#crime #spy #thriller
Blurb
Carl Logan dedicated nearly twenty years of his life to the Joint Intelligence Agency. Now living in a secret location, under the new identify of James Ryker, he wants nothing more than to be left alone, the chance to start a new life away from chaos, violence, destruction and deceit.
It’s not long, however, before Ryker’s short-lived idyll is destroyed when he is tracked down by Peter Winter, his ex-boss at the JIA. Winter brings with him news of the murder of a woman in Spain, Kim Walker, whose fingerprints match those of one of Ryker’s former adversaries who’s been missing presumed dead for years – an infamous female assassin known as the Red Cobra.
A cyberattack at the JIA led to the Red Cobra’s profile being compromised, and Winter believes JIA agents may now be at risk too, Ryker included. But Ryker knew the elusive Red Cobra better than anyone, and when he sees the grisly pictures of Kim Walker’s corpse, he has news for Winter – she isn’t the assassin at all …
So just who is the mystery dead woman? And where is the real Red Cobra?
The Red Cobra is a fast-paced thriller filled with twists and turns and intrigue that will appeal to readers of big-hitting thrillers by the likes of Lee Child and David Baldacci, and with echoes in its plotting and breadth of the globe-trotting spy thriller I Am Pilgrim.
My Review ~ Engrossing and Expertly Written Spy Thriller ~ 5 stars TOP READ
This read is another tour de force from bestselling author Rob Sinclair. In his latest Spy Thriller, The Red Cobra, we are reunited with James Ryker (aka Carl Logan from the author’s page-turning Enemy series). Prepare for a white knuckle ride as Ryker goes up against the mafia, intelligence services, bent policeman and a mysterious figure from his past. The read is a standalone but the book’s conclusion lays the ground nicely for the continuation of the series.
Ryker’s life in Spain has become an idyllic one, far removed from his previous life as an employee of the Joint Intelligence Agency. However, he is tempted out of retirement by his former boss, to investigate a vicious murder in Spain. The victim’s fingerprints match those of a notorious female assassin, the Red Cobra, whom Ryker has encountered in his former life as Carl Logan. Ryker knows that the body is not that of his old adversary and it appears that moves are afoot to compromise the identity of fellow agents rendering them at risk. It is a race against time to track down the perpetrators and prevent more lives being lost.
The plot is fast moving and totally engrossing. Much of the action takes place in Spain, although some chapters pan back to the past in the Soviet Union and beyond where we find out about The Red Cobra and her shared history with Ryker. This added a great deal of depth to the story and helped explain their motivations. There are a number of well drawn secondary characters who accompany Ryker on his quest to put the pieces of a complex puzzle together. Aside from the main protaganists, I also enjoyed the character of Eva. Ryker certainly has his work cut out to identify friend from foe, find out the whereabouts of the real Red Cobra and the identity of the murder victim.
I enjoyed how in this read the author has further developed the complex character of Ryker, who I met as Carl Logan in his previous books. Although Ryker still maintains his hard and ruthless persona with his take no prisoners approach, as events unfold we witness how this complex man has now developed his own code of honour and is not simply just a blunt instrument of his employers. I loved the role of the enigmatic Red Cobra in the plot and the part she played in Ryker’s past and thought that the author portrayed her role as a female assassin in expert fashion.
There is plenty of action, suspense and some violent and gory scenes as the plot unravels and Ryker carries out his mission in the sweltering heat of Spain’s Costas. The stakes are high and there are twists aplenty! Indeed, The Red Cobra is a real treat for lovers of Spy Thrillers and is, I feel, the author’s best Carl Logan inspired book yet. I am so looking forward to the next in the series.
Please note that an ARC of this book was given to me by the author for the purpose of fair and honest review.
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Thanks for that enticing review Tina, didn’t know the author but love the genre so have just borrowed with KU the first book in the Enemy series, looking forward to reading it!