Spies on a Mountain
Review of Amazon First Reads Kindle eBook edition (March 1, 2024) of the Thomas and Mercer hardcover/paperback/audiobook/eBook (April 1, 2024)

From here the trail grew steeper, several modest climbs, one false summit after another, before marching across a maze of steel-grate platforms drilled into the escarpment, cables set for handholds. Then a traverse across rocky talus, before the last climb, a series of switchbacks up a vertical escarpment to the Hörnlihütte at the very base of the Matterhorn. All told, 2,300 vertical feet. A three-mile hike. Ninety minutes if he pushed it.

Matterhorn proved to be another case where choosing a veteran author out of the mix of Amazon Prime First Reads candidates was the winning option. Author Christopher Reich specializes in suspense thrillers with recurring characters such as Simon Riske and Jonathan Ransom. His latest protagonist is Mac Dekker and Matterhorn is the first of an expected series.

That is not to say that there weren't a lot of espionage thriller clichés piled on in this 'prevent the mass casualty terror attack' plotline. There is the betrayed veteran spy who comes out of hiding for revenge, the ruthless Russian mastermind and their associated thug (shades of From Russia, With Love), the traitorous mole embedded in the CIA, the loyal ex-lover who reunites with their long-lost love and brings a tame cyber hacker along for the ride, the perilous escape against all odds out of Russia with a child in tow, etc. etc. It opens and concludes with desperate scenes at the summit of Mt. Matterhorn in Switzerland.

All of the Switzerland scenes felt well researched and authentic. Some of the situations were pretty hair-raising and bone-chilling, as there is a race to discover the evidence of the terror plot with the barest of clues as to its location.

A photograph appeared. It showed a slim, dark, weathered statue of what appeared to be a monk. The words HI BERNARD were carved cheekily on his cassock.
“Saint Bernard,” said Mac, at once.
“What?” said Ava. “You know it?”
“Patron saint of alpinists. It stands just below the summit of the Matterhorn.”

See photo at https://images-sp.summitpost.org/tr:e-sharpen,e-contrast-1,fit-max,q-60,w-1024/1...
The statue of St. Bernard on Matterhorn. Image sourced from SummitPost.org.

A final showdown confrontation in just about the most remote location you can imagine takes place.

There was no time to rest. He sucked down a breath and set off. A short traverse, a steep staircase of loose rock, and he was at the Solvay Hut. He pulled himself onto the terrace, barely an arm’s length wide. The hut was a one-room wooden cabin built on a perch hardly larger than the cabin itself. He paused, leaning against the cabin, a little light headed.

See photograph at https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dd/Solvay_hut_at_Matterhorn_see...
Photograph of the Solvay Hut on Matterhorn. By Whgler - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link. Image sourced from Wikipedia.

So well done to Christopher Reich and last month's First Reads!

Soundtrack
There was no music mentioned in this book, but I couldn’t help thinking about the Donovan song “There is a Mountain” which was inspired by the Zen story / parable. You can listen to Donovan’s original version here. There is a bluegrass version by David Amram and Steve Earle which you can listen to here. Finally there is the Allman Brothers Band’s “Mountain Jam” which improvises around Donovan’s melody but which doesn't include the lyrics, which you can listen to here.

Trivia and Links
Amazon Prime First Reads advance reading copies (ARCs) are available to Amazon Prime subscribers. They offer advance reads of books in Kindle eBook format one month before the date of official release. The current month's selection is available here (Link goes to Amazon US, adjust for your own country or region). ( )

Fun genre read of a retired CIA spy Mac Dekker living quietly and believed dead in a high Swiss mountain village. He goes back into action to find out who and why his estranged son, also an agent, was killed on the flanks of the Matterhorn. Its a surprise to those he reaches out to that our hero is indeed alive and still skilled with a gun and fast cars. ( )