While the plot to this novel is not exactly anything new — a black ops man has his family killed, because he was supposed to die on a mission — Bayne does a good job with it. In fact, the main character does not die when he is supposed to, so he is able to exact revenge on those who killed his family. His campaign of revenge is cruel, but arguably apt, and he makes sure to have no collateral damage.
The novel sets quite a pace and is a great read. This is perfect journey fodder and never has a dull moment. It's prime airport thriller fiction and far better written than some you can buy. I was quite surprised when the novel was finished; it has a cinematic quality to it that just screams to be made into a screenplay.
Bayne certainly has proven his chops with this novel, and he is a writer to watch. I do hope a major publisher picks him up and dumps some of the rubbish ones about. Is this a great novel? Well, no, not really. Everything flows rather easily into the next set-piece, and one could say that the novel is a bit predictable. Then again, for a non-challenging, but enjoyable book, this is rather hard to beat.
At times, the novel reads a bit like a screen-play treatment which is a bit of a bete noir for me. In the end, though, it does just manage to have enough meat to work. If you want to read a gripping page-turner, that while not too taxing is a good fun read, then I highly recommend this.
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