![]() ![]() As for our hero, a super-spy come existentialist loner, he's equally bemusing and unbelievable throughout: his backstory maudlin, his pompously self-styled expertise unconvincing, his effortless retirement unlikely and his actions irrational. Is it a serial-killer detective thriller, or a CIA confessional, or a middle-eastern polemic, or a James Bond exotic caper, or a race-against-time globe-trotting adventure? It tries to be all of these things and simply ends up confusing itself. ![]() It's not even clear what kind of book the author is trying to write. It all ends up contrived and silly and Hayes would have been better saving one plot for a sequel. ![]() There is simply no need to try to mesh a New York murder mystery with an international terrorist plot (not to mention a revenge vendetta). But there is still a lack of realism, shoddy plotting and a nasty veneer of racism, xenophobia and right-wing triumphalism that is barely hidden throughout.įor all the intricate plotting the story too often depends on some pretty unbelievable coincidences, all of it a result of trying to lever far too much in. There's no denying that the author has clearly done a lot of research and he has an economical way with words that allows his often fragmented narrative to remain essentially readable. This long and often rambling thriller just left a bad taste in my mouth. ![]()
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