Jarrah White’s Trojan SMERSH is an alternative-history thriller set during the final weeks of Donald Trump’s presidency. Sid Tanner, a former Australian military pilot officially believed dead, survives an assassination attempt in New York and discovers that Russian agents have been sent to kill him. His search leads across the United States, where he follows Boris Novikoff and Alexei Arsenievich, operatives serving a revived SMERSH under Moscow’s direction. Tanner turns to an underground arms dealer for equipment, then follows the Russians to Nevada as they acquire a classified American weapon and make their move toward Washington. Their assignment connects to Operation Trojan Horse, a secret plan timed to the January 6 certification of Joe Biden’s election victory. Tanner enters the capital among Trump supporters gathering for the rally, trying to determine what SMERSH intends before the political upheaval gives the mission its opening.
Jarrah White makes the novel’s alternate history persuasive through the way its fictional espionage fits into recognizable Cold War history, with SMERSH returning as a Soviet intelligence organization whose operations extend into the modern era. White gives that premise a convincing foundation through Tanner’s military background, particularly when his knowledge of aircraft and weapons shapes how he assesses the threats surrounding him. That approach makes the invented elements feel like natural extensions of the world White has created. His knowledge of aviation also gives Tanner a distinctive voice, since the character interprets situations through the habits of someone trained to assess machinery and risk throughout the novel’s imagined operations. Readers drawn to alternate history steeped in espionage with military technology should put Trojan SMERSH on their reading list.
Reviewed by: Asher Syed
Review Rating: 5 Stars