Review: At last a great intelligent thriller.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 24, 2014
With thanks to the author/publisher for the copy via a Goodreads Giveaway.“The first thing you should know about me is that my name is not Carter Blake.That name no more belongs to me than the hotel room I was occupying when the call came in.”When Caleb Wardell, the infamous ‘Chicago Sniper’, escapes from death row two weeks before his execution, the FBI calls on the services of Carter Blake, a man with certain specialised talents whose skills lie in finding those who don’t want to be found.So, you know that feeling you get when you read a book, a first in a series, and that little reading tingle comes over you that says “Yep. This one is for me” and you just KNOW that there are many happy reading years ahead of you with a new favourite character? Yep. That.Meet Carter Blake. Well, we’ll call him that anyway. He finds people. Generally speaking. Of course there is much more to him than that, but for the purposes of this its probably all you need to know. When a dangerous man escapes, the powers that be call on Carter in the hope that he can catch up to him before disaster strikes. So begins a most terrific, page turning, thrilling tale with some real edge of the seat moments.You know what is even better than a Thriller? An INTELLIGENT thriller. With characters that have more than just a phoned in version of a personality, a tightly woven plot that keeps you on your toes and an actual story, not just endless action. Thats not to say there is not plenty of action – there is. But as Carter and Caleb play a deadly game of cat and mouse, it is the interaction between them and those they encounter that will have you desperately turning the pages to find out the ultimate outcome. When you have a killer who is just as, if not more, intelligent than the  person who is chasing him, you will genuinely wonder who is going to come out on top. It takes a man with no limits to catch a killer with no motive…yes indeed.With a terrific supporting cast, the occasional moment that will have you hyperventilating and a magnificent final showdown – don’t you just love it when a book lives up to its initial promise and doesnt fall flat? – this was brilliantly done. Absolutely.Inevitably Mason Cross will find his protagonist compared to Jack Reacher. Its going to happen I don’t think there is any avoiding it, sadly, as I always like to treat each read entirely on its own merits. I will address it though as I am also a fan of the majority of the Reacher Novels. And in fact I wouldnt be surprised if with the closing few words of this novel, Mr Cross himself was giving a nod to Reacher. This readers opinion? Carter Blake could easily be described as “The thinking man’s Reacher” but he is entirely his own man and I fell for him completely. More please!Highly Recommended.