By Jigounov & Mythic
Publisher: Cinebook
ISBN: 9781849180429
Alpha’s latest task is to take a small team to Amsterdam to help extract an ex-Stasi colonel and his family. When the Berlin wall fell the colonel pre-empted the following fallout by transferring sensitive data on shady dealings between western companies and East Germany onto a disc before deleting the source data and disappearing. This was his insurance policy and he now needs to cash it in to enable his family to live without the fear of pursuit. Although he’s offering it to the Americans to save their blushes in exchange for a new life there are plenty of other interested parties willing to do whatever it takes to get it.
By the time Alpha and his teammates arrive in Amsterdam they’re already on the back-foot, and it takes a bloody gunfight to get the family out of their hotel and bundled into cars. The chase is then on, and with flights out of the question Alpha’s team are forced to consider an Atlantic sea crossing. Alpha and the family get split from the other team members, and by the time they catch up he has already put a plan into action, although because there appears to be a constant leak of information finding its way to their enemies it’s not a plan he’s willing to share.
With The List we get a little more high-level corruption, a more authoritative Alpha, and another excellent thriller. The pace is a little quicker than the previous books, and it’s self-contained nature this time means it’s easier to keep track of the supporting characters and story threads. However, I don’t know if it’s because of the serious tone or if I’m just being impatient, but I’m hoping that Alpha will get the opportunity to show a little more personality, and individuality, in the upcoming volumes and not, instead, become just another generic spook.
There’s fabulous artwork throughout that sets you down smack-bang in the middle of the action thanks to the meticulous research and rendering of Jigounov, from the streets and buildings of Amsterdam through to the interior and exterior of the cruise ship. Not suitable for younger readers, but a book older readers should enjoy and appreciate.
And if you liked that: You should enjoy Largo Winch
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