Book Log 2015 #1: Back Channel by Steven L. Carter

A Cornell student is recruited by a professor (who has a mysterious link to her dead father) to escort Bobby Fisher to Bulgaria, ostensibly to cover the tournament he is playing in but really to make contact with a Russian who has information about missiles his country is putting in Cuba. So begins her descent into the world of Cold War espionage in this thriller.

This is the most audacious of Carter's novels that set African-American women at turning points in American history. In this case, the student becomes the US end of a back channel communication line that officially does not exist. putting her very life in danger. She is surrounded by the sort of calculating political and intelligence officers that can make that determination in good conscience and cold blood, which makes her even less sure of who, if anyone she can trust. And on top of all of this, she risks her personal reputation when her meetings with the President to deliver information are disguised as being of a more intimate nature.

For its portrayal of the lengths to which both sides would go and its continued examination of upper class African-Americans in the 20th century, this is a very highly recommended book. It's also recommended as Carter helps to connect some of the characters in this book to his earlier works, from minor characters making a repeat appearance to the supporting character of Jericho Ainsley, who as a disgraced - and retired - CIA director is the focus of the action in Jericho's Fall.

(Popsugar Reading Challenge: a mystery or a thriller)