Nobody's Agent

by Stuart Field

In the Small town of Finchley, upstate New York, three bodies are discovered in an old mine. Soon after, Sheriff Doug Harrison contacts the FBI for help. Ronin Nash is an ex-FBI special agent who wanted nothing more than to finish restoring the old family lake house. Now, Nash's old boss wants him back and on the Finchley case. Nash takes the job and travels to Finchley, expecting to solve the case quickly, but it turns out that things are not not as clear-cut as he thought. Someone in the small town has a secret, and they're willing to go to any lengths to protect it. A riveting crime thriller, Nobody's Agent is the first book in Stuart Field's Ronin Nash series.

394 pages, Paperback

Published May 11, 2022

Reviews

["Avonna]

Check out all my reviews at: https://www.avonnalovesgners.com

NOBODY’S AGENT (Ronin Nash Thrillers Book #1) by Stuart Field is an exciting and captivating start to a new thriller series featuring an unconventional ex-FBI agent. The main character and crime plot grabbed me from page one.

After a case ends badly, FBI agent Ronin Nash resigns and heads off to his family’s cabin on a lake in the woods, but after a year his former boss comes to ask him to return for one special case for the new IIB (Interagency Investigation Bureau). Reluctant, but with a mind that is always intrigued with mysteries, Ronin accepts.

Finchley is a small town in upstate New York. After the sheriff discovers three bodies in an old, abandoned mine, he notifies the FBI for their assistance. This is the case Ronin is to investigate. Hopefully, it will be one day there and then he can either dismiss it back to local law enforcement or discover reasons for the FBI to take the case. A local reporter is missing, and an unidentified dead body is discovered in the old clothing factory. Ronin is learning this small town is full of secrets that could end up getting him killed.

I loved Ronin. He is the type of main character I love to find in thrillers with his intelligence, unique personality, and style. He puts all the evidence together while others underestimate his abilities. The secondary characters were believable, and I especially enjoyed Ronin’s dad, Mac. The dialogue between the two made for some lighter moments. The plot moves at a fast pace throughout the story with many surprising twists along the way. Mr. Field has a writing style that allowed me to fall right into this story and not want to stop reading until the resolution. I am very glad this is a series, and I will be anxiously waiting for the next Ronin Nash thriller.

I highly recommend this new thriller!

[Natalie "Curling up with a Coffee and a Kindle" Laird]

LOVED this.
The introduction sucked me straight in. A few mysteries that mean a former FBI agent debates coming back into investigating cases? I LOVE that premise and this was what kept me hooked through the book.
Nash was a superb character. Funny, sharp, intelligent and oh so likeable. I'm hoping this becomes a long and exciting series with him leading the way.

[Dee Groocock]

When three bodies are found in an old mine in the small town of Finchley, the sheriff contacts the FBI for help.

Ex-FBI special agent Ronin Nash, is contacted by his old boss to help out a new unit that’s been set up.

Nash decides to take the case on but it becomes clear that not all is as it seems in this small town.

A great start to a new series. Interesting characters, I liked Ronin Nash but disliked the sheriff! A good storyline and I look forward to seeing what the author comes up with next.

My thanks to Zooloo’s Book Tours for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

[pawsreadrepeat]

In Nobody's Agent, we find ex-FBI special agent Ronin Nash wanting nothing more than to leave his old life behind and enjoy restoring his family’s lake house. Unfortunately, fate has other plans and duty calls when three bodies show up in an old mine. When sheriff Harrison contacts the FBI, Nash’s old boss wants him back and on the case. Nash accepts but quickly learns all is not what it seems.

This is an intriguing new series full of mystery and suspense. I was engaged from start to finish and adored Ronin’s character. Some of the others, not so much, but they are needed to build the suspense and move the story along. Stuart does a great job of bringing the characters to life, flaws, and all. I found myself staying up late because I could not put this book down.

I love this new series and am anxiously awaiting book number 2! I can’t wait to see how this series unfolds.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you Stuart Field and Zooloo's Book Tours. I'm excited to be a part of this tour.

[Lauren Flewett]

In the Small town of Finchley, upstate New York, three bodies are discovered in an old mine. Soon after, Sheriff Doug Harrison contacts the FBI for help.
 
Ronin Nash is an ex-FBI special agent who wanted nothing more than to finish restoring the old family lake house. Now, Nash's old boss wants him back and on the Finchley case.
 
Nash takes the job and travels to Finchley, expecting to solve the case quickly, but it turns out that things are not not as clear-cut as he thought. Someone in the small town has a secret, and they're willing to go to any lengths to protect it.

I was hooked pretty quickly by Nobody’s Agent and couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to keep uncovering the truth of Finchley.

The identity of the ‘cleaner’ didn’t come as a complete surprise as I had already began to suspect all was not right with that character.

Enjoy a good thriller/crime novel? I recommend adding this to your list!

[Jessica]

Nobody’s Agent by Stuart Field is not my first read by this author, so I was excited to jump into this story. I’m so glad I did. This is such a great plot line. I was totally engaged with the story from the beginning to the end.

I loved the characters. Ronin is such a great main character. Stuart Field is a great writer. His characters lead this story and really help the reader get invested. Characters are flawed and very lifelike, which is how I enjoy my books!

Another great read by Stuart Field. I am very excited about this series and eagerly waiting for the next book. I recommend giving this a read!

Thank you to Zooloo’s Book Tours for the free review copy and tour invite. All opinions are my own and unbiased.

[Alyson Read]

Ronin Nash quit the FBI a year ago after a boy died in a botched operation. It was no fault of his but he still feels the guilt. His former boss Nicholas Blake is now head of the IIB, the Interagency Investigation Bureau formed to pick up the jobs other departments don’t want and he manages to persuade Nash to come and work one more intriguing case for him. Three bodies have been found in a disused mine in the small town of Finchley in New York. A quiet place where the only excitement has been a nasty murder two years ago in an abandoned clothing factory. Sheriff Harrison is hoping the Feds will take over the case, especially as he now has missing journalist Sam Trent to locate. As Nash arrives to a very unenthusiastic welcome from both the Sherriff’s Office and townsfolk alike, he soon finds nobody wants to talk to him. As another gruesome discovery is made at the Mason factory, it is clear that Harrison is keeping him well out of the loop but is that the only thing the Sherriff is hiding? What should have been a one-day investigation for Nash explodes into a case of epic proportions involving arson, murder and a whole load of people who just aren’t what they seem. Will Nash ever get to the truth in a town where everyone is keeping secrets?
I’m not always a fan of stories set in the US but I really loved this one, clearly written by a UK author for UK readers (hence the use of milk not cream in coffee, bacon not ham with eggs for example) which I much prefer. Ronin is an incredibly likeable character, as is his father Mac who stole the show at times, and the relationship between the two of them is both brilliant and humorous. Well written, the pace and tension are kept up throughout the story and I am eager to read what happens next to Nash. 5*

[Priyanka (ReadwithBanner )]

Blurb: In the Small town of Finchley, upstate New York, three bodies are discovered in an old mine.
Soon after, Sheriff Doug Harrison contacts the FBI for help.
Ronin Nash is an ex-FBI special agent who wanted nothing more than to finish restoring the old
family lake house. Now, Nash's old boss wants him back and on the Finchley case.

Nash takes the job and travels to Finchley, expecting to solve the case quickly, but it turns out
that things are not not as clear-cut as he thought. Someone in the small town has a secret, and
they're willing to go to any lengths to protect it.

Review: Riveting suspense and crime thriller, author has weaved the story in a dramatic manner which makes the book unputdownable. There are layers in the characters and plot, while reading you feel like peeling them one by one.

For all the thriller enthusiast would recommend this one.

[Pauline Render]

This book starts off with a huge bang and from the chapter I was hooked, reading it in one sitting. Ronin Nash is one heck of an agent, with his unorthodox way at looking at things and his tenacity to get the job done no matter whose toes he treads on. After the initial introduction to him, the pace was quite relaxed as Stuart describes wonderfully how Ronin’s life is in the country. But once he agrees to do a job for his old boss, the tension and questions begin to ramp up. There’s plenty of action and at times I was left wondering exactly who were the good guys and who were the bad. But aside from fast pace, there’s also elements of humour and I loved the interaction between Ronin and his dad, Mac.
Nobody’s Agent kept me wondering and guessing right until the end, and although I said this is the first book I’ve read by Stuart I know it won’t be the last. Here’s hoping I don’t have to wait too long for the next in what promises to be a great series. But while I’m waiting I’ll be making a start on Stuart’s back catalogue.

[Donna Morfett]

This is the first of Stuarts books I've read, and wow what an intro to his writing. The very first chapter throws you in at the deep end and puts you in the centre of the action.
Robin Nash is an unorthodox agent, who disagrees with the way an op was handled and quits and moves away.
When the boss comes begging can Nash resist the call to get back in the game.
The action in this peaks and troughs as the reader is taken on a journey of Nashs new country life.

Once the action does ramp up, then that's it, you're on a rollercoaster ride. The characters are brilliantly written and it's not always clear who is good and who is bad, which I enjoy, especially in a book like this.

There are moments of humour between Nash and his dad which is fun. This book really has a bit of everything . I cannot wait for more books in this series if book 1 is anything to go by.

[Lynda]

The first in a new series by the author featuring Ronin Nash of the IIB (Interagency investigation bureau). Set in a small town in America called Finchley the British author certainly conveyed the setting to me as authentic, I’ll be interested to read a review from the USA. An interesting and original storyline with some good characters. I really liked Nash and can see that he is a good character to build a series around and hope it will include Sam. He’s a gem.

Briefly, Nash left the FBI after a child rescue went horribly wrong and is living in a remote cabin. His old boss and friend Nicholas Blake is heading up a new agency and persuades Nash to take on one last case. Three bodies were found in an abandoned mine and he just needs to see if there is anything suspicious about the deaths, at which point the FBI would take over. Sam Trent a local reporter is investigating the deaths for a true crime novel when he goes missing. Can Nash and his police partner Jordan find out what is going on in Finchley?

This was quite a quick easy read. I would have liked a bit more explanation about some of the plot as I felt I had unanswered questions but it was an enjoyable read and definitely want to read book two. A good detective thriller. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Veronika Jordan]

Ex-FBI special agent Ronin Nash is happy in his new life restoring his family’s lake house. But when his old boss turns up and asks him to help with a case, he is definitely not keen. Intrigued – yes – keen – no. What the hell, intrigue wins and soon he’s on his way to New York to join the team of the newly formed IIB. He just hopes he still has the knack of solving crimes in his own inimitable way.

Cracking good stuff this, with a hero who is a bit 007 crossed with maverick cop Harry Callahan. I love that Nash wears a suit top half with jeans and boots. And a hat. I can just imagine that hat.

So now our intrepid hero is on his way to the small town of Finchley in upstate New York, where everything and everyone seems a bit too perfect. Especially for a town where a grisly murder took place in the old Mason factory and three bodies have been discovered in a disused mine. So why are the FBI involved in a case of supposedly three homeless people who crept into a mine and died of exposure? Because maybe that’s not what happened.

But nothing is as it seems in Finchley. Nash being there makes everyone nervous, in fact police officer Jordan Fox has been tasked with ‘babysitting’ him.

What’s even stranger is that self-made millionaire Robert Somersby and former resident of Finchley is ploughing money into a town that is dying on its feet. So what’s going on? Nash is trying to find out but everyone seems to be against him. Apart from his dad Mac, who has managed to get involved.

It’s a brilliant, fast-paced read which is going to become what I’m sure will be a great series.

Many thanks to @zooloo2008 for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

[Laura]

I absolutely love this book cover, it looks so ominous!

Nobody’s agent is the first book in the Ronin Nash series, I hadn’t read anything by this author before so I was excited to check this out!

Our main character is Ronin Nash who is an ex FBI special agent. We learn that he left the FBI because of an incident that occurred a year previously. After leaving, Ronin had been keeping himself occupied by rebuilding the family's Lakehouse, that is until an old colleague called Nicholas Blake showed up at his door with an offer of a job.

It becomes clear that Blake is quite desperate, his new agency has to make a name for itself for obvious reasons and he firmly believes that Nash is the right man for the job, plus there is a high profile case that Nash is needed on.

The main story gets started pretty quickly and moves along at a good pace. The plot has all of the ingredients for a great crime thriller and the characters are mostly interesting and vibrant.

A solid 4 star read.

🌟🌟🌟🌟

I would like to say a massive thank you to Zooloos Book Tours (@ZooloosBT) for gifting me a free review copy of this book! Views and opinions are my own and have not been influenced by anyone.

[Stephanie]

Straight away I was intrigued by the lead character. The story unfolds well and the writing is paced in just the right way to make this an exciting and enjoyable read.

I'm looking forward to seeing more of Ronin Nash in the future. I enjoyed reading this and I think if you are a fan of thrillers and crime fiction then you'll enjoy this one too.

[David Prestidge]

Central character Ronin Nash is a Scot who found himself in America, did a spell in the armed forces, and then worked as an FBI agent. When he is sidelined as a scapegoat in a kidnap case which went tragically wrong, he retreats to a lakeside log cabin hideaway, but is recruited by his former boss to join a new outfit, the Inter-agency Investigation Bureau. He is sent to the small town of Finchley in upstate New York to find out the investigate the discovery of three dead bodies in an abandoned mine just outside the town.

I did wonder about the wisdom of a British writer setting a novel in America. Of course, James Dover Grant (aka Lee Child) made a pretty good job of it, as did John Connolly (although he’s Irish, of course) with his Charlie Parker books. Stuart Field does pretty well at creating an authentic small town America backdrop, to be fair, and the only distractions were some odd typos which should have been spotted by the editor.

The ‘small town, big secrets’ trope has been a staple of crime fiction and movies for a long time, perhaps never better than in Bad Day at Black Rock, the superb 1955 film based on the short story “Bad Time at Honda” by Howard Breslin, but how does Nobody’s Agent match up? Very creditably, in my view. Stuart Field handles the stock characters – the town gossip, the flawed Sheriff, the maverick investigator and the suspicious townsfolk – with flair and confidence.

We learn pretty quickly that something is not quite right in Finchley, but Nash spots this, and realises he is being played. He is smart enough to let the players assume he is ignorant of what is going on and the only question in his mind is just how many of the Sheriff’s Department – and other significant townsfolk – are in on the secret.

Stuart Field is a British Army veteran who now works in security after serving twenty-two years in the British Army. As well as working full time he writes in his spare time. Stuart was born and raised in the West Midlands in the UK. His love for travel has been an inspiration in some of his work with his John Steel and Ronin Nash thriller series. As well as future John Steel novels, Stuart is working on a new series and standalone novels. Nobody’s Agent is published by Next Chapter, and is available now.

[Deb]

I love discovering a new author & a new series too. Let me introduce you to Ronin Nash of the Interagency Investigation Bureau (IIB) & ex-FBI. A brilliant character & someone I already feel invested in.

Ronin is called in by his former boss to help investigate some disturbing discoveries in Finchley, a small town in upstate New York. Three bodies have been found in an abandoned mine. A local reporter disappears & another body is discovered in an old clothing factory. Ronin thought this was going to be a quick win, how wrong he was. Small town secrets can be deadly.

I loved Ronin. Not your run of the mill detective & he certainly does not follow the often used personally messed up thread. The writing is pacy with humour added in just the right amount. If you haven’t read this author before, start here, you’re in for a treat.

[Sue Wallace]

Nobody's agent by Stuart Field.
Ronin Nash thrillers book 1.
3 bodies are found in a mine in finchley. Ronin Nash is called in to help. But all is not what it seems?.
A brilliant read. What an opening. Love Nash he was my favourite. I'm looking forward to the next book. 5*.