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Thomas Caine #2
Red Phoenix
THOMAS CAINE MUST CHOOSE BETWEEN HONOR AND REVENGE.
Betrayed and left for dead by his CIA handler, Thomas Caine suffered captivity and torture. He was hunted for crimes he did not commit. And he was forced to watch his partner die, gunned down before his eyes.
Now, he has found the man responsible for all his pain and suffering. But the cost of revenge may prove too high. His target reveals that Caine’s partner had a son, now a young man, named Sean. And Sean is in terrible danger.
To save him, Caine will have to journey through the cities and villages of the most populous country on the planet: The People’s Republic of China.
There, he and Sean find themselves tangled in a dangerous conspiracy. To survive, they must fight NSA killers, escape a secret black jail, and struggle against a power mad triad gangster determined to cement his family’s dynasty.
But Caine’s most dangerous enemy is a deadly double agent, stalking them from the shadows. Their identity is unknown. Their motives are unclear. And their methods are one hundred percent lethal. They are known only by their code name:
Red Phoenix.
Can Thomas Caine unravel the identity of this mysterious assassin, before they strike their killing blow?
Betrayed and left for dead by his CIA handler, Thomas Caine suffered captivity and torture. He was hunted for crimes he did not commit. And he was forced to watch his partner die, gunned down before his eyes.
Now, he has found the man responsible for all his pain and suffering. But the cost of revenge may prove too high. His target reveals that Caine’s partner had a son, now a young man, named Sean. And Sean is in terrible danger.
To save him, Caine will have to journey through the cities and villages of the most populous country on the planet: The People’s Republic of China.
There, he and Sean find themselves tangled in a dangerous conspiracy. To survive, they must fight NSA killers, escape a secret black jail, and struggle against a power mad triad gangster determined to cement his family’s dynasty.
But Caine’s most dangerous enemy is a deadly double agent, stalking them from the shadows. Their identity is unknown. Their motives are unclear. And their methods are one hundred percent lethal. They are known only by their code name:
Red Phoenix.
Can Thomas Caine unravel the identity of this mysterious assassin, before they strike their killing blow?
Audible Audio
Published August 1, 2017
1214 people are currently reading
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About the author
Andrew Warren
19 books119 followersAndrew Warren was born in New Jersey, but currently resides in the warmer climate of Southern California. He studied film, English and psychology at the University of Miami, and has over a decade of experience in the television and motion picture industry, where he has worked as a post-production supervisor, story producer and writer.
His passion for writing and traveling led Andrew to Japan. As soon as he set eyes on the country he fell in love with it, and felt compelled to use it as the setting for a series of novels. It took a few years, but Tokyo Black was the result of that trip.
Andrew’s writing skills have seen him write for Youtube Red's "Fight of the Living Dead," MangoTV's "Sons of Earth", and Discovery's "True Nightmares".
His love of the Far East extends to all varieties of Asian cuisine, and he scours Southern California looking for the best ramen, dumplings and beef noodle soup. All in the name or research, of course!
His fascination for the spy thriller genre was born from a love of James Bond films. Growing up, he knew that he was never going to be a muscle-bound giant, like Schwarzenegger or Stallone. Instead, he opted for charm and sophistication, with a smattering of brains and super-cool spy gadgets.
When he’s not working or writing classic spy thrillers, Andrew likes to relax at home with his pet dachshund, Ares, and his cat, Mina. He is currently working on the next Thomas Caine thriller, which will be set in East Africa.
Andrew loves to hear from his readers. Feel free to contact him here:
www.andrewwarrenbooks.com
facebook @andrewarrenbooks
andrew@andrewarrenbooks.com
His passion for writing and traveling led Andrew to Japan. As soon as he set eyes on the country he fell in love with it, and felt compelled to use it as the setting for a series of novels. It took a few years, but Tokyo Black was the result of that trip.
Andrew’s writing skills have seen him write for Youtube Red's "Fight of the Living Dead," MangoTV's "Sons of Earth", and Discovery's "True Nightmares".
His love of the Far East extends to all varieties of Asian cuisine, and he scours Southern California looking for the best ramen, dumplings and beef noodle soup. All in the name or research, of course!
His fascination for the spy thriller genre was born from a love of James Bond films. Growing up, he knew that he was never going to be a muscle-bound giant, like Schwarzenegger or Stallone. Instead, he opted for charm and sophistication, with a smattering of brains and super-cool spy gadgets.
When he’s not working or writing classic spy thrillers, Andrew likes to relax at home with his pet dachshund, Ares, and his cat, Mina. He is currently working on the next Thomas Caine thriller, which will be set in East Africa.
Andrew loves to hear from his readers. Feel free to contact him here:
www.andrewwarrenbooks.com
facebook @andrewarrenbooks
andrew@andrewarrenbooks.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews
November 29, 2025
A BIRD OF PREY
“China is an attractive piece of meat coveted by all, but very tough, and for years no one has been able to bite into it.” – Zhou Enlai.
“All warfare is based on deception. There is no place where espionage is not used.” – Sun Tzu.
“We write our own destiny. We become what we do.” – Madame Chiang Kai-shek.
“The fires claimed him. Sometimes it is too late to save a man.” – Black Ops 2.
China is many things. Big. Old. Changing. But perhaps the most appropriate adjective to describe the world’s most populous nation is confounding. Gone are the days when it was a super-sized hellhole where millions dropped dead every week from mismanagement by Maoist fanatics. In its place stands a rapidly developing great power that has managed to acquire unfathomable riches and a stature reminiscent of its Imperial-era zenith. Behind the glitz, however, the ugliness still endures, despite attempts to mask it with rising GDP figures. It’s not just the usual abuses, but also the literal suffocation of the Chinese state. Progress run wild has led to deadly serious environmental concerns, and not even the best air filters money can buy will hide that fact.
It’s on this stage that spy thriller author Andrew Warren sets his second Thomas Caine book. Caine is a burned CIA Special Activities Division officer who was part of a deniable unit doing jobs that would have horrified even the most cynical paramilitary operative. Left to die by the Company after a job gone wrong, he survived by setting up shop in a Southeast Asian backwater before being dragged kicking and screaming back into the spying game when the Agency needed someone to uncover a plot to start World War III in the Sea of Japan. Now a deniable asset, Caine is soon caught up in a personal assignment that takes him to China. What initially begins as a debt to repay soon has him going up against one of China’s most dangerous men—a man plotting a catastrophe of nightmarish scale.
Now to the review: What is the true cost of a debt of honor?
We begin in a flashback set six years before the main events. Thomas Caine and his friend and partner, Jack Tyler, a former Delta Force operator, have set a trap for one of Afghanistan’s pre-eminent warlords on a deserted airfield in Helmand Province. Using a major arms dealer turned asset to set up the deal, they intend to lure the warlord into the open. Events take a turn for the worse, however, when an unknown team of mercenaries attacks the meeting site and Caine’s handler leaves them to die.
Caine attempts to shoot his way out with a Beretta 92FS but almost immediately finds himself one bullet away from death. Before he’s killed, Tyler fights his way down from his sniper overwatch position and saves him, but is shot through the lung by a wounded hostile. Barely dodging an airstrike and realizing he won’t make it out alive, Tyler makes Caine promise to look after his son before bleeding out at the bottom of a dried-up well.
The story then cuts to the present day. In Hong Kong, an intelligence asset is ambushed by a team of HKPF SWAT operators and an MSS officer on the Kwun Tong Promenade. Before they can take him into custody, the counterintelligence team is annihilated by a mysterious assassin who slaughters everyone involved under the glowing lights of the promenade sculpture. Contacting their handler—who is revealed to be an American—the man orders the killer to terminate his blown asset, who promptly receives a suppressed severance package through the forehead.
In Washington, the newly appointed Director of the Clandestine Service, Rebecca Freeling, faces her first major task. The son of a deceased CIA officer has been detained in China on espionage charges. With the President preparing to sign a landmark environmental cleanup agreement with the PRC, the Ministry of State Security offers to exchange the American for one of their top computer hackers, who was targeted in an extraordinary rendition. Freeling soon finds herself at an impasse with Ted Lapiski, director of the NSA’s Section S32, who took custody of the hacker and attempts to stonewall the exchange.
Across the world, in a nondescript apartment in Latvia, Thomas Caine materializes to the horror of Alan Bernatto, Freeling’s predecessor, who—due to the events of the previous book—was forced to go rogue. Subduing Bernatto in the most satisfyingly painful way possible, Caine comes seconds away from punching his target’s ticket with a 9mm hollow point before the man saves himself by blurting out that Jack Tyler’s son is in danger and imprisoned in China.
Forcing Caine to give him a head start, Bernatto reveals that the hacker Sean Tyler, set to be exchanged, hacked into a server vital to the NSA. The Shadow Factory has dispatched a human asset to sabotage the exchange by murdering Tyler in the black site where he’s being held. Arriving in Beijing, Caine sets to work. What starts as a simple jailbreak becomes far more complicated than even a hard-bitten government assassin could anticipate. Alliances are made. Wars are declared. Soon, one of the most skilled killers to come out of the Special Activities Division finds himself hunted across China by Asia’s most sophisticated intelligence service and one of the region’s most dangerous criminals. With the price of a debt of honor rising with each corpse—and a plot capable of causing the biggest ecological disaster in history about to unfold—only one question remains: How many lives do you take to save one?
In terms of plot, Red Phoenix is a true masterpiece of espionage fiction. Author Andrew Warren works in television and is also a devoted spy fiction enthusiast. Having read the old masters such as Ian Fleming and James Grady, Warren—unlike most writers in the post-9/11 world—takes an old-school approach. While his books are well researched, they also have a slightly higher dose of fun escapism and pay attention to areas neglected in the genre since the end of the Cold War: atmosphere and setting. Red Phoenix is a primary exemplar of this approach. Set in the most fully realized portrayal of modern China featured in a spy thriller to date, it balances exciting, destructive action set pieces with a serious but subtle exploration of a confounding and fascinating country and its past and present. Unlike many spy novels, the story avoids being dour and ham-fisted, instead dancing between reality and fantasy with sublime elegance.
Action and setting? Warren’s previous novel, Tokyo Black, showed that he has a gift for portraying jaw-dropping, violent shenanigans on vivid, cinematic backdrops. Red Phoenix proves that it was no fluke—with a hail of bullets. The action scenes often have far bigger scope and scale than many NYT bestselling authors can hope to manage in their careers. From a chaotic riot in a Beijing black jail to an attack by a well-armed hit squad on the Beijing–Shanghai bullet train, a violent fistfight on the world’s largest dump truck, and a high-stakes hostage exchange in the executive suite of a Shanghai skyscraper, Red Phoenix packs enough thrills to deprive a reader of sleep for days.
As for the settings, only a few spy novelists can match Warren in this department. He has the gift of truly transporting you into Caine’s world—something many members of the proverbial thriller big leagues might want to take notes on. Whether it’s a tour through one of the last surviving Beijing hutongs, a sobering look at a polluted Chinese countryside “cancer village,” or a surprise visit to Shanghai’s Pearl River Tower, Red Phoenix resurrects one of the most neglected elements of thriller writing: immersion.
Research? Outstanding. Red Phoenix is one of the few spy novels to integrate the perfect amount of real-world detail into its narrative. It’s not just the level of detail but also the kind of detail that makes this novel a standout in a genre sometimes clogged with ordnance catalogues.
Sure, there’s guns and kit—and Warren is one of the few authors to give the Chinese intelligence and law enforcement community the actual weapons they use, rather than Cold War-era hardware long retired. But he also weaves in subtle allusions to recent real-world developments in the PRC, such as growing Chinese intelligence assertiveness in Hong Kong and the detainment of foreigners on espionage charges. Unlike other novels that use the “ripped from the headlines” approach, Warren doesn’t beat you over the head—he trusts you to spot the connections.
Warren also delves deep into Chinese culture and history. There are no outdated “yellow peril” tropes in Red Phoenix. Even amid the gunfire and mayhem, the author provides a true-to-life portrayal of the PRC, its people, and its rapidly changing society. Also notable is the glimpse into the cyberwarfare operations that the USA runs against China—a quiet war far less one-sided than many assume. The author also takes real-world details and uses them creatively and unexpectedly. A standout example is the appearance of the real-life NSA Scorpion paramilitary unit, who feature in a brief but extremely violent cameo.
Now to characters. So many standouts—but I’ll focus on a few: Caine, Freeling and Galloway, Sean, and Fang.
First, Caine. Having begun to “get his life back,” to paraphrase a fellow fictional burned spy, Caine is no longer the washed-up, alcoholic petty criminal introduced in Tokyo Black. The former master assassin has purpose and is driven with laser-guided focus. Intelligent, cunning, and formidable—good with his fists, gun, a paring knife, or, in one chapter, a roll of coins—Caine avoids being superhuman thanks to opposition just as talented and competent as he is. Several times he comes close to death, notably during a scene where he barely survives a fire axe being swung at him. He is also deeply human. Straddling the line between hero and antihero, Caine is not a bad man, but mercifully avoids being turned into a Boy Scout packing a 9mm. Cool, collected, and deadly, Caine fuses the best elements of classic thriller heroes into one explosively effective package.
Next: Rebecca Freeling and her head of security, Joshua Galloway. After the events of Tokyo Black, Freeling was promoted to DCS at Langley—but that’s cold comfort, given her paralysis from the waist down. Her struggle with self-loathing and recovery is presented realistically, alongside her need to confront lethal interagency rivalry with the NSA. Despite her immobility, Rebecca remains a highly capable intelligence officer who must wage her own battles while Caine runs across China. Galloway—a former Force Recon Marine and devoted protector—is a likable, seamlessly integrated character who Rebecca relies on when she needs an off-the-books operation on American soil.
Then we have Sean Tyler. A twenty-something journalist and human rights activist, Sean has angered powerful men on both sides of the Pacific. Soon he finds himself on the run with his late father’s best friend. A military brat still bitter over his father’s absences while serving the Company, Sean slowly reconnects with him through his time with Caine. Though an idealist, Sean is not trained for covert operations, and wisely keeps his head down while Caine handles the violence. Yet he’s no mere male damsel in distress. When captured and at the mercy of a psychopath threatening to skin him alive—or throw him off a roof—Sean keeps his calm in a way that would have made his father proud.
Finally: David Fang, the villain. Ostensibly the owner of a pharmaceutical company and one of China’s wealthiest businessmen, Fang is in truth the leader of one of China’s most powerful Triads—and a man carrying deep fury. Despite escaping poverty and achieving immense wealth, nothing erases his tragic past. Warren brilliantly incorporates two of the most significant events in 20th-century Chinese history into Fang’s backstory, making him genuinely sympathetic. His rage is understandable, even if his disproportionate quest for vengeance is not excusable.
He is a very human antagonist: charismatic, passionate, compassionate toward loved ones, and utterly merciless toward enemies. His humanity, however, has been warped beyond recognition. From his introduction—where he murders a senior official who refuses his bribe—to the scene where he has rival gangsters hanged from a penthouse balcony, Fang is a terrifying figure. Warren has crafted a villain who avoids the dour clichés of modern thrillers and leaves you waiting, breath held, for his next explosion of violence.
Constructive criticism? I have none. Red Phoenix is damn near perfect and does not put a foot wrong across its 267 pages and 48 chapters.
So, Red Phoenix. My verdict is this: Many spy novels have tackled modern China in the 21st century. But out of all of them, Red Phoenix is perhaps the most genuinely enjoyable I have ever read. Packing more thrills into its narrative than most NYT bestsellers this year—and beating the headlines before they go to print—Andrew Warren has created a spellbinding, pulse-pounding tale that will leave you breathless as you reach the final page.
Featuring a story that breaks the proverbial fourth wall and pulls you into the vivid, violent world of Thomas Caine; a cast of characters who are immensely likable and fascinating to watch; research that satisfies hardcore thriller fans and casual readers alike; and some of the most beautifully realized backdrops in modern spy fiction—Red Phoenix earns my wholehearted recommendation.
Having read all the major spy novels focusing on contemporary China, I’m impressed that an indie author has produced something that not only holds its own, but in many cases surpasses the competition. So, what is the best spy novel about modern China? There are many contenders—but most have been burned by Red Phoenix.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
ACTUAL RATING: SIX STARS, ROUNDED DOWN TO FIVE.
“China is an attractive piece of meat coveted by all, but very tough, and for years no one has been able to bite into it.” – Zhou Enlai.
“All warfare is based on deception. There is no place where espionage is not used.” – Sun Tzu.
“We write our own destiny. We become what we do.” – Madame Chiang Kai-shek.
“The fires claimed him. Sometimes it is too late to save a man.” – Black Ops 2.
China is many things. Big. Old. Changing. But perhaps the most appropriate adjective to describe the world’s most populous nation is confounding. Gone are the days when it was a super-sized hellhole where millions dropped dead every week from mismanagement by Maoist fanatics. In its place stands a rapidly developing great power that has managed to acquire unfathomable riches and a stature reminiscent of its Imperial-era zenith. Behind the glitz, however, the ugliness still endures, despite attempts to mask it with rising GDP figures. It’s not just the usual abuses, but also the literal suffocation of the Chinese state. Progress run wild has led to deadly serious environmental concerns, and not even the best air filters money can buy will hide that fact.
It’s on this stage that spy thriller author Andrew Warren sets his second Thomas Caine book. Caine is a burned CIA Special Activities Division officer who was part of a deniable unit doing jobs that would have horrified even the most cynical paramilitary operative. Left to die by the Company after a job gone wrong, he survived by setting up shop in a Southeast Asian backwater before being dragged kicking and screaming back into the spying game when the Agency needed someone to uncover a plot to start World War III in the Sea of Japan. Now a deniable asset, Caine is soon caught up in a personal assignment that takes him to China. What initially begins as a debt to repay soon has him going up against one of China’s most dangerous men—a man plotting a catastrophe of nightmarish scale.
Now to the review: What is the true cost of a debt of honor?
We begin in a flashback set six years before the main events. Thomas Caine and his friend and partner, Jack Tyler, a former Delta Force operator, have set a trap for one of Afghanistan’s pre-eminent warlords on a deserted airfield in Helmand Province. Using a major arms dealer turned asset to set up the deal, they intend to lure the warlord into the open. Events take a turn for the worse, however, when an unknown team of mercenaries attacks the meeting site and Caine’s handler leaves them to die.
Caine attempts to shoot his way out with a Beretta 92FS but almost immediately finds himself one bullet away from death. Before he’s killed, Tyler fights his way down from his sniper overwatch position and saves him, but is shot through the lung by a wounded hostile. Barely dodging an airstrike and realizing he won’t make it out alive, Tyler makes Caine promise to look after his son before bleeding out at the bottom of a dried-up well.
The story then cuts to the present day. In Hong Kong, an intelligence asset is ambushed by a team of HKPF SWAT operators and an MSS officer on the Kwun Tong Promenade. Before they can take him into custody, the counterintelligence team is annihilated by a mysterious assassin who slaughters everyone involved under the glowing lights of the promenade sculpture. Contacting their handler—who is revealed to be an American—the man orders the killer to terminate his blown asset, who promptly receives a suppressed severance package through the forehead.
In Washington, the newly appointed Director of the Clandestine Service, Rebecca Freeling, faces her first major task. The son of a deceased CIA officer has been detained in China on espionage charges. With the President preparing to sign a landmark environmental cleanup agreement with the PRC, the Ministry of State Security offers to exchange the American for one of their top computer hackers, who was targeted in an extraordinary rendition. Freeling soon finds herself at an impasse with Ted Lapiski, director of the NSA’s Section S32, who took custody of the hacker and attempts to stonewall the exchange.
Across the world, in a nondescript apartment in Latvia, Thomas Caine materializes to the horror of Alan Bernatto, Freeling’s predecessor, who—due to the events of the previous book—was forced to go rogue. Subduing Bernatto in the most satisfyingly painful way possible, Caine comes seconds away from punching his target’s ticket with a 9mm hollow point before the man saves himself by blurting out that Jack Tyler’s son is in danger and imprisoned in China.
Forcing Caine to give him a head start, Bernatto reveals that the hacker Sean Tyler, set to be exchanged, hacked into a server vital to the NSA. The Shadow Factory has dispatched a human asset to sabotage the exchange by murdering Tyler in the black site where he’s being held. Arriving in Beijing, Caine sets to work. What starts as a simple jailbreak becomes far more complicated than even a hard-bitten government assassin could anticipate. Alliances are made. Wars are declared. Soon, one of the most skilled killers to come out of the Special Activities Division finds himself hunted across China by Asia’s most sophisticated intelligence service and one of the region’s most dangerous criminals. With the price of a debt of honor rising with each corpse—and a plot capable of causing the biggest ecological disaster in history about to unfold—only one question remains: How many lives do you take to save one?
In terms of plot, Red Phoenix is a true masterpiece of espionage fiction. Author Andrew Warren works in television and is also a devoted spy fiction enthusiast. Having read the old masters such as Ian Fleming and James Grady, Warren—unlike most writers in the post-9/11 world—takes an old-school approach. While his books are well researched, they also have a slightly higher dose of fun escapism and pay attention to areas neglected in the genre since the end of the Cold War: atmosphere and setting. Red Phoenix is a primary exemplar of this approach. Set in the most fully realized portrayal of modern China featured in a spy thriller to date, it balances exciting, destructive action set pieces with a serious but subtle exploration of a confounding and fascinating country and its past and present. Unlike many spy novels, the story avoids being dour and ham-fisted, instead dancing between reality and fantasy with sublime elegance.
Action and setting? Warren’s previous novel, Tokyo Black, showed that he has a gift for portraying jaw-dropping, violent shenanigans on vivid, cinematic backdrops. Red Phoenix proves that it was no fluke—with a hail of bullets. The action scenes often have far bigger scope and scale than many NYT bestselling authors can hope to manage in their careers. From a chaotic riot in a Beijing black jail to an attack by a well-armed hit squad on the Beijing–Shanghai bullet train, a violent fistfight on the world’s largest dump truck, and a high-stakes hostage exchange in the executive suite of a Shanghai skyscraper, Red Phoenix packs enough thrills to deprive a reader of sleep for days.
As for the settings, only a few spy novelists can match Warren in this department. He has the gift of truly transporting you into Caine’s world—something many members of the proverbial thriller big leagues might want to take notes on. Whether it’s a tour through one of the last surviving Beijing hutongs, a sobering look at a polluted Chinese countryside “cancer village,” or a surprise visit to Shanghai’s Pearl River Tower, Red Phoenix resurrects one of the most neglected elements of thriller writing: immersion.
Research? Outstanding. Red Phoenix is one of the few spy novels to integrate the perfect amount of real-world detail into its narrative. It’s not just the level of detail but also the kind of detail that makes this novel a standout in a genre sometimes clogged with ordnance catalogues.
Sure, there’s guns and kit—and Warren is one of the few authors to give the Chinese intelligence and law enforcement community the actual weapons they use, rather than Cold War-era hardware long retired. But he also weaves in subtle allusions to recent real-world developments in the PRC, such as growing Chinese intelligence assertiveness in Hong Kong and the detainment of foreigners on espionage charges. Unlike other novels that use the “ripped from the headlines” approach, Warren doesn’t beat you over the head—he trusts you to spot the connections.
Warren also delves deep into Chinese culture and history. There are no outdated “yellow peril” tropes in Red Phoenix. Even amid the gunfire and mayhem, the author provides a true-to-life portrayal of the PRC, its people, and its rapidly changing society. Also notable is the glimpse into the cyberwarfare operations that the USA runs against China—a quiet war far less one-sided than many assume. The author also takes real-world details and uses them creatively and unexpectedly. A standout example is the appearance of the real-life NSA Scorpion paramilitary unit, who feature in a brief but extremely violent cameo.
Now to characters. So many standouts—but I’ll focus on a few: Caine, Freeling and Galloway, Sean, and Fang.
First, Caine. Having begun to “get his life back,” to paraphrase a fellow fictional burned spy, Caine is no longer the washed-up, alcoholic petty criminal introduced in Tokyo Black. The former master assassin has purpose and is driven with laser-guided focus. Intelligent, cunning, and formidable—good with his fists, gun, a paring knife, or, in one chapter, a roll of coins—Caine avoids being superhuman thanks to opposition just as talented and competent as he is. Several times he comes close to death, notably during a scene where he barely survives a fire axe being swung at him. He is also deeply human. Straddling the line between hero and antihero, Caine is not a bad man, but mercifully avoids being turned into a Boy Scout packing a 9mm. Cool, collected, and deadly, Caine fuses the best elements of classic thriller heroes into one explosively effective package.
Next: Rebecca Freeling and her head of security, Joshua Galloway. After the events of Tokyo Black, Freeling was promoted to DCS at Langley—but that’s cold comfort, given her paralysis from the waist down. Her struggle with self-loathing and recovery is presented realistically, alongside her need to confront lethal interagency rivalry with the NSA. Despite her immobility, Rebecca remains a highly capable intelligence officer who must wage her own battles while Caine runs across China. Galloway—a former Force Recon Marine and devoted protector—is a likable, seamlessly integrated character who Rebecca relies on when she needs an off-the-books operation on American soil.
Then we have Sean Tyler. A twenty-something journalist and human rights activist, Sean has angered powerful men on both sides of the Pacific. Soon he finds himself on the run with his late father’s best friend. A military brat still bitter over his father’s absences while serving the Company, Sean slowly reconnects with him through his time with Caine. Though an idealist, Sean is not trained for covert operations, and wisely keeps his head down while Caine handles the violence. Yet he’s no mere male damsel in distress. When captured and at the mercy of a psychopath threatening to skin him alive—or throw him off a roof—Sean keeps his calm in a way that would have made his father proud.
Finally: David Fang, the villain. Ostensibly the owner of a pharmaceutical company and one of China’s wealthiest businessmen, Fang is in truth the leader of one of China’s most powerful Triads—and a man carrying deep fury. Despite escaping poverty and achieving immense wealth, nothing erases his tragic past. Warren brilliantly incorporates two of the most significant events in 20th-century Chinese history into Fang’s backstory, making him genuinely sympathetic. His rage is understandable, even if his disproportionate quest for vengeance is not excusable.
He is a very human antagonist: charismatic, passionate, compassionate toward loved ones, and utterly merciless toward enemies. His humanity, however, has been warped beyond recognition. From his introduction—where he murders a senior official who refuses his bribe—to the scene where he has rival gangsters hanged from a penthouse balcony, Fang is a terrifying figure. Warren has crafted a villain who avoids the dour clichés of modern thrillers and leaves you waiting, breath held, for his next explosion of violence.
Constructive criticism? I have none. Red Phoenix is damn near perfect and does not put a foot wrong across its 267 pages and 48 chapters.
So, Red Phoenix. My verdict is this: Many spy novels have tackled modern China in the 21st century. But out of all of them, Red Phoenix is perhaps the most genuinely enjoyable I have ever read. Packing more thrills into its narrative than most NYT bestsellers this year—and beating the headlines before they go to print—Andrew Warren has created a spellbinding, pulse-pounding tale that will leave you breathless as you reach the final page.
Featuring a story that breaks the proverbial fourth wall and pulls you into the vivid, violent world of Thomas Caine; a cast of characters who are immensely likable and fascinating to watch; research that satisfies hardcore thriller fans and casual readers alike; and some of the most beautifully realized backdrops in modern spy fiction—Red Phoenix earns my wholehearted recommendation.
Having read all the major spy novels focusing on contemporary China, I’m impressed that an indie author has produced something that not only holds its own, but in many cases surpasses the competition. So, what is the best spy novel about modern China? There are many contenders—but most have been burned by Red Phoenix.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
ACTUAL RATING: SIX STARS, ROUNDED DOWN TO FIVE.
February 5, 2017
Blows most of the big names out of the water!
Disclaimer: I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review
Oh what a mesmerizing, well plotted and action packed roller coaster ride RED PHOENIX was! It came across like a mixture of the grim, realistic backdrop of a Bourne movie and the cinematographic action of a Bond flick, while at its core RED PHOENIX feels like the natural evolution of a Fleming novel of the 21th century!
The characters are surprisingly multi layered and believable for this kind of escapism literature. Be it ex-government assassin Thomas Caine, who tries to balance the line between ruthless operative and vulnerable, wounded PTSD victim with a growing conscience or Rebecca Freeling the tough and resourceful Director of the CIA’s National Clandestine Service, who has to come to grips with the wheelchair she found herself in after a grueling fight, which almost ended her career and her life for good. Then we have the driven and megalomaniac triad-gangster David Fang and lastly the titular, mysterious Chinese double agent RED PHOENIX, who is Caine’s equal in more ways than one, while also possibly being his… well find out for yourself!
The conspiracy at work – apart from the vivid and atmospheric location descriptions – was what truly kept me glued to the pages though and by the looks of it, it is far from over! So I can hardly wait for book 3 but luckily I have book one to get into till then!
In the meantime do yourself a favor and don’t miss out on this one!
Disclaimer: I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review
Oh what a mesmerizing, well plotted and action packed roller coaster ride RED PHOENIX was! It came across like a mixture of the grim, realistic backdrop of a Bourne movie and the cinematographic action of a Bond flick, while at its core RED PHOENIX feels like the natural evolution of a Fleming novel of the 21th century!
The characters are surprisingly multi layered and believable for this kind of escapism literature. Be it ex-government assassin Thomas Caine, who tries to balance the line between ruthless operative and vulnerable, wounded PTSD victim with a growing conscience or Rebecca Freeling the tough and resourceful Director of the CIA’s National Clandestine Service, who has to come to grips with the wheelchair she found herself in after a grueling fight, which almost ended her career and her life for good. Then we have the driven and megalomaniac triad-gangster David Fang and lastly the titular, mysterious Chinese double agent RED PHOENIX, who is Caine’s equal in more ways than one, while also possibly being his… well find out for yourself!
The conspiracy at work – apart from the vivid and atmospheric location descriptions – was what truly kept me glued to the pages though and by the looks of it, it is far from over! So I can hardly wait for book 3 but luckily I have book one to get into till then!
In the meantime do yourself a favor and don’t miss out on this one!
January 27, 2019
Thomas Caine rules all in his second outing as the assassin with the emerald gaze, as I like to refer to him. The Red Phoenix is an incredibly action packed novel with breath taking twists and turns and exquisite action sequences that makes one wish for them to be shown in a live action Thomas Caine movie. The author tastefully evolves Caine's character so as not to seem like a one dimensional figure, but rather a relate-able human being with a dark haunted side. I could not bring myself to put the book down as I started it. I had to pause at certain moments and smile as Thomas Caine shined under the spotlight, either through his brutal actions or simply through his intense gazes. The characters, both recurring and new, accompanying Caine on this adventure are a delight to read and I cant wait to read more and more of Thomas Caine. The environmental descriptions written in the book are beautifully illustrative. A true testament to the amazing author's extraordinary literary skills!
February 7, 2017
OMG! Speaking of out of the ashes (Phoenix). Here he comes again. Caine is even more powerful this new book. Warren loves to keep the us in the Far East in pictures and action and in human interest.. The pictures from the blog make it so much easier to see into the blood rivers and monster trucks that seem to actually want to kill people as much as the evil gangs and that hound our hero. Heck even computers in this book can get get you killed.
Rebecca is back the love lights turn on there too. So much happening it is like we never left him.
Friends are foes and foes are friends and who knows who will try to kill you next? Seriously get on the list fort this book! Coming soon! Ask Amazon Customer service for it as it had not listed on the site for even a pre order yet.
Now I am gonna read the other two again because there is something i might have missed that is revealed in this new installment. If you missed the first ow(1.5) go get them NOW! perfect to fill the time till this one comes out!
This book might be for you, if you :
are An Action Junky
are a Travel person
LOVE Espionage
Like Conspiracy theory
Love guns
Raw emotion from lust to rage
Like a great read without lots of fluff
Rebecca is back the love lights turn on there too. So much happening it is like we never left him.
Friends are foes and foes are friends and who knows who will try to kill you next? Seriously get on the list fort this book! Coming soon! Ask Amazon Customer service for it as it had not listed on the site for even a pre order yet.
Now I am gonna read the other two again because there is something i might have missed that is revealed in this new installment. If you missed the first ow(1.5) go get them NOW! perfect to fill the time till this one comes out!
This book might be for you, if you :
are An Action Junky
are a Travel person
LOVE Espionage
Like Conspiracy theory
Love guns
Raw emotion from lust to rage
Like a great read without lots of fluff
November 10, 2017
Red Phoenix is the third action and adventure espionage thriller in Andrew Warren’s Thomas Caine series, although like a Mitch Rapp or Jack Reacher tale, there is no need to have read earlier novels before delving into this one.
Thomas Caine is a former CIA operative turned freelance contractor. The book opens with a flashback scene during Caine’s public servant days while on mission in Afghanistan. A gun battle ensures and Caine’s partner and friend is killed, but not before Caine makes a promise to look out for the dying man’s son, Sean.
Flash-forward to the current day, Caine is hunting another former CIA operative hiding out in Eastern Europe, a man who betrayed Caine years ago, forcing Caine to leave the CIA in the first place. This agent is cunning, bargains his own life for information on the location of Sean, who it is claimed is embroiled in a conspiracy of political corruption, big business, cyber-crime and Triad criminal gangs in China. Caine has a choice to make, kill the man who betrayed him, or save the son of a former friend. No points for guessing which way Caine goes.
Once in China the action really kicks up the gears as Caine battles mysterious albino assassins in black prisons and high-speed trains, and flees Triad gangs in Shanghai construction sites, Beijing hutongs and the across the industrial polluted interior.
Andrew Warren is highly skilled thriller writer, able to present engaging action sequences, short snappy dialogue and all this while presenting an excellent attention to detail, bringing to life minor details that on culture and setting make the novel really feel like it is set in a foreign country.
You can tell Warren is a big fan of James Bond, with a leaning more towards the Fleming novels than the films because he structures his stories, characters, settings and action in a very Fleming style. The book opens with a brutal encounter between a scorpion and a spider in the desert as homage to the opening of Diamonds are Forever. There is a glamorous fortune teller deft in the art of I-Ching, foreseeing future destinies much the same way Solitaire did for Mr. Big in Live and Let Die. The main villain has a grandiose plan that he is more than willing to explain in extracted detail to Caine, much the same was Blofeld or Dr. No did with James Bond. He even has an elaborate torture device.
However, don’t let these homages put you off. Warren’s parallels to James Bond are perfectly balanced, building upon what was great about Fleming’s novels and structuring his novels with the same pace and exoticness of location.
Caine himself remains a bit of an enigma. While he is definitely in the white-knight-emotionally-reforming-former-assassin-finding-his-conscience end of the hero spectrum, which sums him up who emotionally and morally, I don’t think after even three books we are anywhere close to understanding who this character really is just yet. What I mean is Caine’s backstory has never been explored. We don’t know anything about where he came from, why he joined the CIA in the first place, and why he is such a competent agent. Perhaps more answers will be found in Warren’s forthcoming Fire and Forget.
Andrew Warren is a rising star in the indie espionage thriller fiction scene. Check him out now so you can say you read him before he was a big name.
Thomas Caine is a former CIA operative turned freelance contractor. The book opens with a flashback scene during Caine’s public servant days while on mission in Afghanistan. A gun battle ensures and Caine’s partner and friend is killed, but not before Caine makes a promise to look out for the dying man’s son, Sean.
Flash-forward to the current day, Caine is hunting another former CIA operative hiding out in Eastern Europe, a man who betrayed Caine years ago, forcing Caine to leave the CIA in the first place. This agent is cunning, bargains his own life for information on the location of Sean, who it is claimed is embroiled in a conspiracy of political corruption, big business, cyber-crime and Triad criminal gangs in China. Caine has a choice to make, kill the man who betrayed him, or save the son of a former friend. No points for guessing which way Caine goes.
Once in China the action really kicks up the gears as Caine battles mysterious albino assassins in black prisons and high-speed trains, and flees Triad gangs in Shanghai construction sites, Beijing hutongs and the across the industrial polluted interior.
Andrew Warren is highly skilled thriller writer, able to present engaging action sequences, short snappy dialogue and all this while presenting an excellent attention to detail, bringing to life minor details that on culture and setting make the novel really feel like it is set in a foreign country.
You can tell Warren is a big fan of James Bond, with a leaning more towards the Fleming novels than the films because he structures his stories, characters, settings and action in a very Fleming style. The book opens with a brutal encounter between a scorpion and a spider in the desert as homage to the opening of Diamonds are Forever. There is a glamorous fortune teller deft in the art of I-Ching, foreseeing future destinies much the same way Solitaire did for Mr. Big in Live and Let Die. The main villain has a grandiose plan that he is more than willing to explain in extracted detail to Caine, much the same was Blofeld or Dr. No did with James Bond. He even has an elaborate torture device.
However, don’t let these homages put you off. Warren’s parallels to James Bond are perfectly balanced, building upon what was great about Fleming’s novels and structuring his novels with the same pace and exoticness of location.
Caine himself remains a bit of an enigma. While he is definitely in the white-knight-emotionally-reforming-former-assassin-finding-his-conscience end of the hero spectrum, which sums him up who emotionally and morally, I don’t think after even three books we are anywhere close to understanding who this character really is just yet. What I mean is Caine’s backstory has never been explored. We don’t know anything about where he came from, why he joined the CIA in the first place, and why he is such a competent agent. Perhaps more answers will be found in Warren’s forthcoming Fire and Forget.
Andrew Warren is a rising star in the indie espionage thriller fiction scene. Check him out now so you can say you read him before he was a big name.
June 6, 2025
Red Phoenix - a review by Rosemary Kenny
Summoned by his former boss, Thomas Caine is reluctant to get involved in a dangerous mission.
Yet stopping the Red Phoenix assassin and honouring a dying war comrade's last wish may change his mind.
I like the way Andrew Warren has melded two storylines, as Caine travels to China and then decide whom to trust.
A deadly game of political cat and mouse that could change the course of world superpowers' actions, read Red Phoenix, Book 2 of the Thomas Caine Thriller series to find out how it all ends - go get it now!
Summoned by his former boss, Thomas Caine is reluctant to get involved in a dangerous mission.
Yet stopping the Red Phoenix assassin and honouring a dying war comrade's last wish may change his mind.
I like the way Andrew Warren has melded two storylines, as Caine travels to China and then decide whom to trust.
A deadly game of political cat and mouse that could change the course of world superpowers' actions, read Red Phoenix, Book 2 of the Thomas Caine Thriller series to find out how it all ends - go get it now!
February 5, 2017
Just finished Red Phoenix and thoroughly enjoyed the story and the action. This book gives some background on the main character, Thomas Caine.
It's a stand-alone book, so if you haven't read the others you wont be lost and if you have be prepared to spend time reading, because you wont want to stop till you finish.
One drawback is that the proof reader/editor missed some spots. The hiccups take away from the flow of the story.
It's a stand-alone book, so if you haven't read the others you wont be lost and if you have be prepared to spend time reading, because you wont want to stop till you finish.
One drawback is that the proof reader/editor missed some spots. The hiccups take away from the flow of the story.
June 28, 2021
Such an exciting book. So much action. It sure would make a great movie!
February 10, 2017
Red Phoenix. Andrew Warren
The Red Phoenix, it's a metaphor....The past. Cyber technology has evolved into the 21st. century. It can control people, corporations, countries. The profit margin is enormous. In the past, acquiring this type of power was simply done by blackmail. Now it's much more sophisticated, even though the simpler forms of enforcement, brutality are still in play...kidnapping, murder. Thomas Caine is in China, going up against a Chinese mafia oligarch, who will stop at nothing to achieve his goal. His primary motivator is good old fashioned revenge. This is an extremely exciting action thriller, full of intrigue, betrayal. The excitement is non stop! A stupendous spy thriller!!! I highly recommend!!!
The Red Phoenix, it's a metaphor....The past. Cyber technology has evolved into the 21st. century. It can control people, corporations, countries. The profit margin is enormous. In the past, acquiring this type of power was simply done by blackmail. Now it's much more sophisticated, even though the simpler forms of enforcement, brutality are still in play...kidnapping, murder. Thomas Caine is in China, going up against a Chinese mafia oligarch, who will stop at nothing to achieve his goal. His primary motivator is good old fashioned revenge. This is an extremely exciting action thriller, full of intrigue, betrayal. The excitement is non stop! A stupendous spy thriller!!! I highly recommend!!!
February 9, 2017
This is a really a stellar book! After reading Black Toyoko, Thomas Caine's first Adventure, I knew I would read whatever Andrew Warren created next for this CIA betrayed, talented, and extremely lethal character. Caine's next mission is in the People's Republic of China, where he attempts to stay alive while trying to find the man who double crossed him and killed his best friend. There are twists and turns, and story parts where I'd forget to breathe! The ending IS a surprise! For those of you not sure about this genre, give this book a read...you won't be disappointed!
January 5, 2026
A veteran bookseller once told me that an author’s first novel often includes “everything but the kitchen sink.” That writer has had a lifetime to store experiences and think about their book. But if the book succeeds and that author gets a contract to pump out several more, the quality can fall. They spent a lifetime on the first book, but for the second one, they have a year. Can they create on demand? Do they have enough ideas to keep going?
Similarly, veteran authors may experience a drop-off in quality between their excitement about Book 1 in a new series, and then the need to repeat and expand their formula in books 2 through whatever.
I reflected on that theory because with Tokyo Black, the terrific first book in the Thomas Caine series, Andrew Warren implicitly promised more atmospheric, well-paced fun to come in future books. Could he deliver in Book 2, Red Phoenix?
I’m happy to report that Warren has not only cleared the bar; he has distinguished himself.
The story draws Caine back into danger to fulfill a solemn promise. Caine gave his word to a dying fellow soldier that he would protect the soldier’s son, Sean. In the People’s Republic of China, stealthy assassins attempt to kill Sean for reasons that neither Caine nor Sean can at first discern. Operating under cover, alone in a hostile nation, Caine must unravel the motives and the identities of the killers while defending Sean and eluding Chinese authorities.
Warren mentions in his author bio that James Bond influenced his desire to write. Thomas Caine himself reads as a tougher warrior than any of the movie Bonds, but all the trimmings around him in Red Phoenix evoke the best of 007. His nemesis in this book? An albino samurai (who made me recall Gustav Graves, the diamond-faced villain in Die Another Day). The ur-villain’s sidekick? Iris, a sexy/creepy prophetess using I-Ching sticks to predict the future (a la Solitaire from Live and Let Die). Caine’s temporary ally? Jia, a slight yet competent Chinese woman who may be more than she appears (like Michele Yeoh’s Wai Lin in Tomorrow Never Dies). None of these characters appear as elbow-in-the-ribs “get it?” homages to Bond. Rather, Warren seems animated by the same spirit of cinematic fun. His world gives me more of a James Bond action high than the official Bond novelizations that came after Ian Fleming.
I can’t count how many thrillers I’ve read where the action is either so implausible it deflates the book; or the jumbled prose obscures what just happened. In contrast, Warren’s fight choreography deserves special honors. The fight scenes and chases make sense, the prose pops them vividly into your mind, the stakes matter, and the resolution of each struggle sometimes inspires awe.
I had such a great time with Red Phoenix that I immediately launched into Book 3 in the series, and gifted the first three Thomas Caine books to my brother. Red Phoenix reminds me of great Chinese food graced with a touch of MSG: it’s everything you crave, slightly larger than life. And an hour later, you want more.
Similarly, veteran authors may experience a drop-off in quality between their excitement about Book 1 in a new series, and then the need to repeat and expand their formula in books 2 through whatever.
I reflected on that theory because with Tokyo Black, the terrific first book in the Thomas Caine series, Andrew Warren implicitly promised more atmospheric, well-paced fun to come in future books. Could he deliver in Book 2, Red Phoenix?
I’m happy to report that Warren has not only cleared the bar; he has distinguished himself.
The story draws Caine back into danger to fulfill a solemn promise. Caine gave his word to a dying fellow soldier that he would protect the soldier’s son, Sean. In the People’s Republic of China, stealthy assassins attempt to kill Sean for reasons that neither Caine nor Sean can at first discern. Operating under cover, alone in a hostile nation, Caine must unravel the motives and the identities of the killers while defending Sean and eluding Chinese authorities.
Warren mentions in his author bio that James Bond influenced his desire to write. Thomas Caine himself reads as a tougher warrior than any of the movie Bonds, but all the trimmings around him in Red Phoenix evoke the best of 007. His nemesis in this book? An albino samurai (who made me recall Gustav Graves, the diamond-faced villain in Die Another Day). The ur-villain’s sidekick? Iris, a sexy/creepy prophetess using I-Ching sticks to predict the future (a la Solitaire from Live and Let Die). Caine’s temporary ally? Jia, a slight yet competent Chinese woman who may be more than she appears (like Michele Yeoh’s Wai Lin in Tomorrow Never Dies). None of these characters appear as elbow-in-the-ribs “get it?” homages to Bond. Rather, Warren seems animated by the same spirit of cinematic fun. His world gives me more of a James Bond action high than the official Bond novelizations that came after Ian Fleming.
I can’t count how many thrillers I’ve read where the action is either so implausible it deflates the book; or the jumbled prose obscures what just happened. In contrast, Warren’s fight choreography deserves special honors. The fight scenes and chases make sense, the prose pops them vividly into your mind, the stakes matter, and the resolution of each struggle sometimes inspires awe.
I had such a great time with Red Phoenix that I immediately launched into Book 3 in the series, and gifted the first three Thomas Caine books to my brother. Red Phoenix reminds me of great Chinese food graced with a touch of MSG: it’s everything you crave, slightly larger than life. And an hour later, you want more.
January 5, 2019
Andrew Warren explores the past of his fugitive operative Thomas Caine in the second of his series "Red Phoenix." Caine had been betrayed by his handler at the CIA in a complex operation overseas in which he and his partner and close friend are considered expendable for the greater good of national security. In his dying moments, his friend asked Caine to look out for his son. Caine does not. But when that son is used in a pawn by the Chinese to leverage their own agenda, Caine sidesteps his original plan of killing those responsible for his recent exile, during which he was presumed dead, and taking on the People's Republic in a one-man rescue. He soon meets a woman who he assumes is a human rights worker and a colleague of the man he must rescue. The title of the novel, "Red Phoenix," refers to an operative used by clandestine sources within the CIA. Rebecca Freeling, who initially uncovered Caine's existence, provides the subject of a pretty intense side plot that gives dimension to the overall story. She's Caine's past lover, but they remain on nothing but partly professional terms. Warren's character development continues, and he adds villains who must be put down. There's an intense chase scene that I tried to visualize in movie form but decided it's better left unadapted.
May 12, 2017
I was disappointed that 'Red Phoenix' left quite-a-few unanswered-questions at the end. I was hoping there would be a partner and/or team that would add cohesion, direction and effectiveness to his/their 'mission'. In the first novel he was drawn to a Japanese assassin; in this one, a Chinese assassin/double-agent (with a child). I did not see the need to include kidnapped/victimized children in this story. I lived in China (mostly in Shanghai) over twelve years and was familiar with several of the landmarks, like the Pearl Tower. There were errors in many of the romanized Chinese words and phrases, which made 'translation' a challenge.
There were regular and ongoing occurrences of mechanical/grammatical errors, which unintentionally added 'closure blanks' distracting from the storyline; thus the 'low score' of 3.
There were regular and ongoing occurrences of mechanical/grammatical errors, which unintentionally added 'closure blanks' distracting from the storyline; thus the 'low score' of 3.
October 1, 2024
National relations between countries are never static, no matter how patriotic it's officials can be. But then there are the ones whose self interest tops everything.
Like a Chinese called Fang. Or an American secret service chief called Bernardo.
Thomas Caine knows that but only too well. Not even your own live is too much to expend in the interest of a superior's.
But when a friend of his got killed and Caine learns his friend had a son, called Sean, who is held by the Chinese in some undisclosed secret detention site, he has to do something about it.
However, there is a helluva lot more going on than he would ever have guessed, including an assassin called Red Phoenix aiming at ensuring Sean gets killed.
Once again surprises are plentiful and the reader is drawn willy nilly into a whirlwind of action.
Enjoy
Like a Chinese called Fang. Or an American secret service chief called Bernardo.
Thomas Caine knows that but only too well. Not even your own live is too much to expend in the interest of a superior's.
But when a friend of his got killed and Caine learns his friend had a son, called Sean, who is held by the Chinese in some undisclosed secret detention site, he has to do something about it.
However, there is a helluva lot more going on than he would ever have guessed, including an assassin called Red Phoenix aiming at ensuring Sean gets killed.
Once again surprises are plentiful and the reader is drawn willy nilly into a whirlwind of action.
Enjoy
January 20, 2019
Gripping
What a thriller. Fast action from beginning to end it manages to keep the reader's attention throughout. Welcome to the world of spies, intelligence agents, government agencies controlled by people with their own agendas, ruthless businessmen, innocent victims everywhere, a few good men and women, dedicated soldiers trying to save the world against the odds while questioning their motives. Why did you do it? Why endanger your life and those you love? Just because... Or it's the right thing to do. This world traps you and can't leave it alone. Welcome to the world of Thomas Caine!
What a thriller. Fast action from beginning to end it manages to keep the reader's attention throughout. Welcome to the world of spies, intelligence agents, government agencies controlled by people with their own agendas, ruthless businessmen, innocent victims everywhere, a few good men and women, dedicated soldiers trying to save the world against the odds while questioning their motives. Why did you do it? Why endanger your life and those you love? Just because... Or it's the right thing to do. This world traps you and can't leave it alone. Welcome to the world of Thomas Caine!
January 24, 2019
Quite a good story, but it did not finish, it collapsed! Also there was grossly excessive description which added nothing - a gun fires, and every time there are streams of bullets, ricochets everywhere, sparks, red or orange flashes, and most of the rounds miss! Trained soldiers do not spray, they AIM first! The characters were not well visually described, though they were convincing. The use of 'pidgin' was pointless and added nothing. Overall the book needed pruning and drastic editing. I am a retired Technical Author, who had to justify the presence or absence of every word on the page...
October 30, 2025
Thomas Caine, ex CIA spy has finally tracked down his betrayer- Benedetto and is all set to end it when he's told his friend Jack's son Sean is in terrible danger in China. He's a journalist and has been taken into custody by the Chinese.
There may be a deal on the table to trade him for a Chinese spy but can Caine count on that? He heads to China, uncovers a conspiracy by Benedetto & his lacky Lapinsky to "get rid of Sean" so the deal doesn't go through. It's tied to shadowy deals they have going. Can Caine with a bit of help from friend Rebecca Freeling save Sean from Benedetto's machinations & their assassin Red Phoenix?
Lot's of action.
There may be a deal on the table to trade him for a Chinese spy but can Caine count on that? He heads to China, uncovers a conspiracy by Benedetto & his lacky Lapinsky to "get rid of Sean" so the deal doesn't go through. It's tied to shadowy deals they have going. Can Caine with a bit of help from friend Rebecca Freeling save Sean from Benedetto's machinations & their assassin Red Phoenix?
Lot's of action.
January 18, 2022
A good and fun read.
This book almost needs to be a Superman and Supergirl with all the out comes of the fighting they get into. Normal people wouldn’t survive any of the fights. The author did a good job of laying the fights out, showing the action of each person in the fight. The story lines flow together to explain and pull together all the plots. This is a good book to read and figure out the next part of the fight. All the characters are developed so you can figure out the type of personality the author is trying to get across.
This book almost needs to be a Superman and Supergirl with all the out comes of the fighting they get into. Normal people wouldn’t survive any of the fights. The author did a good job of laying the fights out, showing the action of each person in the fight. The story lines flow together to explain and pull together all the plots. This is a good book to read and figure out the next part of the fight. All the characters are developed so you can figure out the type of personality the author is trying to get across.
April 13, 2025
DID NOT ACTUALLY FINISH THIS BOOK. IT WAS JUST COMPLETE AND UTTER FUCKING SHIT.
You are truly a fucking moron. You couldn't get the information out of that idiot?!?
Oh no. Bang bang bang. I'm mad. Let me shoot the fucking floor instead of an elbow or another useful part to get the information you need.
I really wanted to like you as an author. I actually really hate you now. With a lot of anger. Another idiotic attempt to prolong a narrative and you have accomplished nothing.
DID NOT ACTUALLY FINISH THIS BOOK. IT WAS JUST COMPLETE AND UTTER FUCKING SHIT.
You are truly a fucking moron. You couldn't get the information out of that idiot?!?
Oh no. Bang bang bang. I'm mad. Let me shoot the fucking floor instead of an elbow or another useful part to get the information you need.
I really wanted to like you as an author. I actually really hate you now. With a lot of anger. Another idiotic attempt to prolong a narrative and you have accomplished nothing.
DID NOT ACTUALLY FINISH THIS BOOK. IT WAS JUST COMPLETE AND UTTER FUCKING SHIT.
August 10, 2018
Another excellent entry in the series. It had been a while since I read the first Thomas Caine novel, but Andrew Warren does a fantastic job of grabbing you by the collar and yanking you back into the familiar world, with a good sized cast of memorable characters.
If you enjoyed the first book, you'll love this just as much.
Additionally, I submitted a handful of typo corrections so they should be fixed soon, but they are fairly minor issues anyway and don't detract from the story.
If you enjoyed the first book, you'll love this just as much.
Additionally, I submitted a handful of typo corrections so they should be fixed soon, but they are fairly minor issues anyway and don't detract from the story.
December 27, 2018
Fantastic Book
Again this very talented author writes a novel that the reader is unable to put down. Finding out about Rebecca injury loosing Tyler and Caine,s promise to find and take care of Sean, wow this story i introduction of Jia and her real purpose makes this book an excellent read. Tom Caine is a terrific person who can do what needs to be done. I will read every book by Andrew Warren as I have done following Thomas Caine stories any all books by this.author
Again this very talented author writes a novel that the reader is unable to put down. Finding out about Rebecca injury loosing Tyler and Caine,s promise to find and take care of Sean, wow this story i introduction of Jia and her real purpose makes this book an excellent read. Tom Caine is a terrific person who can do what needs to be done. I will read every book by Andrew Warren as I have done following Thomas Caine stories any all books by this.author
January 17, 2019
Red Phoenix
Absolute garbage. I kept wishing throughout the book that it would end soon. No such luck. On and on with absolutely no sense of reality. Stupid, stupid, stupid. This book felt like it was written for 15 year old macho young men. The violence wasn't just violence, I'm okay with that, it was mind bending stupid violence that was way beyond Hollywood's most unbelievable scenarios. Save yourselves and skip this one.
Absolute garbage. I kept wishing throughout the book that it would end soon. No such luck. On and on with absolutely no sense of reality. Stupid, stupid, stupid. This book felt like it was written for 15 year old macho young men. The violence wasn't just violence, I'm okay with that, it was mind bending stupid violence that was way beyond Hollywood's most unbelievable scenarios. Save yourselves and skip this one.
July 23, 2019
I haven't read another thriller in years that I enjoyed more. The characters and plotting were top-notch, a step up, if that's possible, from the predecessor in this series. Reading this book, I felt like I was watching a well made action movie, one with a real story, populated by people with whom I became engaged, and set in places I could almost see.
While I noticed a small number of proofreading escapes, my overall appreciation of this work was not diminished. I recommend it highly.
While I noticed a small number of proofreading escapes, my overall appreciation of this work was not diminished. I recommend it highly.
February 21, 2018
Not as good as first book
I would have given this a better rating but I am struggling to get passed the grammatical errors that were littered throughout this book.
Where are the editors on this one?
Still a great story, and the author can really paint action scenes with great detail. I’m a fan!
I would have given this a better rating but I am struggling to get passed the grammatical errors that were littered throughout this book.
Where are the editors on this one?
Still a great story, and the author can really paint action scenes with great detail. I’m a fan!
December 29, 2018
Protecting Sean
Tom has to find Jack Tyler's son, Sean. To protect him from people who want something he has. Another gritty novel, this time taking place in China. Dealing with triads , double agents and backstage within the ranks of the CIA. Good story. Felt like I was in the back of that humongous truck with Caine and Jia.
Tom has to find Jack Tyler's son, Sean. To protect him from people who want something he has. Another gritty novel, this time taking place in China. Dealing with triads , double agents and backstage within the ranks of the CIA. Good story. Felt like I was in the back of that humongous truck with Caine and Jia.
February 17, 2019
Espionage, action, and more action
Just finished the book. Caine was in, and also causing, a lot of trouble. Lots of action. Cause and his sidekicks spent a lot of time dodging the enemies that were chasing then . Espionage abounding in the intelligence community. Good story.
Just finished the book. Caine was in, and also causing, a lot of trouble. Lots of action. Cause and his sidekicks spent a lot of time dodging the enemies that were chasing then . Espionage abounding in the intelligence community. Good story.
December 13, 2019
Thomas Caine seems to be an ex CIA agent with PTSD which gives the book a roller-coaster ride of twists and turns. Some of the scenes of a monster truck and an attacking crane are a bit far fetched. The book starts with Caine out for revenge and when the book finishes, after a large stack of bodies, he is still on the same route.
May 5, 2017
A outlook of China intelligence
One could only imagine the real intelligence apparatus in China, however this is a exciting representation. My only negative is that the main "good" characters performed far beyond normal physical capabilities.
One could only imagine the real intelligence apparatus in China, however this is a exciting representation. My only negative is that the main "good" characters performed far beyond normal physical capabilities.
May 6, 2017
Action packed
This is a great action packed fast paced thriller. From page one to the very last word you are drawn in. Action packed but done with non human actions. Great job and one you will find hard to put down.
This is a great action packed fast paced thriller. From page one to the very last word you are drawn in. Action packed but done with non human actions. Great job and one you will find hard to put down.
September 10, 2017
The first book was better
This was still an entertaining read but I felt the fight scenes were too long and a bit far fetched. However I thought the characters were interesting and will read the next book in the series.
This was still an entertaining read but I felt the fight scenes were too long and a bit far fetched. However I thought the characters were interesting and will read the next book in the series.
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