View source for The Man With A Charmed Life and his part in saving the planet from WWIII by Graham Fulbright

{{infobox1
|title=The Man With A Charmed Life and his part in saving the planet from WWIII
|sort=Man With A Charmed Life and his part in saving the planet from WWIII
|author=Graham Fulbright
|reviewer=Sue Magee
|genre=Thrillers
|summary=A slow-burn thriller with interesting characters and a thought-provoking look at how states ''really'' operate.
|rating=3.5
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|pages=580
|publisher=Troubador Publishing
|date=October 2014
|isbn=978-1784620202
|cover=1784620203
|aznuk=1784620203
|aznus=1784620203
}}

Englishman Henry Wright is employed by the Common Market (which would become the European Union in 1993) in Brussels and he's not entirely satisfied with his lot: he ''should'' be an interpreter but he seems to be restricted to more administrative duties.  He could refuse the offer he gets, but the chance to actually use his expertise in Russian, move across to the USA and make a point to his employers is just too tempting.  He's also rather taken by Alexy Geary, the attractive woman from the intelligence-gathering agency who makes the offer, and it's not long before he's on his way.  Before he does he's peripherally involved in a shooting - and that's not something which usually happens to someone like him.

We're back in the 1980s with Reagan ensconced in the White House and there's more than a little bit of nervousness about the antics of the President of France.  Henri Fouquet has made a threat to use missiles not to kill or maim people, but to disable power supplies and the superpowers have to decide how to respond to the threat.  Played wrongly, this could be the start of World War III.  Alexy Geary's job is to defuse the situation before the Soviet Union takes armed offence at the threat or the Pentagon seizes the opportunity to use their biggest weapons which it was denied in the Cuban missile crisis.  Geary might know which side she's on - but it's more problematic for some of the people in her organisation - and Henry Wright finds himself in the middle of all this.

Graham Fulbright's an experienced writer - and it shows.  He has a considerable talent for the telling phrase - he placed Henry Wright perfectly with a thought-provoking point about the difference between an interpreter and a translator - and a real ability when it comes to evoking a sense of place.  The pace is well-handled, particularly when you consider that the locations range from the headquarters of the Common Market to theme parks in California.  The repetition of Wright's narrow escapes from death is a thread which neatly and convincingly runs through the book and pulls the story together.

I have a couple of quibbles with the book and one's relatively minor: a more thorough final proofing would have improved the read.  I was slightly more concerned about the length of the book, which did feel overwhelming on occasions, but that's perhaps me being over-picky as I'd certainly be more than happy to read Fulbright in the future.

I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy of the book to the Bookbag.

Recently we've enjoyed [[Blazing Obsession by Dai Henley]] - we think you might enjoy it too.  We think you'll appreciate [[Driving Mad: Maniacs, Morons and the Advanced Motorist's Club by Graham Fulbright]].

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