March 1, 2022
In Bentley's third terrific "Matt Drake" adventure (following The Outside Man), the spy's planned vacation and much-needed break quickly become another mission when a man walks into the U.S. embassy in Vienna and asks for Drake by his real name, not his code handle. Once Drake arrives, and before he can even learn why the man known as Nolan Burke wants to talk to him, Russian operatives kidnap him and almost kill Drake. Drake gets caught in the middle of multiple sides who all want different outcomes. Because so many agencies are involved, it doesn't help Drake when he quickly discovers that war is being threatened; he's going to have to play nice and save the day. VERDICT Drake is a skilled operative who has fun while dealing with serious scenarios, making him seem more human than superhero. The intricate level of who's-doing-what-to-whom adds twists. Readers who enjoy the world of special ops should add Bentley to their reading pile.--Jeff Ayers
Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
March 28, 2022
Bentley’s middling third thriller featuring DIA case officer Matt Drake (after 2021’s The Outside Man) takes Drake to Vienna, Austria, to determine why Nolan Burke, a former IRA militant, asked for him by name at the U.S. embassy. Russian operatives ambush the pair and fatally wound Nolan, but Nolan lives long enough to give Drake information on how to find his son, an unnamed Russian intelligence agent, who later tells Drake about a wayward tactical nuclear device being offered for sale by a Ukrainian arms dealer. As Russian forces mobilize on Ukraine’s border, a Ukrainian general, convinced that NATO will kowtow to Russia’s dictator and that his own corrupt “movie star president” will be ineffectual, intends to obtain the weapon and free his country of the danger from the Russian Bear. Drake and his team, including battle-hardened Navy SEALs, must prevent the Russian invasion plan from igniting WWIII. Exciting action scenes make up only in part for stock characters, over reliance on coincidence, and quickly abandoned and confusing secondary missions. That this book’s picture of conflict in Ukraine little resembles current reality may be the least of its problems. Agent: Barbara Poelle, Irene Goodman Agency.