09/29/2014
Dunn's exciting fourth Spycatcher novel (after 2013's Slingshot) finds Will Cochrane, the extraordinary agent who serves both the CIA and MI6, in the Norwegian Arctic, where his job is to protect Ellie Hallowes, the "CIA's best deep-cover officer," and her Russian informant, code name Herald. When armed intruders interrupt the meeting between Ellie and Herald at a log cabin, Cochrane, who's on guard nearby, receives orders from his superiors via remote phone not to interfere, even though he can see one of the armed men is about to shoot Ellie. By electing to try to save Ellie's life, he threatens a secret operation known as Project Ferryman, and his only choices are to flee or to face his handlers. Cochrane's few allies are almost helpless as he treks back from Norway to Washington, D.C., against incredible odds and obstacles. The powerful men behind Project Ferryman pull out all the stops to get Cochrane, as does the wily Russian SVR officer known as Antaeus. Great action sequences and a clever if complicated plot make this a satisfying read. Agent: Luigi Bonomi, Luigi Bonomi Associates (U.K.). (Oct.)
Another deep and intense thriller that feels authentic in terms of how it conveys the spy world… Dunn has crafted another winner in this fine series. The world of spy fiction has a writer who deserves comparison to Ludlum and Fleming.” — Booklist
“Just when you think you have this maze of double-dealing figured out-surprise, it isn’t what you think. All the elements of a classic espionage story are here. The novel moves with relentless momentum, scattering bodies in its wake.” — Kirkus Reviews
Praise for Matthew Dunn: “Great talent, great imagination, and real been-there done-that authenticity make this one of the year’s best thriller debuts. Highly recommended.” — Lee Child on Spycatcher
“Dunn’s exciting fourth Spycatcher novel finds Will Cochrane . . . in the Norwegian Arctic. . . . Cochrane’s few allies are almost helpless as he treks back from Norway to Washington, D.C. . . . Great action sequences and a clever if complicated plot make this a satisfying read.” — Publishers Weekly
“There are many unforeseen twists in the tale and we are as surprised as Cochrane to discover who is really behind the acts of sabotage and treason. . . . An exciting read that is solidly grounded in the real world.” — ReviewingTheEvidence.com
“In this supremely suspenseful story of spy versus spy, Matthew Dunn serves up a hero who can beat them all - the indomitable William Cochrane. . . . The golden age of the spy novel is not over, not with the master (Matthew Dunn) and his top notch agent.” — Iron Mountain Daily News
“Features MI6/CIA task force operative Will Cochrane, who lacks James Bond’s gadgets but relies on encyclopedic knowledge, physical prowess, and an off-the-charts degree of self-sufficiency that even Jack Reacher would envy… The author’s prose is lean and compelling, and the pace is frantic.” — Publishers Weekly on Dark Spies
“A superb and exciting spy thriller that is solid with verisimilitude and precision throughout. . . . Dark Spies is one of the finest modern spy thrillers I’ve ever read. Don’t let this one get away from you.” — OverMyDeadBody.com
Praise for Matthew Dunn: “Great talent, great imagination, and real been-there done-that authenticity make this one of the year’s best thriller debuts. Highly recommended.
There are many unforeseen twists in the tale and we are as surprised as Cochrane to discover who is really behind the acts of sabotage and treason. . . . An exciting read that is solidly grounded in the real world.
In this supremely suspenseful story of spy versus spy, Matthew Dunn serves up a hero who can beat them all - the indomitable William Cochrane. . . . The golden age of the spy novel is not over, not with the master (Matthew Dunn) and his top notch agent.
A superb and exciting spy thriller that is solid with verisimilitude and precision throughout. . . . Dark Spies is one of the finest modern spy thrillers I’ve ever read. Don’t let this one get away from you.
Another deep and intense thriller that feels authentic in terms of how it conveys the spy world… Dunn has crafted another winner in this fine series. The world of spy fiction has a writer who deserves comparison to Ludlum and Fleming.
Another deep and intense thriller that feels authentic in terms of how it conveys the spy world… Dunn has crafted another winner in this fine series. The world of spy fiction has a writer who deserves comparison to Ludlum and Fleming.
With a variety of accents, narrator Rich Orlow successfully animates the exciting adventures of master spy Will Cochrane. Orlow's Cochrane is a man's man, with a full-bodied British accent and more than a hint of menace. Cochrane will need all his skills in this case as he gets tangled up in the top-secret Project Ferryman after he ignores orders and saves the life of a CIA agent. The versatile Orlow successfully embodies other characters as well, smoothly shifting between a disenchanted agency wife, Will's crotchety upstairs neighbor, and the many macho men and women of international law enforcement. He skillfully keeps characterization running just ahead of narrative momentum, no mean feat in this fast-paced story. D.E.M. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine
2014-10-08
The Russians are the bad guys once again in this spy-vs.-spy thriller.Dunn comes with a pedigree of three previous Spycatcher novels (Slingshot, 2013, etc.) and a career in the British intelligence service MI6, and this new book exploits both experiences. Will Cochrane, perhaps the most caring, sensitive spy ever written, is on sniper duty in Norway, loathing this particular assignment as beneath his training and capabilities. But as things go wrong and Ellie Hallowes, the spook he's covering, is attacked by a gang of Russian thugs, he ignores orders to abort the mission, killing the Russian crew to save Ellie's life and triggering an international CIA manhunt for him. Why he did it, of course, is the tale. It's a chess game of egos: CIA, MI6, FBI, Russian SVR across Norway, Greenland, Canada and Washington D.C. Antaeus, the Russian spymaster, is pulling strings on a wide net of killers and traitors. He wants revenge against Will, who planted the car bomb that killed his family and disfigured him, but his motive is pure Cold War déjà vu—"to cause a major catastrophe and derail the United States." As Will runs, he uncovers "Operation Ferryman," a labyrinth of moles and counterspies set by the CIA to use Russian intelligence to assassinate Cobalt, a financier who's funded much of the world's terrorist activities, and the final trail leads to a Russian mole within the CIA itself. Just when you think you have this maze of double-dealing figured out—surprise, it isn't what you think. All the elements of a classic espionage story are here. The novel moves with relentless momentum, scattering bodies in its wake.
