Author:Andy McNab
This is the final novel in the long running Nick Stone series which began way back in 1998 and drew heavily on the author’s own knowledge and experience of Special Forces soldiering. I’ve read them all, and mostly they are a good read if you like action adventure novels – there was a bit of a drop off in quality with the last few I thought, and indeed this is the first new novel in the series since 2017, but this one is certainly a return to form, ending the series on a high note. Stone is an ex military man who now freelances on deniable operations for the intelligence services, so as you can imagine there’s plenty of high octane action liberally spread throughout the book, The plot revolves around a seemingly straightforward mission to retrieve a vulnerable young woman from the clutches of a religious cult in the icy wastes of the Norwegian/Russian border. Inevitably, it soon transpires that there is more going on than initially meets the eye, and he becomes reluctantly drawn into in a potential cyber attack on the West, all the while battling his own failing health which is gradually ticking down. This is an excellent gripping read, it’s short punchy chapters urging you to keep on reading a bit longer, and pleasingly it represents a real return to form after the somewhat underwhelming last couple of books, which makes it doubly sad it’s the final chapter. Let’s face it, f you’re going to read this sort of book, all the better that it has the authenticity of being written by someone who’s actually been there and done it. A shame the series has to come to an end, but alas all good things must, and at least it’s gone out with a bang not a whimper.
Length of Read:Medium
Might appeal to people who enjoyed…
Action thrillers, previous books in the series.
One thing you’ve learned
You can’t beat a good adventure thriller!
5
