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Victor Robert Lee's provocative literary spy novel Performance Anomalies launches a protagonist, partly of Chinese and Russian origin, to rival the most memorable espionage heroes. Cono 7Q is a startling young man of haunting heritage who has been gifted - or cursed - with an accelerated nervous system. An orphan and a loner, he acts as a freelance clandestine agent, happy to use his strange talents in the service of dubious organizations and governments - until, in Kazakhstan, on a personal mission to rescue a former lover, he is sucked into a deadly maelstrom of betrayal that forces him to question all notions of friendship and allegiance.
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Relevant to our geopolitical times, Performance Anomalies tracks the expansion of Beijing's imperial reach into Central Asia, and the takeover of corruption-riddled Kazakhstan.
Cono 7Q's main adversary is a brutal Beijing agent whose personality has been twisted by the Cultural Revolution's devastation of his family. Performance Anomalies travels from Brazil and Stanford to Kazakhstan and the Tian Shan mountains, covering an engrossing emotional landscape set against the backdrop of an emerging new cold war between America and both China and Russia.
A thoroughly original work of fiction.
Mark Schreiber, The Japan Times
A great adventure and the beginning of a new hero.
Ed Jones, KBEM
Move over James Bond and Mr. Bourne, make room for Cono.
Penny Seibert, KOGA Midwest Opinions
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A superb piece of writing with a hero who I'm hoping is going to be a series character.
Rodger Nichols, Gorge News Center
Absolutely intriguing. A great, great book ...Cono just really grabs you.
Nolan Crowell, KWYK
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Original, un-put-down-able, definitely not your typical espionage thriller.
Michelle Martin, Singapore's Best of Talking Books
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