Sentinel: A Spycatcher Novel by Matthew Dunn is the second novel in the Spycatcher series. Sentinel is a very fun cat vs. mouse (or more accurately cat vs. cat) thriller involving spies in the former Soviet Union. This book has the feel of a classic James Bond novel with an incredibly talented and resourceful hero battling a nearly unstoppable opponent. There's plenty of action to keep the reader interested. Recommended for those who enjoy a good, straight-forward spy novel. ( )

gripping spy vs spy novel ( )

William Cochrane is a super spy for M16. Sentinel is the code name of one of his colleague’s stations in Eastern Europe. When Sentinel’s tier 1 agents within the Russian military begin to be murdered, Will is sent to help Sentinel save his move valuable assets and hunt down Razin, a former double-agent who is responsible for the murders. He must use his highly trained skills to track down Razin and stop him before a new war erupts between Russia and America.

Matthew Dunn brings first-hand spy knowledge to this fast-paced spy thriller. The story line is intriguing and Dunn writes the fight scenes with an accuracy that allows the reader to visualize the scenes as if they were being played on a movie screen. Unfortunately, as someone who has little knowledge of weapons, much of the detail was lost on me and even slowed down my reading pace as I felt overwhelmed with information that didn’t seem necessary. I haven’t read much in this genre of literature and this novel makes me hesitant to read more as the world of Will Cochrane seems so foreign and difficult to understand to the lay reader. ( )

From the suspenseful opening pages to the action packed ending, this is a nonstop winner. Will Cochrane is the agent in the joint CIA-MI6 cosponsored Spartan program. That's right, The Agent. Only one man can be the best and that man is Will Cochrane. The best is what we need, because someone has betrayed the CIA and is about to push the US and Russia into war. Will is going to have to try and contact the British secret agent, coded named Sentinel, who has been buried deep undercover in Russia for years. Only with the help of Sentinel's counter spies and contacts, can Will have a chance of uncovering the threat and averting a nuclear war. You won't find a suspenseful thriller with a more action packed, wonderfully convoluted plot than this all summer. Will Cochrane's first assignment was in Spycatcher. The book was provided for review by Amazon Vine and the well read folks at William Morrow. ( )

Yes, there is a surprise ending which I never expected. I must admit I had trouble getting "into" this book. It probably had to do with being so busy that I read only a few minutes at a time. Once I was free of commitment, I began to like the book and ended up enjoying it. Reading spy thrillers is my forte; hence, my surprise at having trouble getting into it. Will Cochrane is quite a spy and I enjoyed his abilities. He seems to be well-trained in his various skills, yet he does have some warmness, though not much. He is such a harsh and evil-seeming man whose harsh methods could only be honed to efficiency by his hard work and his loyalty to his country. I think anyone who enjoys spy thrillers will enjoy this book. Thanks for the opportunity to read it. ( )