Scorpion Winter    by Andrew Kaplan Order:  USA  Can Harper, 2012 (2012) Softcover, e-Book     Reviewed by Bob Walch The former CIA agent known as Scorpion is secure in knowing that no one, neither his former boss nor his legion of enemies, can find him in his island retreat on Sardinia. Or so he thinks! Then one day an exceedingly wealthy man comes ashore off an expensive Russian yacht and leaves a message for the retired agent. Someone wants to meet with Scorpion and make an offer that not even this world weary operative can refuse. The billionaire is convinced that the man running for president in the Ukraine, Cherkesov, is in danger of being assassinated. Scorpion is to stop the attack which might be just a prelude to the Russians sending troops into the country as they did in Georgia. Before the operative can locate the conspirators Cherkesov is indeed killed and guess who gets the blame? Scorpion! Was this a set-up or the opening salvo of a major international situation? Scorpion will have to figure this out as quickly as possible and if he can't locate the real killers and expose their reason for the crime, we may be looking at an all-out war again in Europe. International thrillers set in exotic locations and featuring smart, gutsy, and deadly operatives have always been popular. Andrew Kaplan and his acclaimed character are one of the best of a new generation of writers and agents following in the espionage tradition created by Ian Fleming and his iconic Agent 007. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Mystery books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews