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Find out moreLooking for your next literary adrenaline rush? Or to live vicariously through a thrill-seeking hero/heroine? Have a look at the titles in our Action/Adventure/Spy section for the latest danger and intrigue-filled novels.
An incredibly raw, at times difficult to read, quite gobsmacking debut. Cherry made me flinch, both physically and mentally, at times I had to look away and think of something else, yet the words continued to call to me. The author Nico Walker, as of 2019, is still in prison in the USA, he served as an army medic in Iraq, and returning home with severe PTSD started to rob banks to pay for his drug addiction. This story centres on a narrator who serves as an army medic in Iraq, and returning home with severe PTSD starts to rob banks to pay for his drug addiction (yes the same tale as the author). Let me be clear, this is a novel, yet the voice of the author is clearly heard, this is his story and he stamps his words, his very being on every single page. Hammer hard, quick firing sentences (with some choice language attached) shoot off of the page. There were times when I really didn’t like the narator, some of his life choices are difficult to understand, yet that is the whole point. The story turns full circle from the prologue, creating what feels like a never ending loop. This book made me ache, it often physically hurt to soak up the words, yet I would read it all again tomorrow, and so Cherry has to be one of my picks of the month.
I do think the author is a remarkable story teller and I very much enjoyed reading the book. It was very pleasing to see how quickly the action was launched and how the novel maintained its pace. The first sentences almost had the rhythm of the horse’s feet and I loved the fact there were no wasted words. Reading and enjoying the first few paragraphs of a new novel is often key to whether the reader reads on and I loved this first chapter, which could have belonged to many genres. The novel has a clear story line full of well distinguished characters with quite distinct personalities. Obviously as it is based on actual historical events there is an interest in ondering about the accuracy and truthfulness of the portrayal. In this case that simply adds to the general intrigue. Most of the writing is extremely plausible but there were odd moments when I had doubts - for example I had to suspend belief in the scene between Goering and Margaret where they held their conversation. I found it difficult to believe Margaret was likely to pick up important information within the pattern of her life. However this did not detract in any way from my enjoyment of the book. Setting the novel during the mid part of the twentieth century gives it solidity and purpose. It is instructing the reader at the same time and giving a neat and clear explanation of what was happening during the pre-war and war years. For a reader it is always good to learn something from a novel which is separate from understanding the plot and the interaction between characters. I would highly recommend this book. Maxine Broadbent
Gosh this a fascinating little book, I really did feel as though I was discovering a forgotten manuscript. Translators notes greet you at the start, advising that a complete text from the 11th century has been found and translated using cryptology. Thomas Woodward describes his life from 1066 when he was taken in after a raid and trained to become a spy, through to 1098 when he explains his life and the decisions he has made to his son. James Hutson-Wiley has created a simple diary-like discourse, Thomas describes the world around him, in particular, the trade of goods, including sugar, with clarity. Stuffed full of interesting tidbits I sank into this world and galloped through the pages. The Sugar Merchant surprised me, I thoroughly enjoyed my sojourn to the 11th century and found a fluid, absorbing and worthwhile read.
A hard-hitting fabulous continuation in a must-read series, for me the Orphan X thrillers are pure addictive escapism at its very best. Evan may be an assassin, he also has a heart, if you haven’t yet met him, I advise starting with the first in the series Orphan X. I’m quite sure you could read Out of the Dark’as a standalone, but I think the pleasure comes from getting to know Evan from the very beginning. Evan has made a decision, that he must kill the President of the United States. Jonathan Bennett is a president born of corruption, greed, and lies, a president with a history that links with Evan’s own, the top secret Orphan Program, where orphans become trained killers. Gregg Hurwitz has created a crazy high-octane read, the first action sequence is a doozy, the style of writing ensured I didn’t observe it, but I oh how I felt it! Out of the Dark didn’t just capture my attention, it blasted, hammered, and shaped it, a highly recommended read.
Married for ten years. Four children. She thought she knew her husband better than anyone. She was wrong. You get to work. Make a coffee. Turn on your computer. Your task: break into a Russian criminal's laptop and find proof that he's concealing five deep-cover agents - seemingly normal people living in plain sight. You're in. Five faces stare back at you. One of them is your husband.
A stunning, shocking, wonderfully well written debut reminiscent of James Patterson and one that will catapault Boris Starling to the front rank of thriller writers. London is in the grip of a heatwave: airless days, strange steamy nights and a killer stalking the streets. Wealthy men are being murdered to some mysterious pattern, with no clues left behind, only corpses with silver spoons in place of their tongues… Set against this merciless butcher is DCI Red Metcalfe, an investigator with a celebrated ability to get under the skin and into the minds of the deranged killers he hunts. But as the city swelters and the body count rises, Red’s own tortured past begins to turn against him – and the city is safe for no one. Sometimes, it is said, it takes a killer to catch a killer… The most compelling and suspenseful British thriller to come along in years, and Boris Starling is a startling and powerful talent to watch. Messiah is guaranteed to haunt your dreams…
This is a "throw yourself in and let yourself be carried on a rolling monster of a wave" type of read. I knew I was in completely safe hands, both in terms of credibility and storyline. It is no secret that I loved James Deegan’s debut Once A Pilgrim, it is one of my star books for 2018 so I had high expectations for The Angry Sea. The book starts with a horrific terrorist attack and John Carr vaults from relaxing on a beach into immediate action. If you haven’t yet met John Carr, do go back and start at the beginning with Once A Pilgrim, this is a series worth being in at the get-go. Carr is an unapologetically full-on action figure capable of both icy cold decision making and roaring hot reaction. The author is himself a former Sergeant Major in the SAS and was described as one of the most operationally experienced SAS men of his era. I didn’t once stop or question what I was reading, I just sank into the short snappy chapters, I breathed in, consumed, and lived in every moment. The Angry Sea is a full on gutsy, action-packed read that delivers one heck of a punch, highly recommended and one of my picks of the month. If you want to find out more about James, read Putting Authors in the Picture #5: James Deegan.
Are you ready for a heart-pumping shooting from the hip read? Do prepare yourself as once you start you just won’t want to stop! Bounty hunter Lori Anderson has plenty of good old fashioned gumption, yet is as modern a character as you could wish to find. Lori has just 48 hours in which to snatch a male in protective custody with the FBI, if she doesn’t, her family will be killed by the Miami Mob. This is the third in the ‘Lori Anderson’ series, I really do recommend starting at the beginning with the fabulous Deep Down Dead which was Steph Broadribb’s debut. Lori thinks with viper-like speed, speaks with strength and acts from her gut. Steph Broadribb has constructed a thoroughly believable world full of substantial yet flawed characters. I quite simply love this series, I leap in with total faith and just let myself go. Deep Dirty Truth is a thrilling, assertive and energetic read, go on I dare you, grab yourself a copy.
Three lively retellings of Daniel Defoe's classic novels, plus two bonus programmes about his extraordinary life and far-reaching influence. Robinson Crusoe and his Farther Adventures An imaginative blend of the famous castaway tale and its lesser-known sequel, this thrilling drama sees Crusoe setting sail for the far north. Facing danger in the Siberian wastes, he keeps terror at bay by telling his companions campfire tales of his many adventures on his beloved island. Starring Tim McInnerney as Crusoe. Moll Flanders When Daniel Defoe meets Elizabeth Atkins in Newgate jail, she recounts her stranger-than-fiction story of a rags-to-riches life that took her from prostitution to prosperity - but culminated in destitution. Inspired, Defoe mixes fact and fiction to re-invent her as one of his most engaging characters: Moll Flanders. Starring Ben Miles as Defoe and Jessica Hynes as Elizabeth Atkins. A Journal of the Plague Year Writing a fictional journal of the Great Plague of 1665, Defoe soon comes to be haunted by the characters he is conjuring. Starring Ben Miles as Defoe. This exciting new collection of reinvented tales will also include two bonus programmes about Daniel Defoe himself:Defoe: Merchant, Writer, Convict, Spy by Philip Palmer - A biographical drama about Defoe's life, starring Ben Miles as Defoe and Niamh Cusack as his wife Mary. Defoe: The Facts and Fictions - A documentary by Mark Lawson, exploring the far-reaching influence of the pioneering author.
'The Predator Cities' quartet is a stunning blend of past and future technologies where the world of the traction era and mobile cities fight for survival in a post-apocalyptic future. The release of Mortal Engines, the first in the quartet launched Philip Reeve's brilliantly-imagined creation, sets the scene for a stunning quartet of action-packed stories set in a richly inventive world. Big cities gobble up smaller ones and London rules above them all. Tom Natsworthy, a third class apprentice in the Guild of Historians, has the adventure of his life after he sets out to try to find out what has happened to his parents. With a cast of inventive characters including Shrike, Anna Fang and Stalker, a deadly robot killer with a human brain, and cities whose imaginary and multi-layered architecture dazzles, this is a creation on a vast and imaginary scale.
Espionage, Sabotage and Pacey Page-turning!
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Let Bernard Cornwell sweep you back to Arthurian times, or into the heat of battle with Richard Sharpe. Sail the high seas with Patrick O'Brian. Raise your pulse-rate with Michael Crichton. Experience the adrenaline of combat with Andy McNab. Feel the clear and present danger of Tom Clancy's thrilling Jack Ryan stories... Live on the edge with Lee Child's itinerant hero Jack Reacher? Navigating your way through all the twists and turns of this roller-coaster genre can be an adventure in itself.
So, let us help you find your next fuel-injected foray into the fields of battle, espionage, danger,heroism and even history rewritten. From Dan Brown, Tom Clancy and Ken Follett to Wilbur Smith, David Gibbins and Stieg Larsson, you’ll be over the waves, under the radar, up mountains, outside the law, beyond help, dicing with danger, battling monsters, rescuing the stricken, flying through flack, laying mines, playing political parlour-games, conning Congress, kidnapping commandos clashing with conquistadors and crossing swords with Crusaders … and all from the safety of your favourite chair.
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