Black 13 is undeniably one of the finest action-spy thrillers you will ever come across. Brilliantly plotted with stellar execution in terms of a bold storyline, captivating situations, memorable characters, and exciting action.
When an ex-MI6 agent is murdered in London after uncovering a dark and dirty secret, Scott Pearce steps in to avenge his fallen comrade and rescue a lawyer who is targeted by the same group of extremists. Putting his skills as a former spy to work, he soon realizes that in order to beat the sinister group hiding in the shadows, he has to play on an asymmetric battleground where nothing is off limits. Escalating tensions and gripping twists and turns keep you hooked as Pearce teams up with a few friends to take on a radical far-right group who will stop at nothing to turn the tide against immigrants who they blame for Britain’s ruin. Adam Hamdy’s work tends to diverge from the formulaic Middle Eastern bad guys and puts a spotlight on the ugly forehead of racism as it exists today. Holding back no punches, Adam Hamdy showcases the terrifyingly powerful and profound effect of technology in the control of manipulators with nefarious agendas. Reading through the story, I found myself wondering more than once if many of the situations presented in Black 13 might have already happened in real-life.
Scott Pearce instantly became one of my all-time favorites. With an interesting backstory involving some unsettled demons, Pearce is written as a strong and relatable protagonist who you can easily root for. Even as a no-nonsense badass, he is far from broody and silent. His interactions with friends and allies give way to strong character building that forges an instant connection between Pearce and the reader. The same can be said for other characters in the story, some of whom will haunt you with their brutally tragic and indisputably inspired-by-real-life backstories. You will cheer Pearce and his friends on as they take care of business with extreme prejudice.
The action is fast and furious with bone crunching fisticuffs, cinematic shootouts, and pedal to the metal bike chases that will thrill you. If Scott Pearce killing a guy by punching him so hard that the broken shards of the nose pierce the brain is not badass, then I don’t know what is.
I found the entire narrative to be quite remarkable. 475 pages flew by in a blur of 2 days. I could not have asked anything more from this explosive thriller. This is one book I would recommend you move up to the top of your to-be-read list. Adam Hamdy’s creative ideas channeled into an unflinching narrative with a smooth prose immensely elevate the caliber of storytelling to the highest order. A thriller that walks a beautiful balance between story-driven and action-driven to appeal to all readers.
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