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Find out moreHeart-racing high-octane and a happy place for many of us, let us help you find your next fuel-injected foray into the fields of battle, espionage, danger, heroism and even history rewritten. 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.
Hunting Ground makes you ask questions right from the start, who is featured in the prologue? Why are they in such a dire predicament? All these questions and more are answered in this action-packed agent mystery. I did wonder as I read whether this is one of a series, and after researching I found that this is the second in a series. It didn’t detract from the events in Hunting Ground, but there’s references to a story before and the ending hints at more adventures with McGill and Sinclair so it may be best to start with number one for continuity. Undercover agents working off the books, a threat to the stability of the world’s governments and a remote house that’s been modified against intruders reminded me a bit of Skyfall, and I think that if you like action/ adventure spy books then this could be one for you. I liked the camaraderie and relationship between McGill and Sinclair and I would be interested in finding out more about the pair. Hunting Ground is suitably dramatic ending with events that will make you pick up the pace to see who survived. Charlotte Walker, A LoveReading Ambassador
Available on Amazon Complete Darkness is an action-packed science-fiction explosion. At 111 pages, though it is small, it is mighty. Following the story of Cleric20 and his sidekick GiX who perhaps unwittingly must defeat the satanic President of the World. The writing in this book flows very well and I thought the world-building was really strong. I enjoyed spotting the modern culture references throughout such as the Lloyd Weber Museum, and the integration of landmarks such as Westminster Cathedral and Tower Bridge. I think this really helped to create an “our world but not as we know it” feel that invites the reader into the futuristic setting and helps to make everything more believable. I also liked the concept of the futuristic world being built on top of the old world, it reminded me of the sunken streets below Edinburgh and reflects the building practices already used but adapted and made more futuristic. This book also deals with Armageddon, good, evil, God and the Devil but the subject is addressed in a way that I found innovative and easy to enjoy regardless of religious inclination. I thought this was a well-written book that, although it has a comic book/action hero vibe, is definitely targeted at a more mature audience, with the odd graphic moment and use of black humour. I would recommend this to science fiction and fantasy fans.
Nat, a 47 year-old veteran of Britain's Secret Intelligence Service, believes his years as an agent runner are over. He is back in London with his wife, the long-suffering Prue. But with the growing threat from Moscow Centre, the office has one more job for him. Nat is to take over The Haven, a defunct substation of London General with a rag-tag band of spies. The only bright light on the team is young Florence, who has her eye on Russia Department and a Ukrainian oligarch with a finger in the Russia pie. Nat is not only a spy, he is a passionate badminton player. His regular Monday evening opponent is half his age: the introspective and solitary Ed. Ed hates Brexit, hates Trump and hates his job at some soulless media agency. And it is Ed, of all unlikely people, who will take Prue, Florence and Nat himself down the path of political anger that will ensnare them all. Agent Running in the Field is a chilling portrait of our time, now heartbreaking, now darkly humorous, told to us with unflagging tension by the greatest chronicler of our age.
1961. Hidden deep within the forests of central Soviet Russia is a place that doesn't appear on any map: a city called Arzamas-16. Here a community of dedicated scientists, technicians and engineers are building the most powerful nuclear device the world will ever see - three thousand times more powerful than Hiroshima. But ten days before the bomb is to be tested, a young physicist is found dead. His body contains enough radioactive poison to kill thousands. The Arzamas authorities believe it is suicide - they want the corpse disposed of and the incident forgotten. But someone in Moscow is alarmed by what's going on in this strange, isolated place. And so Major Alexander Vasin - a mostly good KGB officer - is despatched to Arzamas to investigate. What he finds there is unlike anything he's experienced before. His wits will be tested against some of the most brilliant minds in the Soviet Union - eccentrics, patriots and dissidents who, because their work is considered to be of such vital national importance, have been granted the freedom to think and act, live and love as they wish. In Arzamas, nothing can be allowed to get in the way of the project. Not even murder . . . Intricately researched, cunningly plotted and brilliantly told, Black Sun is a fast-paced and timely thriller set at the height - and in the heart - of Soviet power.
Every Dead Thing is the first in the Charlie Parker Thrillers by John Connolly; this is a truly impressive series as each book lives up to the expectations caused by the last. This is one heck of a fascinating and bone-chilling world and I can highly recommend just diving in and getting lost in the quite incredible writing. Books in The Charlie Parker Thriller Series: 1. Every Dead Thing 2. Dark Hollow 3. The Killing Kind 4. The White Road 5. The Black Angel 6. The Unquiet 7. The Reapers 8. The Lovers 9. The Whisperers 10. The Burning Soul 11. The Wrath of Angels 12. The Wolf in Winter 13. A Song of Shadows 14. A Time of Torment 15. A Game of Ghosts 16. The Woman in the Woods 17. A Book of Bones 18. The Dirty South Serial Reader? Check out our 'Fall in Love With a Book Series' collection to find amazing book series to dive in to.
Uhtred of Bebbanburg is a man of his word. An oath bound him to King Alfred. An oath bound him to AEthelflaed. And now an oath will wrench him away from the ancestral home he fought so hard to regain. For Uhtred has sworn that on King Edward's death, he will kill two men. And now Edward is dying. A violent attack drives Uhtred south with a small band of warriors, and headlong into the battle for kingship. Plunged into a world of shifting alliances and uncertain loyalties, he will need all his strength and guile to overcome the fiercest warrior of them all. As two opposing Kings gather their armies, fate drags Uhtred to London, and a struggle for control that must leave one King victorious, and one dead. But fate - as Uhtred has learned to his cost - is inexorable. Wyrd bid ful araed. And Uhtred's destiny is to stand at the heart of the shield wall once again...
A stark, fierce, and fascinating start to what promises to be a rewarding trilogy. The Swords of Silence is set in Japan during 1626 as the Shogun slams shut the door to outside influences. If Father Joaquim Martinez and the village he tends, fail to renounce their religion, they face a hideous death. It took a little time for me to settle into the names, the time, the land, however I was soon gripped by the story on offer. The dedication at the beginning states that between 1614 and 1643 the Shogun executed almost 5,000 Christians. Shaun Curry writes with a simplicity that to be quite honest, feels necessary in the bloodshed that follows. He doesn’t revel in the gore, instead quite matter-of-factly describes incidents that somehow feel all the more real. I have to say that I have rather fallen for Master Watanabe and do hope that he makes a reappearance in the trilogy! Exploring a time and place from long ago, The Swords of Silence took me with picture sharp clarity into a compelling story.
When I first started reading I was worried, as this was Book 10 in the series I thought I would need to have read Books 1-9 before I would understand and enjoy the plot. How wrong I was! Three Kingdoms works very well as a standalone book. Gabriel Wolfe is an ex-SAS hero suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. In civilian life, he is haunted by the memories of his military life. Gabriel's family and friends come first in his life and Three Kingdoms focuses on Gabriel looking for his sister. This is an action-packed spy plot. There are lots of twists and turns in this plot and Gabriel is brilliant lead character and a man to be reckoned with. Three Kingdoms is unrelenting and I raced through the book until I reached the end. And what an ending! I think that this is a great read for fans of action/adventure/spy thrillers and I am now eager to find out more about Gabriel Wolfe, so I am starting The Gabrial Wolfe Thrillers now from book one! LoveReading Ambassador
Oomph, my stomach went into free-fall as I read this clever, on-point, and absolutely thrilling tale. Manhattan’s elevators have been taken over, as the death toll rises and Manhattan comes to a stop, a journalist and two New York Detectives investigate. The prologue sets a chilling scene, I knew what was coming, it was peek through fingers time! Linwood Barclay adds new characters to the boiling pot without missing a beat. Layers of intrigue coupled with heart pounding action ensured I was on high alert at all times. As the tale slid forward, chimes and occasionally towering bells of realisation rang out. I adore Linwood Barclay’s books, I always throw myself in with abandon and know I can just enjoy a stunningly good read. Elevator Pitch is a flaming humdinger of a novel, it’s one of those, where at the end and I thought back, I slapped my hand to my head and exclaimed “of course!”. Dynamic and because it is just so readable, I’ve added Elevator Pitch as one of my Liz Robinson picks of the month.
A free world or perpetual conflict? How much impact can one man have on the future? The year is 2265 and Earth is a utopia populated by free-willed and contented people. How did this perfect world to come about? Virtual reality simulations of past events are generated using the unlimited computer power of the day. One project stems from the events surrounding a car accident in 1945 involving General George S. Patton. The simulation is used to look into an alternative world. In this other world General Patton had been killed in the accident. The simulation shows a world where humanity continues along the same path it has taken for millennia. The Cold War dominates the latter half of the 20th century, but this had not occurred in the utopia's past. Why? General Patton understood that communism preached world domination, and the U.S.S.R. under Stalin would spread its tyranny throughout the post-war world. He wanted to defeat them while the time was right. Patton proposed a continuation of the war in Europe and said he could make it look like the Soviets had started it. The events that occurred in the utopian world after Patton survived the accident describe a war against the Soviets, and the part played by a rogue Russian General, Andrey Vlasov. His Russian Liberation Army had previously fought against Stalin and would now play a major part in the war against the totalitarian state corrupting his homeland. The simulation's revelations reveal that contrary to popular belief, it had taken the sacrifices of a war against tyranny for a perfect world to exist.
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.
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.