The Bootneck Review

The Bootneck by Quentin Black

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


A great start to a new series

A very enjoyable all-action thriller set in the United Kingdom. Connor Reed our protagonist is an interesting character not least because he comes across as a little psychotic at times. Quick-witted and intelligent Connor seems to enjoy causing pain to those who deserve it. What he does certainly doesn’t give him bad dreams and he doesn’t hesitate about doing what needs to be done. He feels a bit like James Bond if Joe Abercrombie wrote him.

I don’t think this book will be for everyone, probably a marmite kind of thing. It reeks of male testosterone. If you loved the Commando comics when you were a boy then you will probably love this since it is very alpha-male.

Connor is a Royal Marine with the marine code of honour running through him, however, he comes from a gentlemen-crook background, where his father runs a criminal enterprise but in a vaguely moralistic way which is designed I guess to make him sound like one of those nice criminals, it’s fiction remember! It reads better than I am making it sound but it did feel like there was a checklist of things that Connor had to be. Ladies man tick, badass tick, honour code tick, patriot tick, warrior tick, you get the idea.

The story itself is pretty good, although some may say a little unlikely but only as unlikely as say Mission Impossible is unlikely and who doesn’t like Mission Impossible? The characters were very credible and the dialogue between them flowed smoothly.

Overall I enjoyed the book. I am a Jack Reacher fan and this book has been compared by others to it but I disagree with them. Reacher is a lone wolf whereas Connor is the sharp end of a covert organisation so not the same, apart from the testosterone.

As I usually recommend, take a look inside and read the opening scene. It will give you a taste of what is to come.




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