I like these books in a sneakingly, almost guilty way. They are just pure entertainment - sort of James Bond crossed with a healthy dose of Austin Powers done Clive Cussler style. They are fast paced, totally over the top, too good to be true, pure and utter escapism, silly, funny, slightly daft and not a bad way to fill in a few hours. Mind you, this is the smaller size paperback and it's 558 pages so you'd think you were in for a lifetime's commitment, but they are very quick to read. I do know I've read the next book in the series - Pirate (they go Hawke, Assassin, Pirate in order) and I remember laughing my way through it - just don't ask me what it was about anymore because the details didn't stay needless to say.
Seriously though - if you're looking for something on the escapist side - you could do worse!
The Blurb:
A shadowy terrorist kingpin has orchestrated the systematic slaying of American diplomats abroad and, as the death toll mounts, British intelligence agent Alexander Hawke is called upon to avert a cataclysmic attack. From London to Indonesia, Washington to the Florida Keys, Hawke battles it out against a cunning and ruthless enemy bent on destorying the West - while on a personal level he must avenge a senseless crime that has left him devastated.
Opening Lines:
"The late afternoon sun slanted through the tall windows opening onto the Grand Canal. There were silken peacocks in the velvet draperies and they stirred in the salty Adriatic breeze. These warm evening zephyrs sent sunstruck motes of dust swirling indolently upward toward the vaulted and gilded ceiling."
In the bestselling tradition of Clive Cussler, this fast-paced seafaring action adventure was a }New York Times{ top 10 bestseller in hardback. Full of action, glamour and high style, it features hero Alexander Hawke whose mission is both global and personal.