Paul Schwartzmeyer is a former Marine Corp radio man. After graduating from college, he worked on oil rigs in the bayous of offshore Louisiana and in Texas. For eight years he worked as an engineer in the Saudi Desert where he was given the highest level security clearance to work with radioactivity and explosives. He also worked in Dubai as well as in the Al Rub Al Khali, one of the most desolate places on earth. His worldwide contacts include soldiers of fortune, oil industry executives, combat veterans, hostage negotiators, madams, and pub owners. He has extensive knowledge in the workings of international banks, trade cartels and the civilian military complex and his books are metaphors for a world few people ever see. He is the author of the series Joseph Schneider, Traitor-Patriot. “39 Down” is book 1 of the series and the story of Paul Trifthauser, who unknowingly inherits an espionage network from his grandfather.
“39 Down” begins with a CIA memo to the FBI director from the Intelligence Division regarding Joseph Gerhold Wendel Schneider that includes his personal information such as date of birth, occupations, and known family members: his grandson Paul Trifthauser, who is the protagonist of this series. The story starts as Arianna, Paul’s girlfriend, is grieving the death of Gregor, Paul’s best friend. He was shot coming out of Paul’s office building while wearing his jacket so Paul assumes he was the intended target, not Gregor. His death spooks them so much that when Paul’s mother calls to say she is selling the family home and that he needs to go and clean out his stuff, he and Arianna do not think twice about leaving town. Paul is newly sober and he fears that if he starts drinking again, he will lose Arianna and he has already lost too much. But Gregor’s death is only the beginning of the drama and chaos that will upend both their lives. When they find Joseph’s stack of crossword puzzles in the family home’s barn, Arianna, who is good at puzzles, goes through them. Together, they begin to unlock the mystery of Joseph’s past which leads to Paul unknowingly inheriting an espionage network so secretive and so lethal that that even the CIA was afraid to confront it. Buried in layers of code, hidden in 3,000 crossword puzzles are Joseph Schneider’s secrets. Now Paul has to figure out the code before his grandfather’s enemies, the world’s massive trading cartels, realize he does not know it. Not knowing who he can trust and armed with nothing but intuition and with the help of a twenty-nine year old Indian prostitute named Alejandra, he races against time in an attempt to stay alive.
The Joseph Schneider, Traitor-Patriot series is based on many composite characters, including Paul Schwartzmeyer’s grandfather Joseph Reeb, who was a former tanner for the Pearce Arrow company, a decorated combat veteran in World War I, and owned a furniture store in Buffalo. “39 Down” has a feeling of authenticity since the author used some of his own background to create the Paul Trifthauser universe, including spies, cartels, and Alejandra, the prostitute/assistant. It is narrated in the first person point of view so the reader has an insight into Paul’s state of mind, especially when everything is falling apart around him. Due to Paul’s extensive character development, readers come to care about what happens to him. The language is easy to understand and poetic at times: “The Rover glided over the sand as if we were floating on a cloud.” Some chapters begin with CIA memos updating the Trifthauser/Schneider case which hints that the CIA really is following Paul, that he is not just paranoid. His grandfather’s code name was Arnus, ‘39 Down’ in correspondence with foreign agents; that is where the novel’s title comes in. It is fascinating when Paul describes what it is like living in isolation and how traumatic it can be going back to civilization: “It takes about a month to internalize it. It’s a process. At night, the silence is so encompassing that your ears ring. The ringing keeps you awake, but when that dies down, your body takes on a calmness that’s quite profound. After just five months, I returned to ‘civilization.’ It was one of the most horrid experiences in my life. I couldn’t sleep inside, choosing to sleep on the roof of my apartment in Dhahran. I drank incessantly, I thought I’d lose my mind.” With action that flows easily through the pages, it is a definite must-read. “39 Down” by Paul Schwartzmeyer is a globe-trotting spy adventure that sometimes keeps readers guessing but does not disappoint. It is recommended for fans of spy thrillers similar to The Bourne series by Robert Ludlam and the Jack Reacher series by Lee Child.
The Kindle edition of “39 Down” appears to be the unedited version because it has numerous typos and grammatical/spelling errors. This does not take away from the quality of the story.
*The author received a copy of this book for an honest review. The views and opinions expressed here belong solely to her.
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