Looking to read a fast-paced spy novel by a local author who has his hand in many areas: TV, movies, screenplays and, now, his first novel? Destiny Can Be Dangerous by Matthew Gooley is a suspenseful tribute to such spy masters as James Bond and Dan Brown.

It begins with the procurement of intellectual property by a mysterious thief that leads to two chases, a kidnapping, two rescue attempts and a final confrontation between the agents of the Domestic Protection Group (read Homeland Security) and the sinister agents of a disgruntled corporate CEO who…