Nemesis is a brutal mystique-laden revenge action thriller that packs sharp twists and badass action sequences written with an eye for accurate tactical and weaponry details to create a fantastic reading experience for readers. For an author’s first foray into the action thriller genre, I was amazed by the superb action sequences that felt well suited for a big screen adaptation.
Nemesis introduces readers to Michael Bale, a Protective Command officer who is seeking revenge for the death of his sister, Katie, who died due to a drug overdose. Mickey Bale puts his formidable skillset to use on tearing down the drug kingpin of a vicious criminal, Joe Castagna, whose underlying had slipped Katie the wrong drug that led to her death. As Michael embarks on his revenge warpath, we learn he is being aided by a mysterious entity, code named Nemesis, who is providing Michael with the necessary information to take Joe down. While it might have seemed prudent to only keep the revenge till the drug dealer directly involved with Michael’s sister’s death, Joe Castagna is depicted as a vile character whose unchecked evil propels Michael to protect people and take on the bigger and more violent mission of ridding Joe once and for all. As he takes on the bad guys, the police close in on the armed professional who leaves a trail of dead bodies in his wake. As Michael’s professional and personal lives clash, the question arises if Michael can escape both the police and Joe unscathed, or has he bitten off more than he can chew?
Nemesis is a fantastic example of the crime genre infused with the tactics-and-details-focused action we read in espionage and military action thrillers. Michael Bale’s character is developed through his job and his vengeance more than anything else. His willingness to step into the harm’s way to take down evil men who prey on the innocent mirrors his job in Protection Command where he is assigned protection details to make sure his assignments are kept out of harm’s way, explaining his desire to go beyond simply assassinating the direct link to his sister’s death. I loved how he does not become a cliché in his warpath by questioning if he is too brutal to the monsters he goes after. He takes down the evil-doers proportionally in pain and agony to how the bad guys prey upon innocents. A protagonist with nerves of steel and willingness to bring justice.
The action is fast-paced and easy to visualize, thanks to the author’s vivid descriptions of the tactical movements of Michael Bale and his arsenal, including a Ruger .22, Glock 17 Gen 4, HK G36C, silenced MP5 and MP7, along with creative ways to inflict pain involving nasty alkaline burns. I was pleasantly surprised to see such fantastic hard-hitting action in a crime thriller.
I enjoyed how Michael’s professional and personal violent endeavors intertwined, not in a big picture kind of manner, but in a rich world-building manner that allowed new characters and situations to develop and factor later into the story for a realistic vibe of the story where the experiences that aren’t directly related to the Michael’s private war on crime ended up helping him out of tight spots when you wouldn’t expect him to make it out. The author’s knowledge of Protection Command’s inside workings felt extremely well researched and interesting to read about and visualize how the brave men and women of the ‘Job’ put their lives on the line to protect those they are tasked with guarding.
While I believe the character’s interactions can be made slightly better by incorporating more expressions for the characters, I found Nemesis to be an exciting and action-packed crime story that explores the criminal underworld of London in a violent fashion. The final mind-blowing twist ends the story on a high note as we finally find out who Nemesis is and what Nemesis’ grand plan has been for Michael Bale. I was way off course with my guess, and I commend the author for his crafty twists! It definitely has the potential to spawn off a badass action thriller series since the ending clearly charts the return of Michael Bale.
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