Customer Reviews

Crisis Four

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

First things first. I absolutely loved Remote Control. I scanned Amazon regularly to see when Andy McNab's next book was out and ordered it the day it appeared. I put down another book the minute Crisis Four showed up.

Now that I've read it, I'm a little disappointed. Don't get me wrong - it's not bad. It just pales in comparison to Remote Control.

Oh, sure, most of the action will knock you out of your chair (two insanely great scenes - clearing the lake house and the pursuit through the woods). The tradecraft has an authentic feel to it. The characters are a bit less flat than Remote Control.

So why the disappointment? The components are all there, but they don't add up to a very exciting whole. McNab is an entertaining writer, once he gets going. It's just that the basic premise of this story is not all that compelling.

In addition, the characters, while a little bit less flat than Remote Control's, are also less interesting. Sarah is not very sympathetic. Lynn and Elizabeth are barely there. Josh is just a sap. Compare these characters to Slack Pat and Euan - there might not have been much detail to them, but they were memorable.

So, bottom line: Crisis Four is pretty good. It's not as good as Remote Control. Even still, I look forward to the next adventure of Nick Stone.

Just finished the brilliant Crisis Four - can anyone help me with this - it's writen so convincingly, every detail seems real - it makes me wonder, did this, or something like this, really happen to Andy McNab?

Welcome to the gloomy side of special operations. A world of detailed tradecraft, freezing rain and icy mud, cheap motels, and junk food. If you thought spec ops was glamorous, why it's time you met Andy McNab, working class operator.

McNab's novels are the mirror opposite of Marcinko's or Clancy's. No sass, no high level meetings with world leaders, no tech whizbang. McNab is the Johnny Paycheck of spec ops, all working-class fieldcraft, full of grit and authentic-sounding detail.

Kept in the dark by his superiors, surrounded by sell-outs, and a few thin paychecks away from trouble, McNab's hired gun character can rely only upon his disciplined SAS tradecraft to stay alive and in the game.

As dark as all this sounds, there is much to learn from McNab's hero, Nick Stone.

The man's sanity is rooted in his ability to get on with things, no matter what. His training, his practical skills, and his courage enable him to get past even the most extreme adversities, without despairing or getting sentimental. He does get banged up but he stays focused on the mission.

Also, McNab's novels are refreshingly devoid of Rambo heroism, but long on authentic-sounding teachings -- from outdoor survival tricks to emergency first aid, it's all here in minute and gory detail. If only McNab's plots were on a par with his tactical knowhow ...

Well, Andy Mcnab is back in his second novel. I recently picked up a copy of Crisis Four and read it in a matter of days. The action is fast paced and the character of Nick Stone is very real and believable. Also back from Remote Control is Stone's "daughter" Kelly. One of the most unexpected attributes of McNab as an author is the believability of the relationship between Kelly and Nick Stone. Kelly comes across as a child and Nick Stone as an inexperienced father figure. Most people read these novels for the gritty action but the father/daughter relationship is surprisingly genuine. I had expected this to be a weakness, in both this novel and Remote Control, but it is surprisingly a strength.

The actual action in the novel has the gritty feel that one would expect from a former soldier. Nick Stone always feels like a real person who experiences fear and apprehension as you would expect a person to experience them. This is not the John Wayne hero who charges into the fray with trumpets blaring. He is very candid in his motivation that he simply doesn't know how to do anything else. It is a soldier's pride is what allows Nick Stone to overcome the insurmountable.

However, there are some things that Nick does that are somewhat dubious. Without giving away too much of the plot, Nick's unarmed infiltration of a house did not seem particularly credible. Additionally, the female lead, Sarah, is not particularly sympathetic. McNab tries to convince the reader that Nick has strong feelings for Sarah but this just doesn't ring true. Sarah does not seem like a particularly compelling character and even McNab's attempt to soften her personality at the end of the story is somewhat trite. More background on the Nick/Sarah relationship would've helped.

There is also little in the way of plot resolution. While the primary plot involving Sarah is somewhat resolved, the motivation for Stone to undertake the mission and many of Stone's relations with other characters are left hanging. Perhaps McNab plans to resolve some of these threads in future novels but the lack of finality left me unsatisfied. Even the main plot, while resolved, has some threads that are never answered or even addressed. Overall, I'd say this is an enjoyable read. However, it's the type of novel you read at the beach, not something that you'll want to think about too much. The more you think about this one, the less satisfying it becomes.

Possibly the best book ever in its genre!! For totally raw, in your face, absorbing, thriller action this book is a must. I could not put it down, and read it front to back in just under six hours. Non-stop brilliance and action, with a twist that you would never expect. Enjoy!

If you are ex-military, as I am, you'll recognize Andy McNab at once, as the real thing.
Each of McNab's "Nick Stone stories," is like taking a how-to course in performing the tasks of a special intelligence agent, as told my an old pro.

In Crisis Four Nick must find missing Agent Sarah Greenwood, who might just have become a liability and embarrassment. Why Nick? Well because he and Sarah had work together before and had somewhere long the way become intimate so, Nick might be able to get into her head. Nick is also not a regular agent, but a former SAS Soldier, hired as a contractor, who can be used to perform work the Agency desperately needs to be done, but must deny any complicity.

Andy McNab takes the reader along with Nick, carefully explaining step by step how a professional works, and more than that, the kind of determination that it takes to be one. This is a high-tension thriller that will have you not only sweating and shivering with Nick, but satisfied that you've glimpsed his esoteric craft.

As with such a drink, reading this book has two effects. First, with few exceptions, other "action" thrillers suddenly appear miserably inadequate in real secret agent knowledge and fieldcraft. Armchair novelists - even those who are gifted, work hard and do lots of research - just can't know how it's really done. McNab does, from his contemporary SAS training. Any of several episodes from this book will give you more true action than a whole set of novels by the many hack writers around. Reading the hero's approach to the guarded house, and his invasion of it, is an experience to be savored. You could pick up "Crisis Four" for this alone. More, Mr. McNab, please!

But while the pure stuff has a great effect, you badly miss the other elements of a really fine drink. McNab does a decent job of putting together a character, and placing him in a situation. But like so many authors, he can't handle his own plot. Events go increasingly overboard, and the characters and their actions become decreasingly believable, as he struggles to a conclusion. It finally degenerates into superhero antics.

Why do thriller writers seek ever more outrageous plots, with complexities they can't begin to handle? (And why do ex-SAS authors always have to include a gorgeous but deadly MI5 agent of uncertain loyalties?) It seems like paint-by-numbers after a while. Chris Ryan's "Greed" is a similar book, ruined by its ludicrous plot and development.

Having said all this... I will certainly grab the next McNab.

This book is great, McNab writes very detailled, so you found yourselve wondering if the events are real ore close to real.
it's like you'are being the main character, The tension is unbelieveble.
it's a real page turner, on every page you just can't sit still.
A book that's worth five stars and a must for every McNab fan.

This book is totally everything you ever wanted, good plot, action and a great tension.
I simply couldn't put it down, it was that good.
It was very well writen, very detailled, sometimes i wondered whether the events were real or not.
It's the best book i've ever read,
You won't be sorry if you buy it.

I have been a McNab fan since his very first book and have read every one several times over and McNab gets better with every book he writes

I have just finished Crisis Four for the second time and the story is his most gripping yet and the attention to detail is outstanding, so good in fact that it makes you wonder whether the events are real or close to real.
It's just great and thrilling.

I can't wait for the next Nick Stone instalment. Keep writing Andy! jou're doing a great job.