Review: Fast,dark,violent,well done thriller
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 13, 2013
Tim Stevens openings are like those of a James Bond film.Original and extravagantly violent scenes rapidly unfold to catch and hook the reader for the rest of the book.The rest of the book is more sophisticated than a 007 film and only Brian De Palma can present on the screen this remarkable novel.The essence of the story is that there is a deniable assassin working for SIS who has been coerced into killing enemies of the State.He is at the end of his tether and wants to quit.He is not allowed to do so and instead is sent to Prague to assassinate a retired English Diplomat who is alleged to work for,the other side. There are some other agencies after the same Diplomat and some great thrilling scenes are played in the streets of Prague ,described with gusto and panache.I will not continue with the plot, this is the readers privilege and pleasure.In spite of the violence ,with the occasional sprinkling of horror,it is a very atmospheric spy thriller that reminds us of the good old KGB days in the Cold War,the Russians being as violent ,bleak and charmless as in the halcyon days of USSR.Some extremely violent criminal people are there too,their leader being the personification of furious evil.All those characters mix and interact with enough reversals and surprises to keep the reader in tension until the last page.As always Stevens produces an intelligent and fascinating plot with lots of interesting characters.The main hero is outstanding in the misery of his predicament and his loneliness ,fighting against the odds with his survival as his reward.Deus ex machina is used often but the novel has value because it shows spy work for what it is,ugly,bloody,painful,and full of deceit.I am a John Purkiss fan myself but I enjoyed this novel a lot,first class escapism!DVK