Gabe3886′s #CBR4 Review #1: Remote Control by Andy McNab

2012-01-02

My first review of the year, and the first of probably many Andy McNab books, and especially the Nick Stone series. Whether it’s cheating or not, since I have my Kindle, my reviews will be done from reading that, which means I can also tell you about any problems I have with it.

Remote Control by Andy McNab

I’ve taken the following information about the book from Amazon.co.uk to give a fuller overview of the story:

Book Description

Nick Stone‘s first explosive mission.

Product Description

Tough, resourceful, ruthless – as an SAS trooper, Nick Stone was one of the best. Now he’s back on the streets. After a botched mission, the Regiment no longer want his services. But British Intelligence does – as a deniable operator. It’s the dirtiest job in a very, very dirty world.In Washington DC, it’s about to get dirtier still. On the apparently routine tail of two terrorists, he discovers the bodies of an ex-SAS officer and his family. Soon he’s on the run with the lone survivor of the bloodbath – a seven year old girl. And whilst she can identify the killers, only Stone can keep them at bay – and solve a mystery whose genesis takes him back to the most notorious SAS mission in recent history…Remote Control is the first of Andy McNab’s blistering Nick Stone thrillers – best-sellers whose landscape is so compellingly close to the truth that they had to be vetted by the Ministry of Defence, and could only be published as fiction…

Synopsis

A new kind of thriller, gritty, vivid and menacing, with a pace that never lets up. Nick Stone left the Special Air Service in 1988, soon after the shooting of three IRA terrorists in Gibraltar. Now working for British Intelligence on deniable operations, he discovers the seemingly senseless murders of a fellow SAS soldier and his family in Washington, DC. Only a seven-year-old daughter, Kelly, has survived — and the two of them are immediately on the run from unidentified pursuers. Stone doesn’t even know which of them is the target. On his own, Stone stands a chance of escape. But he needs to protect the girl and together they plunge into a dark world of violence and corruption in which friend cannot be told from foe. As events draw to their blazing and unexpected climax, Stone discovers the shocking truth about governments, terrorism and commerce — and the greed that binds the three together! Remote Control is a new kind of thriller, gritty, vivid and menacing, with a pace that never lets up. Other thriller writers talk the talk. Only McNab has the walk. / Requires internet-enabled mobile phone (3G recommended)

From the Back Cover

In Washington DC, it’s about to get dirtier still. On the apparently routine tail of two terrorists, he discovers the bodies of an ex-SAS officer and his family. Soon he’s on the run with the lone survivor of the bloodbath – a seven year old girl. And whilst she can identify the killers, only Stone can keep them at bay – and solve a mystery whose genesis takes him back to the most notorious SAS mission in recent history…

Remote Control is the first of Andy McNab’s blistering Nick Stone thrillers – best-sellers whose landscape is so compellingly close to the truth that they had to be vetted by the Ministry of Defence, and could only be published as fiction…

The Review:

I’ve read odd books from the Nick Stone series before, and I am a huge fan of Andy McNab, so it was natural for me to want to read the series in order so I can pull together the odd bits from others and make sense of them all.

I thoroughly enjoyed Remote Control, it starts off quickly, and is graphically brutal. You’re reading from the point of view of Nick Stone, a deniable operator, and you see what he sees – everything from his friend dead on the floor having being pummelled with a baseball bat to the street lights of London; smell what he smells – from body odour to cordite and more; taste what he tastes – blood, burgers and people’s cheeks; and get closely involved with his other senses, intuitions, fashion sense and emotion, or as much emotion as Nick Stone has.

It’s an interesting insight into the world of a fictional spy, nothing like the James Bond lifestyle Hollywood portrays, though he wishes it was. To quote Mr. Stone, “Give me a sports car any day”. It is, however, very graphic and violent. Not one for someone with a weak stomach, or nervous disposition as the mystery surrounding the death of his friend and friend’s family is unravelled by him whilst he is on the run with their 7 year old daughter who he has to learn to be a parent to, and ends up teaching to be a mini spy.

If you like fast-paced adventure, violence at a level which would make Rambo blush, and complex characters with even more complex stories to them, then this is one for you.

Tags: Action, Andy McNab, cannonball read, Crime, gabe3886, Mystery, Nick Stone, Remote Control, Spy, Thriller

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This entry was posted on Monday, January 2nd, 2012 at 8:56 pm and is filed under e-books, Hobbies, Reading. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.