Adrian Magson is the author of 27 crime and spy thrillers. 'Death at the Old Asylum', the 8th title in the Inspector Lucas Rocco series set in 1960s France, currently in ebook, comes out in paperback on the 14th March via Canelo Books.
More information: https://www.adrianmagson.com/
I was well aware of Humphrey Hawksley as a foreign correspondent for the BBC, but not as an action/ thriller writer. When I happened on this book it struck me that if there was anyone who would know the goings-on of the White House and international politics extremely well, it would be him. And I’m glad I took the punt.
The setting is Alaska – unusual enough in not being hot and dusty or the on the mean streets of some capital or other. And the theme is the Falkands-esque snatch attempt of an island in the Bering Strait, that stretch of sea and ice between the two big powers of Russia and the US.
Facing this land-grab is a small American force and, in particular, a member of the elite Eskimo Scouts, Rake Ozenna, who knows the area and the people intimately, and recognises the dangers of a Russian take-over as well as the brutal weather conditions of the area.
This is an action thriller and makes no bones about it. It’s tight, tense and moves at a cracking pace which simply doesn’t let up, because when it moves away from the face-off of Russian troops and attack helicopters, and the US force caught on the hop, it plunges us into the political in-fighting of the White House, and the over-reaction of the incumbent president who simply wants to bomb everyone just to prove how tough he is, where the current Potus seeks a less globally harmful way of dealing with the situation.
This split battle front serves rather cleverly to narrow the focus even more on the 'will-they, won't they' theme which is a real nail-biter, with Russia pushing to gain capital (and US territory), and the White House incumbent barking at the current president's heels and threatening total mayhem.
A very satisfying read and highly recommended for action/thriller fans.
