"The Rembrandt Affair", by Daniel Silva

Book 10, in the Gabriel Allon series

For those who are thriller addicts, Mr. Silva has to be one of the main suppliers; he is at the top of his game when it comes to satisfying the needs of avid readers and their quest for endless action and suspense. “The Rembrandt Affair” is a fascinating fiction, a blend of international espionage, art theft and murder that is well-written, fast-paced and populated with a remarkable cast of characters. Gabriel Allon, the protagonist, is an accomplished art restorer and a skilled Israeli spy when called upon, a hero for all seasons with a stellar success rate.

The plot opens with Gabriel and his wife Chiara enjoying a little down time in the scenic coastal town of Glastonbury. They are recovering from the traumatic aftereffects of their heroic rescue from the murderous hands of a Russian oligarch (the previous novel “The Defector”). When Gabriel learns an art restorer has been found murdered and a priceless painting by Rembrandt is missing, he is unable to stand by and do nothing. He soon finds himself back into the tick of thing and in full investigative mode with the help of his trusted cohorts. This latest caper, tense at times, unravels at a fast and suspenseful pace with many twists and turns right through to the climactic ending.

The storyline is sad, very emotional and heart wrenching at times but this meaty novel is very smartly written and engaging. The sub-plots are also very interesting on their own; they mirror some of the information that sufficed about the role Swiss banks and the Catholic Church played during WW11 and the looting of art by the Nazi elite.

I was so into this novel I burned the midnight oil to the last page.

"American Assassin", by Vince Flynn

Book 11, in the Mitch Rapp series

This latest political thriller brings us back to 1980 after Pam Am flight 103 disaster took the life of Mitch Rapp`s fiancée over Lockerbie Scotland. Mitch was then a 23 year old college student, a mere shell of what he later became. As in all the previous Flynn novels, the writing style is intense, very character and plot driven.

The story starts with Mitch, a new recruit being trained for a special covert program within the CIA. The author goes into great details describing the type of training needed to succeed in the program. As the plot thickens Mitch is sent on a special operation to Beirut where his skills and intelligence are put to the test to help rescue fellow CIA operatives held captive. The real action starts (what we seen previously was just a teaser) when a fight breaks out and our heart rate goes into high gear, we soon find ourselves page deep in the middle of a blood and guts, torture and murder scenario. Mitch’s past skills and his ability to improvise under duress are put to the test to complete his mission and survive what turns out to be a well laid trap.

All the favourite characters are back: Director Thomas Stanfield, Dr. Irene Kennedy, and Stan Hurley, all heads of the terrorist squad confronting the war on terror. Mitch Rapp is the perilous hero who furnishes all the action and brutality needed to satisfy any thriller novel junkie. Once more, Mr. Flynn has created a fictional story with explosive scenes based on a Westerner’s perception of modern day terrorism, he emphasizes their ideologies and mindset and how they use kidnapping to make a point.

The timing for this novel is excellent although it may have been rushed in its publication: some mistakes have slipped through that may annoy some readers….All that said and done, I am hooked on this series and this is one of the best instalments to date. The action is fast and furious, very engaging, an adrenaline rush from start to finish.

"Box 21", by Grens & Sundkvist

Also published under the title “The Vault” in the UK

Book 2 in the Ewert Grens series

The novel holds two main stories that are dark, extraordinarily sad and definitely not for the faint at heart. Both threads involve one of Stockholm’s best detectives Ewert Grens.

The first plot opens, with the release from prison of a notorious criminal; Jochum Lang. Detective Grens who has personal and professional reasons, feels Lang is a threat to the public, a hard core criminal and he makes it his mission to put him back behind bars. Grens strong feelings are based on an incident that happened twenty five years earlier. His colleague and girlfriend at the time was beaten to within an inch of her life and has been institutionalized ever since, a case that haunts him to this day. When Grens discovers that criminal bosses are hiring Lang as a strong arm he seizes the chance to send him back to prison.

The second plot is fast paced and full of credible action with a sad tone, another case Detective Grens is working in parallel that is demanding much of his time and skill. Lydia Grajauskas and Alena Sljusareva are two Lithuanian girls who have been tricked into leaving their country only to become sex slaves and property of the man they call Dimitri-Bastard-Pimp. We first learned about the girls when they are into a three year old nightmare servicing 12 clients a day, their moral at the extreme low and often beaten into submission. One day Lydia was so badly beaten that the neighbours called the police and was transported to the hospital. Her terrifying ordeal is revealed and at the same time she seizes the opportunity to fulfill a dream, take matters into her own hands and escape the hands of her captor.

The writing is crisp and steadfast with short chapters that shift back and forth between several colourfully portrayed characters: the criminals, the victims and the cops. I found it rather hard to get into this tale at first but once I became familiar with the writer’s style and phrasing, it all fell into place, at this point the story gelled and I was hooked.

I like this novel; it is a complex and intense psychological thriller that delivers a brutally intimate view into the drug and sex slave trade.