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The Hunter by Andrew Reid
The Blurb On The Back:
A troubled genius who vanishes in a mysterious car crash.
A disillusioned cop sensing conspiracy in the corridors of power.
A ruthless team of mercenaries operating in the shadows.
A billion-dollar business that wants the world in its grip.
One link connects them all.
A champion fighter. Betrayed and searching for the truth.
Cameron King is The Hunter.
18 months ago Cameron King’s career as a champion MMA fighter came to an end when she was in a serious car crash with her brother Nate that left her arm held together with steel pins. Nate deliberately caused the crash but he disappeared the same night and although their parents believe that he’s dead, she’s certain that he’s alive. Needing to earn a living, Cameron’s trained herself up as a bounty hunter but has also been using her training to try to trace her brother.
When Cameron gets a lead on a bail jumper called Samuel Gorton as being in San Francisco she’s hopeful of a big pay day only to find him freshly dead and her own gun left at the scene. If she hadn’t guessed that she was being set up, then the fact that Officer Ray Perada has been sent to investigate following an anonymous tip-off confirms it. Then Nate suddenly calls her on her mobile, telling her that she’s in danger and needs to run.
Cameron does what she’s told, knocking Perada out cold to make her getaway, determined to track her brother down. But it’s not just the San Francisco police hunting for her, with Perada’s she remains determined to track her brother down. But the more she delves into what Nate’s involved in though, the more she discovers that there are powers at play with a sinister plan and unlimited resources to secure them …
Andrew Reid’s debut action thriller is an assured affair with solid pacing and interesting main characters in the form of Cameron King and Ray Perada (who I was pleased did not succumb to a predictable romance). However the storyline between Cameron and Nate falls apart in the final quarter with revelations that suspend credulity, which is a shame because there’s some solid writing here and the premise is perfect beach reading.
One of the things that made this book interesting to me is that it has a female main character who is tough and capable and Reid does a good job of establishing her fighting credentials in a way that makes her seem credible. At the same time he takes care to set out her vulnerabilities, especially following her arm injury, and I enjoyed the way she analyses her own fighting weaknesses and Reid shows her getting hurt as well, which makes the fight scenes more believable. I also liked the way he shows camaraderie among the women fighters as Cameron turns to some former opponents for help.
Perada makes for a worthy sidekick with his own set of issues, not least of which is how an investigation into a shooting he made has caused friction with his fellow cops, even though he was cleared. A decent cop keen to do the right thing, his scenes with Cameron work well and I was very grateful that Reid opts to keep them as comrades in arms rather than pursuing a forced romance.
The pacing of the book works well and Reid keeps the action sharp. This is a corporate conspiracy book, which I must admit to having a soft spot for and although it does all require a certain suspension of belief, it flows neatly and held my interest. Where the book does fall down for me though is in the relationship between Cameron and Nate. I bought into why Cameron wanted to track him down and her love for him but the revelations in the final quarter came a bit out of left field and didn’t have enough set up. As a result it did take me out of the overall plot and was just a suspension of credulity too far.
That said there’s a lot of promise here, it’s a perfectly decent beach read and I would definitely check out Reid’s other work.
The Verdict:
Andrew Reid’s debut action thriller is an assured affair with solid pacing and interesting main characters in the form of Cameron King and Ray Perada (who I was pleased did not succumb to a predictable romance). However the storyline between Cameron and Nate falls apart in the final quarter with revelations that suspend credulity, which is a shame because there’s some solid writing here and the premise is perfect beach reading.
Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.
A troubled genius who vanishes in a mysterious car crash.
A disillusioned cop sensing conspiracy in the corridors of power.
A ruthless team of mercenaries operating in the shadows.
A billion-dollar business that wants the world in its grip.
One link connects them all.
A champion fighter. Betrayed and searching for the truth.
18 months ago Cameron King’s career as a champion MMA fighter came to an end when she was in a serious car crash with her brother Nate that left her arm held together with steel pins. Nate deliberately caused the crash but he disappeared the same night and although their parents believe that he’s dead, she’s certain that he’s alive. Needing to earn a living, Cameron’s trained herself up as a bounty hunter but has also been using her training to try to trace her brother.
When Cameron gets a lead on a bail jumper called Samuel Gorton as being in San Francisco she’s hopeful of a big pay day only to find him freshly dead and her own gun left at the scene. If she hadn’t guessed that she was being set up, then the fact that Officer Ray Perada has been sent to investigate following an anonymous tip-off confirms it. Then Nate suddenly calls her on her mobile, telling her that she’s in danger and needs to run.
Cameron does what she’s told, knocking Perada out cold to make her getaway, determined to track her brother down. But it’s not just the San Francisco police hunting for her, with Perada’s she remains determined to track her brother down. But the more she delves into what Nate’s involved in though, the more she discovers that there are powers at play with a sinister plan and unlimited resources to secure them …
Andrew Reid’s debut action thriller is an assured affair with solid pacing and interesting main characters in the form of Cameron King and Ray Perada (who I was pleased did not succumb to a predictable romance). However the storyline between Cameron and Nate falls apart in the final quarter with revelations that suspend credulity, which is a shame because there’s some solid writing here and the premise is perfect beach reading.
One of the things that made this book interesting to me is that it has a female main character who is tough and capable and Reid does a good job of establishing her fighting credentials in a way that makes her seem credible. At the same time he takes care to set out her vulnerabilities, especially following her arm injury, and I enjoyed the way she analyses her own fighting weaknesses and Reid shows her getting hurt as well, which makes the fight scenes more believable. I also liked the way he shows camaraderie among the women fighters as Cameron turns to some former opponents for help.
Perada makes for a worthy sidekick with his own set of issues, not least of which is how an investigation into a shooting he made has caused friction with his fellow cops, even though he was cleared. A decent cop keen to do the right thing, his scenes with Cameron work well and I was very grateful that Reid opts to keep them as comrades in arms rather than pursuing a forced romance.
The pacing of the book works well and Reid keeps the action sharp. This is a corporate conspiracy book, which I must admit to having a soft spot for and although it does all require a certain suspension of belief, it flows neatly and held my interest. Where the book does fall down for me though is in the relationship between Cameron and Nate. I bought into why Cameron wanted to track him down and her love for him but the revelations in the final quarter came a bit out of left field and didn’t have enough set up. As a result it did take me out of the overall plot and was just a suspension of credulity too far.
That said there’s a lot of promise here, it’s a perfectly decent beach read and I would definitely check out Reid’s other work.
The Verdict:
Andrew Reid’s debut action thriller is an assured affair with solid pacing and interesting main characters in the form of Cameron King and Ray Perada (who I was pleased did not succumb to a predictable romance). However the storyline between Cameron and Nate falls apart in the final quarter with revelations that suspend credulity, which is a shame because there’s some solid writing here and the premise is perfect beach reading.
Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.