Silent Kill

Extreme #4

by Chris Ryan

The fourth book in Chris Ryan's Extreme series.

The Chris Ryan Extreme books take you even further into the heart of the mission with more extreme action, more extreme language and more extreme pace. Like Call of Duty or Medal of Honour you'll feel part of the team.

Chris Ryan Extreme: Silent Kill has previously been published as four separate shorter missions. Now in one book to keep you at the heart of the action.

Northern Ireland, 1993. For high-flying MI5 officer Avery Chance the real war has only just begun. When Chance is abducted by the IRA's notorious Nutting Squad, her hopes lie in the hands of a young SAS recruit who must risk everything to bring her home.

Twenty years after his act of self-sacrifice in Belfast ex-SAS legend John Bald is a scarred shadow of his former self. But when a face from the past appears and rescues him from deep trouble, Bald is offered one last shot at redemption. His target is Kurt Pretorius, a ruthless mercenary operating deep in the wilds of war-ravaged Somali.

In a world where rogue mercenaries operate beyond the reach of the law, Kurt Pretorius has transformed himself into a god. It is up to Bald to stop Pretorius before he turns Somalia into a terrorist haven. But Bald quickly finds himself sucked into a twisted game of survival, where the stakes could not be higher - and the price of failure is his life...

With time running out, Bald must kill Pretorius before he brings down everyone around him. It's a mission Bald was born to do. Because sometimes, the only way to beat your deadliest enemy...is to be like your deadliest enemy.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction

412 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 24, 2015

About the author

Colin Armstrong (b. 1961), usually known by the pen-name Chris Ryan, is a British author, television presenter, security consultant and former Special Air Service sergeant.
After the publication of fellow patrol member Andy McNab's Bravo Two Zero in 1993, Ryan published his own account of his experiences during the Bravo Two Zero mission in 1995, entitled The One That Got Away. Since retiring from the British Army Ryan has published several fiction and non-fiction books, including Strike Back, which was subsequently adapted into a television series for Sky 1, and co-created the ITV action series Ultimate Force. He has also presented or appeared in numerous television documentaries connected to the military or law enforcement.

Reviews

[Eddie Owens]

I keep reading Chris Ryan and expecting it to get better. Sadly it doesn't.

Every cliché is used constantly and it becomes annoying. Knuckles "turn white" with anger, guts "turn to ice" with fear, and on and on.

I will stick with Andy McNab from now on.

[Julie Round]

Not really my kind of book. Although the main character was well drawn and the action swift I find it difficult to enjoy mass killings. I don't think I shall be searching out any more Chris Ryan books.

[Govno Nichevo]

I thought that this overall was an ordinary read. The story started well and was engaging. From about halfway through the book, the writing style seemed to change, the pace became frenetic, the scenario with its on-going twists seemed implausible, and the narrative often recapped what had already happened within the story.

[Mr Richard]

The sort of book to read when you need to while a way a few hours but are not looking for anything too challenging. I’m sure many will find this sort of book engaging but for my part I won’t be reading any more in the series.

[Liam Curran]

Well written, hard to put down

[Stuart Haining]

6/10 12% good holiday fodder but won’t rush to by any more by this former SAS hero who seems to knock out novels at the speed of bullets from an Uzi

[Mike Mason]

My 3rd Chris Ryan. Good solid action books. This one has ex SAS man John Bald in action. From dealings with the IRA in Northern Island. To hunting a Kurtz like character in Africa. Easy read.

[neil archer]

Good 👍

Well written not too hard to follow a bit jumping around. Went along with the other in the in the series can be followed if you can remember the names of the people.

[Chris G]

I enjoyed it. plenty of action.

[Liss]

I received this as a free audio book ages ago, and while not particularly enthused, I thought I would give it a shot while driving home this week. What a mistake. I was expecting the literary equivalent of a Michael Bay film, unfortunately this is much, much worse.

At best, this is cliche-ridden and laughably predictable. The prose is about as subtle as a blunt axe to the face. At worst, this is misogynistic torture-porn. Unsurprisingly, the female characters featured in this pile of excrement exist only as damsels needing to be rescued, but not before they have been subjected to extreme sexual violence, and maimed in some way. How original. The casual sexism drips like slime off every page - I chose a random spot in the chapter and got these charmers in quick succession:

By the time he was finished with them, the cowboys had more holes in them than a bunch of hookers on a golf course.

and

"You ready Jimmy?"
"Does Dolly Parton sleep on her back?"

Ugh. And don't get me started on the other nonsense Chris Ryan includes for apparent shock value - such as random child murders. The only thing more irritating than the gratuitous violence and sexism is the endless descriptions of military hardware. Ryan spends all of his writing effort including tedious details about weapons and helicopters, and then uses throwaway sentences to describe the actual scenes taking place. It makes the reading experience very clunky. For example:

The two men each let off a three-round burst from their weapons and hosed down the soldiers with hot sprays of 762x51mm lead. They went down in a big pile next to the door.

One star, only because zero is not an option. Don't read this book.

[Matt]

It was OK.......

I not sure that Chris Ryan wrote it, somebody using a formula and a cheat sheet of words, phrases and sayings; I've never heard anybody refer to the RM as the 'Corps', the the Marines or the Commando's, not the 'Corps', (the USMC are referred to the 'corps'). Also, the 12.7mm HMG Bald used in the later in the novel, is likely to pierce the armour of a tank......... no it couldn't, otherwise tanks would be armed with them.... not anti-tank guns....

Anyway, it was a was a enjoyable diversion, I'm not sure that I'm going to rush off to get another Chris Ryan novel.

[David]

The 'Extreme' series aren't my favourite Chris Ryan books, but this was probably the best of the series.
This tale concentrated on John Bald, who finds himself embroiled in a bid to take over an a small country.
As this is an omnibus edition of four separate missions, there are some recaps every so often and seemingly unnecessary explanations, which seem a bit odd. It didn't seem too disconnected and the story kept me entertained and interested in what would happen next.

[Cathy Cole]

Enjoyed this book, the start in particular. Fast, furious, it really hooked me in, as did the next few chapters. Oddly, though, mid-way the author seemed to feel he needed to 'tell' the reader what happened in previous chapters - diluted the tension a bit.

1st time I've enjoyed a book where I really didn't like the MC.

[Jennifer]

received this book as part of Good Reads First Reads
The author doesn't mess about with this book and goes straight to the action
It is a thriller that is set with 4 different missions that sometimes revisits itself which can be a little annoying

[Peter Cotter]

If you can get past the fairly gruesome and descriptive torture sequence at the start of the book, it is good.

[Victor Borgeest]

not bad

[Jill]

I started this ages ago and somehow got side tracked but finished it in two days I get so involved in these books - another brilliant story and not at all how I thought it would end - fabulous xx

[Janet]

3 1/2 out of4

[Jacob Stelling]

An ok read, however I think that it was more aimed at teens as I found it to be lacking in the thrill of some older audience thrillers.

[Greg Nicholas]

Good read

[Trevor Snape]

I really enjoyed reading this book.