Author: Andrew Mayne
Published: October 29, 2024 by Thomas & Mercer
Format: Kindle, 311 pages
Genre: Thriller
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Trasker #2
Blurb: Retired intelligence operative Brad Trasker heads security at a remote aerospace facility when there’s a major breach. A photo of their top-secret AI-designed hydrogen engine has surfaced online. Trasker’s investigation into who did it soon leads to a start-up in Bangkok, where its three software developers have disappeared, along with nearly a million dollars in investment money.
Following their tracks, Trasker hits a dead end. The start-up’s HQ is a padlocked crime scene. No one—not the cagey locals, the mobbed-up gangs, or the Royal Thai Police—is keen on answering Trasker’s questions. But their message is get out of Bangkok or die.
Hunted by assassins, Trasker is drawn into the same complex high-tech underworld of cryptocurrency, digital espionage, and betrayal that swallowed up the runaway coders. As the line between ally and enemy blurs, and the stakes become life and death, Trasker must navigate the dangerous intersection of modern intelligence and old-school spy games to survive.
My Opinion: This novel took some time to find its footing. About a quarter of the way through, to be exact. At first, the usual high-intensity pacing I’ve come to expect from Mayne was missing, replaced by too much filler and a lack of the snappy banter that normally keeps the dialogue lively. But once the story opened, the stiffness faded, the unanswered questions started to resolve, and the momentum finally kicked in.
The technology, whether real or convincingly placed, is something I’d rather not dwell on. Some things are better left in the shadows, and the world of espionage is one of them. The mid-story twist saved the pacing from stagnating just as it was slipping into predictability, but the overall rhythm felt uneven. Lulls stretched too long, only for tension spikes to rush through like an afterthought.
Compared to the first book, this one felt a bit underwhelming. Where the debut was nonstop action, Death Stake moved in waves, starting with excess fluff before diving into a rapid, almost hurried conclusion. And let’s talk about the tangled web of Mayne’s interconnected series -- at this point, keeping track of them all is an exercise in patience. Maybe reading by publication date is the safest bet.
Then there’s Brad Trasker. A narcissist? Maybe. A man with just the right experience and just the right anecdote for every situation? Absolutely. I won’t say I don’t like him, I do, tremendously, but maybe I liked his mother more, and her absence here was a noticeable disappointment.
Trasker is the kind of protagonist who gets the job done, no matter the moral ambiguity. If you love thrillers and espionage with a central character who plays fast and loose with the rules, he’s your guy. Would I want to sit down for a meal with him? Not particularly. But if everything went sideways? He’d be the first call, right up there with Liam Neeson.
Following their tracks, Trasker hits a dead end. The start-up’s HQ is a padlocked crime scene. No one—not the cagey locals, the mobbed-up gangs, or the Royal Thai Police—is keen on answering Trasker’s questions. But their message is get out of Bangkok or die.
Hunted by assassins, Trasker is drawn into the same complex high-tech underworld of cryptocurrency, digital espionage, and betrayal that swallowed up the runaway coders. As the line between ally and enemy blurs, and the stakes become life and death, Trasker must navigate the dangerous intersection of modern intelligence and old-school spy games to survive.
My Opinion: This novel took some time to find its footing. About a quarter of the way through, to be exact. At first, the usual high-intensity pacing I’ve come to expect from Mayne was missing, replaced by too much filler and a lack of the snappy banter that normally keeps the dialogue lively. But once the story opened, the stiffness faded, the unanswered questions started to resolve, and the momentum finally kicked in.
The technology, whether real or convincingly placed, is something I’d rather not dwell on. Some things are better left in the shadows, and the world of espionage is one of them. The mid-story twist saved the pacing from stagnating just as it was slipping into predictability, but the overall rhythm felt uneven. Lulls stretched too long, only for tension spikes to rush through like an afterthought.
Compared to the first book, this one felt a bit underwhelming. Where the debut was nonstop action, Death Stake moved in waves, starting with excess fluff before diving into a rapid, almost hurried conclusion. And let’s talk about the tangled web of Mayne’s interconnected series -- at this point, keeping track of them all is an exercise in patience. Maybe reading by publication date is the safest bet.
Then there’s Brad Trasker. A narcissist? Maybe. A man with just the right experience and just the right anecdote for every situation? Absolutely. I won’t say I don’t like him, I do, tremendously, but maybe I liked his mother more, and her absence here was a noticeable disappointment.
Trasker is the kind of protagonist who gets the job done, no matter the moral ambiguity. If you love thrillers and espionage with a central character who plays fast and loose with the rules, he’s your guy. Would I want to sit down for a meal with him? Not particularly. But if everything went sideways? He’d be the first call, right up there with Liam Neeson.
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