It’s November 1990, the Cold War is all but over. The weapons coming out of the disintegrating USSR have never been hotter. Twenty tons of weaponized Smallpox have gone missing. Enter Galatea, a Mossad assassin with single-minded devotion to her country – until this assignment makes her question which side of the line she wants to live on. Throw in an eclectic group of operatives with shifting loyalties and an analyst who thinks he runs the world – what’s to worry? It’s just the population of the world hanging in the balance.
Professional Reviews:
An interesting take on a time period in the not so distant past, “Ostrich Mentality” is an eye-opening tale with a colorful cast. Despite being 316 pages, the reader will fly through this fast-paced novel, immersed in its intelligent suspense. The fact that this novel is not far from the truth gives the story a sinister feel. The reader feels invested and engrossed in Galatea and her journey. It is also refreshing to read a clever tale where advanced technology is very different from what we know today without the story losing its credibility and development. Overall, “Ostrich Mentality” is an engaging work of espionage and biological warfare.
With Ostrich Mentality, author T.A. Henry has written an action-packed spy thriller that aptly fits the descriptive “fast-paced.” The story line is believable, current, and competitive in the world of spy fiction authors, of which a large majority are male. Henry combines excellent research and writing talent as she builds a story that includes lots of action, adventure, and intrigue along with bits of romance and the inner workings of bureaucracies. Each of the agents brings their own skill sets and philosophies to the team. While the individual philosophies often create a riff among them, their professionalism and need for unity always prevail. Kudos to T.A. Henry for a story well told. Recommended for fans of spy thrillers with a touch of history.
When this book launched it was more than five years in the making. Why so long? Well….It was actually the first novel I started writing. That doesn’t explain it?
Ok….I went to a conference once and attended a panel on plot. During Q&A, an audience member described her plot and how she kept getting tangled up in it. The panel responded by talking about juggling. When you learn to juggle you start with silk scarves. Then you move up to foam bowling pins. Then you move on to…well whatever comes next, the panel was years ago and I don’t juggle in real life. But his point was it takes years before you are ready to light your batons on fire.
Ostrich Mentality is my version of chain saws. It took me a while to learn how to juggle it.
Research Bibliography
Absinthe and Flamethrowers: Projects and Ruminations on the Art of Living Dangerously, William Gurstelle.
The Art of Intelligence: Lessons from a l Life in the CIA’s Clandestine Service, Henry A. Crumpton.
An Assessment of the Aldrich H. Ames Espionage Case and Its Implications for U.S. Intelligence, Report Prepared by the Staff of the Select Committee on Intelligence, United States Senate.
Beyond Repair: The Decline and Fall of the CIA, Charles S. Faddis.
Black Ops: The Rise of Special Forces in the CIA, the SAS, and Mossad, Tony Geraghty.
The Company We Keep, Robert and Dayna Baer.
Demon In The Freezer, Richard Preston.
Gideon’s Spies: The Secret History of the Mossad, Gordon Thomas.
I Lie For A Living, Antony Shugaar.
MI6: The Real James Bonds, Michael Smith.
Outlaws, Inc.: Under the Radar and on the Black Market With the World’s Most Dangerous Smugglers, Matt Potter.
Panic in Level Four, Richard Preston.
The Plague Wars: The Terrifying Reality of Biological Warfare, Tom Mangold and Jeff Goldberg.
Revolution 1989: The Fall of the Soviet Empire, Victor Sebestyen.
The SAS Fighting Techniques Handbook, Terry White.
Secret Wars: One Hundred Years of British Intelligence Inside MI5 and MI6, Gordon Thomas.
The Spycraft Manual: The Insider’s Guide to Espionage Techniques, Barry Davies, BEM.
Why Spy? Espionage in the an Age of Uncertainty, Frederick P. Hitz.
T.A. Henry 