In the first weeks after World War II, a squeaky-clean new second lieutenant named James D. Croncley Jr. - blond, blue-eyed, six-foot-one, out of Midland, Texas - is recruited for a new covert enterprise that will eventually be transformed into something called the CIA. One war may have ended, but another one has already begun, against an enemy that is bigger, smarter, and more vicious: the Soviet Union. The Soviets have hit the ground running, and Cronley's job is to help frustrate them, harass them, and spy on them in any way he can. His recruiter thinks he has the potential to become an asset - though, of course, he could also screw up spectacularly. And in his first top-secret assignment, it looks like that's exactly what may happen. He's got seven days to extract a vital piece of information from a Soviet agent, but Cronley's managed to rile up his superior officers (he seems to have a talent for it), and if he fails, it may be one of the shortest intelligence careers in history. There are enemies everywhere - and, as Cronley is about to find out, some of them even wear the same uniform he does. Filled with the authenticity, color, and propulsive storytelling for which Griffin is acclaimed, Top Secret marks the beginning of a galvanizing new series - and ner hero. -- Jacket flap.
W.E.B. Griffin and William E. Butterworth IV.
