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Tom Buckingham #2
Fortress
The stunning new Tom Buckingham thriller from the bestselling author of Bravo Two Zero .
Tom Buckingham returns in another thrillingly contemporary, action packed adventure.
• The second thriller to feature Andy McNab's new series character, Tom Buckingham
• Red Notice was a Sunday Times bestseller in both hardback and paperback
Tom Buckingham returns in another thrillingly contemporary, action packed adventure.
• The second thriller to feature Andy McNab's new series character, Tom Buckingham
• Red Notice was a Sunday Times bestseller in both hardback and paperback
416 pages, Hardcover
First published May 22, 2014
238 people are currently reading
669 people want to read
About the author
Andy McNab
205 books1,163 followersAndy McNab joined the infantry in 1976 as a boy soldier. In 1984 he was badged as a member of 22 SAS Regiment. He served in B Squadron 22 SAS for ten years and worked on both covert and overt special operations worldwide, including anti-terrorist and anti-drug operations in the Middle and Far East, South and Central America and Northern Ireland.
Trained as a specialist in counter terrorism, prime target elimination, demolitions, weapons and tactics, covert surveillance and information gathering in hostile environments, and VIP protection, McNab worked on cooperative operations with police forces, prison services, anti-drug forces and western backed guerrilla movements as well as on conventional special operations. In Northern Ireland he spent two years working as an undercover operator with 14th Intelligence Group, going on to become an instructor.
McNab also worked as an instructor on the SAS selection and training team and instructed foreign special forces in counter terrorism, hostage rescue and survival training.
Andy McNab has written about his experiences in the SAS in two bestselling books, Bravo Two Zero (1993) and Immediate Action (1995). Bravo Two Zero is the highest selling war book of all time and has sold over 1.7 million copies in the UK. To date it has been published in 17 countries and translated into 16 languages. The CD spoken word version of Bravo Two Zero, narrated by McNab, sold over 60,000 copies and earned a silver disc. The BBC's film of Bravo Two Zero, starring Sean Bean, was shown on primetime BBC 1 television in 1999 and released on DVD in 2000.
Immediate Action, McNab's autobiography, spent 18 weeks at the top of the bestseller lists following the lifting on an ex-parte injunction granted to the Ministry of Defence in September 1995. To date, Immediate Action has now sold over 1.4 million copies in the UK.
McNab is the author of seven fast action thrillers, highly acclaimed for their authenticity and all Sunday Times bestsellers. Published in 1997, Remote Control was hailed as the most authentic thriller ever written and has sold over half a million copies in the UK. McNab's subsequent thrillers, Crisis Four, Firewall, Last Light , Liberation Day , Dark Winter , Deep Black and Aggressor have all gone on to sell equally well. The central character in all the books is Nick Stone, a tough ex-SAS operative working as a 'K' on deniable operations for British Intelligence.
McNab's fiction draws extensively on his experiences and knowledge of Special Forces soldiering. He has been officially registered by Neilsen Bookscan as the bestselling British thriller writer of the last year.
Trained as a specialist in counter terrorism, prime target elimination, demolitions, weapons and tactics, covert surveillance and information gathering in hostile environments, and VIP protection, McNab worked on cooperative operations with police forces, prison services, anti-drug forces and western backed guerrilla movements as well as on conventional special operations. In Northern Ireland he spent two years working as an undercover operator with 14th Intelligence Group, going on to become an instructor.
McNab also worked as an instructor on the SAS selection and training team and instructed foreign special forces in counter terrorism, hostage rescue and survival training.
Andy McNab has written about his experiences in the SAS in two bestselling books, Bravo Two Zero (1993) and Immediate Action (1995). Bravo Two Zero is the highest selling war book of all time and has sold over 1.7 million copies in the UK. To date it has been published in 17 countries and translated into 16 languages. The CD spoken word version of Bravo Two Zero, narrated by McNab, sold over 60,000 copies and earned a silver disc. The BBC's film of Bravo Two Zero, starring Sean Bean, was shown on primetime BBC 1 television in 1999 and released on DVD in 2000.
Immediate Action, McNab's autobiography, spent 18 weeks at the top of the bestseller lists following the lifting on an ex-parte injunction granted to the Ministry of Defence in September 1995. To date, Immediate Action has now sold over 1.4 million copies in the UK.
McNab is the author of seven fast action thrillers, highly acclaimed for their authenticity and all Sunday Times bestsellers. Published in 1997, Remote Control was hailed as the most authentic thriller ever written and has sold over half a million copies in the UK. McNab's subsequent thrillers, Crisis Four, Firewall, Last Light , Liberation Day , Dark Winter , Deep Black and Aggressor have all gone on to sell equally well. The central character in all the books is Nick Stone, a tough ex-SAS operative working as a 'K' on deniable operations for British Intelligence.
McNab's fiction draws extensively on his experiences and knowledge of Special Forces soldiering. He has been officially registered by Neilsen Bookscan as the bestselling British thriller writer of the last year.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
March 11, 2017
Well that was ... anticlimactic.
In the second book about Tom Buckingham, sergeant of the infamous British SAS, we get a political power play, a very uncomfortable look at what can happen to soldiers upon their return home into civilian life (whether voluntary or not), and a big-ass conspiracy.
Sadly, this means that there was a lot of politics, of deceit, but not a whole lot of the gritty action, blood and gore that were trademark for the first book. I had actually been looking forward to just that so I was a little disappointed. Also, I'm not a huge fan of shadow games when I read about soldiers so the whole spooks angle isn't 100% my thing in this case.
Amazing about this book, however, is how accurate some things were portrayed when considering when this was written. The book was published way before most terrorist attacks in Europe, before the rise of several extremist groups/people on all sides of the spectrum, and yet one could almost say that Andy McNab predicted a whole lot of what has happened in the last few years accurately. It's scary, really. Of course, that only shows that he really is ex-SAS himself and therefore knows his stuff - a realization that is even more chilly when one takes that thought further and considers the implications.
What I liked were the social themes thrown into this: while book 1 had a lot of action and a great set-up, this one delivered on depth like veterans being left to fend for themselves; people feeling left alone with their problems; hypocrisy in politics; ingratitude of politicians, civilians and even other military members; how fragile any "civilized" country really is when the shit hits the fan and how quickly we turn on one another (which certain people know how to use to their advantage).
Sadly, there are also a few things I did not like (at all) such as I swear, I want to strangle that woman!
But it's more. It also didn't sit right with me
And let's not forget which is totally unrealistic.
Add to that that this is a typical middle book in a trilogy. We get the first to set up the tone, let the reader get a feel for the MC. Then you have this middle book with the actual problem being set up. And only then you get the full-on drama in book 3 (I guess). I really hope we'll at least get a lot of fights, blood and gore in book 3 to make up for the lack in this one, because I can't take much more of this back-and-forth by puppeteers, with people being betrayed . I know it's realistic but again, I just don't like it!
Besides, where the hell is my revenge for Gavin??? Why are Ashton and Clements still breathing???
So you see, emotions are high, even though I didn't like this as much as the first, and even though a few of the plot devices were fairly predictable. I love that he's showing problems from multiple angles because the topics here aren't easy and should never be presented in a simplistic way (which makes you feel even for characters you don't particularly like). Nevertheless, as difficult as it was reading about some of the things in this book, it was all worth it. Thus, everything Andy McNab is putting in front of us is extremely authentic and entertaining/thrilling.
Despite it being anti-climactic, I had a lot of fun with my fake-adoptive daddy-dearest, who is buddy-reading the series with me.
In the second book about Tom Buckingham, sergeant of the infamous British SAS, we get a political power play, a very uncomfortable look at what can happen to soldiers upon their return home into civilian life (whether voluntary or not), and a big-ass conspiracy.
Sadly, this means that there was a lot of politics, of deceit, but not a whole lot of the gritty action, blood and gore that were trademark for the first book. I had actually been looking forward to just that so I was a little disappointed. Also, I'm not a huge fan of shadow games when I read about soldiers so the whole spooks angle isn't 100% my thing in this case.
Amazing about this book, however, is how accurate some things were portrayed when considering when this was written. The book was published way before most terrorist attacks in Europe, before the rise of several extremist groups/people on all sides of the spectrum, and yet one could almost say that Andy McNab predicted a whole lot of what has happened in the last few years accurately. It's scary, really. Of course, that only shows that he really is ex-SAS himself and therefore knows his stuff - a realization that is even more chilly when one takes that thought further and considers the implications.
What I liked were the social themes thrown into this: while book 1 had a lot of action and a great set-up, this one delivered on depth like veterans being left to fend for themselves; people feeling left alone with their problems; hypocrisy in politics; ingratitude of politicians, civilians and even other military members; how fragile any "civilized" country really is when the shit hits the fan and how quickly we turn on one another (which certain people know how to use to their advantage).
Sadly, there are also a few things I did not like (at all) such as I swear, I want to strangle that woman!
But it's more. It also didn't sit right with me
And let's not forget which is totally unrealistic.
Add to that that this is a typical middle book in a trilogy. We get the first to set up the tone, let the reader get a feel for the MC. Then you have this middle book with the actual problem being set up. And only then you get the full-on drama in book 3 (I guess). I really hope we'll at least get a lot of fights, blood and gore in book 3 to make up for the lack in this one, because I can't take much more of this back-and-forth by puppeteers, with people being betrayed . I know it's realistic but again, I just don't like it!
Besides, where the hell is my revenge for Gavin??? Why are Ashton and Clements still breathing???
So you see, emotions are high, even though I didn't like this as much as the first, and even though a few of the plot devices were fairly predictable. I love that he's showing problems from multiple angles because the topics here aren't easy and should never be presented in a simplistic way (which makes you feel even for characters you don't particularly like). Nevertheless, as difficult as it was reading about some of the things in this book, it was all worth it. Thus, everything Andy McNab is putting in front of us is extremely authentic and entertaining/thrilling.
Despite it being anti-climactic, I had a lot of fun with my fake-adoptive daddy-dearest, who is buddy-reading the series with me.
March 2, 2017
Review REDACTED, pending declassification.
-----------------------------------
File declassified:
In this second book in the Tom Buckingham series, Tom finds himself unceremoniously deposited into unfamiliar territory. In a real contrast to the first book, which showed him in his element on an SAS operation, Tom really feels like a fish out of water in the murky world of espionage.
To be honest, I didn’t enjoy this one as much as the first book, partly because there was less action and partly because I found certain elements unrealistic. The most unbelievable aspect was
I think we also have a classic case of ‘middle book syndrome’ here. The ending of this one leaves the reader in absolutely no doubt that most of what you’ve just read is simply build-up for the next book. I don’t have a problem with this, per se, as it can be done to great effect (I’m thinking The Empire Strikes Back) but it threw the pacing of this book off a bit.
Still, I’m very much looking forward to reading the next book in the series, in the hope that all this set-up gets paid off big time. I’m not a bloodthirsty person but there are certain characters from this book and the last one who need to come to sticky ends… the more horrible the better.
Buddy read with Trish… who IS a bloodthirsty person, so the author better deliver the goods in the next book for his sake.
-----------------------------------
File declassified:
In this second book in the Tom Buckingham series, Tom finds himself unceremoniously deposited into unfamiliar territory. In a real contrast to the first book, which showed him in his element on an SAS operation, Tom really feels like a fish out of water in the murky world of espionage.
To be honest, I didn’t enjoy this one as much as the first book, partly because there was less action and partly because I found certain elements unrealistic. The most unbelievable aspect was
I think we also have a classic case of ‘middle book syndrome’ here. The ending of this one leaves the reader in absolutely no doubt that most of what you’ve just read is simply build-up for the next book. I don’t have a problem with this, per se, as it can be done to great effect (I’m thinking The Empire Strikes Back) but it threw the pacing of this book off a bit.
Still, I’m very much looking forward to reading the next book in the series, in the hope that all this set-up gets paid off big time. I’m not a bloodthirsty person but there are certain characters from this book and the last one who need to come to sticky ends… the more horrible the better.
Buddy read with Trish… who IS a bloodthirsty person, so the author better deliver the goods in the next book for his sake.
March 17, 2024
End. Thought the first book was good. This one I found hard to follow. Not for me. Too many other books waiting to be read.
July 27, 2024
Did not finish
June 9, 2014
I liked the introduction of Tom Buckingham into the Andy McNab canon and was keen to see where this would find him following the events of his first adventure. And there were elements that have just been left hanging with no resolution as we start a fresh story, and be warned it is not fully resolved either, so expect to have to buy the follow up or be left disappointed. Buckingham is forced to leave the SAS but is recruited by an organisation trying to bring control back to British streets where returning Syrian freedom fighters are causing civil unrest. Or are they? Buckingham soon finds that all is not as it seems and there is a more sinister agenda.
It’s okay, but flawed. The manipulated civil unrest theme is a well-used one and the approach here is not overly original. A moderate Muslim is far too easily fooled and the fact that this story is not resolved is a little frustrating. The best characters here are the sweary home secretary and the MI5 agent who for a refreshing change is not the bad guy. I was hoping we would see Buckingham in more SAS related adventures rather than as a Nick Stone replica.
It’s okay, but flawed. The manipulated civil unrest theme is a well-used one and the approach here is not overly original. A moderate Muslim is far too easily fooled and the fact that this story is not resolved is a little frustrating. The best characters here are the sweary home secretary and the MI5 agent who for a refreshing change is not the bad guy. I was hoping we would see Buckingham in more SAS related adventures rather than as a Nick Stone replica.
May 3, 2019
At the start of the book Tom was scapegoated for killing people in an army base and then it sahim goes on a journey to find his brother . He doesn’t do it for himself he does it for his mum because sahims brother was the favoured child and he joined a terrorist organisation so as sahims mum is so distraught he goes on a mission to find his brother to make his mum happy again . Toms life is also a mess he lost his job due to being scapegoated for the killings at the army base and his wife Delphine left him who he is trying to get back .
Eventually the book becomes quite exciting towards the end as the plot unfolds however it took a while to get started and it wasn’t the best book written by Andy Mcnab especially of the SAS soldier and action genre .
Eventually the book becomes quite exciting towards the end as the plot unfolds however it took a while to get started and it wasn’t the best book written by Andy Mcnab especially of the SAS soldier and action genre .
October 6, 2017
Disappointing ! When I buy a book I like to think I'm getting the full package, and that includes a satisfactorily resolved and in this case hopefully climactic ending. I understand the concept of a series of books featuring the same character each book containing a stand alone adventure and I'm cool with that. But what we have here is an ongoing serial like a comic book (but not so exciting). I believe that this tactic of leaving the reader hanging when they have paid for and expected to read a fully realised novel is nothing more than a cynical marketing ploy. And as a reader and consumer it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
January 26, 2018
great series but I found this book a little boring til about 3/4 through
January 11, 2016
Enthralling! Gripping from start to end, a real page-turner.
I've struggled to put this book down at times, always wanting to read, "one more chapter". I read the first Tom Buckingham novel about a year so I was confident that I would feel a great sense of enjoyment when reading the second novel to focus on Tom. I'm pleased to say i wasn't disappointed.
It was interesting to read some of the manipulative mind games, which I'm sure are realistically indicative of what happens in real-life versions of similar situations. I particularly enjoyed the discussions of the political aspects & implications to the key themes of the book.
The Sahim/Karza/Nasima side of the storyline may have been forseeable, but otherwise I felt the characters and plot developed and progressed well.
I did notice that I was running low on pages for the story to be completely wound up, but the scene has been enticingly set for the next in the series (and I'm very much looking forward to delving into 'State of Emergency').
A thoroughly enjoyable read.
I've struggled to put this book down at times, always wanting to read, "one more chapter". I read the first Tom Buckingham novel about a year so I was confident that I would feel a great sense of enjoyment when reading the second novel to focus on Tom. I'm pleased to say i wasn't disappointed.
It was interesting to read some of the manipulative mind games, which I'm sure are realistically indicative of what happens in real-life versions of similar situations. I particularly enjoyed the discussions of the political aspects & implications to the key themes of the book.
The Sahim/Karza/Nasima side of the storyline may have been forseeable, but otherwise I felt the characters and plot developed and progressed well.
I did notice that I was running low on pages for the story to be completely wound up, but the scene has been enticingly set for the next in the series (and I'm very much looking forward to delving into 'State of Emergency').
A thoroughly enjoyable read.
May 8, 2015
Good read especially since he's been in the business.
September 3, 2015
A great read this, and different to other books I've read by this author. Very topical and a little disconcerting but very hard to put down. Would recommend it definitely!!
December 4, 2025
You could say the book is impressive in the sense that it tackles multiple different perspectives as well as personalities. However they are so stereotypical, especially in the degradation of the British peoples image that it almost feels comical at times, and I can just about see the interns at MI5 ghostwriting this themselves.
That is funny to say because the author is a government node. In which case, if nothing else, the book is an interesting human examination.
I thought the book did start to kick off in the later portions and therefore retained a fair degree of entertainment value despite it arguably spending 400 pages giving broad perspective as to why particular people might be radicalised to commit an attack, but displaying anyone on the opposite side of the coin as either having no self agency or as some kind of psychopath and therefore no actual rooted grounds...
That is funny to say because the author is a government node. In which case, if nothing else, the book is an interesting human examination.
I thought the book did start to kick off in the later portions and therefore retained a fair degree of entertainment value despite it arguably spending 400 pages giving broad perspective as to why particular people might be radicalised to commit an attack, but displaying anyone on the opposite side of the coin as either having no self agency or as some kind of psychopath and therefore no actual rooted grounds...
May 28, 2017
Andy McNab's 'Tom Buckingham' continues to entertain in this thriller that is non-stop action and excitement. The story concludes nicely but also leaves the door open for more and leads nicely into the next book in the series - 'State of Emergency' which I simply must read next. If McNab's books intrigue you, I can only suggest starting at book 1 for a given character as the story always continues and it is more enjoyable if you know the character's personality and earlier escapades.
March 5, 2017
This is my first McNab since Bravo Two Zero and it is really meaty stuff - the portrayal of ex-serviceman and contemporary British Muslims is quite remarkable. I think the story goes off the boil when the hero heads to the US, but I guess McNab is writing for a paying (american) audience. Great thriller - but a deeply disappointing ending.
June 27, 2017
First time to read a book by McNab and really enjoyed it. Given the book was published 2014 and was likely to be written at least 1-2 years before that...it seemed like McNab had the power to see the future, especially on the similarities on some of the recent actual terrorist attacks and tensions in London. Maybe McNab should be included in the Home Affairs security council. ;-)
March 14, 2018
Oh my really all coming together such a good read .can't put book down so very well written nice to the experience writer you fell the tention building such a good read .not over yet book 3
Couldn't put book down very well written nice to have the writer experience .for tell the story the tension such a good read not over yet it spills to another book thank you
Couldn't put book down very well written nice to have the writer experience .for tell the story the tension such a good read not over yet it spills to another book thank you
April 9, 2019
A very average thriller. Very topical theme of Muslim immigration into UK and USA, the Syrian refugees and the actual and assumedly terror attacks due to the liberal policy of allowing the Muslims to the west.
The author fails to build a crisp narrative and one gets the feeling of a disjointed plot at times. Then I have read much better authors in the genre.
The author fails to build a crisp narrative and one gets the feeling of a disjointed plot at times. Then I have read much better authors in the genre.
May 28, 2017
Shocking!
Reading this at the time of Manchester Bombing was a little surreal at times, certain parts of the book would ring true. So reading the book was eye opening,, but I have to say it was a fantastic story, well worth a read!!
Reading this at the time of Manchester Bombing was a little surreal at times, certain parts of the book would ring true. So reading the book was eye opening,, but I have to say it was a fantastic story, well worth a read!!
November 12, 2017
A freebie from Bloody Scotland and one I decided to keep because I don't think I've read Andy McNab before. Politics and much guns and beyond believable gung-ho fighting and killing so not really my sort of book but well enough written to keep me absorbed throughout this one.
May 14, 2018
This one was a little disappointing; the part where Tom is in America I found a little boring at times and the ending is defiantly an anticlimax, leaving a lot of loose ends to be tied up in the next book.
Having said all this I did enjoy the book and will probably read the third one sometime.
Having said all this I did enjoy the book and will probably read the third one sometime.
October 30, 2019
Quite disappointing, the story line was good but the narrative was disjointed. I hope the follow on is better written though I would hazard that the style will be similar and so for me not a patch on some other authors.
January 22, 2023
2/3 ain't bad..
Excellent quality of writing and so looking forward to the next Tom Buckingham saga. Having set the stage in Red Notice it's great to continue with the same characters as they grow.
Excellent quality of writing and so looking forward to the next Tom Buckingham saga. Having set the stage in Red Notice it's great to continue with the same characters as they grow.
January 5, 2025
For the first time I read Andy McNab . Very very good read . Current political situation , real life things and what a soldier faces and how the higher rank treats their subordinate was portrayed nicely.
You can give it a try.
You can give it a try.
April 6, 2018
an excellent book, very gripping, i dont think i have read any of Andy McNabbs books before. many political strands and a little hard to follo at times but still a good read
July 3, 2018
it takes a long time to get to the action, but 2/3 of the way through it speeds up.
December 23, 2018
Not a bad story but it is split up and has multiple POV's with a lotof technical stuff that slows the action.
September 3, 2020
Great follow up
November 17, 2020
Interesting story, one which sadly exist today.
November 26, 2020
Well-paced, fast evolving thriller.
December 14, 2020
Andy McNab rules
I chose this rating as the story is fast paced and has a good look at how the country can be manipulated into hate violence. Great action thriller loved it
I chose this rating as the story is fast paced and has a good look at how the country can be manipulated into hate violence. Great action thriller loved it
Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews