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Kenneth Aubrey and Patrick Hyde #8
A Hooded Crow
Thomas, Craig
Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
2 people are currently reading
123 people want to read
About the author
Craig Thomas
87 books92 followersDavid Craig Owen Thomas was a Welsh author of thrillers, most notably the Mitchell Gant series.
The son of the Western Mail rugby union writer, JBG Thomas, Craig was educated at Cardiff High School. He graduated from University College, Cardiff in 1967, obtaining his M.A. after completing a thesis on Thomas Hardy. Thomas became an English Teacher, working in various grammar schools in the West Midlands, and was Head of English at the Shire Oak School, Walsall Wood.
After unsuccessfully trying script writing for radio, Thomas wrote part-time, with his wife as editor, in two fields: philosophical thoughts in books of essays; and techno-thriller genre, which although invention is often attributed to the better-known Tom Clancy, many feel that Thomas was its true originator. Most of Thomas's novels are set within MI.6 and feature the characters of Sir Kenneth Aubrey and Patrick Hyde.
His best-known novel which brought him to global prominence, Firefox became a successful Hollywood film, both directed by and starring Clint Eastwood. After writing his third novel, 1960s Cold War espionage thriller Wolfsbane, he left teaching altogether in 1977. His later books include Snow Falcon and A Different War. Shortly before his death he finished a two-volume commentary on German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche.
Thomas and his wife Jill had lived near Lichfield, Staffordshire, but moved to Somerset in 2010. He died on April 4, 2011 from pneumonia, following a short battle with acute myeloid leukemia. He was 68.
The son of the Western Mail rugby union writer, JBG Thomas, Craig was educated at Cardiff High School. He graduated from University College, Cardiff in 1967, obtaining his M.A. after completing a thesis on Thomas Hardy. Thomas became an English Teacher, working in various grammar schools in the West Midlands, and was Head of English at the Shire Oak School, Walsall Wood.
After unsuccessfully trying script writing for radio, Thomas wrote part-time, with his wife as editor, in two fields: philosophical thoughts in books of essays; and techno-thriller genre, which although invention is often attributed to the better-known Tom Clancy, many feel that Thomas was its true originator. Most of Thomas's novels are set within MI.6 and feature the characters of Sir Kenneth Aubrey and Patrick Hyde.
His best-known novel which brought him to global prominence, Firefox became a successful Hollywood film, both directed by and starring Clint Eastwood. After writing his third novel, 1960s Cold War espionage thriller Wolfsbane, he left teaching altogether in 1977. His later books include Snow Falcon and A Different War. Shortly before his death he finished a two-volume commentary on German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche.
Thomas and his wife Jill had lived near Lichfield, Staffordshire, but moved to Somerset in 2010. He died on April 4, 2011 from pneumonia, following a short battle with acute myeloid leukemia. He was 68.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 17, 2009
all Craig Thomas books reminds me of my dad...they were his collections. he got me interested in British agents, KGB stories. I love it
October 4, 2017
Number eight in the series....felt like it...I felt like I was missing out not knowing the back story...started so bloody slow but the action all came out at the end.
February 26, 2019
Plenty of twists and turns as Aubrey and Hyde take on South African mercenaries to get to the bottom of a chemical weapons plot. Intriguing and engaging to the last page.
April 27, 2021
Not my read. Could not get into it
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 17, 2023
More of an action book than a thriller. (Ponder if it would be a movie instead of a book.) Difficult to get a grip of the characters unless one has read the previous books in the series.
July 24, 2019
Sir Kenneth Aubrey, that grand old man of British Intelligence who first appeared in "Firefox", has not fully recovered from the physical and psychic injuries sustained in "The Last Raven". While he is on the mend, the British government is somewhat uncertain what to do with the organization he created or the agents he trained. Inasmuch as its traditional antagonist, the Soviet Union, is disintegrating into its component parts, it seems obvious that some individuals must be reassigned, and others quietly retired with appreciation and a pension. Unfortunately for bureaucratic harmony, three of Aubrey’s best are not inclined to “go gentle into that good night.”
For one thing, Richard Anderson, a ghost from Aubrey’s checkered past stumbles across evidence that the KGB is involved in the transfer of highly sensitive material to elements in South Africa dedicated to reversing the move to majority rule in that nation. This discovery provides additional reasons for Patrick Hyde and Tony Godwin to pursue their investigation of a politically influential British corporation. Needless to say, Hyde and Company face obstruction from their superiors, as well as active—and lethal, opposition from the KGB and the South African extremists.
The politics of change in Eastern Europe have produced corresponding alterations in the creation of works in the thriller genre. Some authors continue to mine the Cold War past, some create new villains, while a few recognize that espionage transcends transitory political quarrels. Craig Thomas is one who continues to insist that espionage is the oldest profession. Thus, "A Hooded Crow" represents one of the better examples of the new thriller. Thomas is able to sustain the multiple story lines required in a work of this type without leaving the reader too long in doubt as to events elsewhere. Moreover, his plot is not only plausible but intriguing as well.
For one thing, Richard Anderson, a ghost from Aubrey’s checkered past stumbles across evidence that the KGB is involved in the transfer of highly sensitive material to elements in South Africa dedicated to reversing the move to majority rule in that nation. This discovery provides additional reasons for Patrick Hyde and Tony Godwin to pursue their investigation of a politically influential British corporation. Needless to say, Hyde and Company face obstruction from their superiors, as well as active—and lethal, opposition from the KGB and the South African extremists.
The politics of change in Eastern Europe have produced corresponding alterations in the creation of works in the thriller genre. Some authors continue to mine the Cold War past, some create new villains, while a few recognize that espionage transcends transitory political quarrels. Craig Thomas is one who continues to insist that espionage is the oldest profession. Thus, "A Hooded Crow" represents one of the better examples of the new thriller. Thomas is able to sustain the multiple story lines required in a work of this type without leaving the reader too long in doubt as to events elsewhere. Moreover, his plot is not only plausible but intriguing as well.
February 19, 2008
"Dull story of tiny group of British agents who stop a mundane KGB plot to export questionably critical high technology. Too slow. Too British."
January 18, 2010
I couldn't get into it. I was nearly asleep after the first 10 pages. For all I know, it's a great book that just starts off slow, but life is too short :p
January 10, 2012
An entertaining enough read.
January 10, 2016
Didn't read
August 7, 2016
I guess if one likes this genre, it would be alright, but I found it mind-paralysingly boring.
Read
October 8, 2008A Tho
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews