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Black Run: 2
' Black Run grabs the attention like a fire alarm and never lets up' The Times 'Marshall... is very quickly establishing himself as the go-to in a new wave of thriller writers who emulate and better the grand masters of the genre' The Sun The epic second novel from the author of the acclaimed Anthrax Island . John Tyler has a new capture a heavily protected target from the Alps and smuggle him back into the UK – alive. La Rochelle in the dead of Tyler boards the Tiburon , a rusting freighter crewed by smugglers and mercenaries, for the last leg of his journey. But he is short on time. His mark’s security team has pursued him across France, determined to retrieve their boss, and they won’t be deterred by an ocean. The race is on. Tyler heads into the Bay of Biscay in a storm, with a pursuing boat snapping at his heels. But when his prisoner is found murdered inside a sealed hold on the ship, everyone on board becomes a suspect. In the flickering light of the Tiburon ’s passageways there’s nowhere to run, but everywhere to hide. Some might think the situation is spiralling out of control, but they don’t know John Tyler… Perfect for fans of Alistair MacLean and Terry Hayes, Ronin meets Bond in this high-octane thriller that races from the French Alps to a creaking ghost ship in the Atlantic, with a locked-room mystery at its heart. ‘ Black Run is an absolutely stunning sequel to Anthrax Island that will delight action and mystery fans in equal measure’ Chris McGeorge, author of Half-Past Tomorrow ‘A rip-roaring, rollicking rollercoaster of a read! Another ingenious locked-room mystery unravelled amidst a series of high-velocity action sequences, the tension and drama expertly maintained throughout. John Tyler is rapidly becoming one of my favourite action heroes’ Russ Thomas, author of Nighthawking ‘I slalomed my way through Black Run like a downhill skier on acid. Marshall has again combined an adrenaline-fuelled adventure yarn with an unfathomable locked-room mystery. Packed with brutal action and bodies galore, Black Run is a treat for all the senses’ Trevor Wood, author of One Way Street ‘Nobody fuses action and mystery with such punch, panache and verve as D. L. Marshall, sending him straight to the genre’s top table alongside Cussler and MacLean – with a flair for impossible enigmas echoing the best of Christie. A simply outstanding, breakout novel’ Rob Parker, author of Far from the Tree ‘Spectacular... Brilliantly constructed action sequences so realistic it feels like bullets are whizzing past your head, smart as hell and expertly paced. Tyler would snap Bond in two then send him back to the 20th century in a body bag…’ Adam Simcox, author of The Dying Squad ‘Blistering action and brilliant plotting. Black Run grabs you from the first page and never lets up’ Tim Glister, author of Red Corona ‘ Black Run is a brilliantly hectic thrill ride, razor-sharp and full of dark humour. A joy to read’ Doug Johnstone, author of The Big Chill 'D. L. Marshall just keeps getting better and better... This is an adrenaline-fuelled charge from start to finish, and John Tyler drives the action in a way that makes Bond look like an also-ran' Alison Belsham, author of The Tattoo Thief ‘One of the finest action thrillers in years’ Robert Scragg, author of End of the Line ‘An incredible thriller with a claustrophobic setting, whip-cracking dialogue, a swaggering hero and more bullets than I could count. With Black Run , D. L. Marshall cements himself as today’s go-to writer for heart-pounding, blistering action adventure’ Chri
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Published December 2, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 6, 2022
D.L. Marshall’s Black Run reads like a MacLean novel on steroids combining bone-crunching, bullets-zipping action with a whodunit set aboard a rusty trawler travelling from France to England in the middle of a storm.
John Tyler, who’s under contract to a shadowy branch of British Intelligence (not much is explained about the branch, except that the guy he reports to is an asshole), is tasked with securing a high-value target from the village of Château des Aigles high up in the French Alps and bring him all the way to the UK. Although his name is not given, Tyler mentions (the novel is written in first person) target is one nasty piece of work – a neo-Nazi, a white supremacist, spreading misinformation and conspiracy theories.
To get to the UK, Tyler first drives all the way from the mountains to the port of La Rochelle, with the target bound and stuffed in the boot of his Audi RS4 estate. Once there, he boards the Tiburon, a rust-bucket of a ship crewed by a gang of scoundrels, and then makes way across the Atlantic and the English Channel to Devon, England while a storm rages.
Then the target, who Tyler has stowed in a compartment that can’t be opened without his knowledge, gets murdered. And the murderer is someone on the ship – either a member of the crew or one of the mercenaries Tyler has recruited for guard duty. To make matters even more interesting, the target’s minions, led by a sociopath named Branko, are hot on his trail.
The novel begins with a blistering car chase and doesn’t slow down for a second. Most of the chapters alternate between two settings – the village of Château des Aigles and the Tiburon. Like any good thriller writer, Marshall ends chapters with cliffhangers that force the reader to go through the next chapter and then the next. And like a great thriller writer – someone at MacLean’s level – he handles atmosphere exceptionally well.
The scenes set in the claustrophobic confines of the Tiburon made me feel I was in that dingy, dirty ship, navigating narrow corridors, twisting my body to get around the engine room and getting soaked to the bone while holding on to the superstructure so as not be blown overboard by the storm. The ship setting brought to my mind two of MacLean’s great works – HMS Ulysses, his very first novel in fact – and Ice Station Zebra.
The scenes set in the French Alps are also wonderful to read. Tyler and his team plan and surveil the target but keep running into obstacles. There’s a traitor in their midst, and there’s a connection between Tyler and these team-members as well as those he recruited for guard-duty on the Tiburon that somehow involves Tyler’s dead brother.
The novel is packed with brutal, no-holds-barred, no-quarters-asked-for-nor-given violence from the start to the finish. The car chase displays some impressive offensive driving techniques. Later in the novel, we get a fight to the death in the Tiburon’s engine room that reminded me of Calvert’s fight with Quinn in When Eight Bells Toll.
The novel ends in a cliffhanger, so hopefully there will be more in the series.
This review will remain incomplete unless I say something about Tyler’s Audi. It’s one hell of a car. Tyler puts it through that car chase and then places it on board the Tiburon, at the mercy of elements. In spite of all that, or perhaps because of all that, the car becomes a fully formed character. I felt sad about its final fate.
D.L. Marshall, a self-admitted fan of Alistair MacLean and Clive Cussler, has taken the essence of what made these two authors masters of adventure fiction and added his own secret sauce to write a truly special book. He carries forward the great tradition of British adventure fiction developed by Buchan, MacLean, Bagley, Lyall and Higgins with great aplomb.
John Tyler, who’s under contract to a shadowy branch of British Intelligence (not much is explained about the branch, except that the guy he reports to is an asshole), is tasked with securing a high-value target from the village of Château des Aigles high up in the French Alps and bring him all the way to the UK. Although his name is not given, Tyler mentions (the novel is written in first person) target is one nasty piece of work – a neo-Nazi, a white supremacist, spreading misinformation and conspiracy theories.
To get to the UK, Tyler first drives all the way from the mountains to the port of La Rochelle, with the target bound and stuffed in the boot of his Audi RS4 estate. Once there, he boards the Tiburon, a rust-bucket of a ship crewed by a gang of scoundrels, and then makes way across the Atlantic and the English Channel to Devon, England while a storm rages.
Then the target, who Tyler has stowed in a compartment that can’t be opened without his knowledge, gets murdered. And the murderer is someone on the ship – either a member of the crew or one of the mercenaries Tyler has recruited for guard duty. To make matters even more interesting, the target’s minions, led by a sociopath named Branko, are hot on his trail.
The novel begins with a blistering car chase and doesn’t slow down for a second. Most of the chapters alternate between two settings – the village of Château des Aigles and the Tiburon. Like any good thriller writer, Marshall ends chapters with cliffhangers that force the reader to go through the next chapter and then the next. And like a great thriller writer – someone at MacLean’s level – he handles atmosphere exceptionally well.
The scenes set in the claustrophobic confines of the Tiburon made me feel I was in that dingy, dirty ship, navigating narrow corridors, twisting my body to get around the engine room and getting soaked to the bone while holding on to the superstructure so as not be blown overboard by the storm. The ship setting brought to my mind two of MacLean’s great works – HMS Ulysses, his very first novel in fact – and Ice Station Zebra.
The scenes set in the French Alps are also wonderful to read. Tyler and his team plan and surveil the target but keep running into obstacles. There’s a traitor in their midst, and there’s a connection between Tyler and these team-members as well as those he recruited for guard-duty on the Tiburon that somehow involves Tyler’s dead brother.
The novel is packed with brutal, no-holds-barred, no-quarters-asked-for-nor-given violence from the start to the finish. The car chase displays some impressive offensive driving techniques. Later in the novel, we get a fight to the death in the Tiburon’s engine room that reminded me of Calvert’s fight with Quinn in When Eight Bells Toll.
The novel ends in a cliffhanger, so hopefully there will be more in the series.
This review will remain incomplete unless I say something about Tyler’s Audi. It’s one hell of a car. Tyler puts it through that car chase and then places it on board the Tiburon, at the mercy of elements. In spite of all that, or perhaps because of all that, the car becomes a fully formed character. I felt sad about its final fate.
D.L. Marshall, a self-admitted fan of Alistair MacLean and Clive Cussler, has taken the essence of what made these two authors masters of adventure fiction and added his own secret sauce to write a truly special book. He carries forward the great tradition of British adventure fiction developed by Buchan, MacLean, Bagley, Lyall and Higgins with great aplomb.
July 26, 2023
Another good read, but unfortunately, not a patch on the first book. No sudden twists, really disappointed.
January 24, 2022
Following on from the acclaimed debut novel Anthrax Island, we find John Tyler in the thick of it again. in a classic locked room mystery. It is safe to assume that D L Marshall writes the kind of books I want to read, the action and pacing is relentless, on paper Tylers job is simple get someone back to England. there are those out to stop that happening.
The author has created a classic locked room murder mystery, not only is the book strong on action but the narrative matches, the plotting is ingenious and wonderfully constructed, the story flits back and forth between the Alps and the Atlantic. The books certainly grabs you from the get go and just doesn’t let go.
It is fair to say that the author puts Tyler through the wringer and the way the book is written you can feel and sense what he has to endure, the setting on the run down freighter is somewhat bleak but gives you a real sense of place, overall the writing gives you the feeling that you are there in the midst of it all
Packed with characters written in that way that gives you that sense of who they are
A book which combines all the classic ingredients of thriller writing, dripping is suspense the tension never lets up, keeps you continually guessing, the ending sublime
The book lends a nod to some of the classics which have gone before and to which you can add Black Run
Once you start reading you will find it hard to put down, as an exhilarating book as you can read.
The author is firmly cementing his place as on of todays foremost writers of the locked room thriller
The author has created a classic locked room murder mystery, not only is the book strong on action but the narrative matches, the plotting is ingenious and wonderfully constructed, the story flits back and forth between the Alps and the Atlantic. The books certainly grabs you from the get go and just doesn’t let go.
It is fair to say that the author puts Tyler through the wringer and the way the book is written you can feel and sense what he has to endure, the setting on the run down freighter is somewhat bleak but gives you a real sense of place, overall the writing gives you the feeling that you are there in the midst of it all
Packed with characters written in that way that gives you that sense of who they are
A book which combines all the classic ingredients of thriller writing, dripping is suspense the tension never lets up, keeps you continually guessing, the ending sublime
The book lends a nod to some of the classics which have gone before and to which you can add Black Run
Once you start reading you will find it hard to put down, as an exhilarating book as you can read.
The author is firmly cementing his place as on of todays foremost writers of the locked room thriller
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews