The Coldest Warrior

A fascinating blend of historical fact and fiction which documents the cover up of the death of a US Army scientist working for the CIA. In 1953, Dr. Charles Wilson was alleged to have committed suicide, jumping or falling from the window of a Washington D.C. hotel, but the exact details of his death are unknown.
Fast forward to 1975 and the Rockefeller Commission report on on illegal CIA activities reveals that, prior to his death, Wilson had - unknown to him - been given a dose of LSD. Wilson had been involved in germ warfare experiments, one of which was actually carried out on civilians during the Korean War. He'd also taken part in interrogations of Soviet double agents and ex-Nazis working for the CIA in which torture and mind altering drugs were used.
It seems that, just before his death, Wilson was having doubts about his work.
As the Senate hearings continue, the Director of the CIA tasks one of his longest serving and respected agents, Jack Gabriel, with finding out what really happened to Wilson. Gabriel knew the dead man and his family who - 22 years later - along with the US media, are demanding answers .
After 25 years with the Agency, Gabriel had just tendered his resignation but reluctantly agrees to carry out the Director's wishes.
Gradually, aided by a Deep Throat type source, he discovers what seems to be the truth, but there are men within the CIA who are desperate to ensure that truth stays buried. Slowly but surely, Gabriel begins to unravel the various threads of this mysterious death. Misplaced documents he uncovers in Government archives, include a CIA assassination manual from 1953, which instructs agents, "The most efficient accident, in simple assassination, is a fall of 75 feet or more onto a hard surface."
The story's action picks up speed as people involved in the case die in suspicious circumstances and suddenly, he and his family are at risk. Gabriel knows he must risk everything to keep his wife and daughter safe.
This is a fictional story based on real life events. In 1953, Frank Olson, an American biological warfare scientist and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) employee, was secretly dosed with LSD by his CIA supervisor as part of Project MK-Ultra and later plunged to his death from the window of a New York City hotel room. Official reports said Olson had been depressed and committed suicide, but subsequent investigations indicated the cover-up of an alleged murder. In a forward to this book, the author reveals that Frank Olson was his uncle.
In this fictional tale, Jack Gabriel realises he's not certain who he can trust. Even if he does find out the real cause of Wilson's death, will he end up another victim of a conspiracy which reaches all the way to the White House?
The CIA's unofficial motto: "And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free." but judging by this story, it should be "The end justifies the means." The view of the CIA's Cold Warriors is that morally wrong actions are sometimes necessary to achieve morally right outcomes and some deaths are collateral damage.
The Coldest Warrior deals with the grey areas of America's intelligence wars and how far some will go to cover up crimes from the past. It's an absolutely gripping read by a writer whose spy fiction ranks alongside the best.
Highly recommended.
My thanks to the publishers Oldcastle Books and to NetGalley for a copy of this book in return for an unbiased review.

This is the third thriller I have read by this underrated author and it is an excellent cold war thriller partially based on true events.

I won't provide any spoilers but simply say that Vidich is a master of time and place and he brilliantly evokes America in the 1950s as a cold case from that period is re-examined and a cover up exposed.

The characters are well drawn and credible and the plot engrossing. Vidich is a gifted writer and his talent shines through.

Highly recommended.

Dr Charles Wilson,a Government Scientist was found 22 years ago on the ground ,dead outside the hotel he was staying in.He apparently went through his window with the consensus, one of suicide.
A public consultation around the behaviour of the CIA where the topic of Dr Charles Wilson arose where there was doubt whether he had been murdered by his own ,the CIA .Particularly since it was a possibility that he had ,indeed been in the employ of the CIA.

The Director of Central Intelligence called in Jack Gabriel who was in the midst of retiring from the CIA to investigate whether there were anything from the rumours that might embarrass and report back to him.

The story moves with pace as certain members in Government service ,were trying to stop Jack, from finding the truth.
Danger at every turn, not only to Jack, but his family.People involved in the original case began to die with documents going missing .It was a nervous time for all with the pressure on Jack Gabriel to drop his investigation.

A great book that I enjoyed ,well written with some insight into the dark backgound of the murky world of espionage and politics.

Highly recommended novel, based on a the death of a government scientist in 1950s USA. Did he fall or was he pushed? Who are the 'good guys'; who are the 'baddies'? And the cover-up which existed for over twenty years.
It is a definite page-turner, well-written and easy to read. Am looking forward to more books by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and No Exit Press for an opportunity to read an advance copy.

Paul Vidich's historical cold war espionage drama is a compulsive and tense thriller that is based on a true story to which he has personal family connections. In the midst of the height of the paranoia of the cold war in 1953, Dr Charles Wilson either falls or jumps off the ninth floor to his death at the Harrington Hotel in Washington, leaving behind a grieving wife and family. The truth is buried until 22 years later, the Rockefeller Commission are reporting on and holding hearings on illegal CIA activities, under pressure from the Wilson family who want to know the truth and a Agency that is being excoriated by the media. CIA agent Jack Gabriel is on the cusp of retiring, a friend of the Wilson family, when he is asked to find out what happened back then by the current CIA director.

As Jack begins to investigate, he has no idea just how much danger he and his family will face. It doesn't take long for it to become obvious that there was CIA involvement in Wilson's death, but identifying the culprits and securing evidence seems beyond the realms of possibility with the lack of records. Additionally, there are ruthless and powerful individuals and agents within the CIA, FBI and the White House that have no intention or interest in allowing the truth to emerge. Further obstacles come with the all too convenient deaths of those associated with Wilson's demise. Apparent help comes in the form of a person who has no wish to be identified. The disinterment and examination of Wilson's body all but confirms that he was definitely murdered, contradicting the official reports of his death back in 1953. Indeed, evidence suggests that Wilson's death follows the advice laid out in a CIA Assassination Manual of the time. Gabriel finds himself frustrated by blocks coming from every direction as he searches for the coldest warrior in a thrilling narrative that culminates in a finale on a dark night with Hurricane Eloise raging.

Vidich makes good use of the actual real life death of Frank Olsen, a bio-warfare scientist, falling or jumping from the thirteenth floor of the Statler Hotel in New York City in 1953. He weaves a riveting espionage tale of a CIA willing to do what ever was thought necessary to keep American secrets in an intensely fought cold war, including the killing of their own citizens. This is a brilliant, fast paced and entertaining read, made all the more engaging given it is based on true life espionage history. Highly recommended. Many thanks to No Exit Press and Oldcastle Books for an ARC.

Superb conspiracy thriller based on real life events. The death of a CIA scientist in 1953 in suspicious circumstances is investigated in the G Ford era by an operative keen to leave the organisation. Dark characters lurk at every turn as the tension builds in this cleverly described tale. It all seems frighteningly genuine and is an excellent read . Highly recommended!

Expert, professional and serious, even important novel based, I think, on a real life event of a purported suicide by scientist who knew too much. The family believed the CIA who that scientist might have been working with, had all to do with it. We are in on the game. A loyal career officer in the CIA is caught up in the cover up .. will he survive? Tense and confidently set out .. with surprises right until last moment , this is top entertainment with robust, moral under pinning.

A 1975 Senate hearing into a death involving the CIA that occurred back in 1953 has ramifications for a number of people. The family of the late Dr Wilson have answered questioned concerning the circumstances of his death and are not satisfied with the official cause of death being given as ‘jumped or fell’. The author has a family connection to the actual death that inspired this story.

Agent Jack Gabriel, who was friends with the Wilson family, becomes embroiled in untangling the cold case. The body count starts to rise as Gabriel digs deeper and the result of his investigation has massive potential consequences for the political landscape including the President

Paul Vidich has the ability to bring characters, scenes and relationships to life with an economy of words that echo John le Carre at his best. I loved Vidich’s ability to bring the strands of the plot together and rattle on at a rapid pace to a definitive and satisfying conclusion.

For anyone who is fan of cold war fiction then you will enjoy this.

Would I read something by this author again? Without doubt, yes. I hope it is not too long before Vidich produces his next book.

1953 – the Korean War has ended, but the Cold War emerges and the intelligence services’ nerves are frayed. When CIA officer Dr Charles Wilson dies under blurry circumstances, all information is closed down immediately. It will take twenty-two years until his death gets the attention it deserves. He “jumped or fell” from the ninth floor of a Washington hotel and his family is now demanding answers. Jack Gabriel, an old friend of Wilson’s, also an agent himself, starts digging and the deeper he gets, the more coincidental deaths among key witnesses this cases produces. Somebody tries to hide something and Gabriel soon has to ask himself how much he is willing to risk for the truth.

Paul Vidich narrates a fictional story based on the real events of the mysterious death of Frank Olson, CIA employee and biological warfare expert. The author has seen himself what the agency’s policy of secretiveness can do to a family: Olson was his uncle and he could witness the family’s grief at close range.

“That was the story of the Agency then. We could do whatever we wanted because we were fighting the Soviet Union.”

The CIA killed its own men if need be. What sounds like the plot of a superb spy novel today, was a reality back then. As Vidich recalls, raising the subject at family reunions was a taboo, even though somebody suffered a terrible injustice, everybody remained silent and thus approved of the methods. Reading about the disclosure of Wilson’s/ Olson’s murder makes you oscillate between fascination and abhorrence. A lot has been revealed about the dark sides of espionage and spying, nevertheless, I am still stunned each time I read about how ruthless the business can be and how little a human life counts.

It is remarkable how Vidich manages to transport the story in an entertaining way even though he is that close to the case. A fast paced read that gives much more insight than you could ever wish for.

It's 1975 and CIA agent Jack Gabriel 'volunteers' to investigate the case of a scientist/friend of his - by the name of Charles Wilson. In 1953 Mr Wilson apparently jumped out of a hotel window with a possible link to the early days of LSD.

This is a 'cold case' and Jack has to search for the truth but which also takes him into the realms of a cover up at the highest level, and probable conspiracy theories. These investigations also put his family at risk; no more spoilers from me!

The CIA in the fifties and sixties were obviously able to behave pretty badly in their defence of America, and the author paints a grim picture. However, this is a first class book which picks up pace towards the end. All the characters are well described. Really enjoyed it.

Thanks to Net Galley and Oldcastle Books for the chance to to read and review.

‘The most efficient accident, in simple assassination, is a fall of 75 feet or more onto a hard surface.’ That’s how a CIA manual from the early 1950s instructed its agents in the ultimate sanction. And that’s what happened in 1953 to a scientist who may have been involved in MK-ULTRA, the American bio-warfare project which attempted mind control through psychoactive drugs.

The Coldest Warrior picks up the thread of this story a quarter-century later in the mid-1970s. This skeleton is rattling so loud that it threatens to come crashing out of the cupboard and ruin the careers of agency operatives – now at director level – and the politicians who quietly sponsor them behind the scenes. If the original intervention wasn’t quite officially sanctioned then covering it up requires the involvement of a deniable black-ops unit. Hence the ‘honest spy’ who is tasked with shining a light on these shabby proceedings finds himself, his sources and even his family at risk as he gets nearer to the truth.

This book suffers somewhat from the same problem as many thrillers which are based on real events. It sits slightly uncomfortably in that space between the real world – where an American government employee being shoved out of a hotel window by CIA agents is indeed shocking – and the fictional world of espionage adventure where such events are small beer indeed.

This is a low-key investigation into the murky territory of inter-agency rivalry. A quiet menace pervades the narrative but it’s not a rip-roaring page-turning action-packed thriller by any means.

I struggled to make a connection with any of the characters, or to believe that the protagonist was genuinely at risk. Nor were there any particularly shocking revelations; perhaps because we’ve become desensitised to the murderous behaviour of intelligence agencies towards their own citizens. And who is surprised when a politician plots and schemes?

So this was an intellectually engaging read, but not an intense or involving one. It’s well researched and easy enough to read, but offers few of the poetic moments of grit or gravitas which bring real emotional impact to the espionage genre.

7/10

A well-crafted conspiracy style political thriller, which has an additional poignancy because it is inspired by a true tragedy that happened in 1953, to a family member of the author. The story begins with the tragic event, seen from the tragedy instigator's point of view. Its execution is the substance of many spy stories, but this one resonates because of the real-life personal connection.

A subsequent investigation in the mid-seventies provokes an internal investigation by the CIA, headed by an operative close to retirement, who is friendly with the victim's family. The investigation throws up more questions than answers in the beginning, as those involved push-back. A turning-point is an unnamed source, who has the requisite information but won't be identified.

There is a building intensity and menace, as the investigation progresses, implied rather than overt, but there. As the story gains momentum, the threat is implicit and Gabriel, the investigator realises his family is in danger because of his actions. The ending reinforces everything that has come before.

This thriller is written in a detailed, character-driven style that works well with conspiracy thrillers. The pacing is geared more to the absorption of events, rather than action. It is atmospheric and intense and portrays the paranoia in the intelligence world of 1950s USA believably. It is immersive and disturbing reading,

I received a copy of this book from No Exit Press- Oldcastle Books via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

The Coldest Warrior is set at the height of the Cold War. It is actually based on the true events of a Frank Olson, personally known by the author and his family. A story about Dr Charles Wilson, a scientist who dies when he ‘jumped or fell’ from his 9th floor hotel room in Washington.


Paul Vidich
When the Rockefeller commission is released in 1975, it again brings to light this death and with a fresh investigation by Jack Gabriel, an agent who happens to be an old friend of The Wilsons. Jack Gabriel is aware this is his final assignment then he plans to retire from the agency…But he doesn’t quite realise JUST how dangerous it will become! The deaths begin to mount up as the investigation goes on and Jack realises that this assignment may be the most dangerous of his career. And he must risk it all for his family’s safety.


The Coldest Warrior brings to light the way the intelligence service in America will cover up any wrong doing in their history and how far and what means they would use! A fantastically tense and gripping piece of historical spy fiction mixed with thriller! I was captivated with this book and was on the edge of my seat plenty of times throughout!

A massive thanks to Netgalley, Anne Cater, @noexitpress and @paulvidich for allowing me to be a part of this blog tour