PINTEREST
BLOGLOVIN
GOODREADS
Published December 2013 by Sphere
From Amazon:
‘Help me.’
When a young woman rushes into Sam Capra’s San Francisco bar and whispers these desperate words, Sam feels compelled to help. A moment later she is attacked by two killers. With Sam’s aid, she manages to overpower the men, saving his life in the process before vanishing into the night.
On discovering that one of the attackers is no mere thug, but, shockingly, one of the most powerful investors in America, Sam searches for the beguiling young woman who asked for help and unearths a deadly network run by some of the most powerful and influential people in the world…
My thoughts:
I’ve read and enjoyed Panic by Jeff Abbott but hadn’t yet read any of the Sam Capra series. This book is number 3 and whilst it would be an advantage to have read the previous two, I felt there was sufficient backstory for this to easily be read as a standalone.
Sam Capra is an ex-CIA agent, who owns a string of bars across the globe whilst working undercover for a powerful and mysterious secret network called The Round Table. They are seemingly the ”good guys”. He has no desire to go looking for trouble and just wants a quiet life with his young son, but when he gets caught up with murderous Russian mobsters and a sinister network of people who will stop at nothing to achieve power and success; he ends up fighting for his life.
I really liked the character of Sam. He is tough – he knows how to look after himself and can kill when he has to but he is not a villain. He is loyal to his friends and if you were in a corner, you would want Sam on your side.
Jeff Abbott has created a ruthless cast of characters. Even the good guys like Sam and his female boss Mila, have nerves of steel. There is a lot of violence however it is neither gratuitous nor graphic. The story centres around one man, John Belias and his hunt for a young woman named Diana Keene, the daughter of one of his operatives. Diana Keene has information that could destroy Belias’ network. A man so powerful, he can invoke feelings of terror in those he instructs to carry out his murderous deeds if they don’t succeed. It seems that nothing can stand in his way, he is able to control the authorities to ensure there is no hiding place for those he has his sights on – and he now has his eye on Sam Capra.
This was certainly an action packed thriller from start to finish. Some elements of the story may seem a little far fetched and at times complicated but who cares. I don’t want to give away any spoilers as it is a story best discovered by reading it but this is a pacy read, full of twists and turns and double crossings which will keep you turning the pages. I’m sure this would appeal to fans of Greg Hurwitz and Simon Kernick. I for one will certainly be catching up with Sam Capra’s history and look forward to reading future books.
My thanks to The Crime Vault for the paperback copy to review.
Author website: http://jeffabbott.com
