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5.0 out of 5 stars
Stunning Thriller, 28 July 2011
A COVERT WAR REVIEW.
I am familiar with Michael Parker's work, and it comes as no surprise to see that he has delivered a superb thriller once again. With A COVERT WAR, Parker has turned out a fast-paced novel that the reader will not want to put down. There is no glamour in Susan Ellis's life. She works in a bank and lives on her own. But when the mysterious, Sir Giles Cavendish comes into her life, Susan finds herself being drawn into a world where terror shadows her very existence. And into this existence comes Marcus Blake, an independent, flippant son of a retired diplomat who has no other aim in life than to run his one man, downbeat security/escort agency in the heart of London. At first Susan is the catalyst that propels Marcus into the world of drugs and weapons dealing from Central Asia, high rollers in the United States Air Force in England, the CIA, and MI6. Sir Giles Cavendish finds Marcus's Blake's pragmatic style of independence a weapon that he can use in his personal war against the wretched men who deal in death and terror from behind the curtain of diplomatic and high power immunity. To this he adds Susan's need to learn more of her brother's situation in Afghanistan, where he was the victim of a terrorist attack and was shot in the head. He had been presumed dead, but disappeared. A letter, written by her brother forces Susan to agree to travel to Afghanistan with Marcus in an effort to learn the truth of her brother's demise. Neither of them know what the future holds for them as they travel deep into the interior of the war lords' heartlands in search of the truth. Parker takes the reader into the higher levels of the CIA in England, and the drug farms of Afghanistan above where the skies are patrolled by the pilotless drones flown by the Allies in search of Taliban warlords. This is a page turning thriller which I believe has all the qualities of a top, best-selling thriller. A terrific read by a terrific writer.
Roger Buxton
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Cracking Read, 6 Feb 2012
This review is from: A Covert War (Kindle Edition)
I read this on holiday, I should have been captvated by the art galleries but all I could think about was how soon I could leave & get back to the story!
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4.0 out of 5 stars
The Chapter is brought to book, 12 April 2010
An up-to-date fast-paced thriller from the reliable pen of Michael Parker, A Covert War starts with the words of David Ellis, relating his firsthand experience of a massacre in Afghanistan. These words were written in a notebook now in the possession of his sister, Susan. The mysterious Sir Giles Cavendish gave her the book as possible proof that her brother was alive, though missing.
So begins Susan's quest to find her brother. She recruits a private investigator, Marcus Blake. Apparently, David was a journalist and worked for the organisation called The Chapter; they ran a mission in the Afghan mountains. Yet there's more to The Chapter than this - much more... And Cavendish is more than he seems.
Marcus has a friend from university days - Maggot, from northern Pakistan - and they train in martial arts together. This training proves useful as Marcus begins to uncover odd connections that lead him to a US base in the UK and high echelon contacts in the government.
As the danger mounts, it seems that the only way they'll be able to free David is to travel to one of the most dangerous spots on earth, Afghanistan. Here, David is being used as a pawn and bargaining chip, with his very life as the stake.
And while some villains are American servicemen and rogue CIA operatives, others are hidden, awaiting their moment of betrayal.
There is a strong sense of foreboding as the pages turn, leading on to an inevitable and bloody confrontation. The tension mounts as friend and foe seek to silence their enemies. A satisfying quick read.
This is not the first Parker thriller I've read and, based on this outing, it won't be the last.
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