Deep Black [Audiobook] [Audio Cassette]

Andy McNab (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 4, 2004

Nick Stone's future has never looked as bleak. The only person he's ever loved is dead. The only people who might give him a reason not to join her have turned their backs. Until a chance encounter with a man he saved ten years ago appears to throw him a lifeline...But on the bullet- and bomb -scarred streets of Baghdad, second chances are in short supply. A simple quest becomes a journey to the heart of a chilling conspiracy; too late, he realizes that he is being used as bait - to lure into the open a man he believes can offer some salvation, but whom the darker forces of the West will stop at nothing to destroy...From its violent and shocking opening in the Muslim enclaves of Bosnia, through vivid, lightning-paced action in war-torn Iraq, this unforgettable story proves Andy McNab yet again to be the master of the modern thriller, a writer at the very top of his game.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“McNab’s great asset is that the heart of his fiction is non-fiction: other thriller writers do their research, but he has actually been there.”
—Sunday Times --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Andy McNab joined the infantry as a boy soldier. In 1984 he was 'badged' as a member of 22 SAS Regiment and was involved in both covert and overt special operations worldwide. During the Gulf War he commanded Bravo Two Zero, a patrol that, in the words of his commanding officer, 'will remain in regimental history for ever'. Awarded both the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) and Military Medal (MM) during his military career, McNab was the British Army's most highly decorated serving soldier when he finally left the SAS in February 1993. He wrote about his experiences in two phenomenal bestsellers, Bravo Two Zero, which was filmed in 1998 starring Sean Bean, and Immediate Action. He is the author of the bestselling novels, Remote Control, Crisis Four, Firewall, Last Light and Liberation Day. Besides his writing work, he lectures to security and intelligence agencies in both the USA and UK.

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Random House Audio (November 4, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1856865770
• ISBN-13: 978-1856865777
• Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 4.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,662,650 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Average read.... needs too much page skipping, November 28, 2005

By 

Rory Morty "Rory Morty" (Giessen, Germany) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Deep Black (Paperback)

In deep black, we accompany Nick Stone on another one of his adventures. After some preamble that described one of Stone's earlier missions into Bosnia that went wrong, we open in the present, with a highly depressed Stone, talking to a shrink, lamenting the loss of somebody close to him, although it is not immediately apparent who that may be. Stone is then rather implausibly coerced into accompanying a friend of his, Jeral, ostensibly on a journalist mission into Bagdhad, to meet the elusive Bosnian revolutionary Nuhanovic. And so the story kicks off, taking us both to Bagdhad and Sarajevo. Further details would spoil the plot for prospective readers.

I fault this story because it is told entirely through the eyes of one man: Nick Stone. As a writing technique, this style certainly has its place. But not in this story, which quickly became very one-sided and very boring because of the limited perspective. I felt like I had blinkers on, and Nick Stone is certainly not too introspective. In fact, he doesn't seem to weigh up anybody else's opinions except his own, which end up making him seem like a dim-witted thug. Jeral, Nuhanovic.... they all must have had their own thoughts and actions, which would have contributed considerably to the overall picture.

There is certainly some intrigue and manipulation worked into the story: essentially the US government manipulating Nick Stone into doing their dirty work for them. But he figures it all out, and then does the job anyway. I can't imagine somebody really responding like that. The book also moves at an odd pace. Sometimes the interesting bits get condensed into a paragraph, while at other times, a boring trek up a hill in the dark can be expanded into chapters. Hence, I found myself skipping quite a few pages.

There are also some slightly irritating errors. McNab (not his real name) refers to terrorists flying "a 747 into a building". But no Boeing 747 has ever been flown into a building. Since McNab claims in the author notes of his books that he "lectures to security and intelligence agencies in the USA and the UK", one would think that he would be better informed? Perhaps not?

Overall, I would probably recommend something else. Two-and-a-half stars from me.