The Red Cobra by Rob Sinclair
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About the Book
Carl Logan dedicated nearly twenty years of his life to the Joint Intelligence Agency. Now living in a secret location, under the new identify of James Ryker, he wants nothing more than to be left alone, the chance to start a new life away from chaos, violence, destruction and deceit.
It’s not long, however, before Ryker’s short-lived idyll is destroyed when he is tracked down by Peter Winter, his ex-boss at the JIA. Winter brings with him news of the murder of a woman in Spain, Kim Walker, whose fingerprints match those of one of Ryker’s former adversaries who’s been missing presumed dead for years – an infamous female assassin known as the Red Cobra.
A cyberattack at the JIA led to the Red Cobra’s profile being compromised, and Winter believes JIA agents may now be at risk too, Ryker included. But Ryker knew the elusive Red Cobra better than anyone, and when he sees the grisly pictures of Kim Walker’s corpse, he has news for Winter – she isn’t the assassin at all …
So just who is the mystery dead woman? And where is the real Red Cobra?
The Red Cobra is a fast-paced thriller filled with twists and turns and intrigue that will appeal to readers of big-hitting thrillers by the likes of Lee Child and David Baldacci, and with echoes in its plotting and breadth of the globe-trotting spy thriller I Am Pilgrim.
My Review
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is the first book I have read by Rob Sinclair so I was unsure what to expect.
The book is centred around the government agencies that operate under the radar that we all know exist.
James Ryker, formerly Carl Logan, thought he had finished with his life on the edge as a secret agent. He is assumed dead and reinvented himself and began a new life (or so he thought) but is found by his former boss and persuaded to find and kill an old adversary, The Red Cobra.
Although it is not my usual preference of book I found myself totally gripped and turning page after page following Ryker’s near death experiences as he finds himself tangled up in situations he doesn’t understand with people wanting to kill him coming at him from all angles.
Ryker is a very complex character that develops well as the book progresses. I understand this is the first book in a series that is a spin off from another series that features Carl Logan. This sister series is now on my ‘to read’ list. Given that there are several books building Ryker’s character I was surprised at how easily I got to know him. Rob Sinclair has very skillfully enabled the character to become known to the reader without referring back to previous books which makes this book work really well as stand alone (although I will definitely be reading the next book).
The Red Cobra: what can I say the character is sheer brilliance and involves a real twist to her tail. She is evil but totally loveable and the love hate relationship between her and Ryker really make the book. I think Red Cobra is the badness in me waiting to get out. I would have liked to find out how she survived the cliff jump but that is a small regret compared to all the boxes that this book ticked for me.
A different but absolutely brilliant book that just proved that it sometimes pays to read something against the norm. I loved it and am eagerly waiting for more.
Thank you to Bloodhound Books who provided me with a free copy of this book in return for an honest review.
#bloodhoundbook #5stars #thankspublishers #booksnall #robsinclair
About the Author
Rob is the author of the critically acclaimed and bestselling Enemy series of espionage thrillers featuring embattled agent Carl Logan, with over 200,000 copies sold to date. The Enemy series has received widespread critical acclaim with many reviewers and readers having likened Rob’s work to authors at the very top of the genre, including Lee Child and Vince Flynn.
Rob’s fourth book, the pulsating psychological thriller Dark Fragments, released by Bloodhound Books in November 2016, has been described as ‘clever’ and ‘chilling’ and an ‘expertly crafted’ story, and became an Amazon UK top 50 bestseller soon after its release.
Rob’s forthcoming James Ryker series follows on from the Enemy books, with the first novel, The Red Cobra, being released in April 2017.
Rob began writing in 2009 following a promise to his wife, an avid reader, that he could pen a ‘can’t put down’ thriller. He worked for nearly 13 years for a global accounting firm after graduating from The University of Nottingham in 2002, specialising in forensic fraud investigations at both national and international levels. Rob now writes full time.
Originally from the North East of England, Rob has lived and worked in a number of fast paced cities, including New York, and is now settled in the West Midlands with his wife and young sons.
