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Brigitte Sharp #1
The Exphoria Code
NEW SPIES. NEW RULES.
"Very possibly the definitive espionage thriller of the early 21st century."
— Alan Moore
The long-awaited first mainstream novel from Antony Johnston, creator of Atomic Blonde!
The first book in a major new techno-thriller series featuring cyber-espionage specialist Brigitte Sharp, a brilliant but haunted young MI6 hacker.
Bridge has been deskbound and in therapy for three years after her first field mission in Syria went disastrously wrong. But now one of her best friends has been murdered, and Bridge believes his death is connected to strange posts appearing on the internet carrying encrypted hidden messages.
On decoding the messages she discovers evidence of a mole inside a top-secret Anglo-French military drone project. Her MI6 bosses force her back into the field, sending her undercover in France to find and expose the mole... who may also be her friend s killer.
But the truth behind the Exphoria code is far worse than she could have imagined...
"Antony Johnston is a talent to watch and this, his latest entry into the world of espionage, is a treat."
— Anthony Horowitz
"Very possibly the definitive espionage thriller of the early 21st century."
— Alan Moore
The long-awaited first mainstream novel from Antony Johnston, creator of Atomic Blonde!
The first book in a major new techno-thriller series featuring cyber-espionage specialist Brigitte Sharp, a brilliant but haunted young MI6 hacker.
Bridge has been deskbound and in therapy for three years after her first field mission in Syria went disastrously wrong. But now one of her best friends has been murdered, and Bridge believes his death is connected to strange posts appearing on the internet carrying encrypted hidden messages.
On decoding the messages she discovers evidence of a mole inside a top-secret Anglo-French military drone project. Her MI6 bosses force her back into the field, sending her undercover in France to find and expose the mole... who may also be her friend s killer.
But the truth behind the Exphoria code is far worse than she could have imagined...
"Antony Johnston is a talent to watch and this, his latest entry into the world of espionage, is a treat."
— Anthony Horowitz
448 pages, Paperback
First published November 16, 2017
29 people are currently reading
269 people want to read
About the author
Antony Johnston
382 books374 followers** Sign up for Antony's newsletter at http://ajwriter.substack.com **
Antony Johnston is one of the most versatile writers of the modern era.
The Charlize Theron movie Atomic Blonde was based on his graphic novel. His murder mystery series The Dog Sitter Detective won the Barker Book Award. The Brigitte Sharp spy thrillers are in development for TV. His crime puzzle novel Can You Solve the Murder? reinvented the choose-your-own-story format for a modern audience. And his productivity guide The Organised Writer has helped authors all over the world take control of their workload.
Antony is a celebrated videogames writer, with genre-defining titles including Dead Space, Shadow of Mordor, and Resident Evil Village to his credit. His work on Silent Hill Ascension made him the only writer in the world to have contributed to all of gaming’s ‘big three’ horror franchises.
His immense body of work also includes Marvel superheroes such as Daredevil and Shang-Chi, the award-winning Alex Rider graphic novels, the post-apocalypse epic Wasteland, and more. He wrote and directed the film Crossover Point, made entirely in quarantine during the coronavirus pandemic.
An experienced podcaster and public speaker, he also frequently writes articles on the life of an author, and is a prolific musician.
Antony is a former vice chair of the Crime Writers’ Association, a member of International Thriller Writers and the Society of Authors, a Shore Scripts screenwriting judge, and sits on the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain’s videogames committee. He lives and works in England.
Antony Johnston is one of the most versatile writers of the modern era.
The Charlize Theron movie Atomic Blonde was based on his graphic novel. His murder mystery series The Dog Sitter Detective won the Barker Book Award. The Brigitte Sharp spy thrillers are in development for TV. His crime puzzle novel Can You Solve the Murder? reinvented the choose-your-own-story format for a modern audience. And his productivity guide The Organised Writer has helped authors all over the world take control of their workload.
Antony is a celebrated videogames writer, with genre-defining titles including Dead Space, Shadow of Mordor, and Resident Evil Village to his credit. His work on Silent Hill Ascension made him the only writer in the world to have contributed to all of gaming’s ‘big three’ horror franchises.
His immense body of work also includes Marvel superheroes such as Daredevil and Shang-Chi, the award-winning Alex Rider graphic novels, the post-apocalypse epic Wasteland, and more. He wrote and directed the film Crossover Point, made entirely in quarantine during the coronavirus pandemic.
An experienced podcaster and public speaker, he also frequently writes articles on the life of an author, and is a prolific musician.
Antony is a former vice chair of the Crime Writers’ Association, a member of International Thriller Writers and the Society of Authors, a Shore Scripts screenwriting judge, and sits on the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain’s videogames committee. He lives and works in England.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
August 1, 2019
A confession-I have not completely read a political, espionage thriller before. People like John Le Carre, Ian Fleming...I have tried and just not been able to get the twisting, labyrinthine plots; the attacks and counterattacks left my head spinning and doubtful of every character that I read.
That is not to say that 'The Exphoria Code' is a paint by numbers book, even its heroine announces early on that she did not join MI6 to be 'Jane Bond'-this is a female protagonist led spy thriller which invites the reluctant reader(me) in ,it is layered, believable and relatable, but most of all intriguing. And I think this is my problem with many of the male written novels in this genre,especially cyber thrillers.They present themselves as far too clever for the reader to understand right from the off. I want a book to challenge my mind, definitely, but not set it up so that I struggle through the description on the cover.I don't want a lesson in how stupid I am not to have seen who the undercover agent is right from page 2.
Brigitte Sharp(known as Bridge) is riding a desk as a third of Cyber Threat Analytics(CTA) team, set up after 7/7 to prevent a cyberpocalypse. Recruited straight from Cambridge after hacking first the uni servers ,then government databases, brought her to the attention of MI6, she is fascinated with puzzles, codes and web treasure hunts.
Referred to as Operation Doorkicker and revealed in flashbacks, her last mission has left a fellow worker dead and Bridge in mandatory therapy -whilst her boss and the inhouse psych doc think she is ready for her next Operator In Theatre (OIT) task, she point blank refuses and is happy behind the relative safety of her screen. Awkward and strained relationships with her family aside, Bridge finds her community online via a Usenet forum where she talks to fellow 80's goth music fans.On a personally designed secure messenger server, she and fellow fan Tenebrae_Z have noticed that an obscure French newsgroup was randomly uploading ASCII art -ASCII is made by using 95 recognisable characters on a keyboard into a picture so words into an image, for example, :) (Please correct me if I am wrong as I think that is what it means?)
But when Tenebrae_Z does not return after a date which he set up online, and before he had a chance to reveal that he cracked the ASCII code, Bridge is stirred back into action. Hunting down a mole, trying to trap a counter terrorist organisation whilst trying to decipher the code and messages that Ten left for her gets Brigitte back in the game. As Ten says, 'The game's afoot Ponty!'
I loved 'The Exphoria Code'-it has a layered protagonist who is not a cookie cutter 'woman in a man's world.' It has suspense which is heightened by the short chapters, zipping dialague which backs up the narrative and drives forward the plot, enough explanations to make you feel that you are running alongside Brigitte in her investigation but not so much that you felt talked down to. It is a fine and delicate balancing act to open a series, establish a character and their skill set without showing your entire hand, leaving the audience wanting more and yet feeling satisfied at the finale.This, Antony Jonhston does with aplomb.
Mixing real world political issues with old school spying and epsionage is very clever in this humble reader's opinion-it takes the cyber capabilities know-how and the old school messaging system to fuse the answer together. And Brigitte is the one straddling both worlds.Witty, fast paced and thrilling, 'The Exphoria Code' has changed my mind about espionage and I am definitely looking forward to more from Ms Sharp.
That is not to say that 'The Exphoria Code' is a paint by numbers book, even its heroine announces early on that she did not join MI6 to be 'Jane Bond'-this is a female protagonist led spy thriller which invites the reluctant reader(me) in ,it is layered, believable and relatable, but most of all intriguing. And I think this is my problem with many of the male written novels in this genre,especially cyber thrillers.They present themselves as far too clever for the reader to understand right from the off. I want a book to challenge my mind, definitely, but not set it up so that I struggle through the description on the cover.I don't want a lesson in how stupid I am not to have seen who the undercover agent is right from page 2.
Brigitte Sharp(known as Bridge) is riding a desk as a third of Cyber Threat Analytics(CTA) team, set up after 7/7 to prevent a cyberpocalypse. Recruited straight from Cambridge after hacking first the uni servers ,then government databases, brought her to the attention of MI6, she is fascinated with puzzles, codes and web treasure hunts.
Referred to as Operation Doorkicker and revealed in flashbacks, her last mission has left a fellow worker dead and Bridge in mandatory therapy -whilst her boss and the inhouse psych doc think she is ready for her next Operator In Theatre (OIT) task, she point blank refuses and is happy behind the relative safety of her screen. Awkward and strained relationships with her family aside, Bridge finds her community online via a Usenet forum where she talks to fellow 80's goth music fans.On a personally designed secure messenger server, she and fellow fan Tenebrae_Z have noticed that an obscure French newsgroup was randomly uploading ASCII art -ASCII is made by using 95 recognisable characters on a keyboard into a picture so words into an image, for example, :) (Please correct me if I am wrong as I think that is what it means?)
But when Tenebrae_Z does not return after a date which he set up online, and before he had a chance to reveal that he cracked the ASCII code, Bridge is stirred back into action. Hunting down a mole, trying to trap a counter terrorist organisation whilst trying to decipher the code and messages that Ten left for her gets Brigitte back in the game. As Ten says, 'The game's afoot Ponty!'
I loved 'The Exphoria Code'-it has a layered protagonist who is not a cookie cutter 'woman in a man's world.' It has suspense which is heightened by the short chapters, zipping dialague which backs up the narrative and drives forward the plot, enough explanations to make you feel that you are running alongside Brigitte in her investigation but not so much that you felt talked down to. It is a fine and delicate balancing act to open a series, establish a character and their skill set without showing your entire hand, leaving the audience wanting more and yet feeling satisfied at the finale.This, Antony Jonhston does with aplomb.
Mixing real world political issues with old school spying and epsionage is very clever in this humble reader's opinion-it takes the cyber capabilities know-how and the old school messaging system to fuse the answer together. And Brigitte is the one straddling both worlds.Witty, fast paced and thrilling, 'The Exphoria Code' has changed my mind about espionage and I am definitely looking forward to more from Ms Sharp.
January 22, 2018
Johnston crafts a taut, tense techno-thriller with a protagonist who is flawed, but immensely likable nonetheless. I'm a sucker for a well told spy story, and I particularly love how this one dips into both classic spy craft of the Cold War as well as modern technological espionage. I found I had to pace myself from burning through the last chunk of the novel, because all I wanted was it for to last longer. Looking forward to Bridge's next adventure.
December 10, 2017
Great book, glad to see this is labelled as #1 as I hope that there will be many more books written featuring Brigitte.
October 12, 2021
I was going to rate this as 3 stars but, as I am extremely tempted to jump straight into the next book in the series, that seems unfair.
December 8, 2017
An excellent start to a new series. I'd have happily jumped into a second story featuring Brigitte Sharp. Fun from start to finish with a ton of modern cyber spyfare and the odd piece of old school tactics mixing in quite nicely.
Who needs dead drops when you can place a coded message out there for all the world to see and yet not notice?
Looking forward to more books and who knows, one day we might be lucky enough to see Brigitte Sharp up there on the screen along with Lorraine Broughton from ATOMIC BLONDE!
Who needs dead drops when you can place a coded message out there for all the world to see and yet not notice?
Looking forward to more books and who knows, one day we might be lucky enough to see Brigitte Sharp up there on the screen along with Lorraine Broughton from ATOMIC BLONDE!
June 22, 2019
A techno thriller for the 21st century, The Exphoria Code stars Bridgette Sharp, a hacker/spy/reformed Goth girl sent to flush out a mole in a software development facility in France. The software, a joint creation of the English and French, is used to give greater control range and more dexterous operation to military drones. And someone is stealing that code. We know from the opening scene (no spoilers here) that the thief is male, works at the development offices, and is under the thumb of a Russian operative. With that suspenseful initial setup, the reader is kept in the dark, with nearly all revelations coming through the point of view of heroine Sharp and her cohorts at CTA/MI6. The novel's ticking time bomb is will the thief and his Russian pal get enough of the code to compile an executable program for themselves and how will they use it if they do? Mysteries abound. Who is really behind the theft? Who murdered a hacker acquaintance of Sharp's that had been looking into the same thing? By the time Sharp leaves London for France, Johnston has set up an extremely compelling mystery/thriller.
Brigitte Sharp (often referred to as "Bridge" in the text) is a very compelling heroine. Complex and capable, she is haunted by the death of a compatriot on an earlier mission, and flashbacks to events and mistakes made are key to understanding her motivations, particularly in a late book AWOL journey to the site of the death. Bridge's family dynamics are more well-developed than normal for the techno thriller genre, and this focus pays off very well in the third act. The reader is left wanting to see more of Sharp's life and how the events of this book will affect her relationship with her family in sequels.
The action and adventure side of the story, while not frequent, is deftly used and hits home like a hammer on the page. Johnston really knows how to write his combat scenes, and there are at least two that are among the best the genre has produced.
All-in-all, an intelligent, deep, very satisfying thriller novel. Looking forward to the next Brigitte Sharp adventure.
Brigitte Sharp (often referred to as "Bridge" in the text) is a very compelling heroine. Complex and capable, she is haunted by the death of a compatriot on an earlier mission, and flashbacks to events and mistakes made are key to understanding her motivations, particularly in a late book AWOL journey to the site of the death. Bridge's family dynamics are more well-developed than normal for the techno thriller genre, and this focus pays off very well in the third act. The reader is left wanting to see more of Sharp's life and how the events of this book will affect her relationship with her family in sequels.
The action and adventure side of the story, while not frequent, is deftly used and hits home like a hammer on the page. Johnston really knows how to write his combat scenes, and there are at least two that are among the best the genre has produced.
All-in-all, an intelligent, deep, very satisfying thriller novel. Looking forward to the next Brigitte Sharp adventure.
January 11, 2021
Enjoyed this audiobook a lot more than I thought I would. Brigitte Sharp is a strong and intelligent woman; definitely an easily likeable character. She's a geek (all cyber, code, hacks, etc) but also know how to defend herself. At the beginning of the novel, Brigitte was very low on self confidence due to having lost a colleague during an operation years ago but her counsellor and her boss think she's ready to get back into active field while she's contemplating a permanent deskjob. When a hacker friend was killed, however, Brigitte was drawn into this puzzle and kept pushing until the mastermind was caught. The Exphoria Code a thrilling puzzling adventure that will brighten your day.
February 28, 2022
A really good read. It's very exciting and fast moving, you definitely want to keep reading instead of doing anything else.
January 21, 2018
I seem to be reading more thrillers lately, and I'm rather glad I picked this one up.
Brigitte Sharp is anglo/french, working for MI6 as a reformed hacker. After some strange posts start turning up in Usenet groups (yes I am old enough to remember using them), she ends up getting dragged into a mole hunt for the UKs latest development.
There's a lot of nice touches in here. A "reformed" goth, which isn't done as heavy handed as I’d expected, the use of Usenet, and even the methods used are all done really well, with a light assured touch. Brigitte herself is not as clear cut as I'd like, a little too 2 dimensional, but as this is the first of what looks like a series, that’s something I’m sure will improve as the series continues.
There's a couple of places where it's fairly obvious what’s going to happen, although that may be reading too many of these books, on the other hand, the final scenes at the Shard are inspired. It's a beautiful left field solution I didn't see coming.
It's interesting that in the acknowledgments at the end, Greg Rucka is mentioned. This does remind me a lot of his Queen and Country series. Not that the characters are similar in characteristic, but more in the way the authors handle them, While the author isn't quite at the level of Rucka yet, it wouldn't surprise me if he caught up with him soon, on the evidence of this. The next book will be interesting.
Brigitte Sharp is anglo/french, working for MI6 as a reformed hacker. After some strange posts start turning up in Usenet groups (yes I am old enough to remember using them), she ends up getting dragged into a mole hunt for the UKs latest development.
There's a lot of nice touches in here. A "reformed" goth, which isn't done as heavy handed as I’d expected, the use of Usenet, and even the methods used are all done really well, with a light assured touch. Brigitte herself is not as clear cut as I'd like, a little too 2 dimensional, but as this is the first of what looks like a series, that’s something I’m sure will improve as the series continues.
There's a couple of places where it's fairly obvious what’s going to happen, although that may be reading too many of these books, on the other hand, the final scenes at the Shard are inspired. It's a beautiful left field solution I didn't see coming.
It's interesting that in the acknowledgments at the end, Greg Rucka is mentioned. This does remind me a lot of his Queen and Country series. Not that the characters are similar in characteristic, but more in the way the authors handle them, While the author isn't quite at the level of Rucka yet, it wouldn't surprise me if he caught up with him soon, on the evidence of this. The next book will be interesting.
November 2, 2019
After meeting Antony Johnston online (where he's friendly and funny!) I had to order this book on PAPER because it didn't seem to be available on Kindle and wait for it to arrive. Then I lost it for two weeks maddeningly because it didn't have a Tile on it like my Kindle. Finally, I had to turn the pages one by one like in prehistory!
Heh. Just channeling my twelve-year-old there. Seriously it was worth it, this book is smart and moves fast, modern and touching. I really love the combination of tech-savvy but still fast-paced -there was no awkward slow exposition of "let me explain this very clever exploit to you" because it was all woven in so well. I also love the way it's a spy plot with sneaking and adventure and danger but it didn't revel in gore or torture or otherwise go too far. Those are two lovely balancing jobs that are just part of a great novel.
Heh. Just channeling my twelve-year-old there. Seriously it was worth it, this book is smart and moves fast, modern and touching. I really love the combination of tech-savvy but still fast-paced -there was no awkward slow exposition of "let me explain this very clever exploit to you" because it was all woven in so well. I also love the way it's a spy plot with sneaking and adventure and danger but it didn't revel in gore or torture or otherwise go too far. Those are two lovely balancing jobs that are just part of a great novel.
April 11, 2018
Absolutely cracking. Bridget is the perfect modern spy. Fast paced, high octane thriller; more Fleming than Le Carré, but there's nothing wrong with that. Honestly I think this will be a touchstone for a new generation of thrillers. For me to read 400 odd pages in 4 days says it all.
March 5, 2019
Excellent techy thriller with goth details
An exciting and well written spy story with all the complexity you could want and a great protagonist in Brigitte Sharp.
Only criticism - ‘I should coco’ does not mean ‘yes’ or ‘of course’ - it’s sarcastic, and essentially serves the same purpose as ‘yeah, right’.
An exciting and well written spy story with all the complexity you could want and a great protagonist in Brigitte Sharp.
Only criticism - ‘I should coco’ does not mean ‘yes’ or ‘of course’ - it’s sarcastic, and essentially serves the same purpose as ‘yeah, right’.
May 31, 2018
This is a gripping and well written spy thriller that appeared to me (admittedly without much in the way of inside knowledge) to be very accurate on the technical side of both the spying and the technology. I greatly enjoyed it and will read further additions to the series.
December 23, 2017
A slick and satisfying thriller.
March 31, 2023
technically minded without being boring, depressingly low-key and very sharply written…
more of this, methinks
more of this, methinks
March 6, 2018
The Exphoria Code has all the elements I want in a thriller: a good mystery, punchy page turning writing, and believable, interesting characters and plot. Choosing to set a contemporary spy thriller around current technology is challenging, but Johnston has succeeded, and in doing so created a fresh and engaging protagonist in Brigitte Sharp. I'm looking forward to the followup.
January 10, 2019
A wonderful spy thriller that is probably going to be a series. Short chapters hold you in constant tension, which is great for a book like this.
In mood it seems close to The Coldest City and Atomic Blonde (the movie), being from the same author. So, if you like it, give it a go!
In mood it seems close to The Coldest City and Atomic Blonde (the movie), being from the same author. So, if you like it, give it a go!
March 1, 2019
This one was a little slow to start, but once it picked up steam I enjoyed it very much. Bridgitte Sharp is a most interesting character as a techie who becomes a reluctant field agent. The writing clear and descriptive, and the pacing (aside from the aforementioned bit at the start) is well-handled and consistently kept me engaged. I'm looking forward to reading more of Ms. Sharp's adventures, and I suspect Johnston has some solid plans for how she'll develop as the series progresses.
September 9, 2019
Exphoria Code didn't hit my particularly sweet spots but the author writes in an engaging and streamlined style that makes for an easy read.
This modern tech spy thriller does the essentials right but the characters and story felt a too low key and low stakes for my tastes. The only critique I would make is that the back story of the main character and her excursion later in the book didn't make much sense to me.
This modern tech spy thriller does the essentials right but the characters and story felt a too low key and low stakes for my tastes. The only critique I would make is that the back story of the main character and her excursion later in the book didn't make much sense to me.
May 5, 2020
Enjoyable with only 1 small gripe...
Enjoyed the book, loved the geeky tech side.
Only issue is that when held at gun point by an ex KGB huge soldier, bridge gets away by turning grabbing an aerosol can and squirting it before he can fire a shot , and then this geeky tech little girl overpowers this giant russian soldier , it didn't ruin the book for me but was highly unbelievable
Enjoyed the book, loved the geeky tech side.
Only issue is that when held at gun point by an ex KGB huge soldier, bridge gets away by turning grabbing an aerosol can and squirting it before he can fire a shot , and then this geeky tech little girl overpowers this giant russian soldier , it didn't ruin the book for me but was highly unbelievable
May 8, 2018
A quick read which I enjoyed. The story was good and the characters where good.
The language could have been less straight forward, a bit more poetic.
The language could have been less straight forward, a bit more poetic.
March 6, 2018
Antony Johnston’s debut novel spotlights Brigitte ‘Bridge’ Sharp, a young IT analyst/hacker for MI6, who snags a case from an online friend via uk.london.gothic-netizens. Bridge was once an OIT (Officer in Theatre) but has barely recovered from the post-traumatic stress of a disastrous operation in Syria. Her boss (this being MI6, rather inevitably named Giles) is keen for her to go back undercover, and when the trail leads to a French IT company – not many miles away from her sister’s husband’s farm – this seems to be ideal opportunity to gently ease herself back into operational service. What could possibly go wrong?
This is an entertaining espionage thriller, which, although it does nothing spectacularly new, delivers an appealing blend of high tech drone warfare and software gobbledygook, alongside the old fashioned virtues of undercover missions, covert surveillance, secret identities and well staged fight sequences. Anthony Johnston namechecks Greg Rucka in the acknowledgements, and at its best this has an agreeable flavour of Queen & Country.
This is an entertaining espionage thriller, which, although it does nothing spectacularly new, delivers an appealing blend of high tech drone warfare and software gobbledygook, alongside the old fashioned virtues of undercover missions, covert surveillance, secret identities and well staged fight sequences. Anthony Johnston namechecks Greg Rucka in the acknowledgements, and at its best this has an agreeable flavour of Queen & Country.
November 16, 2020
Johnston's espionage-thriller spends a lot of time telling, in order to keep his audience up to speed on the techno background of his protagonist's actions, but despite the slow pace, he manages to tell an interesting spy story. Brigitte Sharp is a solid enough leading character, though the book doesn't seem to follow through on its early indication on fleshing her out as the awkward, but technologically brilliant MI6 analyst. The second half of the novel jerkily reverts her into some female-terminator trope, with the occasional recall to her backstory trauma just enough to recall the promise of its more personable first half.
October 13, 2020
A very good techno-spy story. Brigitte Sharp is a great new character, an SIS analyst with a past. Plenty of technical skills but previous field experience has burned her. Now she finds herself chasing down a mysterious enemy who uses old school spy tricks to conduct a high tech operation.
The plot is complex but engaging. There is enough technological detail to make this a believable and modern plot, but not too much so as to overwhelm the reader. The pace is fast, as Bridge tracks her quarry through France and then back to the UK.
The plot is complex but engaging. There is enough technological detail to make this a believable and modern plot, but not too much so as to overwhelm the reader. The pace is fast, as Bridge tracks her quarry through France and then back to the UK.
December 28, 2018
The Exphoria Code is a well-crafted high-tech thriller from the creator of Atomic Blonde. Bridge is a believable protagonist - brilliant but self-doubting, hard as nails but vulnerable, reluctantly returning to the field after a mission that didn't go to plan. The plot centres on the theft of the code for a new generation of military drones and takes us from Britain to France, with elements of old-school tradecraft alongside the technical geekery.
It's a real page turner, intelligent and fast-paced, with a satisfying ending. An excellent start to a new series.
It's a real page turner, intelligent and fast-paced, with a satisfying ending. An excellent start to a new series.
March 15, 2021
Yes, thank you, this is exactly how I want my spy stories.
Real spoilers
In
Three
Two
One
Ready?
I don’t understand why the jacket copy had spoilers for something that doesn’t happen until at least 2/3 of the way through the book!!! SUPER annoying. And also made me think the book was going to be something different than it turned out to be. I liked the teamwork aspects, which is not what the jacket copy hinted at all
Real spoilers
In
Three
Two
One
Ready?
I don’t understand why the jacket copy had spoilers for something that doesn’t happen until at least 2/3 of the way through the book!!! SUPER annoying. And also made me think the book was going to be something different than it turned out to be. I liked the teamwork aspects, which is not what the jacket copy hinted at all
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 10, 2022
It started off very well, a thriller, but could only
sustain it for about 3/4 of the book. The ending
is a bit of a muddle and a fizzle.
I thought the overall story was intriguing but was
hamstrung by the protagonist's "guilt" about a
past mission. Also she was supposed to be an expert
combat fighter but in a couple of drawn out sequences
it just seemed the bad guy would get the jump on
her.
I would still pick up Book #2 next in order to give
it another chance to wow me.
sustain it for about 3/4 of the book. The ending
is a bit of a muddle and a fizzle.
I thought the overall story was intriguing but was
hamstrung by the protagonist's "guilt" about a
past mission. Also she was supposed to be an expert
combat fighter but in a couple of drawn out sequences
it just seemed the bad guy would get the jump on
her.
I would still pick up Book #2 next in order to give
it another chance to wow me.
April 19, 2020
The first time of reading an Antony Johnston book. It took a bit of concentration as i listen to it as an audiobook. It took a little while to get going but as i went along it became more enjoyable . If spies and the like are your thing give this a go. A new character is emerging.
November 5, 2020
Really 3.5 stars. I wanted to give it a five. It started off with a bang and was thoroughly enjoyable, then it got bogged down in the weeds of storytelling and lost momentum. It was still an enjoyable read.
Librarians...I will be recommending this to my male patrons.
Librarians...I will be recommending this to my male patrons.
May 7, 2018
Entertaining spy fic with a couple of twists: ultimately fun, but inconsequential. Will happily read the next, though.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews