least at first. The son thinks the father a mildly-successful appliance salesman. The trick that makes the story fairly unique is that the father is suffering from Alzheimer's. His mind and memory comes and goes throughout the story. The author does a good job of tying the father's Al...more
A first novel by Keith Thomson. A Thriller but also a fatehr son love story. Drummond Clark is a 'mild-mannered' washing machine salesman in his mid-sixties who has developed Alzheimer. His 'no-good' horse betting son and he are estranged. Then people start trying to kill Drummond and it turns out he is a top-notch spy involved in some nasty work involving weapons of mass destruction. The book is funny, serious, fond and layered. It is a great fresh take on the spy novel format and a terrific re...more
The premise is that a 30ish man who is a gambler and owes the mob money has a dad whom he has no relationship with and has Alzheimer's. As he is getting his dad to sign over stewardship to him, so that he can pay off his gambleing debt to the mob, the house is blown up. Of course Charlie thinks that it is the mob and he is the intended victim. But then he discovers that his dad was more than he ever thought. Now his dad's former employers are out to silence him before he can reveal secrets.
Being a fan of "spy" type things, this book was a fun read. The best part of it was how Charlie connects with his infamous spy dad for the first time in his life. This connection happens as they get chased all over from good guys and bad guys, and though his dad is suffering with Alzheimers, manages to be lucid to do incredible get aways and secret hiding places, and save Charlie's life a time or two. Charlie comes into his life as a spy as well. Though some of the scenes are overly not believab...more
This was a different spy thriller. Drummond, a high level secret agent once, now suffers fom Alsheimer's. When found wandering, his horse-playing son, Charlie, was called. But they immediately were nearly killed by a gas explosion and Charlie realized they were targeted.
Different Federal agencies work again each other trying to kill Drummond. During some lucid times Drummond helps Charlie who discovers he also has ideas for survival.
This was an interesting thriller.
Different Federal agencies work again each other trying to kill Drummond. During some lucid times Drummond helps Charlie who discovers he also has ideas for survival.
This was an interesting thriller.
What happens when a former spy retires, developes alzheimers and his mental confusion causes risks to national security? That is the idea behind this well written novel of intrigue. Thomson's main characters are well drawn and appealing. The story moves along quickly and the plot contains plenty of suspense. I am looking forward to reading the sequel and I am told that Once a Spy is being made into a movie. THis book is a must for fans of Daniel Silva and David Baldacci.
Growing up, Charlie Drummond thought his father was just a boring appliance salesman, who was on the road too often to be a good father. It was never quite clear what really happened with his mother... When his father develops early onset Alzheimer's, the now adult Charlie is in for the surprise and adventure of his life, as his father's true occupation is revealed. This is a fun thriller, with a new twist. Kudos to the author for coming up with the idea.
In the vein of the Bourne series, this book has a tendency at times to become just a bit unbelievable. The premise of a veteran spy now in the throes of Alzheimer's is truly a great tag line. His son, just now finding out that his old man was (is) a spy, and how they handle the people trying to get them is adventuresome. Good summer reading, and I would think that a movie could be made with this material. Just started the second book in this series.
This novel has nonstop action with unlikely protagonists: a horse-betting loser and his father suffering from Alzheimer's. On the run from CIA operatives gone rogue, the father's own background as a spy kicks in enough to move them from scrape to scrape. Providing moments of humor are his lapses back into Alzheimer's, completely incongruous and unpredictable. This was a different twist on a spy novel and quite entertaining but not great.
Truly, I love the genre of the spy novel, but there are only a few books that grab my attention to the point that I say, "I want to read that again." This is one of those rare ones. I hope Keith Thomson keeps going with this.
I find it interesting because the spy in question has Alzheimer's, and he flows in and out of lucidity. If you have a friend or relative going through this, you will be able to identify. And of course, when you mix the CIA into it, it makes for quite the adventure.
I find it interesting because the spy in question has Alzheimer's, and he flows in and out of lucidity. If you have a friend or relative going through this, you will be able to identify. And of course, when you mix the CIA into it, it makes for quite the adventure.
This is a book well worth reading. I enjoyed the outrageous plot, the writing, and the characters. I don't want to give away the plotline but it involves a US 60-ish intelligence officer who is in the early stages of Alzheimers and the agency he worked for concerned that his forgetfulness will lead to security breaches and endanger other spies. The spy's son and his cold relationship with his father is an entertaining thread throughout the book.
One of my favorite suspense novels in the last few years. Lots of humor, family dynamics, and unexpected sequences of very good suspense/thriller writing. I was a fan of the TV show "Chuck" for the first few seasons, and this book has the same qualities I liked: an ordinary guy suddenly discovers that there are spys in his midst and he must join them to survive. Also has great father-son dynamic. Highly recommended
Charlie and his dad, an ex-spy with Alzheimer', are fleeing multiple bad guys, bonding for the first time in their relationship, unveiling family secrets, and developing new skills as they try to escape one assignations attempt after another. A humorous fast paced, action filled spy caper with well developed characters, a little romance and minimal violence. What's not to like if you are looking for a quick fun read?
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Keith Thomson has been a semi-pro baseball player in France an editorial cartoonist for Newsday and a screenwriter. Now a resident of Alabama, he writes about intelligence and other matters for The Huffington Post. His novels include Once a Spy, a New York Times Best Seller, Twice a Spy and Pirates of Pensacola.
More about Keith Thomson...
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
Feb 16, 2011 09:04am