BLACK 13 BY ADAM HAMDY WITH A WARNING TO THE WORLD

 Book Review

Title.             Black 13

Author.         Adam Hamdy

Publisher.     Pan Books

I picked this book up ‘cold’ and I did not have anything about Adam Hamdy or what the book was about. I never read the blurb as I am not interested in what others think as I want to find out for myself. It’s been said ‘turn to page 99 and read’ and if you like it - read it.

Okay, I knew that there was ‘crime’ involved somehow, but this as far removed from Agatha Christie, Josephine Tey and even modern day crime writers as one can possibly get. I love ‘the Bond’ stories and again the comparison is nowhere near. This is up-to-date story of how bad people can be and why. It’s got all the nasty stuff in there and the consequences of it can take the reader to dark places.

The Times today carried a story and a programme on Sky News was about ‘the grey zone’ and how our security forces are acting for our safety. This book is spot on then. It turns our problems into entertainment for us in this fictional novel, but is it a warning?

Are the characters real? Well they certainly are turbocharged. They have expertise in those fields where it is necessary to stay alive and to find out what you need to know. Weaponry, keyboard skills, immense courage and physical strength are what our heroes have.

The trail starts in Asia and takes us around London and other places too. I like the detail and where I felt these locations were real and believable. I loved that.

Well whats it about? It’s about killing, power, control and intrigue with an end result that can effect all of us. The nine pages of Prologue will bed you in to the kind of story that is in the 400 plus pages. It is relentless. It is action packed and the threads are real and exist. I loved it and when I got to the last page I found there was more to follow. Wow. No more clues just get it and read.

I have now read about Hamdy and discovered there are three books written prior to Black 13 and one to follow. He says two years research went into it and it shows. One helluva experience and every page is a ‘turner’.