‘Sometimes you have to enter the death zone to save the innocent.’
A top-secret clique of former spies meet for dinner to hatch a plan to murder a competitor, not knowing that they are under surveillance from a covert arm of British Intelligence. Hours later, with bodies strewn across a terrace, a piece of secret intelligence reveals an international plot of colossal magnitude.
For disgraced agent Sean Richardson, this is the beginning of a deniable mission to infiltrate and disrupt a group of Russian mercenaries who are working clandestinely to take over a nation state.
Acting covertly as an illicit arms trafficker, Sean is dropped into a deadly cauldron of terrorism and high-tech weaponry that will take a nation down. As the bullets fly and the chaos rains in, can Sean take down the merchants of death…or has he finally met his match?
The third in a set of spy thrillers that have been expertly crafted with stunning plot lines, magnificent locations, and twists that leave you gasping for air. Perfect for fans of Frederick Forsyth, Robert Ludlum, Tom Clancy, and Scott Mariani.
It's such a pleasure to be hosting the blog tour for The Moscow Whisper today. Many thanks to Michael Jenkins and Emma Welton from damppebbles blog tours for inviting me and for my advance digital copy of the novel.
The Moscow Whisper is the third outing for Michael Jenkins’ dogged protagonist, Sean Richardson but it can be read as a standalone (although I'd recommend reading both previous books which are excellent thrillers). It's not unusual to see novels described as twisty but The Moscow Whisper takes that to a whole new level and by the end of the story I wasn't even sure if my head was still facing the same way!
There are so many layers to this book that it's hard to know where to begin. For Sean, it's another opportunity to try to find some meaning to his life, tormented as he is by a past which wrongly led to him becoming a disgraced former agent. Hard-drinking, capricious and with decades of brutal memories locked away in the drawers in his mind, Sean is a complex, fascinating character. Although this series is always tense and exciting, Michael Jenkins never ignores the psychological toll which comes from living a covert lifestyle. It's particularly hard for Sean because he and his crew are now mercenaries and rather than being awarded medals for bravery, he understands they are deniable assets. It's a highly dangerous job and this is a tense read where death never seems far away - indeed there are some shocking losses during the course of the book.
The unsettling nature of this thriller doesn’t just come from the action scenes, however and we are also presented with the uncompromising reality of global politics and intelligence here too. In recent years Russia’s involvement in the affairs of other countries has been laid bare but the true extent of how the big players on the international stage - Russia, the USA, China and to a lesser extent, the UK is brought into sharp focus here. Following the ongoing, bloody wars in the Middle East, it’s now Africa and particularly the Sahel region which has come to the attention of the world’s superpowers. With Islamic extremist groups looking to establish a new Caliphate, countries like Mali and Niger are on a knife-edge and have become pawns in a much bigger game.
Sean’s boss, the enigmatic Jack believes now is the time to put his intricate, risky scheme into place but when his plans are compromised, he suspects a mole has infiltrated the seemingly ultra clandestine group he controls within MI5.
With its richly described locations, The Moscow Whisper has an abundance of fiendish plotting and counter-plotting, glamorous deadly women bearing bitter grudges and some nail-biting, visceral scenes which again emphasise why Sean has become such a troubled figure.
Michael Jenkins’ own experiences means this series fizzes with a vivid - and often alarming - authenticity. The Moscow Whisper is another superb international thriller and arguably even better than The Failsafe Query and The Kompromat Kill. Intense, compelling and unpredictable; I thoroughly recommend it.
Don't miss the rest of the blog tour, details are below.
About the Author
I started climbing at 13, survived being lost in Snowdonia at 14, nearly drowned at 15, and then joined the Army at 16. Risk and adventure was built into my DNA and I feel very fortunate to have served the majority of my working career as an intelligence officer within Defence Intelligence, and as an explosive ordnance disposal officer and military surveyor within the Corps of Royal Engineers.
I was privileged to serve for twenty-eight years in the British Army as a soldier and officer, rising through the ranks to complete my service as a major. I served across the globe on numerous military operations as well as extensive travel and adventure on many major mountaineering and exploration expeditions that I led or was involved in.
I was awarded the Geographic Medal by the Royal Geographical Society for mountain exploration in 2003 and served on the screening committee of the Mount Everest Foundation charity for many years. It was humbling after so many years of service when I was awarded the MBE for services to counter-terrorism in 2007.
Amazing review, thanks so much x
ReplyDeleteThanks for an awesome review, and so glad you enjoyed it!
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