Andrew Mayne breaks ground on a fantastic new series that shows tremendous promise. From the protagonist to the suspenseful action sequences, everything gels to give you a reading experience that is worth your weekend with a sleepless night or two in there. Night Owl is aptly named in the sense that you’ll become one as you flip the pages in a reading binge, unable to put the book down once you get started.
Brad Trasker is a man who has seen some crazy and gritty stuff go down in his life as a counterintelligence specialist. Now a retired man, things take a turn for him when he is invited to attend the launch of a next-generation aircraft by the CEO of the cutting-edge company. That’s when someone takes a shot at her and puts Trasker in the middle of a nefarious conspiracy that will require him to sharpen his spycraft once more to take the fight to the unseen enemy before he and his new employer are taken off the chessboard.
What took me by surprise was how refreshing and satisfying it felt to read about Brad Trasker as a protagonist who’s so easy to bond with and get behind as he uses his wits and experience to untangle the knot of conspiracy and espionage hiding behind the scenes. The emphasis of the narrative lays with Trasker unmasking the boogeyman with nothing but his ingenuity and doggedness and occasionally help from a very fun and interesting family member of the Trasker household. It’s a grounded investigative-espionage tale with twists and turns that keep you hooked in. Up till the very last moment you find yourself contemplating over and over again who to trust in the web of lies and deceits as Trasker digs deeper and finds himself embroiled with assassins and nasty corporate scandals originating at the highest order to gain monopoly over the next-gen air superiority.
Night Owl is a thriller that snuck up on me with its elegant charm and suave storytelling that keeps you locked-on to the pages. I am counting down impatiently to the sequel.
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