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Robert Harland #2

Empire State

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In a world that inspires paranoia on a grand scale, where international agencies show no scruple in hunting down terrorists, Robert Harland must find the link between a sequence of apparently random worldwide events, including the assasination of the head of the US National Security Agency.

455 pages, Paperback

First published September 4, 2003

44 people are currently reading
304 people want to read

About the author

Henry Porter

48 books242 followers
Henry Porter has written for most national broadsheet newspapers. He contributes commentary and reportage to the Guardian, Observer, Evening Standard and Sunday Telegraph. He is the British editor of Vanity Fair, and lives in London with his wife and two daughters.

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5 stars
266 (33%)
4 stars
298 (37%)
3 stars
170 (21%)
2 stars
38 (4%)
1 star
20 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
Profile Image for Andy.
478 reviews86 followers
July 14, 2014
pg 102..... had enough as the star of the first book Bobby Harland is yet to make an entrance & well I jus dont care & life is short yadda yadda.... The End.
Profile Image for Caroline.
543 reviews
September 25, 2011
Potential to be very interesting since the plot follows similar theories to the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York, however this is a bit too complicated to follow. The characters are pretty good and as a feminist I'm thrilled that the lead is taken and the case is solved by a woman, but keeping track of who is good and who is bad makes for complex reading. I haven't read anything by Henry Porter before but would consider reading something else by him just to see whether this one was more involved than his usual style of writing.
Profile Image for Mike Rogers.
17 reviews1 follower
September 2, 2015
This book showed promise. The plot appeared well thought out, and in the hands of a better author could have been a good thriller. However, it was let down by some very immature, unbelievable characters, some basic holes in reasoning and required a suspension of disbelief in order to allow the story to progress. It just wasn't well enough written for these jarring moments to be overlooked.
717 reviews3 followers
September 16, 2015
Interesting writer as always, and topical, factually interesting, but not up to the high standard of some of his others.
Profile Image for Melanie Fraser.
Author 39 books28 followers
July 26, 2017
This was well written but lost it's way in the middle, meandering, as if the author wasn't sure what to do next with the plot. I almost lost interest.

Picking it up later on was helpful and I enjoyed the last part. Overall, the book seemed far too long to me and would have had a better impact if it had been more concise and the fast pace at the beginning, maintained.
Profile Image for Tessa.
506 reviews7 followers
July 31, 2016
I became totally lost in this book and had to leave it unfinished.
Profile Image for Wendy.
29 reviews
September 12, 2016
Complicated, and I kept losing track of which characters were which - but I kept going because I wanted to find out what happened. Have read other Henry Porter books which I enjoyed much more.
Profile Image for Sneha.
138 reviews1 follower
August 21, 2022
#Empire State #Henry Porter #HighBridge #GrovePress #NetGalley

This is a tale of espionage, terrorism, and counterterrorism. Robert Harland and Isis Herrick with MI6 need to figure out what links the murders of the head of NSA at Heathrow, a family at Uxbridge, and a group of refugees in Macedonia.

It is something entirely plausible and is a sign of the times we live in.

This ALC was an interesting listen. Matthew Lloyd Davis narrates the story well.
Profile Image for Emily Johnston.
112 reviews
December 15, 2022
This book was incredibly complicated. I kept slogging through mainly because I felt I’d invested so much time in it and wanted to know what happened, but it was a slog until part 3. There are so many characters and details and it is really long. I enjoyed the female protagonist and the character of Harland. I didn’t hate it and would actually be interested to read the third book in the series as I cared about the two main characters - but I also don’t know if I can bear the complicated detail.
5 reviews
September 11, 2018
Fast paced triumph of ‘good’ power over ‘bad’ plus evil doers crushed. A satisfactory read on the whole.

Wonderfully complex international (wide ranging) tale of deering do- a female star too. A good read! Well described cities world over plus an intriguing Egyptian island. Go for it!
777 reviews1 follower
September 26, 2021
A great spy read from the murder of a family to the gunning down of migrant workers. Chasing the links between these events and the arrival of 2 postcards with a world renowned osteopath is Robert Harland and Isis Herrick from MI6. It's a chase that leads them to dark places and other countries and figuring out who to trust.
Profile Image for Caleb Matthew C..
68 reviews5 followers
April 19, 2023
The book is listed as the second in the "Robert Harland series" but Harland doesn't appear until almost halfway through the book. He eventually shows up-- doesn't resemble the Harland of the first book and plays no role of importance. It was quite duplicitous to label this book as part of a "Robert Harland series."
369 reviews2 followers
April 13, 2024
Very good. The head of the US National Security Agency is assassinated in a spectacular killing at Heathrow. A Pakistani employee at the airport and his family are found murdered. Other seemingly unrelated murders follow. Trying to find the link between these apparently random events is pursued by Robert Harland performing a dual role for the UN and MI6.
2,204 reviews4 followers
June 26, 2024
I cannot believe that I just discovered Henry Porter! He is a fine writer and has created a character, Robert Harlan, that I want to know better. This one is a mad race to discover what is behind a series of events that have something t9 d9 with the Empire State Building. The story races towards an end that we know will involve violence and death if it isn’t stopped.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
5 reviews
January 16, 2020
Not his best

Slapdash plot, unlikely characters and a non linear plot. Pretty weak stuff and bitterly disappointing. Makes me reconsider easing more Someone give me a decent book please ....
2 reviews
April 16, 2020
First try at a Henry Porter thriller and already ordered another one. Really could not put this down. One of the best thrillers I’ve read recently. Absolutely loved a feisty female spook too - more of Isis Herrick please.
73 reviews1 follower
June 8, 2022
An interesting evolution

The second book in the Robert Harland series doesn't actually take him a great deal. Some new characters are introduced with great stories. But while this is a fun yarn, there is little real surprise or suspense.
7 reviews
June 27, 2022
An exciting read from start to finish! Good to have a female heroine.
One of those novels where you feel you need to makes notes about who everyone is! I found it all a bit confusing. I also felt the book was a little too long, but an enjoyable read nonetheless!
Profile Image for Paddy.
36 reviews
December 22, 2024
Perfectly decent spy-novel, enjoyable but not absolutely outstanding. Some other reviewers seemed to think it was over-complicated, but I didn't think so. Reading it in 2024, however, the 9/11-influenced plot feels dated and no-longer topical.
234 reviews6 followers
Read
February 13, 2025
Headlines Bypassed

A work with complex intertwining plots, compellingly written. Quite a mix of characters. Some good characters with off putting traits and some bad characters with appealing traits,well developed.









145 reviews3 followers
February 23, 2018
So nice touches in the plot but the author has loaded all the action on one character. Very implausible
609 reviews26 followers
May 10, 2019
Another quick Madeira holiday library read. Enjoyed the storyline. Isis Herrick the main character seemed real. Will catch up with more of these books
Profile Image for Didi.
31 reviews
February 26, 2020
Good airport read. Read fast otherwise you will loose track of all the characters
41 reviews
May 11, 2021
The book is all over the place and it’s Isis who is the main character and not Bobby!!
Profile Image for Drka.
297 reviews11 followers
Read
February 2, 2023
DNF I struggled through the first. This one seems just as complex.
Profile Image for Danita.
163 reviews37 followers
July 2, 2023
I enjoyed this spy thriller. A throwback to old times and stories.
Profile Image for Yasmin Jam.
31 reviews13 followers
April 13, 2024
It was not too exciting, and I thought there was very little action/drama.
76 reviews1 follower
May 12, 2024
Very enjoyable Spy novel.
Would make good movie
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews

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