“There are pieces falling into place here. It’s not a hunch, it’s more than that, aided by this blast from the past.”
The Watchman, which is the 5th book in the Ben Bracken series, is such a gripping read! Ben Bracken receives a text from an old friend, an old superior really. He is asked to do his friend a favour. And it isn’t for free. Ben has recently settled down and is rather loathe to leave his wife and young children behind, but the eye-watering amount on the paycheck would be very welcome.
Rob Parker, the author, drags us into the story straight away. Will Ben accept the mission? When asked, the friend doesn’t think there’ll be much risk. It’s simply a matter of picking up an envelope from New York. The friend, William Grosvenor, won’t tell Ben what’s in the envelope, only that it is of international importance.
Of course, picking up the envelope wasn’t as simple as was expected. (I thought that might be the case, just saying…) Ben ends up in more danger than he cares about, as it turns out that he isn’t the only one after the envelope. The hunt for the said envelope is joined by New York’s most dangerous mobsters, factions of federal law enforcement, and American Intelligence. Ben guesses the envelope holds some incredibly important information, and somehow he manages to join forces with some unlikely characters. My favourite was definitely the mobster boss!
The book runs at a brilliant pace, and I loved Ben Bracken’s character. I never took to his boss, too many layers to the man, I suppose. Luca, one of the main characters, was a little unpredictable, but he grew a lot during the book. I wonder what Luca will do next… I enjoyed Ben’s ideas about America, and I can see him going back there for more adventures.
The secret contained in the envelope was incredible and had me turning pages at an unearthly hour. What would they do with the information, and who would believe them? Several times it seemed they had no choices in what they would be able to do with the information. I thoroughly enjoyed Rob Parker’s imagination in not only creating tight spots but getting Ben and friends out of them in inventive ways, like the poor Bikers’ pile up! Rob Parker’s experience as a boxer shines through several times, and it made me hope he hasn’t been on the receiving end too many times…
It took me till nearly the last few pages before I understood the title of the book, but then it made so much sense. The Watchman is a proper page-turner, and I want to read the other Ben Bracken books now!
I received a review copy through Love Books Tours but was under no pressure or obligation to provide a favourable review. These views are my own.
