The deaths of a series of academics and infrastructure specialists point to the possibility of a domestic terrorism event likely to displace millions of people and put a strain on the infrastructure of America. Ben Koenig is recruited to track down the people involved.
M. W. Craven introduced readers to his new anti-hero, Ben Koenig, in 2023 with Fearless. Despite the author already having a long-running, and highly successful, police procedural series, it is brilliant to see a quick return for Koenig in Nobody's Hero.
Koenig was a US Marshall when it was discovered he had a genetic disorder that means he's immune to fear. His bosses used this to their advantage, having him train with some of the most specialised military units around the world. When he ended up killing the son of a Russian mafia boss a $5 million bounty was placed on him and he had to disappear. Koenig has been on the run for seven years, his only contact with his old life is a once-a-month email to Jen Draper, ex-CIA and now the head of a private security firm.
Right from the dramatic opening, you know you are in for a roller coaster ride as Koenig is drawn back into the job he thought he'd escaped from. Alongside the ingenious techniques Koenig uses to extricate himself from seemingly impossible situations are some gruesome descriptions. As each incident became more and more precarious I was on the edge of my seat wondering how things could be redeemed.
The relationship between Keonig and Draper is a hate-hate one and brings about some hilariously sarcastic retorts. I think the dark humour embedded within the story is one of its strengths. The villains are at the upper end of the evil scale, one of which is a serial killer who has "killed more people than Jack Reacher".
The conclusion is a race against time and impossible odds. It really does look like there are no viable options that will save the day. There are some grisly details that will make your stomach flip. There is a satisfying aftermath to events, giving the reader details that tease you about possible directions the story could go in the future.
Author Details
Multi-award-winning author M.W. Craven was born in Carlisle but grew up in Newcastle. He joined the army at sixteen, leaving ten years later to complete a social work degree. Seventeen years after taking up a probation officer role in Cumbria, at the rank of assistant chief officer, he became a full-time author. He is an instant Sunday Times bestseller and, for his Cumbria-set Washington Poe series, a recipient of the 2019 Crime Writers’ Association Gold Dagger, the 2022 Ian Fleming Steel Dagger and the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2023. The series has now been translated into twenty-seven languages
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