First of This Month’s Thrillers: Arkhangel by James Brabazon
Max McLean is an off-the-record assassin employed by a shady branch of the British Government to kill an elderly ex-member of the Provisional IRA terrorist group in Ireland. McLean doesn’t know the reason for his mission but doesn’t question his orders. After a few days of surveillance, he makes his move on the cottage where the target lives, but what occurs next is not what he expected.
He runs from the cottage grasping a one hundred dollar bill on which someone has scrawled the name of his mother’s hometown in Russia – Arkhangel – but he soon discovers that agents from many of the world’s security agencies want that note. Why the bill is so important remains a mystery for a long time, and much of the story is his attempt to work out its significance while trying to avoid the clutches of the agents sent to steal the note. He leaves a bloody trail of bodies across Ireland, Israel, and Russia as he does what he can to stay ahead of his pursuers.
Some of the action scenes feel unrealistic. For example, there’s a James Bond style motorbike chase, when a serendipitously positioned wooden plank allows McLean to jump over a police blockade; and a fortuitous car crash that enables his escape from a vehicle in which he’s captive. However, all the action is definitely exciting and pulls the reader through the story at breakneck speed.
With the help of a friend in Israel’s security forces, a skilful forger, and an autistic Maths student, McLean follows the thread that will lead him to discover the secret of the hundred dollar bill. It transpires that a woman he was madly in love with when they were children and who’s now a brilliant mathematician is somehow involved. To solve the mystery, McLean is dragged back to the woman he had run away from when he first joined the British Special Forces.
McLean’s mission is not what he thought. His assignment at the cottage was not the end-goal, but merely the catalyst that catapults him towards the true objective. The book opens with a very unusual prologue that’s effectively an extremely clever and beautifully written standalone short story. It’s only after reading the thriller that it becomes clear that the prologue demonstrates the method McLean’s boss uses to push him in the intended direction.
With the exception of a small lull in the middle, where McLean is trying to figure out what is happening, the action is almost continuous and frantic. Arkhangel is a page-turning thriller that’s full of fights, shoot-outs, and dramatic chases. Provided the reader is happy to ignore the tale’s occasional lapses in feasibility, it’s definitely a very exciting and intriguing read that’s to be recommended.
This Month’s Second Thriller: If You Didn’t Kill Her by Annie Taylor
Chelsea is released from prison, where she was serving a sentence for the murder of her best friend, Izzy, while they were together at university. But Chelsea didn’t do it and now wants to find out who did. There’s Jamie, the personal tutor on whom Izzy had a crush – Chelsea believes it developed into a relationship and is certain he was responsible for her death. But when Chelsea’s digging into the events around her friend’s final days results in her receiving warnings to stop investigating, she starts to wonder if someone else might be involved.
There’s Izzy’s stepbrother for another, who was always antagonistic towards Izzy, especially as they never agree on issues relating to the family’s mega-profitable business (he and Izzy both have seats on the board). Then there’s Hannah, who seemed always to dote on Izzy. Only Ayesha, Chelsea’s other university friend seems to be totally in the clear. Izzy’s mum also appears to be hiding something. And what about Joe, Chelsea’s ex-boyfriend? Does he know more than he’s telling?
Alternate chapters switch between Chelsea’s present day investigation and the time before her imprisonment. Interestingly, the chapters aren’t numbered, just headed with a date. The scenes from the past paint a picture of university life for Chelsea, Izzy, and their other friends (which seem mainly to be centred round visits to pubs and clubs and drinking too much). Those scenes show the relationships and tensions between the friends as their lives slowly head to the fateful night of Izzy’s death. It’s only in the final chapter that we learn the truth behind what happened.
The characters are all wonderfully portrayed, each with their own voice. You can hear their teenage voices as they chat in their university digs, and can perfectly see the way they roll their eyes. It’s possibly the resulting connection with the characters more than anything else that keeps the reader invested in what happens.
Unfortunately for those of us who like a bit of action in what we read, there is none in this thriller, with the exception of a little over one side near the conclusion. Despite that, though, I couldn’t help but be glued to the pages because of the way I’d come to know the characters and therefore needed to uncover the puzzle of which of them was responsible and why Izzy’s death happened.
So, if it’s very character-driven thrillers that you enjoy reading and don’t mind the absence of action, Annie Taylor’s If You Didn’t Kill Her is likely to suit you very nicely.
This Month’s Third Thrillers: Hour of the Assassin by Matthew Quirk
Ex-assassin Nick Averose earns a new living by testing the security of the rich and famous, trying to get close enough that he could assassinate them without getting caught. At the start of this thriller, he’s contracted to see how well the retired CIA head is protected. One evening, he successfully penetrates the security and stands in the house right behind his target before presenting his “you are dead” card. After a brief discussion, Averose prepares to slink away, but is attacked as he leaves the room. Averose survives the ensuing fight but discovers that the ex-head of the CIA is now dead with a knife in his back. Worse, Averose recognises the weapon as his own!
Averose manages to escape the building and grounds after several fights, but soon discovers that his troubles are far from over. Back at his office, he finds that the signed paperwork that proved he was entitled to be in the room where the murder took place is missing from his safe. Worse, faked evidence is now all around him that suggests he was stalking the dead man for personal reasons. Furthermore, the company that had supposedly hired Averose deny knowing the woman who had visited his office to sign the contract. She seems to have totally vanished and it looks as if she never existed: even the CCTV footage that would have proved she visited doesn’t show her. He has been expertly framed for the assassination.
Now on the run while trying to discover who is behind what is happening, Averose slowly pieces together the reason for what took place. He discovers a connection between him and the retired head of the CIA that Averose didn’t realise – it’s the reason someone wants them both silenced. As he teases the puzzle apart to find why that connection is putting his life at risk, he uncovers political ambitions and a secret that would destroy one man’s candidacy for president.
Averose’s enemy is an expert at manipulation and cunning, and Averose soon learns he can trust no one. He barely survives as he digs into the secret, but starts to formulate a way out of his dilemma.
Hour of the Assassin is a good read with no lulls. The climax is well written, realistic, and full of tense action, bringing the story to its successful, explosive conclusion. For some reason, though, I never really felt sympathy for any of the characters. They were fleshed out well enough, but I didn’t particularly care what happened to them, so felt no emotional attachment to the story. However, the plot and the way the action unfolded made up for that, resulting in a very exciting, page-turning thriller.
From a Writer’s Desk
My protagonist is walking the streets of China this week. I visited Shenzhen some time ago and I’m using notes from that visit together with the Chinese equivalent of Google Streetview to make it as realistic as possible. My protagonist has just collected a gun from a Chinese contact and is on his way to a factory. But they seem to be expecting him. The pencil is poised to see exactly what happens next. Although the plan is in place that defines the outcome of the scene, I don’t know exactly what action will occur until it’s written, so I’m excited to start writing that scene.
News from the Book World: Can't Read, Won't Read
Some distressing and alarming statistics have come out recently: a YouGuv survey revealed that 40% of UK adults have not read or listened to a book in the last year! That's so sad. They're missing out on so much! Even worse, a survey by the Kindred Squared charity found that 56% of parents don't think they need to introduce their children to books before they're old enough for school! Surely, that’s going to have such a knock-on effect in education.
How much does the "puff" on a cover make you want to buy the book? As an example, that’s things like a quote from Author A on the front of Author B's book that says it’s "a really exciting story". Simon & Shuster US have decided they'll no longer strongarm their authors into providing such quotes. Their new CEO felt it was too much a case of "you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours". We’d love to know your view on that. Do such quotes help you decide what to buy? When we look at some of them after we’ve finished reading the book, we wonder if the reviewer has ever actually read it themselves!
Techie Snips: a Metal Heart
Anyone fancy having a metal heart? A company called BiVacor recently created a titanium one that was successfully implanted as a temporary heart for several months while the patient waited for a living transplant. Doctors now think it may even be suitable as a long term replacement. We can't help thinking of the Wizard of Oz.
The World of Crime: Real Life Assassins
Real life can sometimes be just like scenes from a fast action thriller. In France this month, an ex-Mafia boss was shot dead after a high-speed chase along a Grenoble motorway. The assassin’s car was later found burnt out to eliminate any DNA. Police say the assassins used a military grade weapon such as a Kalashnikov.
Peak at a Blog: How Walking Boosts Creativity
Did you realise that walking boosts creativity? As well as anecdotal evidence, there are scientific studies that demonstrate it. So, everyone who does creative work needs to get walking. This month's blog digs into this fascinating discovery.
Just jog over to iancoatesthrillers.wordpressto find out more.
Freebies & Competitions
There’s much debate whether or not Dan Brown’s thrillers are well written. Now, you have the possibility of finding out for yourself courtesy of Penguin Books. They’re offering the chance to get a full set of his paperbacks. Just search for “penguin dan-brown-paperback-competition” before April 11th to get into their draw.
If you prefer Robert Gold’s thrillers, The Crime Vault (part of LittleBrown) is offering the chance of getting a bundle of his books. You’ll need to visit their Facebook page and like, share, or comment their post before April 17th. Weirdly, their post is dated November 24th, but their website says the competition runs from mid-March to mid-April 2025. Perhaps they didn’t get enough people viewing their posts, so this is their way of trying to get more views. While you’re there, you could also like their post about Mark Bellingham’s crime thrillers (their post dated Jan 7 2025) to try to get those as well.