Even (David Trevellyan Thriller 1) [Paperback]

Andrew Grant is the brother of the author Lee Child - responsible for the "Jack Reacher" series, and in this very enjoyable novel it is perhaps not surprising that he visits both similar subject matter and writes in a similar style.

His main character, ex-naval officer David Trevellyan, is thrown into a murky world of mercenaries, terrorism and murder and must fight to clear his name.

It's an exciting read and the book is thoughtfully plotted, containing twists and turns that I didn't see coming. Although books of this genre have a habit of requiring the intervention from time-to-time of an "unbelieveable" character to drive the narritive, nothing jarred with me. Perhaps the best thing I can say about it is that it made me keen to read the next story, assuming there is one.

I adore the city of New York, and will read any piece of fiction set there. The city is almost alive, and I relish seeing its mute, brooding presence in thrillers. That's basically why I picked this book, as I am not a fan of modern thrillers. I appreciate the classics (Fleming, Deighton, Forsyth, even Clancy) and some modern junk that borders on sci-fi (Matthew Reilly ia a guilty pleasure, for example), but most modern thrillers are far too samey and fit one of three templates: the historical-conspiracy (Dan Brown et al, ad nauseum), the (yawn) police procedural, or the Bourne/24 wannabes.

This is a curious one, though. Andrew Grant is the brother of the famous thriller writer Lee Child - I've read a couple of his books, and they were good but I didn't feel I had to rush out and devour more. When I read the synopsis, I was expecting something similar to those, but with perhaps a dash of the Bournes about it. Nearly right. But instead of aping Bourne, it apes "24" instead - in both good and bad ways.

The writing is good - crisp dialogue, neat descriptions. Characterisation is a little lacking, though - I have no idea what David Trevelyan looks like - but then perhaps that's the point. The first-person perspective is interesting, and the clipped sentences give a real feel of David's structured and highly-trained life. The - relatively few - action scenes are kinetic and well-written, and the background research is obviously extensive.

The plot and the pacing of the novel are the problem areas. As the story unfolds, it really started to remind me of the way the TV show "24" is structured - the initial burst following one plot thread (the opening two or three chapters of the book are excellent, and a perfect example of have to pull a reader in), which seems to be wrapped up far too quickly. Another different plot then looms, totally unconnected to the first. At the end of the novel, though, it seems it was all connected after all - although I have to admit I was a little confused over the details (POSIBLE SPOILERS: Who is Lesley, and what exactly does her group exist for? She just seemed to be a sadistic villain for the sake of it. And I'm a little lost over the whole tramps/railroads/fake ID's/Iraq part of the plot). It reminded me of the last couple of (not as good) seasons of Jack Bauer's exploits, where the writers come up with a cracking eight-episode story but then realise that they have to pad it out to 24 episodes. It all gets stretched a little thin, with lots of coincidences and meetings and weak sub-plots. The end then feels rushed - the main villain's motivation is weak and sketchy, and David saves the day by...shooting a laptop. Followed by the coda, which brings back a forgotten and pointless character from earlier in the story (just like "24") and sets up the sequel.

That's not to say I didn't enjoy the book - it was fast-paced and entertaining, and it's good to have a Brit abroad as the hero - even if his background is pure Bond and he is as indestructible and infallible as...well, Bond I suppose! I will certainly pick up Andrew Grant's next book to see how he develops as a writer (this is his first novel). It's certainly better than the vast slew of post-Dan Brown conspiracy thrillers (and, actually, better than Dan Brown - heresy!).

Andrew Grant's 'Even' is a poor book; an espionage thriller that isn't thrilling and is laughably implausible, but not in a good way.

The plot is one big convoluted mess yet lacks any real thrills or surprises. The leading character, David Trevellyan, may be portrayed as super-competent but is also a charisma-free zone. The rest of the cast are nothing more than a set of one dimensional cliches there to serve the plot who make little lasting impact except when the story contrives to make them to act in a stupid manner just to keep the plot moving.

Despite being written as a serious, hard edged, noirish spy thriller set in the 'real' world rather than an escapist romp, much of 'Even' feels contrived and implausible. The authorities for example, are portrayed as universally incompetent simply so that the book's hero can save the day single handed. Equally the bad guys, who we're told are dangerous killers who have previously disposed of trained soldiers and FBI agents with little trouble, are apparently no match for David Trevellyan even when they outnumber him two or three to one. For competent criminals/terrorists they also make a number of basic errors, including not shooting dead Trevellyan when they have the chance and then leaving him alone (more than once) so that he can effect an escape.

Even Trevellyan's continuing involvement in events doesn't feel believable. Not only is Grant forced at one point to find the most tenuous of reasons to keep him around but we're also asked to believe that the FBI would have no objection to a British Naval Intelligence agent muscling in on their cases and behaving like a loose cannon. These sort of plot developments may fit into the fantastical world of James Bond or similar escapist fantasies but with Grant offering up what is supposedly a grittier, 'real world' scenario such contrivances just come across as unrealistic. The same can be said for the dastardly plot that, after the story wanders down too many blind alleys just to add another twist or two, Trevellyan finally uncovers. In addition to being implausible it also feels ridiculously over-complicated and, coming as a consequence of American military action in Iraq back in 2003, rather dated.

So, if you enjoy stories where the loner hero takes on the bad guys and wins whilst incompetent authorities flap and get in the way then you might find some in enjoyment in 'Even'. Personally I found it derivative, cliched, implausible and unexciting. On that basis I can't say that I'll be coming back for David Trevellyan's next adventure.