Barbican

A Sterling McQueen Spy Story

By: Phil Valentine

Narrated by: Phil Valentine

Length: 8 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's Summary

Sterling McQueen is a different kind of spy. He lives off the grid and below the radar. No computer. No cell phone. No fancy gadgets. Nothing that would allow his enemies to track him. He lives by his wits and the tradecraft he learned from the greatest of a lost generation of spies. 

Instead of cyber hacks and geosynchronous satellite tracking, McQueen's world is one of dead drops, concealment devices, and black-bag jobs. In a world of Big Brother watching our every move, Sterling McQueen is invisible.

He works for a super-secret intelligence agency, the Strategic Support Branch. The SSB relies primarily on the nearly lost art of human intelligence. They cultivate assets abroad to burrow deep down inside the organizations that pose the biggest threat to the US. What was old is now new again, and Sterling McQueen's special set of skills are once again in high demand. Super computers and stealth drones are no longer enough to keep the world safe. The world now needs Sterling McQueen.

Let's face it, most works in the spy genre these days rely far too much on gadgetry and over-the-top stunts that only happen in the movies. Isn't it time someone returned to the vintage spy novel? 

Barbican is a political thriller in the mold of the old spy classics. Our hero, Sterling McQueen, shuns modern technology in favor of the more reliable standbys of human intelligence and his own keen power of deduction. This is a mystery/thriller filled with intrigue, layered with nuance, and peppered with more twists and turns than an Alpine highway.

Hostages are being snatched all across Europe. They come from different countries and different backgrounds, but they all have two traits in common: They're Jewish, and they're rich. German intelligence is close to solving the mystery when an asset - a professor of Middle Eastern studies - is kidnapped in Brussels. Sterling McQueen is dispatched by the Strategic Support Branch (SSB) in the US to assist in the case. He discovers a tangled web of deception and secrecy that has world intelligence agencies chasing their own tails.

The adventure leads McQueen to Brussels, Munich, Zurich, Vienna, and a remote Austrian fortress or barbican. McQueen peels back the many layers of this case to discover he’s dealing with an unconventional kind of terrorist group. Their plan could totally realign the power structure of the world. They communicate in a unique code that McQueen has to solve if he’s going to stop them from carrying out their ultimate mission. 

From the author of The First Face of Janus and The God Players comes a political thriller so spellbinding, it will keep you listening late into the night. 

©2018 Phil Valentine (P)2018 Phil Valentine

Kenny @ DeSelms

LOVE IT! Couldn’t wait for this book to come out on Audible. Exceeded my expectations. Phil does fabulous job reading. This is going to be a great series! Kenny — DeSelms Real Estate Nashville TN

Enjoyed this quite a bit.

I drive a lot for work and really enjoy listening to it while the miles melted away. It made my road trips seem so much shorter I hated turning it of at my destination. Well done! Phil Valentine on the narration and the artistry of using a different voice for all the characters. I am sure that was no easy task. Can’t wait for the next audio book.

Fantastic!

An outstanding read! Cannot wait for the next one. Please Phil, you need to write faster!!

Awsome political thriller. Couldn't put it down

Amazing story. Kept me on my seat till the end. definitely worth the read. I would recommend to everyone.

A wonderful spy story soaked in truth .

Loved this book. So much truth woven into the story. Even the boat and car enjoyed by the star character are glimpses of the author's life. Can't wait for the next one.

awesomely intense.

what a great story, had lots if fun listening to this book. will have to listen to this again after I finish a couple others first.

Fun, fast paced, informative

A great story with many twists and turns. Phil’s narration brings all the characters to life.

Great Read

Very interesting spy storey Phil Valentine is a great writer. Would recommend highly. Go for it!

Male chauvinist dinosaur, Brilliant

Enjoyed every turn. Phil and his many voices made me smile!! looking forward to the next Sterling adventure!!

Never a Dull Moment

I have to admit that I picked up this book to support Phil but ended up enthralled with it. Very well done with lots of twists and turns along the way.