Spy novels? Oh heck yes! I cut my teeth on Ian Fleming novels right along with my H.P. Lovecraft and Stephen King fetishes. Tentacles, evil clowns and secret gadgets. When I first went to Hawaii in 5th grade Live and Let Die was on one of the channels and the adventures became even more visual.

voodooI remember three things about that night: smashing coconuts & getting covered in the milk pretending they were the bad guys heads, the eating of the sacrificial KFC while chanting like the voodoo priest/heroin runner, and laughing when my friend asked for a chicken boob; in 5th grade it was almost as good as a fart joke!

But I digress, because this is a review about Slingshot, the third of Matthew Dunn’s Spycatcher novels. A real spy, not one with machine guns in the exhaust pipe of his Aston Martin and a shark tank with an evil giant man with a ginormous gold grill and an insane laugh. We have conspiracy, intrigue, foreign leaders having clandestine meetings behind close doors… oh it is just festive!

I felt like I was being thrust into a middle of the room during a Spooks (MI5) episode.. or in the back seat along for the ride chasing after a car chase with guns shooting in my general direction, or that of Agent Ros Myers (she’s my favorite). This could have easily followed your normal spy story path, but instead Matthew gave us characters with depth and vision, even the ones which should not have any at all. Will Cochrane is a trained operative who does not or is not supposed to show any emotions. He is steeled to be as dissociated as possible in order to get the job done. Kind of like our two characters from Cold Killing by Luke Delaney (another civil servant turned writer). In fact there is even the juxtaposition of the cold operative and the sociopathic hitman. But is what really separates Will and hitman a code of ethics? A sense of honor and patriotism? Or perhaps it is just coincidence.

It is more than that but to go any further will run more twists than a school girls phone cord, tangled and interwoven to the point of not knowing where to start to untangle the story threads. If you pick this up, bear with the information you receive with the first half. I ended up starting over twice because I was reading it four chapters at time and switching to another book to stay on top of reviews , and then the fires…. so I lost track of all the info. If you get a bit turned off by heavy info dump, and just want to be a casual observer and not take part of the ride, this may be a bit much for a summer read. Slingshot and any spy novel requires some time and focus to invest in. It was fun, and in the end you get a touch of the flamboyant James Bond feel (whats a good spy story with a touch of dispelling ones disbelief, its all in fun.) No exploding watches or pens that shoot acid or skis with turbo jets on them, but that wonderful over the top spy of spies! You be the judge. I for one am going back and reading the other novels while sitting back with a dirty martini and enjoying the ride!

She’s a dirty dirty girl…and she gives this book…. 4 olives! ( )

Fast-paced, intricately plotted with well-developed characters slightly off the standard troubled-ex-special-ops-guy-with-authority-issues. Fun, but the combat scenes really tax credibility (the protagonist and some old guy walk up to the boss bad-guy's fortress armed with 9mm weapons and defeat 26 ex-special operators with assault rifles who know they're coming, helped only by a sniper a mile away who not only can see through walls but who never misses what he's aiming at). ( )

In the 90’s the US and Russia struck a deal which could result in the deaths of millions of people. The plans for a colossal genocide. A tight system is put in place to prevent leaks . When the information is stolen and threats of a leak are made the governments unleash agents to eradicate those involved.

The information is massive and wanted by both the good guys and the bad. It’s hard to tell who is good and who isn’t and that makes for a suspenseful read! An intriguing spy novel that truly makes you gulp as each event unfolds. The characters are fantastic, the plot is awesome. Loved this book!

I received a copy of this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. ( )

If you enjoy spy novels or thrillers, you're familiar with MI6, British intelligence service. I love the novels but tend to take the plot with a grain of salt. Not this time, though. Matthew Dunn is a long-time veteran of MI6 himself and has based his hero, Will Cochrane, on himself and his own experiences. The plot of Sling Shot in fact is based on an actual case. That got my attention right away.

Cochrane is of course sort of a superspy but he's also human and is vulnerable when the villain threatens his only sister. Their parents died years ago so she is his only family and he goes to great lengths to keep her safe, despite her resentment of his work and the danger that ensues from it. Actually his Achilles heel in general is that he cares about people and tries to do the right thing, which is often a hindrance to his mission. This is a man you can really admire and cheer for.

The plot concerns a secret agreement between six Russian and American military and intelligence people overseen by a German, Kurt Schreiber, who was previously an East German Stasi officer. Schreiber is devious and the opposite of Cochrane in that he doesn't care about anything or anyone but himself. His goal is power and control of the major countries of the world. He'll stop at nothing to achieve his goals, even killing entire families. He has hired an assassin, a man who he calls Kronos, who has unbelievable skills in entering buildings undetected and in killing.

Cochrane becomes involved in stopping Schreiber when he tries to intercept transfer of a Russian spy. He knows nothing about the big scheme until much later, but the more he learns, the more horrified he is and the more determined he is to find out who is in charge and how to stop him.

The characters here are either sympathetic or totally hateful, and both types are skillfully drawn so that they are realistic, except for a few who seem a little over the top, i.e. Schreiber but then this particular character must be completely evil. I admired the way Dunn created these people so efficiently and yet so fully. One scene I remember concerns Cochrane and a woman who has become innocently a victim of the plot. She has a baby girl and when the stroller breaks, she hands the baby to Cochrane. This man is so tough but holding the baby he turns to mush. He's so afraid he'll trip and fall and he carries the child inside his coat to keep her warm. Thankfully she cuddles right up to him and he gets her safely home. This same man can become a killing machine when necessary.

I'm so glad to have discovered Matthew Dunn's Spycatcher series. There is one previous novel called Sentinel which I have put on my list of books to read. I look forward to more Will Cochrane adventures.

Highly recommended
Source: Partners in Crime Book Tours ( )