New Reviews: Garnier, Johnston, Kelly, McCarry, Nadel, Ridpath, Rimington, Taylor, Weaver

This week's set of reviews, added to Euro Crime today, is a mixture of new reviews and a catch-up of those posted directly on the blog in the last two weeks, so you may have read some of them before if you're a regular :).

Jut a reminder: I've now set up a Euro Crime page on Facebook which you can like.

Susan White reviews Pacal Garnier's Moon in a Dead Eye, tr. Emily Boyce set in a French gated community;

Terry Halligan review's Paul Johnston's The Black Life, the sixth in the PI Alex Mavros series;

Michelle Peckham reviews the recent paperback release of Erin Kelly's The Burning Air, calling it "a strong, psychological thriller";

Amanda Gillies reviews Charles McCarry's spy thriller, The Shanghai Factor;

Rich Westwood reviews Barbara Nadel's An Act of Kindness, the second in the Hakim and Arnold series and set just before the 2012 London Olympics;

Lynn Harvey reviews the first of two Second World War related titles this week with Michael Ridpath's Traitor's Gate being based on a true event;

Terry also reviews Stella Rimington's seventh and latest outing for MI5's Liz Carlyle, The Geneva Trap which is now out in paperback;

In D J Taylor's The Windsor Faction, reviewed here by Norman Price, the author takes a "what if" situation and presents an alternative version of the 1930/40s

and Geoff Jones reviews Tim Weaver's Never Coming Back the fourth in his David Raker, missing persons investigator series.



Previous reviews can be found in the review archive.

Forthcoming titles can be found by author or date or by category, here along with releases by year.

Review: The Shanghai Factor by Charles McCarry

The Shanghai Factor by Charles McCarry, July 2013, 304 pages, Head of Zeus, ISBN: 1781855099

Reviewed by Amanda Gillies.
(Read more of Amanda's reviews for Euro Crime here.)

This book is amazing! It is the first exposure I have had to McCarry’s work and I love him!! The tension and the mystery start off pretty ramped up and just get more and more exciting as you go. The ending is an absolute stonker as well! Well-written and completely absorbing, this is the type of book that is right up my street and I finished it in two days.

McCarry is a former undercover CIA operations officer and has worked in Europe, Asia and America, so his book has an extremely authentic ring to it. He is a well-known spy fiction author and I am only sorry that I’ve not read any of his material before. This one is high on my ‘Best of 2013’ list and I hope it stays there!

In brief, our unknown, and unnamed, hero is supposed to be keeping out of trouble in Shanghai, polishing up his Mandarin and awaiting further instructions. Things take a dramatic turn when a beautiful young woman ‘accidentally’ runs her bicycle into his and their lives become entwined. His language improves in leaps and bounds but people are starting to notice him and then he is followed.

After being kidnapped and unceremoniously chucked into the river, he returns to the USA for further instructions and what happens next leads him further and further into danger. Totally alone but also knowing that his every step is closely followed, he tries to do his job - infiltrate the Guoanbu - to the best of his ability. With no-one to turn to and being unable to trust anyone, he wonders just how far he will have to go in order to serve the country he loves.

This novel is the thirteenth by this highly skilled and successful spy writer. I am extremely keen to get my hands on a few more of his books in the not-too-distant future!

Extremely Highly Recommended.

Amanda Gillies, September 2013.