SYNOPSIS:
THE COMPANY FILES: BOOK 4
Espionage is easy. Living with it isn’t.
The Company named it Operation Ajax. MI6 labeled it Boot. History would call it a coup.
Walker calls it the beginning of the end.
1953. The Company is orchestrating the overthrow of Iran’s elected leader—an operation cloaked in propaganda and alliances. In Rome, Walker is stationed with Leslie, former M16 and now Company agent, and tasked to coordinate efforts between the US and UK. But when resources on the ground become a liability, Walker is forced to make a difficult decision—one that threatens to unravel what’s left of his conscience.
As the coup’s first attempt crumbles and Washington grows desperate, old loyalties shift. Allen Dulles wants results. Kim Roosevelt wants glory. Darbyshire feels left out. And Walker begins to suspect he’s not there to help win the Cold War, but to prove he can stomach it.
From Missouri to Rome to the Catskills to Tehran, EYES TO DECEIT explores postwar American idealism—and the spies who find themselves too loyal, too late, to walk away clean.
For readers of le Carré, Furst, Kanon, and Vidich this is espionage at its most personal—and most perilous.
“Once
power moves in secret, it rarely stops at the border.”
In
Eyes to Deceit, the fourth book in The Company Files series, the United
States is planning a coup to overthrow Iran, but hang on—this isn’t a story ripped
from today’s headlines. We’re not reading about the propaganda-filled US-Israeli
Operation Epic Fury, which appears to have only the goal of bombing Iran to
oblivion. Rather, Eyes to Deceit details 1953’s propaganda-filled,
carefully coordinated, very real US-British-Italianish mission, Operation Ajax.
As author Gabriel Valjan says in the not-to-be-missed Afterword, the rationale for Operation Ajax
was “containment, oil, and influence—but the consequences spiraled far beyond
Iran’s borders.” Sure, go ahead and substitute Epic Fury there. Same holds true.
Readers
are thrown right into the middle of the Cold War and chapters of Eyes to Deceit alternate between
two sets of multinational Company operatives, most of whom were in the first
book, The
Good Man, which I reviewed in 2018.
American Walker and British Leslie are reunited to work in Rome, where they rekindle
their romance while working with rich, powerful, influential Italian, American,
and Iranian people to see that Operation Ajax succeeds. American Jack and Russian
Sheldon are working state-side, where Sheldon is pulled out of his writer’s
life and back into service working undercover at a resort in the Catskills (think
Dirty Dancing and you’re there) to secure assets needed for mission success. In this installment, readers learn much more about Sheldon,
a Holocaust survivor, and German Tania, a young girl he rescued from atrocious
abuse, who accompanies Sheldon to the resort as his niece. Sidenote: Young (but old-souled) Tania
is by far the most interesting person: haunted, cerebral, and wickedly clever. I’ve no
desire to learn more about the horrors she’s endured, but I’d love to see what’s
next for her.
“Gossip
and new money glistened like diamonds.”
As
with book one, in Eyes to Deceit, Valjan does an outstanding job with
the settings (which include New York, Washington DC, Boston, the Catskills, and
Rome), creating a tangible mood with evocative language. His detailed descriptions add to the
authenticity of time and place. Readers are treated to eloquent depictions of cities
recovering from war and everything from high fashion to luxurious locations and opulent meals, providing a snapshot of life in the fifties. Adding to the
realism, the author includes and references many real historical figures such
as: Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, Allen Dulles, Kermit Roosevelt, Norman
Darbyshire, Mohammad Mossadegh, Clare Boothe Luce, and Giulio Andreotti. Even
Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck make appearances (and the former a courier for
the Dutch Resistance in WWII? Who knew?)
There
is much more to appreciate in Valjan’s writing. The primary characters are all
well-read, so the literary references—and literary discourses—are abundant,
which warms a bookish-girl's heart. Additionally, it’s the mark of a gifted writer
when he can demonstrate heat and passion in just a few choice words while
keeping details of Walker’s and Leslie’s trysts off page. Thank you for
trusting your readers’ imaginations, Mr. Valjan. Most of the characters are
intellectual, multilingual, and well-versed in history and politics. Valjan
reflects that in intelligent, cerebral writing, with a liberal dose of other-than-English
languages, which again makes my linguistic soul sing.
The
author demands readers keep up, but admittedly, there are more than a few
places that I couldn’t discern meaning or missed the reference for lack of context
or my own historical knowledge. I had hoped for more action, twists, and danger
to our characters, as in the first book. Instead, Eyes to Deceit is more
about backstage negotiations and deliberations, not body counts or violent
encounters: a real surprise in an espionage thriller. My only other quibble is
that there are a smattering of typos and errors that I noticed, which would
easily have been caught by one more editing pass.
Eyes to Deceit is a well-written, provocative piece of historical fiction that when juxtaposed against current world affairs takes the story to a new level. I recommend starting the series at the beginning to have maximum appreciation of the characters and their unique storylines, which will make reading Eyes to Deceit an even better reading escape (though it was nearly perfect as a stand-alone for a rainy day with my grandpuppy on my lap). Gabriel Valjan is a talented, cerebral writer who challenges readers while telling a heckuvagood story. Go on and binge the books!
Check out the rest of the Company Files series!
 Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads | BookBub |
 Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads | BookBub |
 Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads | BookBub |
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READ AN EXCERPT FROM EYES TO DECEIT:
Tania moved fast, her shoes clicked sharply on the floor. She fished a five-dollar bill from her clutch and approached a housekeeper in the hallway.
“A roll of toilet paper, and in a discreet bag, please.”
The woman hesitated, but Tania’s eyes were steady, unblinking. She slid the bill into the woman’s shoulder strap with practiced ease.
“Take it,” Tania said softly. “In case someone accuses you of theft.”
The woman nodded.
Ruth led the way. Tania followed, her mind already ahead, calculating the next move. In the bathroom, she locked the door and leaned against the wall. She heard Judith’s groans.
“It’s me, Judy.”
“Tania?” Her voice was barely a whisper.
The air was thick with sweat and nausea, sharp like unchanged hospital linens. Tania handed Ruth the roll of paper and a small perfume atomizer.
“Tell her it’s from London. She’ll like it.”
Ruth nodded and slipped into the stall.
Tania stepped back into the hallway, then stopped. A girl sick and humiliated in a stall behind her. She caught her reflection in a wall sconce—lipstick fine, hair in place, eyes clear.
Decide now.
This wasn’t strategy. She wasn’t gaining leverage. And still, her feet moved.
When she returned, Judith was pale, shaken, but upright. Tania offered her the drink.
“Peppermint helps nausea,” she said.
Judith studied her. “I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing.”
“There’s no game,” Tania said. “You have to believe me.”
Judith hesitated. “You and your uncle seem awfully interested in my father.”
Tania unwrapped a mint. “It’s a secret,” she said. “Just not the kind you think.”
She leaned in. “The government wants something your father owns or controls. Sheldon’s the go-between.”
Judith stared at her. “That sounds shady.”
“It might be.”
Judith exhaled. “They spiked my drink. Esther and those girls. Laxatives.”
Tania nodded. “Brutal.”
Silence settled between them.
Tania met her eyes.
“Want revenge?”
Judith smiled.
And didn’t say no.
***
Excerpt from Eyes to Deceit: The Company Files by Gabriel Valjan. Copyright 2025 by Gabriel Valjan. Reproduced with permission from Gabriel Valjan. All rights reserved.
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AUTHOR BIO:
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