ALL YOUR LIFE YOU’RE CIA.
THEN YOU’RE NOT.
A Russian arrives in Singapore with a secret to sell. When the Russian is killed and Sam Joseph, the CIA officer dispatched for the meet, goes missing, Artemis Procter is made a scapegoat and run out of the service. Traded back in a spy swap, Sam appears at Procter’s central Florida doorstep months later with an explosive secret: there is a Russian mole hidden deep within the upper reaches of CIA.
As Procter and Sam investigate, they arrive at a shortlist of suspects made up of both Procter’s closest friends and fiercest enemies. The hunt soon requires Procter to dredge up her own checkered past in service of CIA, placing her and Sam into the sights of a savvy Russian spymaster who will protect Moscow’s mole in Langley at all costs, even if it means wreaking bloody havoc across the United States.
Bouncing between the corridors of Langley and the Kremlin, the thrilling new novel by David McCloskey explores the nature of friendship in a faithless business, and what it means to love a place that does not love you back.
It's such a pleasure to be sharing my review of The Seventh Floor by David McCloskey today. My thanks to Rachel Nobilo and Swift Press for sending me an advance copy of the novel. Please accept my sincere apologies again for the delay in posting my review, due to family illness.
The Seventh Floor is the third book in David McCloskey's Damascus Station series but although there are some returning characters, it can easily be enjoyed as a standalone. I loved Moscow X when I read it last year and thought Artemis Aphrodite Procter was a standout character, so I was delighted to see her back here.
Most of the novel is set in the USA but as always, David McCloskey reflects the transcontinental nature of spycraft and so the book opens in Russia before the action swiftly moves to a Singapore casino where CIA agent Sam Joseph is to liaise with Boris Golikov, who has a secret to sell. Sam is shocked by the brief snippet of information passed to him but before he can find out more, Golikov is dead and he is captured. Sam's kidnapping comes at a time of change within Langley where a new Director, Finn Gosford and Deputy Director for Operations, Deborah Sweet have just taken charge. It's soon obvious that Artemis has a long and troubled history with them both but particularly with Debbie. As the mystery behind Sam's disappearance continues to confound everyone, Artemis becomes the scapegoat and after a spectacularly disastrous meeting with her new bosses on the Seventh Floor, finds herself pushed out of the service.
These opening chapters establish the close but complicated relationships formed between agents, in this case especially between the four Russia House operatives – Mac Mason. Chief of Operations; Theo Monk, Counterintelligence; Gus Raptis who until recently ran the fieldwork in Moscow; and Procter herself, Chief of the covert action programs carried out by Moscow X. Friends and colleagues since their days at the Farm, they have seen the best and worst of one another. Meanwhile, Sam's horrific ordeal at the hands of the Russians is also revealed, both in scenes set in Russia and perhaps more harrowingly, seen through Procter's eyes after she is sent a disturbing video message.
As Artemis attempts to make sense of life outside the CIA – and it's fair to say that while her heavy drinking is more relatable, her change of career is as unorthodox as she is – her world is turned upside down when Sam Joseph is traded back in a spy swap and seeks her out to reveal a shocking secret. Despite the terrible ordeal he endured, he is adamant that his memory of Golikov's words is accurate – "I have a name to sell you. An SVR penetration of CIA. Very senior. You have a mole at Langley." Her response to this devastating news really underlines how life in the intelligence services becomes much more than a job. She may have been unceremoniously – and cruelly – dumped from the CIA but Artemis Aphrodite Procter will stop at nothing to discover the identity of the mole, even though she quickly realises there is a strong chance the traitor will be one of her oldest friends.
Alongside the main narrative, which follows Artemis's risky and sometimes illegal mission as a civilian, there are also chapters that follow the actions of the antagonists at the Kremlin – and in the USA itself. The multilayered plot which unfolds is absolutely riveting as the crossing and double crossing means knowing who has the upper hand and what the eventual outcome will be is far from certain. With Artemis and Sam in mortal danger too, this is a tense, thrilling read from start to finish. The sense of intrigue and suspense is superb, and the high-octane action scenes are utterly gripping but The Seventh Floor also shines as a perceptive, empathetic character study.
Artemis is a truly brilliant character; haunted by her mistakes and the losses she has endured, she is brash, blunt and even rude at times. She is also fiercely loyal but only to a point and is resolutely determined to uncover the mole. The shared, often traumatic experiences of those who work in intelligence means their complex interactions, chaotic downtime and self-sabotaging lifestyles are completely understandable, however, David McCloskey's insightful storytelling also suggests that it's precisely because these people are messy, flawed individuals that they're drawn to the service in the first place. It makes for a compelling read, particularly as the pacy, dramatic writing is peppered throughout with raw emotion and frank humour.
I'm a huge fan of spy thrillers and this astute, electrifying read is up there with the best; The Seventh Floor is packed with heart-pounding drama and surprising twists, yet is injected with a winning combination of humour and pathos throughout. Very highly recommended.
The Seventh Floor is published in the UK by Swift Press, purchasing links can be found here.
About the Author
David McCloskey is a former CIA analyst and former consultant at McKinsey & Company. While at the CIA, he worked in field stations across the Middle East and briefed senior White House officials and Arab royalty. He lives in Texas.
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