Stephen England

Embrace the Fire is a terrifying spy thriller set in a present-day England that’s all too familiar, with right-wing thugs bashing anyone of foreign faith or color, and Muslim extremists perverting their scriptures into declarations of war. It’s a tinder-box, and a band of shadowy manipulators have found they hold the key. Meanwhile the haunted protagonist of Stephen England’s first two Shadow-Warriors novels brings his search for vengeance into the mix. Friends betray allies, colleagues betray strangers, and a fiery plot moves forward inexorably.

Blending the fierce authenticity of Tom Clancy with an honest and generous ability to see all sides, author Stephen England creates characters whose strengths and weakness become entirely plausible, and whose hopes for the future leave readers hoping they’ll survive. From a Muslim woman working in intelligence to a Christian man breaking the rules, from child to adult, these people all have genuine hurts and hopes and their stories certainly kept this reader turning pages, even through scenes of torture and death.

The author depicts the war against terror with a no-holds-barred authenticity, while simultaneously avoiding laying blame at anyone’s door. Embrace the Fire is a political novel that never tries to force a political message, a thought-provoking novel with authentic and sympathetic portrayals of faith, a spy story that combines guts and gore with genuine introspection, and a complex tale that convincingly rides those blurred lines between justice and law. It’s a long book, carefully researched, authentically detailed, and terrifyingly plausible—a great standalone tale, and number three in a series that just keeps getting better.

Disclosure: I was given a copy and I offer my honest review.… (mere)