‘The Defector’ by Chris Hadfield

Published by Quercus,
10 October 2023.
ISBN: 978-1-52942309-9 9HB)

The Defector is an unusual book. Despite there being no doubt that it is a work of fiction - and a very exciting one at that - the majority of the characters, events and things described in it are real. Perhaps not unsurprisingly, the main two characters and some of the less important supporting actors are, however, fictional.

Starting in Israel in October 1973, and continuing at various military, research and political locations in the US and Russia during the months that follow, The Defector is a cold war espionage thriller par excellence. 

Commander Kazimieras Zemeckis, Kaz, and his girlfriend Laura are lying on a beach in Israel when Laura spots something strange happening in the sky above them. Before Kaz lost an eye in an accident, he was a top US fighter pilot. He is now an expert on security matters, particularly those relating to high altitude intelligence gathering.  Kaz sees an Israeli fighter jet fire a missile at a Russian plane. He waits for the inevitable explosion, but it never comes. Puzzled by what he has seen, and using his top-secret security clearance, Kaz goes to the American Embassy in Tel Aviv, and alerts Washington about his concerns. 

It soon transpires that the Russian pilot, Colonel Alexander Abramovich, also known as Grief or Alexi, has risked his life and a prestigious Mig-25 fighter plane because he wants to defect to the USA. He gets his wish.  Both he and his plane are taken to what is supposedly the most secret US air force base.  The feeling is that he can be trusted, and he is eventually allowed to roam freely. But can he really be trusted? What advanced technologies, such as help with assembling a nuclear- powered rocket engine might the Russian military want him to acquire?

In the meantime, Kaz, who hates being grounded, persuades his old boss, General Sam Phillips, (a real person) to pull a few strings and have his fitness to fly with only one eye reassessed.  Kaz passes his medical and his flying tests and is free to fly again.  He is overjoyed. Later his flying skills are tested in some absolutely terrifying flight sequences.

Whilst The Defector has a large cast of characters and a complicated plot that befits a book about spies, it is clearly written and easy to follow.  As a former top test pilot and experienced astronaut who has actually lived in Russia, Chris Hadfield is undoubtedly an expert on his subject.  Besides his professional talents, Chris is also an excellent storyteller who has created - or described, if they are real people – a wide mix of well-drawn characters. This is an essential read for anyone who enjoys stories about the cold war, especially if they are interested in fighter pilots and planes.
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Reviewer: Angela Crowther

Chris Hadfield is one of the most seasoned and accomplished astronauts in the world. The top graduate of the U.S. Air Force test pilot school in 1988 and U.S. Navy test pilot of the year in 1991, Colonel Hadfield was CAPCOM for twenty-five Shuttle missions and NASA’s Director of Operations in Russia. Hadfield served as Commander of the International Space Station where, while conducting a record-setting number of scientific experiments and overseeing an emergency spacewalk, he gained worldwide acclaim for his breath-taking photographs and educational videos about life in space. His music video, a zero-gravity version of David Bowie's "Space Oddity," has nearly 50 million views, and his TED talk on fear has been viewed over 10 million times. He helped create and host the National Geographic miniseries One Strange Rock, with Will Smith, and has a MasterClass on exploration. Chris Hadfield's books An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth, You Are Here and The Darkest Dark have been bestsellers all around the world.

Angela Crowther is a retired scientist.  She has published many scientific papers but, as yet, no crime fiction.  In her spare time Angela belongs to a Handbell Ringing group, goes country dancing and enjoys listening to music, particularly the operas of Verdi and Wagner.