Spycatcher by Matthew Dunn

Will Cochrane is the Spartan.  MI6’s answer fictional answer to the fictional 007.   A one man killing machine, Cochrane is thrust into a situation that has Byzantine subtleties and world changing consequences.

Angst in spades may be a good description on Will.   A veritable thrashing machine of violence and a heart throbbing with compassion describes this most secret of secret agents.   I found the compassion part a bit difficult to accept based on the acts of violence committed by Cochrane.   Of course all the violence was supposedly for the good of mankind with the exception of some personal acts of revenge.   The dichotomy of mission goal and personal goals occupied a great deal of the plot.  

There is violence and mayhem galore and not all of it is noteworthy for it’s nobility of purpose.   The plot is superb in it’s complexity.   I also liked the loyalty of the support characters.   It was moderately believable considering the current world situation. 

I highly recommend the book.

Body of work of Matthew Dunn

Web site: http://www.harpercollins.com/books/Spycatcher-Matthew-Dunn/?isbn=9780062037671

Warlord by Ted Bell

This is my second Ted Bell Book. This is in the adult as opposed to young adult genre. This is a thriller right off of the pages of the newspaper (or nytimes.com). The British Royal Family is threatened by terrorists and a shell shocked, combat fatigued Alex Hawke is called in to save the day. This book is a medley of rock and roll action.

This is a fun read. Alex Hawke makes James Bond look like a girl scout. His pal Stokely is intimidating even on paper. The characterizations were colorful and entertaining. Action was pretty much non-stop. The mysterious Smith was truly evil personified. I liked the back story use, it gave the characters more depth. The use of contemporary personages made the book more believable. Conspiracy buffs will revel in it’s contents and conjectures.

Bell painted Alex’s despair very well. It was easy to wallow in his grief. Loyalty and honor are too often ignored in modern novels, Bell captured both.

I highly recommend the book.

Body of work of Ted Bell

Web site: http://www.tedbellbooks
.com/home.html