Spies in History & Literature ~

Donald J. Bingle

Donald Bingle, author of the Dick Thornby series.

Donald J. Bingle is the author of six books and more than sixty shorter tales in the science fiction, fantasy, thriller, horror, mystery, steampunk, romance, comedy, and memoir genres.

His series of espionage thrillers feature the adventures of Dick Thornby.

Says Donald, “Dick Thornby is not Hollywood’s idea of a spy. He’s a new kind of spy for a new kind of world.”

In his rough and tumble job, there are no tailored Italian suits, no bimbos eager to please, and no massive underground fortresses built by evil overlords seeking world domination – just an endless series of sinister threats to the safety and security of the billions of mundane citizens of the planet. Sure, Dick’s tough, and he knows a few tricks to help him get out of a tight spot, even if his boss accuses him of over-reliance on explosives. But he’s also got a mortgage, a wife upset by his frequent absences on “business” trips, and an increasingly alienated teenage son who spends way too much time playing in gaming worlds on the computer.

When a mission to bust up an arms exchange in New Zealand goes spectacularly bad, Dick is thrown into a maze of conflict involving Hong Kong arms dealers, cyber-criminals, Chinese government goons, and even militant Maoris. When a young computer expert back at the Philadelphia headquarters for The Subsidiary, an international espionage agency created in the aftermath of 9/11, discovers the bad guys are involved in a vast conspiracy. Dick is forced to partner with the espionage neophyte to battle evil on multiple fronts, leading to a final confrontation that incorporates real-world conspiracy theories and cutting-edge technology.

In the end, Dick can save his partner, save his marriage, save his son, or save the world, but he can’t do it all.

Says Spy Guys and Gals, “What a terrific ride . . . action, great characters, interesting twists, and enough suspense to make you both hold your breath and turn the page.”

Says Game Knight Reviews, “This is a spy novel that intersects with the world of MMORPGs and combines a set of topics I haven’t seen before. It is a bit of The DaVinci Code with some James Bond and a modern virtual reality spin.”

Available in trade paperback, eBook, and audiobook versions.

About Net Impact ~

Book 1 in the Dick Thornby series.

When a young computer expert back at the Philadelphia headquarters for The Subsidiary, an international espionage agency created in the aftermath of 9/11, discovers the bad guys are involved in a vast conspiracy. Dick is forced to partner with the espionage neophyte to battle evil on multiple fronts, leading to a final confrontation that incorporates real-world conspiracy theories and cutting-edge technology.

In the end, Dick can save his partner, save his marriage, save his son, or save the world, but he can’t do it all.

Available in eBook and audiobook formats.

About Wet Work ~

Book 2 in the Dick Thornby series.

Dick’s not a supercool guy in a tuxedo or a crazed loner who does nothing but kill and drive fast.

He’s just a regular guy with some skills for a job that needs doing. He also has a wife, a teenaged kid, a mortgage, and all the mundane problems associated with life. His friends from the New Jersey subdivision where he lives all think he is a wastewater treatment consultant. But instead of dealing with the dirty job of processing sewage in third world countries, he is really on missions, some mundane and dirty, others of vital importance and even dirtier.

After taking personal revenge on the criminal behind both his son’’s injuries and the continued disintegration of his marriage, Dick Thornby is teamed with Acacia (“Ace”) Zyreb, a young, female agent from the East European office of the Subsidiary, to deal with the mystery behind coordinated hacking of the braking systems of several car models.

Doing his best to maintain his vows to his wife, Dick struggles to deal with the inexperience and provocative attitude of Ace on her first non-European mission. Their somewhat combative investigation takes a left turn by uncovering a much more sinister threat to the world and to Dick’s family.

He’s willing to risk his job, his partner, and his life to eliminate the threat, but the clock is ticking.

Available in eBook and audiobook formats.

About Wet Work ~

Book 3 in the Dick Thornby series.

Semi-Finalist in 2021 Soon-to-be-Famous Illinois Author Contest.

Dick Thornby is not Hollywood’s idea of a spy. He’s a new kind of spy for a new kind of world.

Of course, it’s complicated when you’re an international spy with a wife, a kid, and a mortgage, but everyone thinks you’re really a waste water treatment consultant.

And it’s bad when your family finds out about your clandestine life, your wife wants to keep tabs on where you are, and your kid tries to emulate your espionage activities.

But it’s downright dangerous for your career, your family, your colleagues, and your prospects of living until retirement when the powers-that-be at the Subsidiary discover you haven’t been keeping the secrets you should have.

Forced to take his family in tow on an off-the-books mission to investigate a mysterious flash in the middle of the Australian Outback, Dick Thornby has to contend with foreign agents, a sinister Japanese cult, outlandish conspiracy theories, and futuristic weapons from the past to save his family and himself while still completing his bizarre quest for the truth about what happened out woop woop and why so many people with weapons care.

“FLASH DRIVE builds on the universe that Mr. Bingle began with NET IMPACT and continued with WET WORK. This time, everyman spy Dick Thornby and his family are on a mission to… wait, huh? What secret agent in his right mind brings his family along on a dangerous espionage assignment? Find out inside this grand entertainment that sports an intriguing plot, well-written and thrilling action scenes, and a few laughs, too!” – Raymond Benson, author of Hotel Destiny – A Ghost Noir and The Black Stiletto Serial, as well as numerous official James Bond novels.

Available in paperback and eBook formats.

About Donald Bingle ~

Random true facts about Donald J. Bingle ~

He was the Keeper of the World’s Largest Kazoo.
He made up the science of Neo-PsychoPhysics for a time travel roleplaying game.
He is a member of The International Thriller Writers.
He once successfully limboed under a pole only nineteen inches off the ground.
He has written short stories about killer bunnies, civil war soldiers, detectives, Renaissance Faire orcs, giant battling robots, demons, cats, werewolves, time travelers, ghosts, time-traveling ghosts, spies, barbarians, a husband accused of murdering his wife, dogs, horses, gamers, soldiers, Neanderthals, commuters, kender, Victorian adventurers, lawyers, and serial killers (note the serial comma). Of those subjects, he has occasional contact in real life only with dogs, cats, gamers, lawyers, and commuters (unless some of those are, unknown to him, really time travelers, ghosts, demons, serial killers, spies, or murder suspects).
He prefers gamers to commuters.
He prefers dogs to cats.
He is a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.
He was once hit by lightning.
He was the world’s top-ranked tournament player of classic roleplaying games like Dungeons & Dragons for more than fifteen years.
His is a member of the Horror Writers Association.
He was an Eagle Scout.
He is a member of the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers.
He used to write movie reviews for Knights of the Dinner Table, a comic book about gamers.
He is a retired attorney.
He has likely attended GenCon for more years than you have been alive.

Links ~

Visit Donald Bingle’s website – Donald J. Bingle – Writer on Demand.

Read an excerpt of the Dick Thornby Three-Book Set.

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