Publisher: Constable (Trade Paperback – 8 October 2024)

Series: Ben Koenig series – Book Two

Length: 443 pages

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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The always-entertaining M. W. Craven returns with another outrageous and over-the-top action thriller with the outstanding novel Nobody’s Hero.

Over the last year I have found myself reading several books from veteran thriller author M. W. Craven.  A very talented writer with an interesting array of crime fiction to his name, Craven has impressed me with his outstanding range, as well as some of the elaborate scenarios he comes up with.  His other 2024 novel, The Mercy Chair, was one of the best crime fiction reads of the year, presenting readers with a dark and twisty tale that proved near impossible to turn away from.  As such, I was very eager to get my hands on his other book of the year, Nobody’s Hero, which has been on my radar for a while.

Nobody’s Hero is the second book in Craven’s exciting Ben Koenig series, which started last year with the awesome novel Fearless.  Following a reckless and intense US marshal on the run due to a mobster’s bounty, Fearless was a great read that set the literally fearless protagonist on a bloody revenge mission.  This was an outstanding first entry in the series from Craven, and I have been looking forward to the sequel for a while, especially as Craven came up for another intriguing plot for this second Ben Koenig book.

Ben Koenig is a ghost.  Formerly a decorated US marshal, Koenig is now a drifter, wandering around America trying to outrun the massive bounty placed on his head by a vengeful Russian mobster.  However, Koenig is still a valuable asset to the US government thanks to his specialised training and unique mind, especially as he has a rare condition that makes him utterly fearless.  But even Koenig isn’t immune to dangerous secrets from the past.

Ten years ago, Koenig was recruited to convincingly fake the death of a mysterious woman who needed to disappear to safeguard America’s safety.  However, when the woman reappears in London, gunning down two muggers in broad daylight and kidnapping their intended target, an elderly academic, it sends shockwaves throughout the CIA, and see’s Koenig antagonistic handler, Jen Draper, bring him in.

The only person who knows anything about the mysterious woman, Koenig is tasked with finding her and discovering what dark secret she is hiding.  Travelling to England with Draper, Koenig attempt to find a target who has successfully concealed themselves from the entire world for a decade.  If he fails, a dangerous attack will be unleashed upon America, one that no-one will see coming until it’s too late.  Can Koenig succeed and get the heart of this nation-killing plan, or has he met a threat even more ruthless than him?

Caven continues to highlight his ability to craft together ultra-exciting and slightly insane plots with Nobody’s Hero.  A fast-paced, highly entertaining read loaded with action, twists and lots of shock-value, Nobody’s Hero was one hell of an electrifying read, and one that I had such a great time getting through.

At the heart of Nobody’s Hero lies an intriguing story that is both very clever and nicely absurd.  Despite being a sequel to Fearless, Nobody’s Hero stands on its own and requires no prior knowledge of the series, which allows new readers to jump in without any issue.  Craven starts the story off very strong, especially when it comes to reintroducing his protagonist, Ben Koenig, and readers quickly remember why he is such a badass (you will never look at credit cards the same way again).  From there, the author crafts together an excellent overarching plot, which sees a multi-layered evil plan to destroy America unfold across several different perspectives.  When the start of this plan becomes apparent, a secret government protocol forces Koenig to investigate, especially once his connection to one of the players in question comes to light.  Following up the only lead they have; Koenig and his allies begin violently working their way through a variety of obstacles in both England and the United States.  This leads to several outstandingly over-the-top sequences, which continues to showcase the unusual, and highly violent, nature of the protagonist.

The plot continues as a great pace throughout the entirety of Nobody’s Hero, and you really get caught up in the intense action and intrigue.  The multiple alternate perspectives, especially those showing the various antagonists at work, blend well with the main storyline around Koenig, and you end up with a particularly elaborate spy thriller narrative.  Koenig throws in some brilliant twists along the way, especially one major one just before the final third that really throws you entire perspective of the prior events off and changes the entire tone of the book.  This all leads up to the final big set piece, which honestly is so damn excessive and insane but which fits the rest of the book perfectly and is frankly a great way to end this entire thrilling book.  Craven never slows down with the excessive violence and unlikely character moments, and the reader is constantly on the edge of their seats as they wait to see how the big confrontation will conclude.  I felt that Craven ended it all extremely well, and in a way that only he could pull off, and you come away from Nobody’s Hero exhilarated, satisfied, and just a little grossed out.  Throw in a few intriguing reveals at the end that hint at big things to come, as well as some loose ends tied up in a fitting way, and this was an outstanding narrative that really went out of its way to entertain.

Craven uses a fast-paced, action-laden and all-round exciting writing style in Nobody’s Hero, which really works for the ultra-intense and over-the-top narrative.  Definitely inspired by the Jack Reacher books (there are a few coy references to them) and standing in a bit of an interesting contrast to his style I saw in The Mercy Chair, Nobody’s Hero runs out the gate hard and fast and doesn’t slow down to the very end.  Thanks to the quickfire chapters and great changes to perspective, you really move through Nobody’s Hero fast, and I honestly couldn’t stop reading the book at times once I got into the zone.  The excellent changes in perspective to several other antagonist characters in the book, as well as a few clever time shifts, allowed for a multi-layered narrative, and I loved how Craven allowed for a larger narrative here with some distinctive characters.  Of course, the real highlight of this book is the excessive action and highly violent sequences that emerged, which were both exciting and morbidly entertaining.  Craven designs multiple massive combat set pieces that really pop, especially as they showcase just how deadly, and occasionally suicidal, his protagonist turns out to be.  The author also pumps out several scenes that are extremely entertaining, just because they are so excessive with their violence or the insane actions of the protagonist.  Highlights include a unique interrogation cleverly using a swollen finger, a brazen charge towards villains with stupid body armour and sub-machineguns, and the protagonist’s final plan to get to grips with the enemy.  All this is wrapped up with several outstanding plot twists, each of which is cleverly thought out and well hinted at, which help to turn this into something very special.  An exceptionally fun thriller story, if perhaps a tad too violent for some potential readers.

As with the previous book in the series, a lot of Nobody’s Hero’s appeal lies in its eccentric cast of spies, assassins, and shadowy government agents, all of whom bring a certain entertaining zest to the plot.  This is especially true in the case of the book’s protagonist, Ben Koenig, a former US marshal on the run who suffers from a rare condition that ensures he can feel no fear.  In some ways an even more violent and remorseless version of Jack Reacher, Koenig is a great character to follow, especially as the reader is treated to so many scenes of his unique thinking and unconventional plans.  A lot of the book’s humour is derived from Koenig’s inappropriate jokes and borderline insane ideas, which really amps up just how crazy Nobody’s Hero is at times.  Despite this lack of fear and seeming inability to take things seriously, Koenig proves to be a great central protagonist for this thriller novel, and his lateral thinking allows for some intriguing thoughts on the current situation.  There are also some interesting additional looks at Koenig’s inability to feel fear, which he worries may lead to more problematic and potentially immoral behaviour in the future.  While there isn’t an excessive amount of character development for the protagonist in this book, I still really enjoyed following Koenig in Nobody’s Hero, and I look forward to Craven’s next novel featuring him, especially as there seems to be some major drama coming Koenig’s way.

Aside from Koenig, Nobody’s Hero also features a range of great supporting characters and antagonists, each of whom proves to be more entertaining than the last.  This includes Koenig’s handler, Jen Draper, a former CIA agent turned private contractor who has been assigned to watch over Koenig and turn him into a potential government asset.  Despite their need to work together, there is some clear antagonism between Draper and Koenig, and the two spend most of the book sniping at each other.  While this will probably lead to romance in the future (or not; you never know with Craven), their constant bickering proves to be quite entertaining and there is a certain respect between the two, especially when the chips are down.  I really enjoyed the scenes when Koenig and Draper are of the same mind, mainly because it means the bad guys are going to suffer.  This book also featured a range of very entertaining and memorable antagonists, who fit very well into the story.  These include a murderous father-daughter team with some distinctive characteristics, a group of corrupt cops who get in way over their heads, and a deadly mercenary with something on his chest and a certain kinship with Koenig.  All these characters fit into the narrative perfectly, and I loved the entertaining interactions that they ended up having with the protagonist.

Overall, Nobody’s Hero proved to be an amazing and captivating new book from M. W. Craven, who is swiftly becoming one of my favourite new thriller authors.  Beautifully violent, crazy and all-round entertaining, I had such a brilliant time with Nobody’s Hero, and it was definitely one of the more exciting and addictive thrillers of 2024.  Highly recommended, especially if you are a fan of exceptionally excessive action thrillers.

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