SYNOPSIS
How do you take down an enemy when no one believes they exist? When the lawyers of alleged war criminal Hannibal Strauss are caught up in a terror attack in The Hague, barrister Michael Devlin immediately suspects all is not what it seems. Teaming up once more with Agent Joe Dempsey, they must find who’s behind it all before any more innocent lives are lost.With their key witness on the run and assassins on their tail, their only lead is a codename: the Monk, a legendary and mysterious foreign agent with a fearsome reputation. But what is his stake in this dangerous game? And just who is part of his shadowy network of spies? Caught in a complicated web of lies, secrets and double agents, there’s no one Dempsey and Devlin can trust but themselves.
MY THOUGHTS
WOW, WOW, WOW, where do I start with this review, I will be honest and say I have the first 4 books in this series but haven’t yet read them, I was hoping to fit them in before reading this one but overbooked myself on blog tours to allow them to fit in. Seeing this was 525 pages I wanted to read it early. Had I known how fast paced it was going to be I wouldn’t have worried. I had literally just finished one book and picked this up straightaway.
From page one literally to the end you are engrossed in a fast paced thriller where you have no idea who the bad guys are. Obviously not counting Michael Devlin and Joe Dempsey of course they are the good guys. I kept forgetting that the whole book is only over 24 hours one minute Devlin and Dempsey are at Devlin’ boys christening, the next they are off to The Hague after what looks like a terrorist attack has hit. But it’s Michael that needs to go as his friend Will Duffy is there and has left Michael a message, with no one able to contact him Michael fears the worst but needs to see for himself.
What the duo don’t realise is what they are getting themselves into. It was no terrorist attack but an attack on the two lawyers Will Duffy and Mendal Prochnik who were due to meet Kon Frankowski, who has information they need for the client they are representing Hannibal Strauss. But who has organised the attack? It appears that Frankowski holds the key but he is somehow in the wind.
With the CIA involved but holding their cards very close to their chests and not giving anything away except that Will is still alive and in a hospital. Devlin and Dempsey head there to see what the situation is. It’s not long before Devlin finds himself in a fight as someone posing as a dr enters Will’s room to attempt to end his life. This is looking more and more serious as time goes on, what could they possibly want from Will? Dempsey has called his ISB team in the US as he learns who Frankowski is married to. He needs to know she and her boys are safe at all costs. But it seems the threats are not just in The Hague but in the US as well. No one can be trusted. Seems who is running the show has lots of people under control. But when Dempsey learns it’s The Monk he doesn’t believe it initially The Monk has been a Myth for years. But has he? Is The Monk real?
This is one gripping, rollercoaster of a read, I could not put this book down literally, I read half yesterday and finished it today picking it up the minute I was awake, the story still playing in my head. I love the characters Devlin and Dempsey along with the rest of Dempsey’s team. They are so believable, I was holding my breath at times at the action scenes not sure who was going to win. The tension is there at the beginning but as you gradually get further into the story it gradually ratchets up a notch every few chapters, as you get to the final 50 pages you are literally in the edge of your seat biting your fingernails. When I learnt who The Monk was my jaw hit my chest. This story never lets up, I loved the fast pace, I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. I need more of this now. I will get to read the first four books I wish I had read them first as I like to see the characters grow from when they are first introduced. But thank you Tony Kent for a fantastic read the best I have read this year. This deserves ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💥💥💥💥💥 without a doubt. I could watch this turned into an action packed film. I can’t wait for book 6 please keep them coming. I promise I will have read the first 4 by then.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tony Kent is a criminal barrister, founder director of Chiltern Kills festival, and bestselling author of the Dempsey / Devlin series. First published in 2018 with Killer Intent – a Zoe Ball Book Club pick for ITV – Tony has since published a further four books in the series, including the Richard and Judy Book Club legal thriller Marked For Death. Tony’s novels call upon his experiences as one of the most in-demand criminal defence barristers in the country, with a particular specialisation in allegations of organised crime. This role has brought him into frequent and close professional contact with Scotland Yard, the National Crime Agency, MI5, Interpol and even the FBI, all of which allows him to bring a striking level of authenticity to his work. Sign up to Tony Kent’s newsletter at tonykent.net, or find him on X (Twitter) at @TonyKent_Writes
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