From Publishers Weekly
(Starred review) British scriptwriter Hinshelwood's superlative fiction debut takes familiar suspense elements—a hired killer, a CIA traitor, a gorgeous operative, Russian spies, and an espionage coup involving advanced weapon technology—and whips them into nonstop action that veers and twists from one ferocious gun battle, double cross, and betrayal to the next. In a Paris alley early one morning, hired assassin Victor performs a routine job, shooting 58-year-old Latvian national Andris Ozols, then relieving the body of a small flash drive. When Victor returns to his posh hotel on the Rue du Faubourg St. Honoré, he unexpectedly must fight a gang of other professional hit men. Further attempts on his life raise the question: who wants him dead and what's on the memory stick? The action shifts from Paris and various spots in Europe to CIA headquarters and the coast of Africa, the scene of a final cataclysmic clash. Thriller fans will be eager to see more from this bright new talent.
From Booklist
Hinshelwood's first novel—a classic hunter-becomes-the-hunted thriller—crackles like the early work of Robert Ludlum. Victor works as a paid assassin and never questions why he is asked to kill specific targets. After completing what appears to be a routine assignment—kill a man in Paris and retrieve a flash drive from the body—Victor returns to his hotel with the data in hand and finds a professional hit team waiting for him. Barely surviving the onslaught, he runs from city to city across wintry Europe, trying to determine who wants him dead and to find a way to read the encrypted data hidden on the drive. Such plots have been done to death in film and literature, but Hinshelwood brings an appealing and enigmatic main character into the mix, creating a refreshing and relentless story line that seems new. Fans of spy thrillers and books with heavy action will find this a worthwhile read. --Jeff Ayers
