6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Globetrotting spy thriller with lots of suprises, December 24, 2005
You're young and embarking on a career as a spy for Her Majesty's government. And then in a single instant your entire life falls into a rat hole. You run, cast off by your government. There is no place to go, no place to turn . . . except, maybe, what might be a myth: Contact Zero, a refuge for spies thrown away by their governments.
Thus begins the saga of Ben Sinclair, Jamie Gallagher, Nat Turner and Lucy Matthews, the four survivors of the last class of MI6. The other six of their class they learn have all been murdered. These are the survivors. They find each other and begin their hunt for the fabled sanctuary. But one of them carries a secret.
Back in London, K.B. and the Chief track the unfolding of Operation Greco which they secretly hope will put an end to their long held fears and hopefully all those who know the source of those fears.
In "Good News, Bad News", David Wolstencroft demonstrated a flair for wry humor, complex plots, fast action and absorbing characters. He doesn't quite match that standard in "Contact Zero," but the shortcomings can be measured in millimeters.
"Contact Zero" moves fast. The plot sometimes strains credulity, but never enough to be disturbing. A couple of the characters don't ring true, but again the deficiencies are swept along with the action.
The action is where it's at. The four survivors feel their way across murky clues, odd characters, close escapes and their own weaknesses. As the climax nears, the tension grows as we learn the real reasons for the murders of the fledgling spies and the true goal of Operation Greco.
Every page gives way to the next: it's difficult to stop turning them for mundane considerations like work and sleep.
"Contact Zero" is not a perfect thriller. Some of the jump-cuts are just a bit too much TV like. A few of the characters, as noted, are weak. But overall, Wolstencroft has turned in a second thriller quite nearly as enjoyable as his first and that's quite and accomplishment, as well as a treat for the reader.
Jerry
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Solid Spy Novel!, June 5, 2006
This book turned out to be nice surprise. Being a Robert Littell fan, the author has done a nice job of capturing the "spy" atmosphere that many cannot. This book is about several newly installed MI:5 field operatives who have attempts made on their lives. They flock together after the attempts and try to test the validity of the rumor of Contact Zero, a place of refuge for disassociated spies. As they follow the clandestine clues to potentially reach Contact Zero, their trust in the rumor and in each other begins to wane. Interesting book that for the most parts keeps a pretty quick tempo, not always an task for a spy novel.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
If you loved the tv show, you'll like this book, May 13, 2006
Drawing on the style shown with a great deal of tension and panache in his BBC series, Wolstencroft stuffs a lot of tradecraft, geography, and deception into a fast-paced story of young agents left out to dry. Set up by a cynical chief (K.B.), these "lilly whites" on the run have been turned out to help London find the Shangri-La for secret agents gone bad or supposedly dead. Just where do agents gone bad go to escape further scrutiny? K.B. has a plan to find out, even if it means killing ten innocent agents. The four focal lillies are young, very smart, well-educated, very British, oversexed, and a bit too full of themselves as they have to quickly convert from trying to save the world through their trade to saving their own skins throug their tradecraft. There's enough technology, local color, and double dealing to move the story along, although the numerous flashbacks at times hinders the fast pace.
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