Review: Ghost Target by Will Jordan

Ghost Target by Will Jordan, July 2016, 429 pages, Canelo, Ebook

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

The sixth book in the Ryan Drake series, GHOST TARGET will take you on an emotional journey as you follow Drake and his team on their most dangerous mission yet. Like the previous two books in this series, GHOST TARGET is available in ebook format only – no paperback – and is every bit as fantastic as we have come to expect from this brilliant author. It winds up the tension slowly and then, almost at the very end, when you feel as if you are at breaking point, it winds just a tiny bit further and leaves you burnt out and exhausted.

Once highly favoured CIA operatives, Drake and his team are on the run. After exposing Marcus Cain, the boss, as rogue in the last book, they are now wanted themselves and living in fear for their lives. Drake and McKnight have spent six months or so lying low in Marseille and have a very comfortable set up. Unfortunately, their peace doesn’t last and when a hired thug attacks Drake in the street he knows it is time to refocus and regroup. Gathering the team together, he decides the only way to end their current situation is to kill Cain. But how? He is unlikely to ever become an easy target and this may prove to be an impossible mission, even for Drake. Then an opportunity raises its head and the hunt is on. Drake knows this is the only chance he will have to set things right. He also knows that it is highly likely he could end up paying the ultimate price.

Will Jordan is most definitely a name to look out for. His books are always full of action and guaranteed to set you on edge. His characters are brave and honorable and you find yourself willing them on, wanting them to achieve the impossible. They always have done before but the challenges in this latest book seem to be too much, even for Drake and his team. If you like exciting, well-written books that are impossible to second guess then you are going to love this one. If you haven’t read any of Jordan’s earlier books then you really must do so first. This book reads well as a stand-alone but you will enjoy it so much more if you read the earlier ones first. Next please!

Highly Recommended.

Amanda Gillies, September 2016.

Review Roundup: Abbott, Baylis, Belfoure, Griffiths, Indridason, Jordan, Lagercrantz, Lang, Lironi, MacLeod, Pembrey, Spencer, Thomas

Here are thirteen reviews which have been added to the Euro Crime website today, all have appeared on the blog since last time.

You can keep up to date with Euro Crime by following the blog and/or liking the Euro Crime Facebook page and follow on Twitter, @eurocrime.

New Reviews

Terry Halligan reviews Stranger Child by Rachel Abbott;


Lynn Harvey reviews M H Baylis's Black Day at the Bosphorus Cafe;

Amanda Gillies reviews The Paris Architect by Charles Belfoure;

Michelle Peckham reviews The Ghost Fields by Elly Griffiths, set in Norfolk;

Michelle also reviews Arnaldur Indridason's Oblivion tr. Victoria Cribb;


Amanda also reviews Black List by Will Jordan;

Laura Root reviews David Lagercrantz's Fall of Man in Wilmslow tr. George Goulding;


Rich Westwood reviews J A Lang's Chef Maurice and a Spot of Truffle, set in the Cotswolds;

Amanda also reviews Oh Marina Girl by Graham Lironi;

Ewa Sherman reviews Murder in Malmo by Torquil MacLeod;

Ewa also reviews Daniel Pembrey's The Harbour Master (books 1 - 3), set in Amsterdam;

Terry also reviews Sally Spencer's Supping with the Devil

as well as Ugly Bus by Mike Thomas.


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

Review: Black List by Will Jordan

Black List by Will Jordan, August 2015, 374 pages, Canelo, Ebook

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

BLACK LIST is the fourth book in Jordan’s Ryan Drake series and is every bit as excellent as his earlier offerings. The tension that is evident in the earlier books is still there, if not more so, and it is a captivating read, right from the very first page. BLACK LIST has been produced by a different publisher to Jordan’s previous Drake books and this is the first one to be available just in e-format. To be honest, I am not a great fan of ebooks, but BLACK LIST is so engrossing that the format wasn’t an issue and I loved it anyway.

The story begins with Alex, a gifted computer expert and failed hacker, standing on the top of a building in Istanbul, dangling a pen-drive over the edge and then, after pondering how crazy his life has become and realizing he has nothing to lose, stepping over it himself.

We then go back to ten days earlier and are filled in on what exactly brought our hero to this point in his life. Alex Yates is down on his luck. Newly released from prison after serving a sentence for being a hacker, he is forbidden from even going near a computer and works in retail. Life sucks. Then his old friend and partner in crime Arran Sinclair gets in touch and says he needs his help with something sensitive. Alex refuses and walks away but a few days later an envelope drops through his door, containing nothing but a pen drive. Worried now, Alex becomes even more concerned when his friend goes missing, presumed dead, and heads to an internet café to look at the contents of the drive. This is when his problems really begin. With armed operatives closing in on the café, Alex is phoned by a mysterious woman with a foreign accent who tells him to run. And so he does…

Will Jordan is a gifted story-teller and his plots keep your imagination running in overdrive. Jordan’s interest in military history and background in IT are very evident in his latest work. His details are authentic and add to the story without becoming overpowering. If you haven’t tried any of this Ryan Drake series yet, then I suggest that you do so. They are a quick read – due to them being so captivating – and are guaranteed to keep you up late because you can’t put them down.

Highly recommended.

Amanda Gillies, November 2015.

New Reviews: Cutler, Holt, Jordan, Kernick, Khan, Oswald

Here are six reviews which have been added to the Euro Crime website today, three have appeared on the blog since last time, and three are completely new.

NB. You can keep up to date with Euro Crime by following the blog and/or liking the Euro Crime Facebook page.

New Reviews

Geoff Jones reviews Judith Cutler's Green and Pleasant Land which is the sixth in the Fran Harman series and is set in the Midlands;

I review Anne Holt's Death of the Demon tr. Anne Bruce third book in the Hanne Wilhelmsen series;

Amanda Gillies reviews Will Jordan's Betrayal, the third in the Ryan Drake series;


Terry Halligan reviews The Final Minute by Simon Kernick, his latest thriller and which features regular protagonist, Tina Boyd;

Michelle Peckham reviews The Unquiet Dead, the impressive debut novel by Ausma Zehanat Khan

and Terry also reviews James Oswald's Prayer for the Dead the newest in the Inspector McLean series and the first to be released first in hardback.


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

Review: Betrayal by Will Jordan

Betrayal by Will Jordan, September 2014, 592 pages, Arrow, ISBN: 0099574489

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

This is the third book in the magnificent series by Will Jordan featuring his British CIA operative, Ryan Drake, and it rocks! This book, BETRAYAL, is the best in the series by far and a real page-turner. It is possible to follow it without reading the previous two first but I recommend that you start at the beginning and really enjoy the whole series. BETRAYAL is well written and by someone who is obviously well versed in the art of guns and using them. It is a pleasure to read something authentic but not so over-flowing with information that you are distracted from the story.

In this instalment Ryan is back in New York and on his way home from work when he receives a text from an old friend, asking to meet him for a chat. Upon reaching the rendezvous point, he finds himself witness to a sniper attack and the violent deaths of several people. These people are visiting Russian dignitaries and the violence causes a storm of international reaction. Ryan catches sight of the sniper and is horrified to see that it is his old friend Anya, whom he had rescued from Prison and thought he could trust. Convinced that there is more to this than meets the eye, and knowing Anya is a soldier not a cold-blooded killer, Ryan sets off in hot pursuit, to hunt down his friend and get some answers. His chase takes him to Russia and then Chechnya in search of the truth and he is shocked by what he sees his friend doing. As the pressure mounts it looks as if it could be the end of the line for both Ryan and Anya. You are left hanging, wondering what is going to happen next, and, above all, desperate to know just who is betraying who.

I love books written by this excellent Scottish author. I have been eagerly awaiting this, his latest book and, now that I have read it, am impatient to find out what happens next. If you like books full of action, that lead you a merry dance and don’t give the game away, then you are going to love this book.

Highly recommended.

Amanda Gillies, February 2015.

New Reviews: Downing, FitzGerald, French, Giambanco, Jordan, McIlvanney, Matthews, Nesbo, Wagner

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.

Terry Halligan reviews David Downing's Jack of Spies, set just before World War One;


Susan White reviews Helen FitzGerald's The Cry;

Michelle Peckham reviews Nicci French's Waiting for Wednesday, the third in the Frieda Klein series;

Lynn Harvey reviews V M Giambanco's debut, The Gift of Darkness, set in Seattle;

Amanda Gillies reviews Will Jordan's Sacrifice, the second in his Ryan Drake series;

Geoff Jones reviews Liam McIlvanney's Where the Dead Men Go, set in Glasgow;

Terry also reviews Jeanne Matthews's fourth Dinah Pelerin mystery, Her Boyfriend's Bones, this time set on the Greek island of Samos;

I review Jo Nesbo's Police tr. Don Bartlett, "the new Harry Hole thriller" according to the cover...


and I also review Jan Costin Wagner's Light in a Dark House, tr. Anthea Bell the fourth in the haunting Kimmo Joentaa series set in Finland.


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: Sacrifice by Will Jordan

Sacrifice by Will Jordan, August 2013, 512 pages, Arrow, ISBN: 0099574470

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

SACRIFICE is the second novel by Will Jordan, and also the second in his Ryan Drake series. Jordan's original plan was to become an actor and his casting as a soldier in a film about World War II led him to doing extensive research about weapons and military history. His depth of knowledge is very evident in his books and this, along with his gripping plots and likeable characters, makes him the first rate author that he is.

In this instalment, Drake, a British CIA agent, and his shepherd team are sent to Afghanistan, in search of a senior CIA operative who has been shot down and taken hostage by insurgents. Their search takes Drake to places and situations where he is clearly not wanted and it is not long before snipers are taking pot shots at him as well. His skill in the field keeps him alive and ahead of the game but, when he is betrayed and set up by someone he thought he could trust, Drake finds himself on the run from the 'good guys' as well. As if that isn't bad enough, lurking in the shadows is a mysterious woman, with her own scores to settle, and it isn’t long before their paths cross and Drake’s past catches up with him.

Will Jordan writes in a way that catches your attention right from the start. You are grabbed by the eyeballs and taken on a whirlwind journey through the pages of his book, then dumped, exhausted, at the other side. I love the way he sucks you into the story. You become involved in it and are there with him, crouching behind a tree to remain hidden from the terrorists, or wincing with pain from a gunshot wound to your side.

I am delighted that there is more to come with Ryan Drake. He is an interesting, no-nonsense character and I am looking forward to getting to know him better!

Highly recommended.

Amanda Gillies, September 2013.

New Reviews: Black, Ewan, Jordan, McGilloway, Meyer, Nesbo, Perry, Quigley, Simms

Here are 9 new reviews which have been added to the Euro Crime website today:

Susan White reviews Helen Black's Blood Rush, the fourth in the Lilly Valentine, family care lawyer, series;

Terry Halligan reviews Chris Ewan's first standalone novel, Safe House set on the Isle of Man [& currently 20p as an e-book in the UK];

Amanda Gillies reviews the first in Will Jordan's Ryan Drake series set in the US: Redemption which is now out in paperback;

Brian McGilloway's latest Garda Inspector Ben Devlin book is also out in paperback, The Nameless Dead, reviewed here by JF;

We conclude our reviews of Deon Meyer's superb collection of South African crime novels with Lynn Harvey's review of Dead at Daybreak tr. Madeleine van Biljon;

Maxine Clarke reviews Harry Hole's first case, in Jo Nesbo's The Bat tr. Don Bartlett set in Australia;

Terry also reviews the paperback release of Anne Perry's Dorchester Terrace starring Thomas Pitt;

Lizzie Hayes reviews the first in a new series by Sheila Quigley, Thorn in My Side

and Mark Bailey reviews Chris Simms' Scratch Deeper the first in a new series, featuring Detective Constable Iona Khan and set in Manchester.

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.