Spy Wednesday by Steven Sims, paperback, 380 pages, Xlibris Corporation (2005), ISBN: 1413484891
In "Spy Wednesday" – writes Jim Harger in The Grand Rapids Press – author Steven Sims "introduces us to Ken Perry, an ordinary guy from an ordinary Midwestern town attending an ordinary Midwestern college. That's where it stops being ordinary, as Ken's education takes on a new twist as he delves into his father's murky past...". In fact, when college junior and zealous distance runner Ken Perry stumbles into a cryptic hidden room in his family home, he is blindsided by the secret past of his long-dead father. Had Walt Perry really been the victim of a random, drive-by shooting? Or was he assassinated by someone from the shadows of that silent chamber? Ken's quest for answers plunges him into a maze of espionage, sex, drugs and violence, with pivotal encounters in a biker clubhouse and a secluded monastery. His pursuit ends with a desperate marathon that unlocks the secrets surrounding the mysterious niche, and his father's death. "Sims has fashioned a page-turner and thriller that is extraordinary" continues Harger, and this book "has a number of running episodes that ring true to me" adds Olympian Jeff Galloway. During his nearly 20-year career as a print journalist, Steven Sims has reported from Central America, Europe and the Caribbean, including time covering the war in Bosnia and repeated assignments in Cuba. While regional editor for a statewide newspaper, he received a Catholic Press Association award for a package of articles and photographs he produced on runaway inner-city youth in south Florida. An avid runner, his stories have also appeared in Runner's World magazine. He lives in the Tampa Bay area, where he continues to write and teach.
