Steph Warren - Bookshine posted: " *I received a free copy of this book, with thanks to the author. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.* Blurb: Nice, France — Retired CIA agent, Cain, is living a quiet life, trying to stay out of trouble. But he can't turn " Bookshine And Readbows
*I received a free copy of this book, with thanks to the author. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*
Blurb: Nice, France — Retired CIA agent, Cain, is living a quiet life, trying to stay out of trouble.
But he can't turn off his old instincts like a lightswitch.
When an unsuspecting American woman becomes the target of criminals, he can't sit back and do nothing.
What starts as one good deed puts Cain in the sights of highly-trained mercenaries, brings him to the attention of INTERPOL, and puts him on a collision course with evil personified.
With no one he can trust, in a land of double-crosses, Cain must rely on his wits to survive.
Cain is back in his second spy-thriller outing, this time in France, where he attempts to re-retire only to be dragged into stalking, abduction and cultist terrorism. You don't need to have read The Florentine to follow this story, as both stand alone perfectly well (although you should read it if you enjoy spy thrillers, as it is really good!)
As with the previous book, this story is packed full of action and intrigue, double-crossing, back-stabbing and unexpected twists of plot and character. It's real edge-of-your-seat stuff and kept my adrenaline pumping, so maybe don't start reading just before bed (like I did) or you'll be reading all night (like I was).
There is quite a lot of stabbing, shooting and explosions, and a bit of medical torture, but nothing graphic or gratuitous - similar to James Bond, the focus is on the action and espionage rather than anything horrific.
One thing I love is that Cain is an older gentleman, retired for a reason, and the author leans into that aspect of his character, with his toupee and girdle and frequent minor twinges. It makes him more interesting than the average 20 or 30-something action hero and really shows how experience can outweigh agility (although there are obviously pros and cons on both sides).
This is another great read for fans of classic spy thrillers, set in modern Europe and with a fascinating main character whose retirement is turning out to be just as exciting as his 'official' years!
'It may surprise you, because I'm a pretty unassuming man, or at least try to be, but a lot of people have tried to kill me. Soldiers, spies, gangsters, cops, hot-headed idiots, and professional assassins. And do you know what they all had in common?' He waited for Kurt to ask the question. He could see it eating at him. Finally, he asked: 'What?' 'They failed.' Kurt said nothing. 'So, go home and tell your boss. Tell him where to find me, I'll be here.'
Tom Trott is an author, film nerd, and proverbial Brighton rock. He lives in Brighton, UK, with his wife and their daughter. His latest thriller, The Florentine, was published in 2022.
He wrote a short comedy play that was performed at the Theatre Royal Brighton in May 2014 as part of the Brighton Festival, a television pilot for the local Brighton channel, and won the Empire Award (thriller category) in the 2015 New York Screenplay Contest.
He published his first novel, You Can't Make Old Friends, in 2016, since then he has written five more books. He writes film reviews and features for Frame Rated.
His inspirations as a writer come from a diverse range of storytellers including Raymond Chandler, Agatha Christie, Joel & Ethan Coen, Daphne du Maurier, Alfred Hitchcock, Ira Levin, Quentin Tarantino, and many more books and films beside.
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