On the spy/money issue, I've noticed that very few writers who mysteries, espionage, or thrillers have main characters that are anything but financially well-off. Very few give a plausible explanation as to where the money came from. Best example I've seen of money in books is the novels of John Sandford...the Lucas Davenport series (the Prey mysteries) and the Virgil Flowers series. Davenport is a cop who developed games based on his experiences, worked with smart guys to turn them into computer simulations/games, and sold for big money, then invested the money well. Sandford does a good job of throwing in the nice money references (Porsche, expensive suits, etc.) but in a believable way. The fun part is with the Virgil Flowers series (a spin-off of the Prey series) where the guy is a working cop, has enough money to live, but isn't driving around in a fancy car throwing cash around. Sandford goes so far as to have the character worry about expenses, how to pay for his fishing boat repairs, etc. Good reads if you like the mystery stuff. Gun details aren't Correia-level good, but better than most.