Saving the World on $50 a Day

Saturday, 28 December 2024

Lonely Planet author Leif Pettersen’s writing interests clearly extend much further than his Romania gig with LP. Eight years ago I wrote a blog on his Backpacking with Dracula book, noting that it probably supplied way more information on Transylvania and Vlad Tepes (that’s Count Dracula’s real name) than you’d ever want to know.

Romania travels – and elsewhere for that matter – clearly aren’t enough to keep Leif busy, he’s also written an account of his long-term career as a competitive juggler (and street busker?) – Throwing Up: Notes From 35 Years of Juggling! As he notes on the book’s Amazon blurb ‘juggling literally makes you smarter, faster and gives you a natural advantage with anything involving reflexes, hand speed and dexterity.’

Now he’s come up with a spy thriller, Saving the World on $50 a Day recounts the adventures of CIA agent Bryant Swisher Jr chasing the bad guys in Romania (of course), Moldova, Ukraine and even Transnistria. He’s posing as Lonely Planet travel writer Ryan Davis as a front, although the book cover would seem to indicate he’s not sure if he’s writing for LP or working on a Frommer dollar a day title? Bryant may not be the world’s most competent spy, but never mind, a Romanian romance teams him up with a much more capable (and attractive?) sidekick and his legendary dad, Bryant Swisher Sr, also rides in to the rescue. All Leif’s books are available on Amazon.

▲ Coincidentally as I was finishing reading Leif’s book on my flight home to Australia it was traversing the very territory he was writing about, as the Qantas moving map indicates. Brașov is ‘a city in the Transylvania region of Romania, ringed by the Carpathian Mountains. It’s known for its medieval Saxon walls and bastions, the towering Gothic-style Black Church and lively cafes.’ And that’s where ‘Ryan Davis,’ Lonely Planet author and secret spy, stayed during his Romanian adventures.