Spyfall -- John Hegenberger

I read Spyfall on the plane on my return from Bouchercon, and I couldn't have picked a better book for the trip.  It was the right length, for one thing, and it was also a fast, action-packed adventure that took my mind off the cramped seat I was packed into.

The setting is 1959. Stan Wade is a Hollywood detective, and he's done a bit of work for Walt Disney in the past.  Now Walt wants him again, but this time the job is a bit different.  That's because Walt, besides making a lot of movies, is pretty high up in the FBI.  You probably didn't know that, but that's because it's been kept secret from the public.  So have a lot of other things, and when a CIA agent dies from a trap planned for Wade, Wade is off on a vengeance trip involving the deaths of his parents, nuclear secrets, and the Fate of the Western World.

Before you say "James Bond," Wade is in Jamaica at the estate of Ian Fleming, who's also a big-time spy.  That one, you probably did know.  Anyway, Wade and Norman, Wade's apprentice and a pretty good substitute for Q, are bouncing all over Europe, with Wade dodging Russian assassins whose persistence and resilience are astounding.

There's a lot going on in Spyfall, and Hegenberger name-checks just about every pop-culture figure you can think of from the late '50s.  Some of the story might even be based on fact, not that you'll think about that as you read it.  If you're looking for some nonstop action, along with some humor and surprising twists, give this one a try.