This review is more about the horribly distracting narration than the novel itself. Story is ok, spy thriller - I am not finished but will get there - The narration is TERRIBLE!!!! Very stilted word formation, poor inflection - Narrator actually sounded happy when in the next sentence it was obvious some poor female was about to be attacked - just weird!!! Nearly sounds computer generated - Never again will I listen to this voice. I was half-way through this when I realised what had been bugging me.Let's have a look: craggy, loner major (male) character in at least early- if not full-middle-age and a female sidekick who is young, beautiful and brilliant. A very convoluted plot with an is-he-isn't-he possibly villan.Yes: it's Dan Brown in disguise.Now I have to be clear here. I read the Da Vinci Code when it came out in paperback, while on holiday, in one afternoon sat by the pool. It was ok. Nothing to get excited about and a bit... far fetched. Not a problem I'm not up on christian mysticism so it was all something that never touches me. But then I read Digital Fortress which is about the NSA. Now at the risk of having men in sunglasses and black suits kicking down my door anc carting me off, I do know a bit about the NSA. And of course it didn't escape my notice that the middle-aged craggy hero had a very beautiful brilliant young side-kick. And I had to stop myself hurling the book at people. Far fetcheed? it was, to me, fantasy stuff.So with that in mind this novel with the boringly common middle-aged man, brilliant beautiful female sidekick combo was bound to rub me up the wrong way. Interesting stuff about Baku, Iran and thriller stuff that I'd normally like, plus a rather enigmatic deux ex machina type of extra sidekick, I can't say I'll read it again. I have recommended it to my other half though, because he does like the Dan Brown stuff, and this is the kind of thing he can read on the train. (which is what I did)the most depressing part was reading in the bit About The Author that this is intended to be the first in a series. I don't think I'll be trying book 2 thought.Oh yes and at the risk of spoilers: after all that torture at the end ... just. No.
Do You like book Colonel's Mistake, The (2012)?
Listened on the way home from DC. Made the trip.seem much shorter.
—lizzard
