Recoil (Mass Market Paperback)

by Andy McNab (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
“McNab’s great asset is that the heart of his fiction is not fiction: other thriller writers do their research, but he has actually been there.”
—Sunday Times

“A terrific, first rate thriller by the man who was once the British Army’s most highly decorated soldier.”
—Daily Mail

“McNab is a terrific novelist. When it comes to thrills, he’s Forsyth class.”
—Mail on Sunday

“Addictive.… Packed with wild action and revealing tradecraft.”
—Daily Telegraph

Product Description
Recuperating in Switzerland after a job that cost the life of one of his closest friends, ex-special forces soldier and deniable operator Nick Stone has only one thing on his mind: the girl who left his bed this morning without saying goodbye. And when she fails to reappear, Nick knows the honeymoon is over before it has even begun.

Her trail leads him to Africa, and the deep end of a very dirty Congo war — where it isn’t long before the past comes knocking at his door, and Stone finds himself catapulted once more into the dark and brutal world he’d tried to leave behind.

As one bloody twist leads to another, his apparently simple quest becomes a journey to the heart of a chilling conspiracy, to which he and his beautiful quarry unwittingly hold the key…

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: Corgi; 1st Printing edition (July 3, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 055215377X
• ISBN-13: 978-0552153775
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #443,709 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Predictible but fast pace keeps you hooked :o), May 10, 2007

By	Lulu (Amman, Jordan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Recoil (Paperback)

The in depth detail of artillery weapons deployment and technical prowess is the least appealing aspect of an otherwise fascinating & often poignantly heart-wrenching insight into the rape of Zairian children's very childhood & souls.

The characters were very well-developed and the appeal of Sam & Crucial is palpable. Silke - the romantic link - however was for me very one-dimensional despite the fact that the whole goal was her "rescue".

There are many graphic & gory details that are certainly not for the faint-hearted yet really serve as proof of the realism that can only be achieved by an author who is sharing true experience.

Overall - & given that I am writing this from a female perspective - this is a very informative thriller which will not disappoint.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Blood and guts,, October 25, 2007

By	G. J. Weeks (London) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The only McNab I had read before this was his first biographical book which I enjoyed as the story of a very brave if not an attractive man. Stone, Mcnab's hero has his unattractive side too but beneath the tough soldier's exterior it seems there is a soft heart too. I think what you get with McNab is very much a reflection of the author himself. You sense he has used all these weapons.he is an expert in the field not in mere theory. he is not though an expert in personal relationships, except for soldier to soldier.

It is a gripping read set in the darkest heart of Africa. It is one long battle to survive against the odds and not many do. There is much blood and more use of the f word than I like to read but I guess that is the language of the ex-S.A.S. and their ilk. A happy if unrealistic ending. The romantic comes out in the author in the end.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Maybe it's time for Nick to retire to a small cottage in Cumbria, June 3, 2008

By	H. S. Wedekind "Mr. Weekend" (Pennsylvania, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

RECOIL, the latest of 9 or so books about the adventures of ex-SAS soldier Nick Stone against bad guys around the world is, I think, one of the weakest. Maybe I'm just getting tired of the same-old-same-old formula that McNab has been using to move Nick from one tight situation to the next from book to book. This time Nick leaves the comfort of Switzerland to fly to Africa following the trail of his girlfriend, Silky, who up and left him for who knows what reason. He eventually learns that she is in The Democratic Republic of the Congo. Why did she go?

I wasn't interested in Nick's efforts to locate her, primarily because Silky wasn't really a well-developed character and not at all likeable. Why would he bother in the first place? The usual stumbling blocks and shady characters are thrown in the way of his quest to find her and win her back. As Nick says, "I didn't have a home, not even a camper van or a tent. I had nothing in the world except a cheap ring and a beautiful German girl, and maybe I didn't even have her any more." Is this the stuff true love is made of? Does he really love her? I never got the feeling that he did. She certainly didn't seem to love him if she left for no reason and didn't even bother to leave a "Dear Nick" note.

The earlier books in the series (REMOTE CONTROL, CRISIS FOUR, and FIREWALL) were better written and held my attention. I genuinely liked the early Nick Stone and his relationship with the young girl Kelly whom he took under his wing after her family was murdered. There was the need for Nick and Kelly to get away from the evil guys who wanted to kill the people we cared about that's missing from this and the later novels. Too, there didn't seem to be the tiresome in-depth description of all the weapons used. McNab generally fills his books with technical jargon that gets in the way of the story, I think.

Some of McNab's fans will be less than pleased with this review, I know. It seems that people like to read glowing reviews and then rate them favorably. When a reviewer writes something other than what they expect, they give it a "thumbs down" and may even add a comment about how the reviewer probably "didn't even bother to read the book." Well, I did read the whole book (all 447 pages) and was not impressed. That's why I gave it a 3 star (C grade) rating. I'll stick with well-written thrillers by British novelist Stephen Leather from now on and skip Andy McNab, thank you.