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Like his fictional counterpart 007, Karns Gray is a secret agent who has cool, sharp charm, super fun toys at his disposal and last but not least, a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue-like babe on each arm.

But unlike “Bond, James Bond,” Gray is a Texan who took a tour of duty in Vietnam, got dumped by his fianceé, volunteered for an experiment in which he controlled a helicopter with his mind and afterwards was in a coma for a few years.

And that’s only in the prologue!

Unlike Ian Fleming, the creator of 007, Tolleson, to his credit, shows the complicated human side of his spy interacting with the rest of his characters.

Gray is no player, no jet-set playboy out to score with as many Pussy Galores and Octopussys as he can along the way.

He’s a normal secret agent man hung up on the love of his life who broke his heart.

After Gail, his ex-fianceé, falls back into his life, Gray must deal with her and also Debbie, the attractive young agent who has openly pronounced her love to him.

The interaction between Gail, Debbie and Gail’s daughter, Alex, is melodrama at its finest.

Throughout the novel, Tolleson also sprinkles in horrific scenes for dramatic effect, like the torture of a government agent’s wife with a hallucinogenic truth serum that makes her believe she’s having sex with her own teenage daughter while being cut with a knife.

Although scenes like these add nothing to the plot, they do give the reader an idea of what lengths the bad guys are capable of.

Bret Easton Ellis, the author of American Psycho, would be proud.

Each chapter is fairly short and evenly paced to carry the reader’s attention on and on to the end.

This novel certainly does not spread itself thin with its thrilling plot, intense action, and R-rated characters.

The R is for realistic, romantic and runic.

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