McNab, Andy

Average customer rating:

Great read, regardless of level of truthfulness
The boys own version of the story
True Soldiers
Amazing and heroic
Breathtaking and gritty...

Bravo Two Zero
Andy Mcnab
Manufacturer: Island Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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Immediate Action
The One that Got Away: My SAS Mission behind Enemy Lines
Bravo Two Zero
Remote Control
Dark Winter

ASIN: 0440218802
Release Date: 1994-08-01

Book Description

Their mission: To take out the scuds. Eight went out. Five came back. Their story had been closed in secrecy. Until now. They were British Special Forces, trained to be the best. In January 1991 a squad of eight men went behind the Iraqi lines on a top secret mission. It was called Bravo Two Zero. On command was Sergeant Andy McNab. "They are the true unsung heroes of the war." -- Lt. Col. Steven Turner, American F-15E commander. Dropped into "scud alley" carrying 210-pound packs, McNab and his men found themselves surrounded by Saddam's army. Their radios didn't work. The weather turned cold enough to freeze diesel fuel. And they had been spotted. Their only chance at survival was to fight their way to the Syrian border seventy-five miles to the northwest and swim the Euphrates river to freedom. Eight set out. Five came back. "I'll tell you who destroyed the scuds -- it was the British SAS. They were fabulous." -- John Major, British Prime Minister. This is their story. Filled with no-holds-barred detail about McNab's capture and excruciating torture, it tells of men tested beyond the limits of human endurance... and of the war you didn't see on CNN. Dirty, deadly, and fought outside the rules.

Customer Reviews:

Great read, regardless of level of truthfulness.......2007-05-19

Whatever you believe about the amount of fiction vs. fact in this book, there is no diputing that it's an entertaining page-turner. The incredible account of the endurance that it took to survive this event makes you really appreciate just how unique special forces servicemen are. I'll be reading some of the other books about this event just because I enjoyed the tale and I'd love to get the other perspectives, but if you are reading for entertainment you won't be let down. I just wouldn't necessarily base a factual report solely on this one work.

The boys own version of the story.......2007-03-27

This is a well known story and there's no point reviewing events. It's pretty well written and does tell the story of a patrol that certainly went wrong.

Some other SAS folks disagree with this description of events and especially don't like that two of their friends died avoidably. But stuff happens, the SAS are not gods on earth, though they do have an outstanding reputation.

There are details in this book which are probably fabricated, mistaken or overstated but it is one view of the action that occurred and should be read in context with the books of the other patrol members, their disagreements are relatively minor really.

True Soldiers.......2007-01-05

Bravo Two Zero is the true to life account (although some what dramatized Im sure) of a comprimized SAS mission during Desert Storm/Shield. It's an exciting read and the interactions between the men are great. The amount of detail and professionalism that goes into planning a mission can really be seen throughout the book. There's a movie adaption of the book out there too, but naturally, I recommend reading the book first. Im current reading the Bravo Two Zero spin-off called "The One That Got Away", written by the only team member of Bravo to evade capture. I recommnd this book to any military personnel or to anyone who enjoys the military genre of books.

Amazing and heroic.......2006-07-24

Bravo Two Zero is a tale of a mission by the same name, featuring the exploits of eight British SAS soldiers who were on a secret mission into Iraq to take out Scuds. The commander and author is Andy McNab, one of the men who were given an order that would soon turn into a horrific experience.

Each of the eight men were carrying 210-lb. ruck sacks, and they were dropped off behind enemy lines in what was later found out to be an area saturated with enemies. Not long after their helicopter landed, they found out their radios didn't work, that they were in a bad situation, and the only way out was to trek seventy-five miles to the Syrian border for safety.

Eventually the difficulty of the task caught up to the men and less than perfect situations led to horrible conditions. Weather, the enemy, and fatigue caused the group to become split from one another. What follows is the heart of the story, the capture, and what for most would have been unbearable torture.

To hear the first-hand story of the terrible effects of sadistic and gruesome torture, and the uplifting possibilities of camaraderie is truly amazing. How the soldiers managed to laugh and keep up spirits is incomprehensible.

Despite the fact that the book is filled with military lingo and British slang, it's quite readable and definitely a page-turner. The book flies by once the incarceration takes place, and the details are vivid enough that I cringed several times while reading of the torture.

It's a true story, a great story, of heroes who astonish us with their feats of superhuman abilities and perseverance.

Breathtaking and gritty..........2006-01-26

Even though the Bravo Two Zero mission was a failure, it brought to the world what goes on 'behind the scenes'. As another reviewer said, war in the media is nothing more than glorious explosions and hi-tech missile 'cams'. Only with the likes of Andy McNab writing a book about the doomed mission do we grasp the horror and reality of combat, and the appendages that go with war - misinformation, confusion, lack of equipment, and geological errors (the surprising fact that the Iraq desert at night is freezing).

The most damning thing was luck - i.e., the lack of. Most operations gather that some things will inevitably go wrong, but with this mission nothing went right, from no communication on the radios, to the fearsome weather and the splitting of the patrol into two groups.

McNab's adventure resembles something that was last seen during the Second World War - secrecy, hand-to-hand combat, and the reality and horror of captivity in an alien world.

It is sad and regrettable that three of the men die, especially as two of them perished by hypothermia (which could have been easily prevented if intelligence knew the reality of the harshnest of the Iraqi wastelands at night).

Despite the pain and brutality that the SAS patrol go through, this is a ripping story of adventure. Even if you are not interested in the mysterious mechanisms of Special Forces and their operations, you will still find the book exciting, as it journeys to the very edge of what human beings can endure.

I also suggest reading Chris Ryan's "The One That Got Away". He was the only member of the patrol to escape and his incredible journey of 200 miles on foot to the Syrian border is a story on its own (he drank poisoned water, had very little food, lost all his toe nails, and was nearly lynched at the very end of his epic journey).

There are accusations that some parts of the book are ficticious, especially in regards to the combat situations. However, I bought this book - and Ryan's book, because of the endurance that they both went through (McNab's torture and Ryan's horrific walk). Both NcNab's torture and Ryan's escape are true - and its these two brutal senarios that make the book a thrilling, and chilling, read.

Average customer rating:

3.5 stars - if you like the rest of the series you'll like this

Aggressor
Andy Mcnab
Manufacturer: Bantam Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Deep Black
Dark Winter
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Liberation Day: A Nick Stone Mission

ASIN: 0593050312
Release Date: 2005-12-27

Book Description

The stunning new thriller from the master of the genre.

Nick Stone seems to be living his dream, not a care in the world as he steers his camper van round the surfing and parachuting centres of Australia, a board on the roof, freefall rig behind him, and a beautiful young backpacker at his side. But when he witnesses on TV the massacre of children in a terrorist siege on the other side of the world, long-suppressed memories are triggered and Nick finds himself catapulted once more into working for the American secret services — only this time, of his own free will.

As events unfold in the bleak, medieval villages of Azerbajhan, and the teeming streets of modern Istanbul, it isn’t long before Nick discovers the true objective of the mission on which he has embarked. His talents are being misused by those who stalk the corridors of power, and he is determined to make a stand.

Hurtled at breakneck pace through a deadly landscape of greed, violence and ever-shifting allegiances, the reader will be left in no doubt that McNab is the master of the genre — and Aggressor is McNab at his searing, blockbusting best.

From the Trade Paperback edition.

Customer Reviews:

3.5 stars - if you like the rest of the series you'll like this.......2006-03-11

More adventures from Nick Stone. The reasons to go on missions is getting a little thin, but if you enjoyed the other books you'll like this also.

Average customer rating:

Revenge is Sweet

Payback
Andy McNab , and Robert Rigby
Manufacturer: Putnam Juvenile
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Traitor
Deep Black
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Aggressor
Remote Control

ASIN: 0399244654
Release Date: 2006-10-05

Book Description

A series of high-profile suicide bombing has devastated London and stymied British Intelligence. But none of that matters to Danny Watts and his ex-spy grandfather Fergus, who are living peacefully incognito in Spain—that is, until their cover is blown in a botched assassination attempt.

Suddenly, Danny and Fergus are forced to return to London and into the swirl of current events. Their only hope of clearing the family name is to break into Intelligence headquarters and steal the files that prove Fergus was framed by his commanding officer. But when Fergus takes a bullet in the leg, it's up to Danny to do the job alone. Is Danny up to the task? And what is the Watts family's connection to the bombings?

With a story ripped from today's headlines, and filled with authentic details from Andy McNab's experiences in British Special Ops, Payback continues the explosive action that made Traitor a YA action fan favorite.

Customer Reviews:

Revenge is Sweet.......2007-01-27

Danny and Fergus are on the run again! This time they are trying to get Fergus's name cleared from the Secret Intelligent Service. He was framed when he was working with the SAS, and George Fincham wants to kill him now because he doesn't want anybody to know the real story. Danny is Fergus's grandson who helps the old SAS sergeant clear his name. Andy McNab and Robert Rigby made you feel like you were watching what was unraveling in the book. The action and all the moving around in the book keeps you hungry to keep reading.
This book always keeps you on the edge of your seat. Danny and his grandpa are usually one step ahead of the Secret Intelligent spies who are trying to kill them wherever they are. Marcie Deveraux, a woman who works for the Secret Intelligace Service, is constantly changing sides on who she wants to help. She can help Danny and gramps, or she can help the Secret Intelligence Service. She adds a constant twist to the book because she is always shooting at something or someone, so everyone better watch out for her. Fergus and Danny have to worry about her, and they have to worry about teenage suicide bombers that have been popping up everywhere. However, Danny's girlfriend is constantly helping these two escape from danger. What would you do if you were in all of this mass chaos that Danny and Fergus are in? I know I wouldn't know what to do. In addition to all of this intensity, Danny and Fergus were constantly moving around from place to place in this book. They had to travel on foot for most of this story, so Fergus had to think of many great places to hide when the Secret Intelligence Service was on their heels. Fergus camped down in a national forest with Danny after he, Fergus, had been shot in the leg. Fergus hid himself in some pine trees where no one could see him. These two convicts, who are on the run, also broke into highly guarded areas. Danny broke into an army facility that had guards with machine guns and ferocious guard dogs. He did this just to clear his grandfather's name from the Secret Intelligence Service.
This book was well written by the authors to the point where you could not stop reading it because there was always a critical turning point in the story. This book is interesting and keeps you wondering what's going to happen next. This book was a great sequel to Traitor because you are always biting your nails with all of the action happening.

Average customer rating:

Dark Winter
Andy Mcnab
Manufacturer: Bantam Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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Liberation Day: A Nick Stone Mission
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ASIN: 0552150185
Release Date: 2005-09-05

Book Description

When maverick agent Nick Stone is despatched to Malaysia by the CIA to assassinate a shadowy biochemist, he expects his mission to be a straightforward part of the fight against Osama Bin Laden’s network of terror. But there are complications — not least the attractive woman who he is working alongside.

Target neutralized, Stone returns to the USA and a maelstrom of personal problems. Kelly, the fourteen-year-old orphan to whom he is joint guardian, cannot escape the ghosts of her traumatic past; she has a prescription drug habit that’s spiralling out of control, and Stone knows he is the only one who can help her. He takes her to recuperate in England, but the terrible consequences of what happened in Penang are never far behind.

Before very long, the conspiracy he has uncovered unravels to reveal a doomsday threat against the populations of New York, London and Berlin. And Stone finds himself facing the ultimate trade-off: the life of someone he loves, against those of millions he doesn’t even know…

Average customer rating:

Average read.... needs too much page skipping

Deep Black
Andy Mcnab
Manufacturer: Corgi
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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Dark Winter
Aggressor
Traitor
Liberation Day: A Nick Stone Mission
Remote Control

ASIN: 0552150193
Release Date: 2006-11-13

Book Description

This unforgettable story proves Andy McNab is, yet again, the master of the modern thriller.

Nick Stone’s future has never looked so bleak. The only person he’s ever loved is dead. The only people who might give him a reason not to join her have turned their backs. Until a chance encounter with a man whose life he saved ten years ago.

A simple quest in Baghdad takes Stone into the heart of a chilling conspiracy; too late, he realizes that he is being used as bait to lure into the open a man he believes can offer some salvation but whom the darker forces of the West will stop at nothing to destroy.

Customer Reviews:

Average read.... needs too much page skipping.......2005-11-29

In deep black, we accompany Nick Stone on another one of his adventures. After some preamble that described one of Stone's earlier missions into Bosnia that went wrong, we open in the present, with a highly depressed Stone, talking to a shrink, lamenting the loss of somebody close to him, although it is not immediately apparent who that may be. Stone is then rather implausibly coerced into accompanying a friend of his, Jeral, ostensibly on a journalist mission into Bagdhad, to meet the elusive Bosnian revolutionary Nuhanovic. And so the story kicks off, taking us both to Bagdhad and Sarajevo. Further details would spoil the plot for prospective readers.

I fault this story because it is told entirely through the eyes of one man: Nick Stone. As a writing technique, this style certainly has its place. But not in this story, which quickly became very one-sided and very boring because of the limited perspective. I felt like I had blinkers on, and Nick Stone is certainly not too introspective. In fact, he doesn't seem to weigh up anybody else's opinions except his own, which end up making him seem like a dim-witted thug. Jeral, Nuhanovic.... they all must have had their own thoughts and actions, which would have contributed considerably to the overall picture.

There is certainly some intrigue and manipulation worked into the story: essentially the US government manipulating Nick Stone into doing their dirty work for them. But he figures it all out, and then does the job anyway. I can't imagine somebody really responding like that. The book also moves at an odd pace. Sometimes the interesting bits get condensed into a paragraph, while at other times, a boring trek up a hill in the dark can be expanded into chapters. Hence, I found myself skipping quite a few pages.

There are also some slightly irritating errors. McNab (not his real name) refers to terrorists flying "a 747 into a building". But no Boeing 747 has ever been flown into a building. Since McNab claims in the author notes of his books that he "lectures to security and intelligence agencies in the USA and the UK", one would think that he would be better informed? Perhaps not?

Overall, I would probably recommend something else. Two-and-a-half stars from me.

Average customer rating:

Predictible but fast pace keeps you hooked :o)

Recoil
Andy Mcnab
Manufacturer: Bantam Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Aggressor
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Payback

ASIN: 0593055578
Release Date: 2006-11-28

Book Description

Recuperating in Switzerland after a job that cost the life of one of his closest friends, ex-deniable operator Nick Stone has only two things on his mind: to ask his girlfriend Silky to marry him, and to lead a quieter life.

But when his newfound love disappears, Nick is forced back into action. The trail leads him to Africa and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where it isn’t long before the past comes knocking on his door. . .

From the Trade Paperback edition.

Customer Reviews:

Predictible but fast pace keeps you hooked :o).......2007-05-11

The in depth detail of artillery weapons deployment and technical prowess is the least appealing aspect of an otherwise fascinating & often poignantly heart-wrenching insight into the rape of Zairian children's very childhood & souls.

The characters were very well-developed and the appeal of Sam & Crucial is palpable. Silke - the romantic link - however was for me very one-dimensional despite the fact that the whole goal was her "rescue".

There are many graphic & gory details that are certainly not for the faint-hearted yet really serve as proof of the realism that can only be achieved by an author who is sharing true experience.

Overall - & given that I am writing this from a female perspective - this is a very informative thriller which will not disappoint.

Average customer rating:

Not great, not bad
Bogus Book: No info, poorly written, and no insight whatsoever
God Save The Queen!
Immediately Engrossing!
A God Amongst Men

Immediate Action
Andy Mcnab
Manufacturer: Dell
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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Bravo Two Zero
Remote Control
The One that Got Away: My SAS Mission behind Enemy Lines
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Dark Winter

ASIN: 0440222451
Release Date: 1996-08-16

Book Description

He is one of the most highly decorated soldiers alive.  He is also the first to break the code of silence about the most elite fighting force in the world. What Andy McNab has to say is so explosive that the British government tried to stop him.

A street fighter, a hard case, and a flawless soldier, Andy McNab became one of the elite fighting men in "the Regiment"--Britain's covert SAS.   His actions behind the lines in the Gulf War made him a hero.   But the full story of his life and his amazing career in Special Forces has remained a secret...until now.

In harrowing detail, McNab takes us inside the Regiment, chronicling nine years of covert operations on five continents.   Plunging us into a world of surveillance, counterintelligence, and hostage rescue, he takes us behind the scenes on some of their top secret missions.   For the first time, he reveals the shocking details of their training--physically severe, mentally grueling, and sometimes deadly.   And he dares to expose some of their highly confidential codes and rules--including the one that sanctions murder.

This is the story of the fighting men of the SAS.  Here is how they live.   And here is how they die...

Customer Reviews:

Not great, not bad.......2007-05-19

First I must echo the remarks of several other readers below and state that McNab's "Bravo Two Zero" is a far more interesting book. It's not that "Immediate Action" is a *bad* book, mind you, it's just not great. Honestly I found the information about his childhood totally uninteresting and although Delta Force got it's inspiration from the SAS, Haney and Beckwith tell more interesting stories about the Selection process in their books, even if they aren't talking about the SAS. The other downfall of this book is the tremendous amount of information regarding cancelled or just uneventful missions. Lots of talk about training exercises where nothing happens etc. If you are relatively new to this genre then I can see giving the book another star or two, but if you've read a handful of special forces non-fiction books then there is really nothing new here. With the flame-plastered book cover and generous use of exclamation points, this book sets the bar pretty high for itself, and in my opinion it did not meet those expectations. And for those who criticised his prose, I would remind you that this is probably akin to him faulting you for your shooting abilities; remember this man was a lifelong solider, not an English doctorate, and the writing is far better than much of the stuff I encounter in my daily life.

Bogus Book: No info, poorly written, and no insight whatsoever.......2006-03-25

The top of the book states, "The controversial book the British Government tried to supress!" Let me be the 1st to say this is bunk. There is absolutely no information in this book that is controversial in any sense. In fact, any reader can get more information about SF, SAS, or any other force via the Freedom of Information Act.

Also, this book is poorly written. It skips timelines, does not develop any characters (only mentions them), does not finish sequences, and has a plot so thin, it only has one side.

Do yourself a favor. Save your money. Buy another book if you want to learn about the SAS or any other special force, or if you are hung on McNab, purchase Brave 2 Zero instead.

God Save The Queen!.......2006-01-01

After hearing about "Bravo Two Zero" and increasing interest in the SAS, I decided to get a McNab book. I would encourage new McNab readers to read "Immediate Action" action, as it details his youth, how he got into the SAS, and so on up until present. One of the things you may notice, as I did, was that McNab doesn't write like other English authors. Instead, his narrative is very street-wise, and it takes a while to get used to it. Sometimes I was lost reading, because there wasn't enough of an explanation in standard English to translate his jargon. Other than that, the book is a great read.

McNab tells how he rose from his humble beginnings and joined the Green Jackets, a regular infantry unit. In hindsight, it seems like if he hadn't joined the army, he would've probably ended up at working at a factory or some other dead end job. Whether it was fate or luck, he is where he is today. While in the GJs, he recounts his brush with death fighting the IRA. When he entered Selection for the SAS, he details the misery and hardships a candidate had to endure and the fact that several men have died during SAS training, because it involves long humps (hikes in other words) with at least 50 kg in a bergen, or backpack alone traveling in the wild. Selection phase is just that, it tests the mental and physical capabilities of potential SAS recruits. Those who make it go on to further their training and eventually become SAS operators. There were several intense SAS stories in McNab's career, and his accounts of all the things he's done around the world to fight terrorism is gripping. The American military has been exposed to unconventional warfare on an open scale just recently, but Britain has had to deal with it for a long time. It is also interesting to note that operators in the SAS or regular soldiers in Britain don't have that elitist attitude nor do they take themselves too seriously as compared to American special operations personnel. It is a job for them and they don't make a big deal out of it. Again, a great read into the lives and minds of those "Who Dares Wins".

Immediately Engrossing!.......2005-03-03

I read Andy McNab's IMMEDIATE ACTION cover to cover in one sitting. In this fast-paced and fascinating book McNab lifts the veil on the training and mission of the UK's vaunted SAS, the Special Air Service, the elite military force featured in McNab's bestselling BRAVO TWO ZERO.

IMMEDIATE ACTION is hyped as "the book the British government wanted to ban," and its easy to see why. McNab chronicles the grueling, almost constant training received by "the Regiment" with a fine eye for detail. If anybody ever wondered what it takes to become a commando this book tells them. The intensity of the Regiment lifestyle is telling in comparison to the equivalent U.S. Delta Force.

McNab's recounting of various field ops is eye-opening. In these days when Britain is no longer a true superpower it is easy not to recognize the wide scope of British involvement in world politics. McNab informs us that the sun still never sets on the British, empire or no. From fighting drug manufacturers in the jungles of Colombia (whatever happened to the Monroe Doctrine?) to undercover infiltration of IRA strongholds in Derry, to stopping South African (yes!) border incursions into Botswana, the SAS is there, Even James Bond doesn't get around as much in his fictional world.

McNab himself is all soldier, all the time. His entire life's focus is the Regiment, and he cheerfully neglects three wives right into divorce along the way. His Heckler & Koch automatic rifle gets far more loving attention on these pages than his second wife, who is mentioned only occasionally as "working back in Germany". It's clear he's most at home in his self-contained man's world. His emotional maturity for anything other than work is, self-admittedly, not very impressive. Given that he's one of the most highly decorated soldiers in the UK, fate seems to have dealt him a good hand though.

This reviewer's primary (entertaining?)(negative?) criticism of IMMEDIATE ACTION is its linguistic style. It's written in "English" (as opposed to "American"). Even having lived in London for a while I struggled with McNab's idioms. There is a glossary at the back, but it isn't very good. McNab uses the word "bone" as an adjective throughout the book, apparently an example of Regiment-speak. "Bone" is translated as "Naff," which doesn't sound complimentary, but it took me most of the book to really get the sense of what McNab meant. I still don't know what a "Baruki Sangar" is, and there's even a picture of one in the book. Beware the Jabberwock, my son...

A God Amongst Men.......2004-07-16

Andy McNab lives the life many dream of but do not have the cahones to do so. This book gives one an insight into the life and mentality of an SAS agent. I found myself picturing myself as McNab in many different parts like when he did selection and was in Brize Norton etc.

My only reason for writing this review is to share the profound influence this book and BTZ has had on my life. Before reading these books i would have never envisioned myself doing anything in the military because my interests lie elsewhere. Now, I would join in a heart beat if i hadn't already committed myself to law. Next Summer basic training for sure.

"Proper Planning and Preparation prevents piss poor performance"

Nothing rings truer.

Amazon.com

Don't expect to see Andy McNab's photograph on the cover of his first thriller, Remote Control--the former British Special Air Service agent says both the Colombian drug cartel and the Provisional IRA still have contracts out on him. His two nonfiction books, Bravo Two Zero and Immediate Action, give more detail about his prolific past.

Remote Control is the fictional story of an SAS agent named Nick Stone, who is on the case of two Irish terrorists. He follows them across the Atlantic to Washington, D.C., but is suddenly ordered back home on the next available flight. His old mate Kevin Brown, now with the Drug Enforcement Agency, lives near the airport, so Nick decides to drop in. He finds a slaughterhouse: Kev, his wife, and youngest daughter have been battered to death, but daughter Kelly has survived in a special hideout. Prying information from the shocked child, Nick links the killers to either the CIA, the DEA, or his own organization--which means that he and Kelly are virtually on their own. As Nick trundles the spunky youngster from one seedy motel to another, stuffs her with junk food, and teaches her the rudiments of spy craft, he also begins to piece together a picture of why Kevin and his family were killed. There is a connection between a terrorist bomb scare in Gibraltar in 1988, the Colombian drug cartel, and high-level intelligence-agency skullduggery. McNab keeps dropping those shiny nuggets of believability along the trail and winds up holding our attention until the predictable but satisfying end. --Dick Adler

Book Description

After his mission is suddenly terminated in Washington, D.C., British Intelligence agent Nick Stone decides to visit an old colleague, Kev Brown. But when Stone arrives at his friend's eerily quiet suburban home, he discovers a chilling scene of carnage. Every member of the Brown family has been brutally slaughtered except one: seven-year-old Kelly Brown. Stone grabs the girl and runs--with anonymous assassins in hot pursuit.

Racing from Washington to Florida and finally across the Atlantic, Stone begins to piece together a shocking global conspiracy. Thrust into a lethal game of cat-and-mouse, Stone is certain of two things. No one can be trusted. He and Kelly are on their own. Now his darkest fears about the shadowy link between politics, money, and terrorism are about to be realized. . . .

Customer Reviews:

Better than (insert title here) or your money back!.......2007-04-29

Recently, I acquired a copy of the Stephen Leather thriller, Hot Blood (A Dan Shepherd Mystery), which had on its front cover a sticker that screamed "Better than Andy McNab or your money back". Leather's ongoing fictional hero, Dan "Spider" Shepherd, is a former member of the SAS now working for an ultra-secret undercover unit of London's Metropolitan Police. Nick Stone, the protagonist making his initial appearance here in McNab's first novel, REMOTE CONTROL, is an ex-SAS trooper now working for MI6. What, do Leather and McNab have a mano-a-mano thing going? (I don't ever remember seeing a Dean Koontz release with the claim, "King writes dross; read my stuff.") When queried by me, Stephen said that his publisher suggested the ploy. But, since I did end up buying REMOTE CONTROL, perhaps the point is to sell more books from both.

Here, Stone is tasked by his SIS controller to follow two hard IRA boyos to Washington, DC, to see what mischief they're up to. Once comfortable in his hotel room, Nick is almost immediately recalled home. But, before catching the next plane back across The Pond, Stone decides to visit old SAS pal Kev, now working for the DEA. Arriving at Kev's suburban home, Nick discovers his buddy bludgeoned to death and his wife and one of two daughters with their throats cut. Stone find's the second daughter, 7-year old Kelly, cowering in a hidey-hole. Realizing that Kelly saw the killers and her life is now in peril, and that he himself may become a suspect in the bloodbath, Stone grabs the girl and runs. Over the remainder of the book, our hero must discover the identity of the murderers, protect Kelly, and get both of them to safety in England where his boss, Simmonds, will certainly sort things out.

For a first novel, REMOTE CONTROL is better than average. McNab's personal tour of duty with the SAS imparts a patina of realism to the actions of his Stone character. Indeed, Nick is a Tough Guy in somewhat the same vein as author Lee Child's ex-Army MP, Jack Reacher. At one point in a desperate, hand-to-hand struggle with a Bad Guy over control of a pistol, Stone must essentially chew the man's face apart. Somehow, I don't see Leather's hero doing anything so messy.

One of the criticism's I've made of the Dan Shepherd series is the fact that Spider's young son Liam is trotted out as a prop in every installment to re-emphasize that widower Shepherd is otherwise a warm, decent, family man whose day job takes him to the world's hard and grotty edges. In REMOTE CONTROL, Kelly also starts out as a prop. But, by the conclusion, she plays an integral, nail-biting, and very satisfying part. I see from plot summaries that Kelly also appears in follow-up volumes of the Nick Stone series, so I've gone ahead and ordered the second out of curiosity to see where McNab takes the character.

The drawbacks to REMOTE CONTROL are that we've seen the scenario before in books and films - adult and child flee a deadly conspiracy hand-in-hand - and, well before the end, the coming betrayal twist becomes all to obvious.

By profession, Stephen Leather is a journalist who's lived all over the world. McNab - a pseudonym ostensibly to protect his identity from vengeful terrorists left over from his bad old SAS days - continues to work with intelligence organizations on both sides of the Atlantic. I suspect, therefore, that Andy's books will be more realistic in the finer points, while Stephen's will show a wider scope of imagination. In any case, both are excellent British authors creating some very entertaining reads.

Hey, Stephen and Andy, why don't you both co-author a thriller in which both Dan and Nick appear? The potential for a friendly, or not so friendly, rivalry between the two heroes is almost too good to pass up.

Not bad for a first time out.......2005-10-03

Alright, I knew "who dunnit" pretty early on, but it was still a fun read. Mr. McNab for obvious reasons brought a great deal of verismilitude to the story. I'll definitely be picking up more of his fiction.

sometimes and during the reading.......2005-09-16

i was just wondering if nick stone has to come all the way from england to do a baby sitting job in america. this book at the very beginning read so promising, then, typical mcnab style, the digression and re-routing became such a huge burden to read along. like reading p.t. deutermann's assassination novel, 'firefly', the assassin lost his goal and focus to carry out his mission to kill the target but concentrated on how to eliminate a witness first instead, and spent almost the whole book to describe the panaoia and the stubbornness of how the assassin won't let go of the witness; this remote control exactly did the same like the firefly, making nick stone a more interesting regular screw-up, a constant failure and loser, a pathetic main character of the 3rd kind in the action thriller turf. well, maybe that's a new way to do this genre. if there could be always a clown and jerk-like character in bruce lee's or jet li's serious martial art fighting movies, why not do the same in andy mcnab's novels? why not furthermore making the main character himself a helpless running-around, knock-around SAS wash-up?

Great book Andy!.......2005-01-23

this Book is his best one so far i think, it was very hard for me to put it down and i think it's a very exciting read and andy has a great story once more and the more the book advances you are wondering how the book will end, very good job Andy!

Remote husband.......2004-08-13

Great setting for a crime - everyone snowbound or snowblind perhaps. The psychologist/sleuth is only a husband bringing his
wife's purse to the hospital. A good read if you enjoy lawyers in trouble

Average customer rating:

Pretty decent suspense read
Highly Descriptive
this book's storyline is so miserable and pathetic
Nice recovery...
too many descriptions of snot, piss and vomit

Firewall
Andy McNab
Manufacturer: Pocket
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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Similar Items:

Crisis Four
Last Light: A Nick Stone Mission
Liberation Day: A Nick Stone Mission
Remote Control
Dark Winter

ASIN: 0743406273

Amazon.com

In his third outing (following Remote Control and Crisis Four), Nick Stone, Andy McNab's series SAS agent, is off the Firm's regular payroll owing to a major screwup in his last assignment that left his best friend's family slaughtered--except for the one child who survived. Little Kelly needs expensive treatment for the post-traumatic stress that's turned her nearly catatonic, so Nick takes on a freelance assignment that gets him mixed up with Russian organized crime--in particular, with an enigmatic mob boss who has designs on some Finnish cybertechnology. When Nick realizes it's not industrial espionage that he's involved with but military secrets, he's caught between warring factions of the Russian Mafia and the Anglo-American alliance of intelligence agencies. The Westerners will do anything to keep the Echelon program out of the hands of Valentin Lebed--the Chechnyan Mafioso who makes Nick an offer he can't refuse--and the Maliskia, a gang of rival Russian criminals who want to derail Lebed's plans and take over Echelon themselves.

The action ranges from Helsinki to St. Petersburg to London, the weaponry is fully detailed, and the techniques of infiltration and retrieval carefully outlined; McNab, a former SAS commando who, according to the author's note "is still wanted by a number of terrorist organizations and is therefore forbidden to reveal his face or current location," obviously remembers every ache, pain, bruise, and injury he suffered in his life of derring-do, since they're all completely and graphically described here, too. --Jane Adams

Book Description

If he hadn't needed the cash so badly, Nick Stone would never have messed with the Russian mafia. But the lucrative offer was one he couldn't refuse. The job seemed simple enough for a man of his particular talents: kidnap a ruthless, money-laundering mob boss from his fortified Helsinki hotel room and deliver him to St. Petersburg. But as the plan begins to unfold, Stone soon realizes that by no means has he been told the full story.

Catapulted into the bleak underworld of the former Soviet republic of Estonia, where unknown aggressors stalk the arctic landscape, Stone finds that the mob may now turn out to be the least of his problems. Russia has embarked on a new Cold War offensive -- hacking into the West's computer systems and stealing their most coveted military secrets. As one bloody double cross leads to another, Stone finds himself caught between the suicidal schemes of the British and American intelligence agencies and the ruthless Russians who want to silence him.

Download Description

"If he hadn't needed the cash so badly, Nick Stone would never have messed with the Russian mafia. But the lucrative offer was one he couldn't refuse. The job seemed simple enough for a man of his particular talents: kidnap a ruthless, money-laundering mob boss from his fortified Helsinki hotel room and deliver him to St. Petersburg. But as the plan begins to unfold, Stone soon realizes that by no means has he been told the full story. Catapulted into the bleak underworld of the former Soviet republic of Estonia, where unknown aggressors stalk the arctic landscape, Stone finds that the mob may now turn out to be the least of his problems. Russia has embarked on a new Cold War offensive -- hacking into the West's computer systems and stealing their most coveted military secrets. As one bloody double cross leads to another, Stone finds himself caught between the suicidal schemes of the British and American intelligence agencies and the ruthless Russians who want to silence him. "

Customer Reviews:

Pretty decent suspense read.......2006-02-12

This book was a gift to me and I thought that I wouldn't get into it. I was wrong. A fun yarn with suspense and computer geekdom thrown into the mix.

Perhaps I liked this book more since I'm a geek by trade. Perhaps not. It's well written and a decent story.

Highly Descriptive.......2005-10-08

This was my 6th book by McNab and I must say I had high expectations for Firewall even before reading other reviews on Amazon. Once again Nick gets involved in a mission that is similar to someone trying to hit the jackpot in the lottery with their last bit of money. Book reads about the same as his other fiction novels with most of the time being spent describing the intricate details of a plot that ends up disasterous. I do like the way McNab explains the way things work, but it gets a bit tedious. The part where he explains how to make a bomb, for example, became overwhelming and boring after 3 pages. On the plus side, it does add to the realism of his novels and lets the reader know that this guy knows his stuff.

this book's storyline is so miserable and pathetic.......2005-09-12

i just couldn't believe this nick stone would survive another day in the field of action. andy mcnab may have thought that making nick stone such a pathetic character would make the hero of this series look and read more realistic, but in my humble opinion, he's deadly wrong. such anti-hero pathetic character would gradually wring out the reading incentive not too far in the near future. all in all, nick stone seems to become more and more a trademark of constant failure, a die-cast mess-up, a pathetic loser who simply failed in almost of all missions and contracts, and it's a miracle that he could and would survive so long in this specific profession. and i just wonder during reading this book, if not by the design of the author who decides to make nick stone keep on living and survive almost every failed mission, this character should be long buried in a forlon cemetary or, better yet, a john-doe in some foreign soil. mcnab is a good writer but his decision of making nick stone a constant screw-up is simply beyond my comprehesion. this kinda scenario, plot and storyline is getting worse in this 'firewall'. nick stone in this novel is no better than a high school drop-out. i really don't believe that any organization would hire this guy to do anything except a janitorial garbage cleaning job. i was sick to the guts to see how nick stone kept xxxx-up the missions one after another and could still have survived instead of zipped in a body bag. this novel is too pathetic and too hopeless for a veteran thriller reader like me. since 'remote control', mcnab had made the hero(?) nick stone a borderline stupid and cynical clown, a far-cry surprise out of such line of profession. i really don't know why mcnab decided to make his main character a such loser again and again in this series. and my heart goes out for this nick stone character wholeheartedly since i've never read any main character in any other novel looked more pathetic and miserable than this guy.

Nice recovery..........2005-06-28

...from Crisis Four. This book had nearly non-stop action, and added some depth to Nick, the main character. With an entirely new setting, new bag of tricks and a new employer, this book was a lot of fun!

too many descriptions of snot, piss and vomit.......2005-01-14

I have enjoyed the other Andy McNab books very much and was looking forward to reading this one. I read about two thirds of the book and had to put it down. His descriptions of the snot, piss, vomit and other types of filth was just unending. I wanted about 1/10 of that and much more story. I know our world isn't perfect but I don't need to wallow in the filth.

Average customer rating:

Andy McNab's Crisis Four
Slow start
Like drinking pure alcohol
Like drinking pure alcohol
Just soooooooo Good!

Crisis Four
Andy Mcnab
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Spy Stories & Tales of Intrigue | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Mystery & Thriller Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Remote Control
Last Light: A Nick Stone Mission
Firewall
Liberation Day: A Nick Stone Mission
Dark Winter

ASIN: 0345428080
Release Date: 2001-08-28

Amazon.com

Andy McNab's British intelligence agent, Nick Stone, is enough of a rebel to be denied a permanent place on the SAS roster, but he's dragooned into a freelance assignment with an ultimatum from his former employers. He's to find Sarah Greenwood, a missing agent who's thought to have defected from the service to aid Muslim militants intent on blowing up the world, or go to prison and also lose the only other female he's ever loved besides Sarah: a 9-year-old girl whose dead parents, Nick's closest friends, left her in his care.

Nick manages to locate Sarah without much difficulty, but when he's ordered to kill her, he has a change of heart. The hunter turns into the hunted, as Nick and Sarah flee her hiding place in the North Carolina woods and try to outwit the police, the intelligence services, and a team of assassins directed by Osama bin Laden. As they make their way to Washington to preempt a plan to kill Yasser Arafat and Benjamin Netanyahu, Nick tries to sort out his conflicted feelings about Sarah. Is she part of bin Laden's team, a so-called runner who's a threat to the CIA and the SAS, or is she a loyal operative trying to outwit a highly placed traitor in the White House? Crisis Four is strong on its depiction of agents in the field; McNab excels at describing every last detail of the hunt, the chase, the kill. One can almost see this former SAS agent replaying scenes from his own past and struggling to get them right: <blockquote>I raised the arrow in the air again and rammed it down hard. It hit against the bone again, but this time it slid off and lodged deeper into his neck. I felt him stiffen, his muscle tensing up to resist the penetration. The gardening glove gave a good grip as I pushed harder, twisting the arrow shaft to maximize the damage. I was hoping to cut into his carotid artery or spinal cord, or even find a gap to penetrate his cranium, but instead I ended up severing his windpipe. Now I had to hold him as he asphyxiated, try to stop his body-jerking from getting out of hand and becoming noisy as I waited for him to die. His movements gradually subsided to no more than a spasmodic twitching in his legs. The last reserve of strength he'd found as he saw his life slowly get darker was now exhausted. I could see dark blood oozing out of the wound; it followed along the shaft of the arrow to my glove and dripped onto the floor. When I moved my arm away from his mouth he made no sound.</blockquote> The explosive denouement in the White House bowling alley ultimately reveals Sarah's true colors. It comes as no surprise to anyone except Nick, but it caps a terrific suspense story written by an author who clearly knows what he's about. --Jane Adams

Book Description

He was ordered to track down a rogue colleague. Now British Intelligence agent Nick Stone and "runner" (and former lover) Sarah Greenwood have become the hunted, racing deeper into a dark, deadly conspiracy that will change the course of world events - and the lives of millions.

With seventeen years of active service in the elite SAS force, Andy McNab writes from his own harrowing experiences. Packed with authentic procedural details, as relentless as a fast-burning fuse, Crisis Four is a thriller so gritty and real that you won't know where fact ends and fiction begins.

Customer Reviews:

Andy McNab's Crisis Four.......2006-10-30

If you are ex-military, as I am, you'll recognize Andy McNab at once, as the real thing.
Each of McNab's "Nick Stone stories," is like taking a how-to course in performing the tasks of a special intelligence agent, as told my an old pro.

In Crisis Four Nick must find missing Agent Sarah Greenwood, who might just have become a liability and embarrassment. Why Nick? Well because he and Sarah had work together before and had somewhere long the way become intimate so, Nick might be able to get into her head. Nick is also not a regular agent, but a former SAS Soldier, hired as a contractor, who can be used to perform work the Agency desperately needs to be done, but must deny any complicity.

Andy McNab takes the reader along with Nick, carefully explaining step by step how a professional works, and more than that, the kind of determination that it takes to be one. This is a high-tension thriller that will have you not only sweating and shivering with Nick, but satisfied that you've glimpsed his esoteric craft.

Slow start.......2005-06-23

This book doesn't take off like the first Nick Stone story, Remote Control. Compared to that book, this book seems to be moving in slow motion, like a day that just drags on. After the prelude, the "real story" doesn't have any hard action scenes until nearly page 200. The action is then not as gripping as Remote Control, hitting hard only in the final 50 or so pages, and after waiting so long to get to the action, it seems to wrap up too quickly.

Like drinking pure alcohol.......2005-01-27

As with such a drink, reading this book has two effects. First, with few exceptions, other "action" thrillers suddenly appear miserably inadequate in real secret agent knowledge and fieldcraft. Armchair novelists - even those who are gifted, work hard and do lots of research - just can't know how it's really done. McNab does, from his contemporary SAS training. Any of several episodes from this book will give you more true action than a whole set of novels by the many hack writers around. Reading the hero's approach to the guarded house, and his invasion of it, is an experience to be savored. You could pick up "Crisis Four" for this alone. More, Mr. McNab, please!

But while the pure stuff has a great effect, you badly miss the other elements of a really fine drink. McNab does a decent job of putting together a character, and placing him in a situation. But like so many authors, he can't handle his own plot. Events go increasingly overboard, and the characters and their actions become decreasingly believable, as he struggles to a conclusion. It finally degenerates into superhero antics.

Why do thriller writers seek ever more outrageous plots, with complexities they can't begin to handle? (And why do ex-SAS authors always have to include a gorgeous but deadly MI5 agent of uncertain loyalties?) It seems like paint-by-numbers after a while. Chris Ryan's "Greed" is a similar book, ruined by its ludicrous plot and development.

Having said all this... I will certainly grab the next McNab.

Like drinking pure alcohol.......2005-01-27

Just soooooooo Good!.......2004-05-06

Totally great this book of Chris Ryan, it's totally my kind of story and of many people i think.
I wouldn't say much about it, just one thing: BUY IT!
you won't be sorry.

Authors:

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