Realistic, dramatic and containing an intense race-to-the-finish, Wild Card is a perfect blend of an old-school spy novel combined with a modern-day terrorist threat. With this book, Stephen England continues to show he’s a force to be reckoned with in the thriller genre.
Michael Hignett, CIA Chief of Base-Istanbul, has tracked an escaped asset to Germany and is joined by CIA paramilitary operator Harry Nichols to have a little chat with this individual. The asset, Mehmet Ecevit, has tried to join Islamic jihad against Americans before, so there is concern from Michael and Harry that Mehmet is up to no good. Taking point, Harry commences digging and starts suspecting there’s more than meets the eye and a potential terror plot is in the works against US forces on Ramstein Air Base. Expertly navigating around red tape on both sides of the ocean, Harry uses every tool in his toolkit to uncover evidence to back up his suspicions, engaging in a game of cat and mouse with lives hanging in the balance. He just hopes it’s not too late.
While Wild Card has plenty of action, the beauty of this book is in it’s slow-burning, cerebral flow from start to finish. It sets the stage, builds intensity, throws in a twist or two, and then explodes with violence at the end. A great approach for engaging the reader and not letting go, propelling them forward as if they are Harry Nichols and are personally responsible for saving the lives of those in the crosshairs. In fact, this book seems incredibly realistic and makes you wonder if it’s actually historical fiction, we just haven’t heard of the story because the CIA and paramilitary operators thwarted the plot before any damage could be done.
A well-written and highly entertaining story, Wild Card is a strong entry point into the vast military and spy universe Stephen England has created. Furthermore, this novel has elements that seem to be a hat tip towards some of the best to ever do it in the thriller genre, including John le Carré and Brad Thor. Which makes this a book that thriller fans should certainly add to their TBR pile.
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