Super stuff—think Bond, James Bond. Russians, chemical warfare, egos the size of a large country, psychotic maniacs, and a CIA agent who gives as good as he gets (and then some) are just part of what makes this a great thriller.

Ridley Fox is the CIA agent—raw and vengeful after the murder of his fiancée by an outfit which has managed to get hold of a powerful and devastating microbe—who finds himself in a race to get hold of it before it gets into the hands of crazed and delusional madmen/women. No one is who they appear to be, and those most obsessed to gain possession of the deadly microbe are intent to either gain financially or powerfully—or both. The chase takes Ridley from Russia to Tokyo, where he finally meets up with a former female colleague, Nita Parris. Despite her rancour at being stood up by him a few years previously (with very disturbing consequences), together they do their best to prevent power-crazed individuals from wiping out the human race.

Brooks is a good storyteller. This is the second book I’ve read by him—I enjoyed Chill Run very much. He sets it well, he tells it well—his action scenes translate into brilliant imagery. In fact the whole book played as a movie in my mind. It focussed on action and the thrill in ‘thriller’, and I was glad it didn’t concentrate too much on the obviously electric attraction between Ridley and Parris. What wasn’t said spoke volumes.

I’m certainly a fan and look forward to this author's next novel.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in order to review it. ( )

Lest you think that this book is completely out of the ordinary for me to review, let me tell you a secret. I used to read thriller books ravenously. When I was younger they made up about 60% of our home library, so of course I read whatever I could get my hands on. I learned a lot about CIA operatives, bio weapons, types of guns and even some choice "colorful language". I was lucky enough to have parents who didn't censor what I read, and so I was able to experience this exciting genre of books.

That being said, I can say with all honesty that Pandora's Succession ranks up there with my favorite thriller books. Russell Brooks has a knack for vivid writing, and each word read just drew me further and further into the intrigue. The premise of this story is fantastic! The deadly microbe Pandora is being mass produced, and it is up to Fox to stop it. I wondered, would he be able to put aside his vengeful feelings long enough to do it? Trust me, I was hooked.

Speaking of Ridley Fox, someone really needs to make a movie that features this main character. Fox's character has the perfect mixture of charisma, and the ability to push his feelings aside to complete his mission. As an "action hero" of sorts, I was impressed with how well written his character really was. Fox wasn't presented to me as this two-dimensional character who simply exists to fulfill the story. Instead his character had a lot of depth, a lot of background, and I found myself invested in his struggle without even noticing that it was happening. His vengeance fueled me, and I read on.

The one thing I was a little disappointed about, and I'm sure this is just me, is that I was able to figure out who the "mastermind" behind the whole plot was early on. Maybe it is the copious amount of books I'd read in the past that helped me with this. I couldn't say. I can say that what impressed me most, however, was that this fact still didn't take away from my overall enjoyment of the story. It's so action-packed, so fueled with emotion, that you just have to hold on for dear life and read.

I recommend this book to any of you out there who are fans of action or thriller movies, as well as those of you who are interested in diving into this genre. Pandora's Succession is an amazing place to start your foray. Just be sure to strap yourself in for a wild ride! ( )

_review by my friend Anna_

Pandora’s Succession, by Russell Brooks, is the story of an extremely dangerous virus called Pandora. The virus has existed for hundreds of years, but only in recent years an organization called The Arms of Ares has modified the virus in order to sell it to terrorists and other groups, to be used as a biological weapon.


Ridley Fox, who works for CIA, must stop Ares from releasing the virus onto the black market. His hunt for the virus leads him and a few colleagues across the world, from Chechnya to Africa and all the way to Japan. Along the way Fox finds himself in a lot of dangerous situations as he has more than one enemy who want to see him dead. Luckily Fox is an excellent agent with a past in the Joint Task Force Two (JTF2), Canada’s answer to America’s SEALs. Fox is not afraid to use various firearms and different tricks to get out of the situations alive.

In Tokyo the CEO of a medical company, Hexagon Pharmaceuticals, Hideaki Hashimoto, is also the leader of a cult called The Promise. With the help of a drug called Clarity, Hashimoto’s team brain wash young people as they recruit them to the cult. The recruited men and women have a difficult or criminal past where they have brought shame upon themselves or their families. It is the Promise’s intention to release the Pandora virus and kill all the people of the planet. Only the cult members will be saved as they shall live in a bunker while Pandora takes care of the rest of the population. After the Pandora has done its job, the cult members will live a wonderful life together on the “new” planet. Hexagon has been able to modify the Pandora virus so that it only attacks human beings, not animals, as the original virus from the Arms of Ares was designed to do.

As Ridley Fox finds out, it is not easy to know who is a friend and who is an enemy. Who can he trust? Or can he trust anyone at all? Personally I found it a little difficult to follow all the double agents and moles in the story. People you thought were on Fox’s side turned out to be bad people and vice versa.

Another thing that was difficult for me with the book was the many different names of weapons and helicopters. For example, one of the bad people had a “Px4 Storm Type F Sub-compact Beretta”. That doesn’t tell me anything, except that I know a Beretta is a type of gun. Neither do I know what an AK-74 or an M-11 is.

But what it does tell me is that the author has great knowledge about firearms and weapons. The author also has a BS in Biology and it does show in the book. It all seems so realistic.
I think Pandora’s Succession is a very good book. Well written and with a high speed and a lot of action. I never got bored reading the book. It was difficult to stop reading once you started. All you wanted to do was to read a few more pages and then a few more pages after that to find out whether Fox would survive the dangerous situation or not.

I highly recommend the book for readers who love thrillers and as me, novels about biological weapons, diseases and similar. But at last I need to put in a word of caution: The book contains some very graphic description of what happens to the human body when it is attacked by the virus and how the body looks afterwards. So sensitive readers might want to be prepared for that.


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This is a really good story about a deadly virus, Pandora, which has existed for some time, but, after modifications, is now being marketed to terrorists and other equally nefarious groups to use as a biological weapon. CIA operative Ridley Fox must stop any sale. His search for the virus and the group that wants to market it leads him across the world with many different twists and turns. As an excellent agent with a past in the Joint Task Force Two (JTF2), Canada’s answer to America’s SEALs, Fox is not afraid to use various firearms and different tricks to get out of the situations alive—and in this harrowing adventure he will have to use every trick or device he can. It is very obvious that the author is extremely knowledgeable of weapons, splinter and other terrorist type organizations and groups from the descriptions, events and situations he has put the main character in. It did become somewhat confusing to remember and figure out just who was who in the story because there are so many double agents, but I did manage to follow the storyline. This is definitely a story filled with intrigue and action, a real spy thriller/chase type story. I admire the authenticity and consistency the author has shown throughout the book. I think anyone who enjoys this type of story will enjoy this book. I am glad I had the chance to read and review it, provided by Library Thing. ( )

I was given this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is definitely a book for action/thriller lovers. But it is also one that men AND females will love. Ridley Fox is a man's man with characteristics that endear him to the females. I liked this story a lot and look forward to more of Fox;as well as, more novels from the author. ( )