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William F. Brown
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Thursday at Noon: A Middle East Spy Thriller (Ed Scanlon Cold War Spy Thrillers Book 3) Kindle Edition

by William F. Brown (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 out of 5 stars 400
See all formats and editions
Treachery and double-dealing are the rule in this spy vs spy thriller.
A dead Mossad agent, Nazi rocket scientists, the Moslem Brotherhood, a corrupt American ambassador, and two missing Egyptian tank regiments – somebody’s trying to start another Arab-Israeli war.

Richard Thomson is a burnt-out CIA agent who the Agency dumped in Egypt because they couldn’t think of a worse place to send him. Already gnawed on by Langley and set-up by the Cairo police, his day can't get much worse, until someone leaves a dead body on the rear steps of his hotel with its head lopped off like a ripe melon.

A message? No doubt about it. The body belongs to Mahmoud Yussuf, a fat, petty thief and wannabe spy who is peddling photographs of a long-abandoned RAF base in the Egyptian desert.

While the world focuses on Russian missiles in Cuba, no one notices the ones being rolled out in the Egyptian desert pointed at Israel, no one, except Thomson.

Alone and on the run, no one believes his story -- not the CIA, the US Ambassador, and most assuredly not Captain Hassan Saleh, Chief of the Homicide Bureau of the Cairo Police, who wants to hang Thomson for murder.

Like Night of the Generals, this is a murder mystery wrapped inside an international political thriller. Tick Toc, Tick Toc, it's all going to start at Noon on Thursday, unless Thompson can stop them.

This Cold War spy thriller will sweep you back to when John Kennedy was in the White House, Nikita Khrushchev ruled the Kremlin, and Abdel, Gamal Nasser sat precariously in Cairo, threatened by the radical Islamist fringe of the Moslem Brotherhood.

Looking for a good beach book or something to curl up with in front of the fire, this fast-moving conspiracy thriller is from the author of Burke’s War, Burke's Gamble, Burke’s Revenge, Burke's Samovar, the new Burke's Mandarin and the forthcoming Burke's Rescue, The Undertaker, Amongst My Enemies, Thursday at Noon, Winner Lose All, and Aim True, My Brothers, as well as the Our Vietnam War series, Volumes 1-4, with interviews and photos from 240 American and allied Veterans. Together, these books have over 1,00 Kindle 5-Star Reviews. Enjoy!
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  1. Book 3 of 7
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  2. Print length
    250 pages
  3. Language
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  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publication date
    January 12, 2014
  6. File size
    4277 KB
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Editorial Reviews

Review

The New Yorker" calls it, "a thriller in the purest cliffhanger vein. The technique is flawless. It could only have been learned in a thousand Saturday afternoon movie matinees." Publisher's Weekly adds, "Writing in the vein of Forsythe and Follett, Brown has produced a fast paced thriller." Others have compared his writing to Clancy, Ludlum, Deaver, and Alistair MacLean.

5-Stars! "Bond Meets Indy Jones! The settings were real and the characters believable -- esp. the cynically incompetent officials above Thompson. I was left wondering, actually, if this was based on some actual incident or similar situation. I'd buy more books by this author." Ralph Glaser, Amazon Reviewer.

5-Stars! "A non-stop energizing plot! Thursday at Noon is a thrilling, adrenaline rush novel by terrific author. I read and reviewed his earlier novel, Amongst My Enemies, and thought it was spectacular. He pens a thrilling espionage adventure that will capture the reader from page one. I could see the events unfold like you would in a movie, with great character depiction, vivid backgrounds and a non-stop energizing plot. Wendy L. Hines, Minding Spot Book Reviews on Amazon.

5-Stars! "Another Winner! Brown has penned another great read! This story pulls you in and won't let go -- taking you through twists and turns you could never predict. Though it was set in the early 1960s, the reader might easily imagine it happening in today's world. References to the Bay of Pigs and the Kennedy administration create a brilliant historical slant. I am looking forward to the next book Brown will share with Kindle readers!" GinnyReader, Amazon Reviewer.

From the Author

If you like Thursday at Noon, you might also like Burke's War, where The American Sniper takes on The Godfather, or The Undertaker, a contemporary thriller told in the 1st person with action, ,adventure, suspense, romance, humor, and stark terror. You might also like Amongst My Enemies, set against the backdrop of WW II, and the Cold War, Winner Lose All, a spy vs spy espionage thriller set in the closing days of WW II, as alliances begin to shift and no one can be trusted, and Aim True, My Brothers, a contemporary suspense thriller when Middle East terror visits the shores of America. Check them out on their Kindle Pages!

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B008AMSH00
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ WFB FCB, Ltd, a Wyoming Limited Liability Company (January 12, 2014)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 12, 2014
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 4277 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 250 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 400

About the author

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William F. Brown

William F. Brown

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My newest and 19th book, "Burke's Machete," Book #7 in the Bob Burke action-adventure thriller series is now available in Kindle E-Book and Amazon Paperback and Amazon Hardback editions, Audible audiobook editions. Like my other books, it will soon be out in German, Italian, and Spanish editions. Over half already are

With Burke's Mandarin, I now have the 7-book "Bob Burke Action-Thriller" series, 5 other free-standing suspense thrillers in my "Amongst My Enemies" series, three 3-book boxed sets, and my 4-book Our Vietnam Wars non-fiction series which has interviews with 240 Vietnam Vets and over 400 photos. Those books who they are, where they came from, their experiences and memories of their time in their service, and what they did after the war. All are great, memorable stories. Most of the books are now available in e-book, paperback and hardback from both Amazon and IngramSpark, audiobook from Audible and most other sellers, and German, Italian, and Spanish.

Bullets, bombs, and mayhem, if great action-adventure suspense fiction is your preference, try this top-rated, 7-book Bob Burke series. Burke's War is the first. Think The American Assassin meets The Godfather. In Burke's Gamble, book #2, when one of his men is thrown out the fifth-floor window of an Atlantic City casino run by the New York mob, someone’s going to answer, and payback’s going to be a hoot! Burke's Revenge deals with an ISIS cell and middle-east terrorism attacking Fort Bragg. In Burke's Samovar, the bad guys are the Russian mob in Brooklyn and in Moscow. And it Burke's Mandarin it is Chinese espionage and mischief in the South China Sea. And Burke's Rescue is set in the Caucasus Mountains when one of Bob's friends is kidnapped.

When that happens, he'd coming for him, then he's coming for the bad actors, and he's not coming alone. Bob Burke is a former Army Special Ops, Delta Force commander, and trouble keeps knocking on his door.

Aim True, My Brothers, is a contemporary, American political action thriller, as Middle East terrorism explodes on American shores. Amongst My Enemies is about the secrets and gold lying inside a rusting German U-boat on the bottom of the Baltic. Winner Lose All is about the scramble to grab the Nazi super weapons plans and engineers at the end of the war. In The Undertaker someone is burying bodies under other peoples names and Pete and Sandy are next on the Undertaker's list. Thursday at Noon is set in Egypt in 1963 and it is up to a burnt out CIA agent to stop another Middle-East war.

I am also the author of four screen plays, which have won or placed in numerous screenwriting competitions, and one was optioned for film. In my rapidly diminishing spare time, I like to travel, paint in acrylics and oil, and play bad golf.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
400 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Robert Krueger
5.0 out of 5 stars Redemption
Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2013
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Richard Thomson, an aging CIA agent, is on track to be a big-time loser when fate and big trouble dump opportunity at his feet. Not that he wanted to reject drink, but he does, knowing this is his last and only shot to regain his self-respect. But there is another compelling reason much more important and deadly: Middle-East war or peace.

Like his other novels, this one is a fast-moving, suspense thriller that keeps the pages turning. Thomson stumbles from one mess to another, always with action, but he also applies his agent skills in a series of deadly encounters: skill and luck.

The author's descriptive writing, describing places and people in a detailed manner, may not please everyone, but I like it because it puts you into the story, as if you were there. I remember Cairo and the Middle-East as they were in the old days, and I recognized them in the author's writing. Reviewed by the author of The Children's Story, A Novel Not for Children (about good and evil).
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James Ellsworth
4.0 out of 5 stars Riveting Pacing; Taut Plotting; Well-Done Characters
Reviewed in the United States on March 16, 2021
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I spent an enjoyable day reading this Cold War International Thriller, set in Egypt led by Gamel Adel Nassar. Cairo is complex, international relations between a resurgent Nationalist government in Eqypt and former Colonial Powers are touchy. I am old enough to know about the Muslim Brotherhood and their longstanding desire to establish Sharia throughout the Islamic World. Allied WarFighters in Iraq and Afghanistan will know that similar aims are still alive throughout the region. This is NOT a cardboard comic book version that demeans one interest more than another interest. The region is full of sincere people with different and fervently held agendas.
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Very exciting spy story set in 1962 Cairo!!
Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2013
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Mr. Brown has another winner on his hands with Thursday at Noon! This is a very exciting spy story set in 1962 Cairo and involves Richard Thomsan, a washed up CIA agent discovering secret goings on at an old RAF base in Egypt. Mr. Brown has injected some very intriguing characters into the book, ranging from a British bar owner, several Nazi SS officers, some German scientists, Israeli spies, and Egyptian police officials, interweaving them into an exciting read that makes you feel like you are there witnessing the events unfold. The book is one of those that you won't be able to put down once you start on it. I always have reservations about saying too much and giving away the plot as I think it spoils the read for the person who hasn't read the book. I will tell you this, buy the book, you will not be disappointed. Congrats to Mr. Brown on another literary masterpiece!
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Espionage Lover
4.0 out of 5 stars A Maltese Falcon Wrapped in Egyptian History
Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2013
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Thursday at Noon took a while to get into. I found the rough, not politically correct dialogue and description a bit hard at first. Then I warmed up to Thompson, the annoying drunk with a Bogart like Aftrican Queen drinking problem. It is a great period piece, showing depth of historical knowledge and cultural savvy. Boy meets girl stays Platonic and seems a bit forced in the context. Sometimes it has that smokey bar room quality of its time period. At times the descriptions might have been better played out in dialogues from the character's mouths. The story propelled me to its predictable conclusion on the level of plot; however, the story-within-the story, the relationships amongst three old friends including Nassar himself, was surprising. Thursday at Noon is a successfully written bluckbuster-type thriller with nice touches of 50s-style dialogue. I will read more of this author.
3 people found this helpful
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Ellen Oceanside
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2022
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Failed mission when he was a CIA , drinking and thinking of those days of missions.
Curiosity was still there when he was approached with pictures of what made be
going on at the airfield. I enjoyed this story of how he is and would always have
that curiosity and CIA training for the government. Well done and with good narration.
Given audio for my voluntary review and my honest opinion
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Sy Lee
3.0 out of 5 stars Secrets, Intrigue, Wordy
Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2014
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I am not usually enamored with political intrigue. However, I did enjoy this book.

It is scary how little it would take to destroy the world. And Brown makes that point clearly.
He also makes it clear that people who care can help protect the world from destruction.

I find the relationship between Ilsa and Thomson a bit suspect. While the author went to some lengths to describe her loneliness, it is still hard to believe she fell for Thomson that quickly, and he for her.

Also, a lot of the scene setting was too lengthy.

But over all, if you like this genre, you will probably like this book.
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D. Duncan
5.0 out of 5 stars Thursday at Noon: A Mideast Political Thriller
Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2016
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This is a great international spy murder. This story takes place in the slums of Cairo, and the desert surroundings.
Richard Thompson is a burnt out C.I.A. agent that is put into a bad situation. The place is like a tinderbox, , to blow up.
Mr. Thompson is at a bar anda known petty thief try to sell him pictures of a closed RAF Air Force Base out in the desert that has activity going on it. Mr Thompson thinks that the guy is just trying to set him up, and tells him to get lost. The guy ends up dead the next morning on his doorstep. I will not go into the details of this story, only to say that this is a great story to read. I hope to read more books from this author.
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Stewart Evans
4.0 out of 5 stars Keep plugging away
Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2020
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I found Thompson to be a regular superman throughout the book. The decades old setting and those involved were refreshing. I thought that there was a bit too much superfluous thoughts and descriptions at times; however, overall it was an exciting story. Keep up the good work.
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Top reviews from other countries

Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Hard to put down.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 22, 2022
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Intriguing and leapt from character to character to keep one waiting to read the next chapter.Each character was interesting and held me waiting to see what turn the story was to take next.
I spent a night reading into the early hours enchanted by the unfolding drama.
A great and enjoyable read.O
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Amazon Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars A fun, light read
Reviewed in Canada on September 10, 2013
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Overall, I enjoyed Bill Brown's Thursday at Noon. The writeup describes the story as a CIA spy story and a political thriller but its really an action/ adventure story that happens to be set in 1962 Egypt. Other reviewers have outlined the plot so I won't bother to repeat it again.

Having also read the author's ''Winner Lose All'' I'm curious about his apparent fascination with Nazis. The inclusion of ex-SS types seems superfluous. Second-rate German rocket scientists add to the plot but I fail to see the purpose of including their Nazi ''supervisors''. The guards wear Egyptian Army uniforms yet wear jackboots? Major Grüber apparently reports to a General Hoess, yet the latter character is never introduced in the story. Barely a word is written about Nazi ideology or why this secret society even exists. As written, the whole lot of them are nothing more than aging mercenaries, selling their services to the highest bidder. If that's the case, why dwell on their pasts?

The weakest point of the story is the relationship between the protagonist, Richard Thompson and Isla Fengler, the daughter of chief rocket scientist. After kidnapping her at gunpoint they suddenly find themselves smitten with each other. Their dialogue and interactions are contrived and frankly clumsy.

There are a few loose ends that needed to be tied up. For example, what happened to Collins, identified as a CIA ''baddie'' but not mentioned in the end?
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Stan
4.0 out of 5 stars Good thriller in historic setting
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 20, 2015
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Fast-moving and well-plotted, the setting in Nasser's Egypt in 1962 makes a change from the more usual 'Reds under the bed' CIA scenario. Maybe a bit too much action and bodies, and the nationalities are stereotyped (brutish methodical Germans; lazy and incompetent Egyptians - but also some very naive and useless Americans for a change!). Some very relevant parallels to todays unrest - Muslim Brotherhood, totally fanatical and destructive, plotting to overthrow whatever government tries to establish some order. This is after Suez, the British have gone and Nasser is in control (though not as securely as usually assumed) and the Americans are trying to play along (I assume they were not as incompetent as shown here, but you never know!). Overall, kept me up late several nights trying to guess the next twist.
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Amazon reader
5.0 out of 5 stars Very good read.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 25, 2015
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I was hooked into the story from start to end. I found it difficult to put down at times. I enjoyed the interplay between Thompson and inspector Saleh as the plot thickened.
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Mike O'D
4.0 out of 5 stars Cairo capers
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 24, 2013
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This is unusual in that the opening pages are probably the worst written, so bad I nearly stopped reading before the end of the chapter. The object of course is to present an exciting opening but it is too full of repetition, particularly about Yussuf's fear and his greed and becomes wearisome. Luckily I did persevere because it is not a bad tale, not five star and barely four but I think the characters of Thomson and Saleh save it from being totally mundane. The action is barely believable but all in all it passed a pleasant few hours and I have read much worse.
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