Reviewed by Essien Asian for Readers' Favorite

When American intelligence agencies get hold of information detailing a plot to sabotage telecommunications facilities by a deep-cover Chinese agent, the task falls to J.M. Pettersen to sniff out and eliminate this provocateur. He discovers this may be more complex than he initially believed, as his dwindling contacts list cannot gather adequate information. Faced with a potential disaster, he reaches out to Jack Rutledge, a military veteran with a chip on his shoulder but an active network. Jack is not keen on returning to a business he walked away from some time ago, but when he becomes aware of the enormity of the situation, he has to rethink his stance. The fate of the free world hangs in the balance as all roads lead to Tennesee in Jeffrey M. Freeman's The Nashville Connection.

Jefferey M. Freeman's espionage thriller has an ample dose of double-dealing. The attention to detail in incorporating each character's distinct characteristics into their origin story is an excellent touch in their development. Pettersen's habit of murdering well-known quotes is both annoying and entertaining. The author skillfully crafts the dialogue between the characters to encapsulate the full range of emotions in their interaction, from the comedic commentary characterizing Jack wooing an uninterested female to the cold, calculated detailing of the perfect doublecross by a Chinese diplomat. Freeman adjusts the tempo for each of these incidents to suit the situation, giving fans of suspense and action a gripping read. The author uses moving examples like the Tiananmen Square incident and the Tulsa riots to highlight the startling parallels between the Chinese and American government doctrines of rewriting history to their advantage. Freeman crafts a balanced narrative using a deft storytelling approach that guarantees you will not look at espionage novels the same way after you've read The Nashville Connection.