Nobody’s Hero by M. W. Craven

On December 4, 2024 By The Unseen LibraryIn Thriller4 Comments

Publisher: Constable (Trade Paperback – 8 October 2024)

Series: Ben Koenig series – Book Two

Length: 443 pages

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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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Fearless by M. W. Craven

On August 13, 2023 By The Unseen LibraryIn Thriller13 Comments

Fearless Cover

Publisher: Constable (Trade Paperback – 27 June 2023)

Series: Standalone/Book One

Length: 435 pages

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Amazon

The talented M. W. Craven debuts an awesome thriller protagonist with his epic and intense new novel, Fearless.

Craven is an interesting thriller author who has been establishing himself over the last few years. Craven already has a fantastic catalogue of novels behind him, including his Washington Poe and Avison Fluke series, although I had not previously had the pleasure of reading any of his books. As such, I was intrigued when I received a copy of Fearless, which looks to be the first book in an awesome new series. I really liked how cool Fearless sounded and I was glad I got the opportunity to check out another author who was new to me this year.

Ben Koenig is a man who knows how to disappear. The former leader of the US Marshals’ elite Special Ops Group, Koenig was the man who brought the very worst fugitives to justice, and his relentless attitude and uncanny abilities made him feared throughout the criminal community. But after an operation goes bad, Koenig goes into hiding, drifting from small town to small town.

After managing to stay off everyone’s radar for six years, Koenig suddenly finds his face plastered across every television screen in America. His old boss at the US Marshalls desperately needs Koenig’s help for a personal mission, and he’ll do anything he can to get his attention. Soon Koenig finds himself back on the job, but this time he has no limits, no backup, and no idea the amount of trouble he is about to find himself in.

His assignment will eventually lead him to the small town of Gauntlet in the middle of the Chihuahuan Desert. Someone in Gauntlet has a dark secret that they will do anything to protect, and they have the entire town, and more, at their disposal. However, they have never encountered anyone like Koenig and they soon begin to realise that Koenig has no fear, no mercy and no desire to stop. But against the dangerous forces in front of him, as well as dangerous assassins from his past, can even the fearless Koenig stay alive and complete his mission?

Fearless was a very fun and over-the-top thriller from Craven, who crafts together a very intense and addictive narrative for this new book. Starting off with a strong introduction to the character of Ben Koenig, the reader gets quickly swept up in both his unusual life and his new mission as he is drafted in to find a missing girl and revenge on the people that hurt her. Fearless’ story has a lot of great elements to it, and Craven takes his protagonist on a wild and blood-soaked thrill ride through several great locales and impressive scenarios. Most of the story takes place in the Texas town of Gauntlet, where Koenig investigates a mysterious solar energy company involved with his case. Craven does a great job setting up the antagonists of this series, as well as a compelling underlying mystery about who they are and why they are there, and I loved the combination of suspense and intrigue that emerged, as well as the fear and brutality of the villains as they try to take Koenig down. At the same time, Craven works in several compelling flashback chapters that give greater context to Koenig’s character and flesh out why he was on the run and the implications that has on his current situation.

Craven works a ton of brilliant and action-packed set pieces into the story as he goes, and the reader really sticks around to check out all the violence that emerges as a result. The author goes pretty over the top multiple times throughout the book as he tries to make the scenarios, and his protagonist, as explosive and unpredictable as possible. These memorable sequences mesh well with the investigative and character driven aspects of the story, and the reader really gets drawn into the entire compelling plot. Everything leads up to the big finale, where the author unleashes several massive and exceptionally brutal fights, which really draw the reader in and ensure that they cannot stop turning the pages. Everything ends on a very interesting note, although a couple of the final twists are clearly only there to set up the future books. Still, this ended up being a very thrilling and enjoyable story, and I honestly managed to knock off this lengthy book in a couple of fun-filled days.

Craven utilises a pretty effective style for this book that is focused on making the novel as fast-paced and easy to read as possible. Fearless is dominated by multiple short and impactful chapters which are very easy to power through and which encourage the reader to keep going, especially as you can get through the next exciting chapter with only a few page turns. I honestly found myself just going and going as I was reading, as I really wanted to see what awesome event was going to pop up next in the story. The author did a really good job of quickly and effectively setting up the protagonists, the story, and the general vibe of Fearless, and you quickly realise what sort of fun and compelling story the author has planned, which helps to keep you hooked. The primary focus on protagonist Ben Koenig is nicely balanced with several chapters told from the perspective of the antagonists, and I loved seeing some of the different angles of the story, especially as the villains get more and more desperate, and ruthless, as the book continues. This ended up being quite an attractive and highly accessible new series to test out, and Fearless will appeal to most thriller readers, especially those who are interested in something with a ton of action and a fun plot. There are obviously some interesting parallels between Fearless and the Jack Reacher novels, which Craven does cleverly and humorously reference at the start. I think this book will appeal to anyone who appreciates intense, fast, and unpredictable thrillers, and this really was a great treat.

One of the more interesting and distinctive elements of Fearless is the over-the-top protagonist, Ben Koenig. Written as an elite former government agent on the run after upsetting the wrong crime family, Koenig is a very capable and effective killer who serves as the book’s main point-of-view character and narrator. Koenig is a fun central figure for Fearless, and I loved his unique and entertaining viewpoint of the world, which translates through his chapters and gives the book more of a humorous edge. Most of the novel is designed to introduce readers to the author’s new major protagonist up and I liked the intriguing background that Craven built around him in several fantastic flashback chapters. There is a certain arrogance and cockiness to Koenig that some people might not like, but I though it fit his story arc well, and he does get called out on it a bit. There is also a great ruthlessness to him at times, which does make you wonder if he is really a good guy. These elements are cleverly tied into Koenig’s most defining character feature: due to a medical condition, he lacks the ability to feel any fear. While this does seem like a bit of a weird character element, Craven does an excellent job working it into the story, and the entertaining interactions that emerge from Koenig failing to react with any fear make for some fantastic reading. It was surprisingly fun to see Koenig blithely walk through a range of scenarios without any concern at all, such as when he’s digging his own grave, and the resulting reactions from his opponents are so much fun. The character’s inability to feel fear does has some downsides, as Koenig’s risk assessment capability is shot, so he does end up making some mistakes from a lack of caution, which was a useful narrative handicap. Still, the inventive ways that he gets out of several unfortunate scenarios makes for some compelling reading, and Craven really manages to stretch his imagination thanks to this protagonist. I honestly enjoyed seeing the story from his perspective, and I look forward to reading a larger series featuring this character in the future.

Overall, I had an absolute blast reading Fearless by M. W. Craven, and it really was a particularly fun and exciting thriller. While the story might get a bit to over-the-top crazy in places for some readers, I honestly enjoyed how silly and insane it got, as it made for some entertaining reading that I could quickly power through with a big smile on my face. As such, I am giving Fearless a pretty good rating, and I would strongly recommend this novel to anyone who wants a huge dealing of action, funny characters, and wonderfully violent thriller storylines.

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Quick Review – The Chase by Candice Fox

On May 15, 2021February 2, 2023 By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Quick Review, Thriller11 Comments

The Chase Cover

Publisher: Bantam Press (Trade Paperback – 30 March 2021)

Series: Standalone

Length: 449 pages

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Amazon Book Depository

Australian thriller author Candice Fox returns with another fast-paced and intriguing thriller novel, this time utilising an extremely fun prison break premise to create The Chase, a compelling and addictive read.

Candice Fox is a bestselling Australian author who debuted in 2014 with Hades, the first novel in her Archer & Bennett trilogy, a fantastic Australian crime series that followed two very damaged detectives. She then followed that up with her Crimson Lake trilogy, as well as collaborating on the Detective Harriet Blue series with James Patterson. Since then Fox, has written a couple of standalone crime fiction novels set in America, including the 2020 release Gathering Dark, which is the only previous novel of Fox’s that I have read and which proved to be a fun and fantastic book. As a result, I was interested in reading more of Fox’s work, especially after I saw what kind of story her new novel would feature.

Synopsis:

When more than 600 of the world’s most violent human beings pour out from Pronghorn Correctional Facility into the Nevada Desert, the biggest manhunt in US history begins.

But for John Kradle, this is his one chance to prove his innocence, five years after the murder of his wife and child.

He just needs to stay one step ahead of the teams of law enforcement officers he knows will be chasing the escapees down.

Death Row Supervisor turned fugitive-hunter Celine Osbourne is single-minded in her mission to catch Kradle. She has very personal reasons for hating him – and she knows exactly where he’s heading . . .

I am sure that I was not the only person drawn in by The Chase’s cool plot synopsis, I mean, 600 convicts escaping from prison at the same time, who can resist that? I really enjoyed this book’s awesome story and I ended up finishing the entirety of The Chase in just over a day. This was mainly because The Chase had such a strong and captivating start to it, with someone using deadly blackmail to instigate a mass breakout as cover to free one unknown prisoner. This was one of the more awesome starts to a novel that I have seen, and I really loved the initial moments of this story, with the prisoners all heading off in various directions, including protagonist John Kradle, while other protagonist Celine Osbourne is left in shambles with all her Death Row charges escaping.

Fox soon breaks this narrative up into several smaller stories; you follow Kradle as he makes his escape, you also see Osbourne dealing with the fallout of the escape, and there are short descriptions of some of the other escapees and the people that encounter them. The main two storylines surrounding Kradle and Osbourne continue in an awesome way towards the middle of the book. I had a great time seeing Kradle attempt to evade the police and overcome an insane killer who is tagging along with him, while also heading home to solve the murder of his wife and child. Osbourne’s story was also very compelling, as it details some of the initial hunts for the escaped fugitives, the investigation into who was responsible for the breakout, and the start of Osbourne’s obsessive hunt for Kradle. The various smaller stories of the other escapees prove to be fun interludes to the main narratives, and Fox also includes key flashbacks to enrich the backstory of her central protagonists and showcase the reasons for emotional and combative history with each other.

Unfortunately, I found the last half of The Chase to be somewhat of a letdown after its outstanding beginning. Kradle’s hunt for his family’s killer soon becomes one of the least interesting parts of the entire book, especially as it has no connection with the wider breakout. His investigation is also loaded with way too many coincidences, unusually helpful witnesses, and strange motivations. The eventual reveal of the killer was honestly pretty weak, and Kradle’s entire storyline only concludes satisfactorily due to a serendipitous appearance from a supporting character. I was also not amazingly impressed with the identity of the person behind the prison escape, and I think that Fox missed a few opportunities, such as maybe tying Kradle’s personal investigation into a larger conspiracy. Still, there were some fantastic highlights in this second half of the book, including Osbourne’s gradually changing relationship with Kradle, the action-packed conclusion to Osbourne’s hunt for the organisers of the prison break, as well as the extended and entertaining storyline of one escapee who managed to make the most of their situation. While I would have loved a couple more extended storylines about some other outrageous inmates, I think that this was an overall good narrative, and I did have a lot of fun getting to the end.

I did really enjoy several of the characters featured in this fantastic novel. The most prominent of these is John Kradle, the Death Row inmate accused of killing his wife and son. Kradle is a likeable character, and you are quickly drawn into his desperate hunt for the person who framed him. Fox makes great use of several flashback sequences to explore Kradle’s past, which paints an intriguing picture of a former recluse who eventually finds love and ends up raising a son by himself. The reader does a feel a lot of sympathy for this unusual character, and he proves to be a fun protagonist to follow. The other major character in The Chase is the supervising prison guard of Pronghom Correctional Facility’s Death Row, Celine Osbourne. Osbourne is a strong and independent character who becomes obsessed with hunting Kradle and dragging him back to Death Row. I really enjoyed Osbourne as a character, especially as Fox comes up with a very traumatic and clever backstory for her that perfectly explains her obsession. Both lead characters serve as perfect focuses for The Chase’s narrative, and I had a great time seeing how their arcs unfolded, even if one was a little weaker than the other.

Fox also made use of several great side characters throughout The Chase. My favourite is probably street hustler Walter Keeper, better known as Keeps, the one inmate at Pronghom who did not escape, as he was due to be released. Keeps is dragged into Osbourne’s hunt for Kradle somewhat against his will due to his knowledge and intelligence. Keeps serves as a good supporting act to Osbourne for much of the book, although his character arc goes in some very entertaining and ironic directions as the narrative progresses. I also quite enjoyed tough-as-nails, no-nonsense, US Marshal Trinity Parker, who leads the manhunt. Parker is a very entertaining character who serves as a perfect foil to Osbourne’s obsessions, mainly due to her absolute refusal to take any BS from her. While I do think that Parker was a little over-the-top at times, she was still a fun addition to the cast. The final character I want to talk about is one of the escapees, Old Axe. Axe is a geriatric inmate who escapes from Pronghom on a whim and slowly makes his way to freedom. I quite enjoyed the various sequences that highlighted Axe’s escape efforts, even if they were tinged with a sinister edge, but his arc was one of the more distinctive parts of the book. All these characters were great, and I was really impressed that Fox was able to introduce them, build up their backstory and also provide satisfying conclusions for all of them in just one novel.

Overall, I really enjoyed The Chase and I felt that Candice Fox wrote a very entertaining and compelling narrative. While this book did have its flaws, I had a fantastic time getting through it and readers will find it very hard to put this exciting novel down. This was an awesome and addictive thriller, and I cannot wait to see what this amazing Australian author comes up with next.