Review: Michael J. Merry's Six Honest Serving Men

Author: Michael J. Merry

Publisher: PublishNational LLC

ISBN: 9798643822646

Michael J. Merry, the author of 9 novels, is a rapidly rising figure in the political-thriller genre. In his more recent ambitious foray, Six Honest Serving Men, Merry crafts a humdinger of a story. There is plenty here to keep you scratching your heads, wondering if six men could, in fact, pull off their scheme to overthrow a corrupt government.

.

The center of the story is the fictitious country of Maraguay, “where the skyline of the Capital, Puerto Real surpasses that of any other Latin American city.” 

In 1964 the country witnessed a young group of courageous men who had succeeded in replacing a despot dictator and his government.

They promised to make Maraguay a better country if they were given a chance. They kept their promise, and free elections were subsequently held. President Jorge McGregor was elected along with new legislators. This government was in power until 2009. Unfortunately, due to health reasons, Jorge did not run for re-election. 

The succeeding government turned out to be blatantly corrupt. They actually enacted laws that permitted them to steal in its name. And because they controlled the legislature, they were able to escape prosecution. What ensued was a new brand of money-hungry politicos that made sure to illegally enrich themselves at taxpayers' expense.

Maraguay was of particular interest to the United States as they had rented a sizable off-shore island in Barajas, where they had built an airstrip. They also signed an agreement 'in perpetuity' in 1916, on the eve of their entry into World War I. The treaty permitted them to have exclusive use of a most incredible deep-water harbor between San Francisco and the north and Ushuaia at the tip of Chile in the south. The lease was now up for renewal.

Eleven years after he retired, Jorge became shocked at what was happening in Maraguay. Even though he was in poor health suffering from anemia, which limited his abilities to function normally, he was determined to make things right in his country.

On one Sunday afternoon, he assembled five trustworthy guests. All of his invitees had two things in common, they could keep a secret and, like himself, loathed the blatant corruption that was devastating Maraguay's economy.

The pack consisted of David Rodriguez, an officer in the Armed Forces of Maraguay. He was in charge of all Internal and External currency security matters throughout the Republic, Cardinal Espinosa, Archbishop of Maraguay, Felipe, ex-Vice President of the country,

Jorge's devious plan involved the kidnapping of prominent government ministers and the seizing of their bank accounts. The abductees would be hidden on a private island that was owned by Jorge. Each participant in the scheme would be known by a code name, What, Why, When, How, Where, Who. If you are wondering the derivation of these code names, Merry informs us that his story was inspired by Rudyard Kipling's poem, Six honest serving men. In verse, Kipling states that he keeps six honest serving-men who taught him all he knows. They are given the same names that Jorge uses in his plan.

In this rapid-fire-filled thriller, readers are continually privy to the key players' non-stop actions as you enjoy the journey with a masterful storyteller at the helm. And you probably will have a difficult time forgetting them and the things they do to accomplish their tasks.

Merry's pacing is unrelenting, and he is even able to provide an adequate amount of character development. His own personal experiences give the reader an eye-opening look at the realities of corruption in many countries worldwide. This is one cliffhanger not to be missed, and if you have not discovered Michael J. Merry, you are in for quite a treat!

Follow Here To Read Norm's Interview With Michael J. Merry