Aug 28, 2011

Book Review: Spycatcher by Matthew Dunn - Sunday Salon

Spycatcher Spycatcher: A Novel a Novel by…
Spycatcher
Welcome to the Sunday Salon.

"So how could I possibly know about you, when your existence is kept secret from most of MI6, let alone other agencies?

Will smiled and looked away for a moment. When he was no longer smiling, he returned his gaze to the man before him. He decided that, despite his injuries, he could kill this man and everyone outside this room in less than thirty seconds. (ch. 3)


Title: Spycatcher
Author: Matthew Dunn  
Hardcover: 432 pages
Publisher: William Morrow; (August 9, 2011)
Source: Publisher for review
Objective rating: 4.75/5

Comments: The usual superlatives go to a thriller that is uncommonly good: action packed, gut wrenching, suspenseful, and at the same time quite realistic. I was sympathetic to the main character, a British agent who works in secret and who is unknown, even to  British intelligence service MI6, of which he a part. The story of his background and how and why he became such a fighter for justice and as a result, such a trained killer, is second only to the plot of trying to find and destroy the mastermind of terrorism around the world, an Iranian known only by the name of Megiddo.

I was all the way to the near end of the book. The only fault I found is that the wrap up of the hunt for Megiddo and the final confrontation took too long to come. The suspense was dragged out too long at the very end, I felt, and I was impatient for the ending. I anticipated some of the surprises that were revealed at the end, but that in no way detracted from my enjoyment of the book.

Product Description
Matthew Dunn spent years as an MI6 field operative working on some of the West’s most clandestine missions. He recruited and ran agents, planned and participated in special operations, and operated deep undercover throughout the world. In Spycatcher he draws on this fascinating experience to breathe urgent, dynamic new life into the contemporary spy novel.

Featuring deft and daring superspy Will Cochrane, Dunn paints a nerve-jangling, bracingly authentic picture of today’s secret world. It is a place where trust is precious and betrayal is cheap—and where violent death is the reward for being outplayed by your enemy.

Will Cochrane, the CIA’s and MI6’s most prized asset and deadliest weapon, has known little outside this world since childhood. And he’s never been outplayed. So far…

Will’s controllers task him with finding and neutralizing one of today’s most wanted terrorist masterminds, a man believed to be an Iranian Revolutionary Guard general. Intending to use someone from the man’s past to flush him out of the shadows, Will believes he has the perfect plan, but he soon discovers, in a frantic chase from the capitals of Europe to New York City, that his adversary has more surprises in store and is much more treacherous than anyone he has ever faced—and survived—up to now.

About the author: Matthew Dunn was an MI6 field officer. He lives in England. Visit his page at Matther Dunn

6 comments:

  1. Oh good, so glad to read this review. I was wondering whether or not to read this! And I love it when people who actually know what they're talking about write these books!

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  2. Oh you had me with that brief snippet. Sounds like a gripping read. I'll have to add this to my wish list.

    Mason
    Thoughts in Progress
    Freelance Editing By Mason

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  3. Ah, this one does sound fascinating! Thanks for sharing....

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  4. Thrillers are not my normal reading, but I'm glad you enjoyed it! It's cool that the author has a background with MI6.

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  5. I'm so happy I have a copy of this one...you make it sound fantastic!! I hardly ever read this genre but I will read this one for sure!

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  6. Rhapsody, Mason, Staci: Hope you enjoy this thriller as much as I did.

    Alyce: The book seems more authentic when the author has a background in what he writes,yes!

    Laurel: Glad you liked the quote I chose. It made me more interested as I read, too!

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