*ARC REVIEW* ~ The Green Viper, A James Ryker Thriller #4, by Rob Sinclair

#thriller #espionage

Book Blurb

I need your help. Call me.
Ex-intelligence agent James Ryker receives a coded message through a secret drop point, a means of communication known only to him and one other person. The problem is, that other person is his ex-boss, Mackie… and he’s already dead.
But the cry for help is real, and it’s a request Ryker can’t refuse.
Travelling to New York alone and without official sanction, Ryker has a single goal in mind, yet even he couldn’t have bargained for the violent world he’s soon embroiled in. Caught in the middle of a spiralling chaos with the FBI on one side, and two warring underworld bosses on the other, Ryker must put all of his skills to the test in order to come out on top, and keep his word.
In a world full of lies and deceit, loyalty is everything, and it’s time for James Ryker to pay his dues.

My Review

Edge of Seat Thriller – masterfully executed ~5 stars

The Green Viper by Rob Sinclair is a masterfully executed edge of seat thriller, ideal for fans or the genre or those looking to lose themselves in an addictive read.

Although the book is the fourth in the author’s James Ryker series it works perfectly well as a stand-a-lone. Readers who have been following Ryker in this series and in the author’s previous Carl Logan books will however appreciate revisiting the shadowy world Ryker inhabits and witnessing his shifting moral compass.

The book opens with Ryker taking some extended time out from his on/off life of espionage and violence. Whilst visiting London to carry out some personal business he soon becomes embroiled in a mission: the widow of his former mentor Mackie requests that he prevents her son Scott Campbell from getting in over his head with the very worst of organised crime.

For Scott, after losing his respectable London based accountancy job, relocating to New York with his girlfriend Kate seems like a dream come true, offering him the chance to make it big. Henry Green, Kate’s father, is one of the big fish Scott is out to impress – he knows this man’s business interests are not wholly above board but has seen enough to know that this goes with the territory. When Henry seeks his advice Scott finds himself drawn into Henry’s inner circle, swallowing any misgivings he has. When Ryker appears Scott is already in over his head, tormented by a toxic combination of fear, awe, respect and revulsion for Green.

The scene is set for an exhilarating read involving mob bosses, secret services and violence and twists aplenty as a number of other players join the party. I hugely enjoyed the evolving dynamics between Ryker and Scott and Scott and Green. Indeed, the characterisations of the central plot players – Ryker and Scott (whom Ryker has known since he was a boy) and Green are multi layered and believable. Ryker is once again at the top of his game as he gives his all to save his mentor’s son. Some of the scenes necessary to illustrate the world in which Scott has become a part of were downright ugly to read – Green and his ilk are not ones to cross. It is a hallmark of the author that he recounts these scenes necessary to advance the plot, in in a matter of fact, albeit graphic style.

Is Ryker too late to save Scott? Does he want to be saved? What of Henry’s daughter Kate? What impact will the actions of others who have taken an interest on Green’s activities have? I was glued to he read until the end of its electrifying dénouement.

Highly recommended.

Reviewed by Tina Williams
Please note that an ARC of this book was given to me by the author for the purpose of a fair and honest review.