Landslide (1) (A Mason Hackett Espionage Thriller)

Since retiring I have gradually moved away from reading fiction—if I start a book I get so far and then skip to the end to see what happened and put it down. This book was different—I found it hard not to keep going to follow the action and the characters.
Besides the story—which was a great one—there were several thought-provoking aspects to the book. How different is it to have war brought into your daily life instead of volunteering to help in another country? How could anyone move forward without understanding fully the risks and knowing who to trust? How could anyone stand that much pain? (Probably because I recently broke my arm this aspect really got my attention!) And how might mistakes you may have made in your past show more affect your actions, relationships, and plans?
I will dig out my old John LeCarre books to read again while I wait for Mason to take his next steps. show less

While discussing with a German ministry official, Mason Hacket, an ex-marine who has recycled himself as a banker, sees the news of the kidnapping of an American journalist in Dombask, Ukraine, by unspecified forces running on the TV. The only problem is that this journalist has the exact and identical face of one of his comrades-in-arms and dear friend who died many years before. This is the starting point for an adrenalin-fuelled affair, which crosses endless borders and leaves behind an inexhaustible trail of corpses, ending up in a daring way in one of the most dangerous areas of the world (as recent events prove). The narrative is appreciable, even if there is some repetitiveness in the continuous self-flagellation of the show more protagonist, and some of the motivations of the villains, while plausible, are poorly articulated and generic, although I admit that researching in certain environments is anything but easy. Inevitable the hook for an upcoming second episode. show less

Landslide by Adam Sikes
A Mason Hackett Espionage Thriller #1

Excellent debut novel by an author that has a bright future – I am sure that as more books are written they will get even better.

What I Liked
* Mason – banker, businessman, trouble shooter, travels to difficult locations to meet with shady characters, ex-Marine, has survivor’s guilt and PTSD, trust issues, closed off, provds to be more than I first expected
* Delgado – Mason’s friend and colleague in the marines, has a hold on Mason, plays a big part in this story
* The plot, pacing, writing and international setting
* The intrigue and international travel
* The fast-paced rollercoaster ride provided
* That the story is pertinent to current world events
* That I easily show more visualized the story as it was
* The direction the story is moving
* That there will be another book in the series

What I Didn’t Like
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* The twists and turns along with surprises that kept me guessing
* The loss of life that occurred reminding me of war and the evil it truly is

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Oceanview Publishing for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars show less