REVIEW

Review - THE BOMB MAKERS, Marcus Case

Reviewed By
Karen Chisholm

THE BOMB MAKERS by pseudonymous author Marcus Case is a terrorist thriller set in London, with the threat coming from a combination of ETA and the Real IRA. Which is a different combination for this reader.

A big, bold plot, THE BOMB MAKERS combines a bit of good old fashioned British policing with current counter-terrorism methods to track down an unusual and complicated bomb maker, and the bomb planter. DCI Emma Rydan and her junior, DS Kent are paired up when he's seconded to an investigation that's gone pear-shaped. In an interesting take on a very current day scenario, deep cover terrorists are activated in England, and a bomb maker with no history and a completely ruthless personality proves to be close to the investigation and hard to spot for some. It's a chilling idea, and very realistically portrayed. At one point I was wondering if rather than "general terrorist alerts" it might be better to get a bit more pointed with senior personnel warning them to be realistic. Just because someone young and beautiful is coming onto them, perhaps a glance in the mirror and a reality check wouldn't hurt?

As you'd expect in a thriller of this nature, there is action aplenty, with pace and a bit of over the top survival of the desperate. There's also lots and lots of threads running out from the central characters - into family and close ties, working on that idea of deep cover, being one of the most sobering.

The only minor quibble is possibly that there's too much of that connection - too close an inspection might make it seem like it's an unrealistically small world. If you get a chance to notice. There is also an awful lot going on, and perhaps a few too many close but not quite type scenes that do slightly detract from the pace. And a very convenient bit of teenager jeopardy that you could see coming from chapters away.

Still minor things in THE BOMB MAKERS - a thriller that was certainly a quick, exciting and engaging read.

BOOK DETAILS
BOOK INFORMATION
Author
ISBN
9781784626662
Year of Publication
BLURB

A fugitive bomb maker dies in a police ambush in Marseille… A global terrorist collective meets in Paris to plan an attack on a European target… The terror cells have been activated and elite bombers from ETA and the Real IRA are already making their move, intent on using a device that will cause carnage on an unimaginable scale. Their motivation has its origins in a purpose shared decades earlier, leaving them with a legacy of grief and greed.

In London, only two things matter to Detective Chief Inspector Emma Rydan – her daughter and her job. After a joint counter-terrorism arrest with the Guardia Civil ends in chaos, Rydan and her seconded junior officer Detective Sergeant Kent find themselves faced with a rising body count, few clues and a race against the clock.

On the other side of the Irish Sea, tension escalates in a high security wing of Her Majesty’s Prison Maghaberry as one of the political prisoners attempts to derail the plot. In desperation he is left with one final, frantic option, and everything to lose. The net tightens, taking the police enquiry to Cambridge, where lethal menace brings violent confrontation to the colleges and departments of the historic university.

Whilst the terrorists make their final preparations, Kent is working the electronic surveillance systems at New Scotland Yard. He has the streets of the capital at his fingertips, but where is the target and when will they strike? And is he even looking in the right country?

As the manhunt hurtles towards its terrifying conclusion, Rydan realises her daughter is closest to the greatest threat. And they’re both out of time.

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