The Athena Dictum


Fiction - Thriller - Espionage
466 Pages
Reviewed on 07/22/2019
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Author Biography

Joseph Cottereaux held a Top Secret clearance and spent most of his time in the United States Marine Corps overseas attached to the United States State Department. He provided diplomatic security services and was deployed to a presidential security detail.

Joe gained invaluable knowledge and insight into the inner mechanisms of the United States foreign policy-making and international perceptions of Americans in many countries.

After an honorable discharge, he obtained a bachelor’s degree in International Business in three years and landed his first private sector job consulting for a technology company that serviced the government sector. After learning the minutiae of government record keeping and fundamental technology principles, he moved on to work for several global technology firms.

Writing this book from an undisclosed location, Joe incorporated many of his experiences, skills, technology knowledge and problem resolution methodologies learned from over three decades of hands-on work.

    Book Review

Reviewed by K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite

The Athena Dictum is a work of classic espionage thriller fiction penned by author Joseph Cottereaux. Following the events of The Athena Algorithm, we return to the exploits of Michael Robert Devlin (M.R.) as he continues his journey with the secret intelligence organization Outrider. The mystery revolves around the title of the novel: a powerful intelligence tool that weighs the probabilities of international relations as a kind of early warning system. When M.R. is sent to collect intel in Europe and the Middle East, a trail of danger, death, and devastation lies in his path. What results is an action-packed spy adventure with plenty of deadly thrills.

Author Joseph Cottereaux continues the tale of M.R. Devlin’s adventures in a realistic and truly unpredictable world of death and danger. The inclusion of real historical events gives much credence to the plot and to the prediction device itself, making for all the more compelling reading, and the body count gives the likes of Kingsman a run for its money. The action scenes are sharply described and well-paced to deliver each punch with a cinematic quality, whilst the exposition and informative scenes are blended well so as not to disjoint or delay the plot too much. The narration follows closely behind our lead character so that we experience everything he does with vivid detail, and the surrounding cast of charming yet deadly characters are sure to entertain. Overall, The Athena Dictum encompasses everything an espionage fan could want from a sharp and adventurous read. Highly recommended.