Date first published	5 Jun 2014
ISBN Number	978 0718 17876 5
Page Count	448 h/b
h/b= hardback : p/b= paperback

Storyline

When Kurt Austin is injured while rescuing the passengers and crew of a sinking yacht, he wakes up with conflicting memories of what he saw. Did he witness an old friend and her children drown, or was the yacht abandoned when he came aboard?

For reasons he cannot explain, Kurt doesn't trust either version of his recollection.

Determined to seek out the truth, in his hunt for answers, he soon descends into a shadowy world state-sponsored cybercrime, where he uncovers a pattern of suspicious accidents, vanishing scientists and a web of human trafficking.

Now he must take on the sinister organisation behind the conspiracy, facing off against them from Morocco to North Korea to the rugged coasts of Madagascar.

But where this highly dangerous quest will ultimately take him, even he could not begin to guess.

Review

This is quite an up to date novel, and displays a number of concerns of everything becoming 'web wise', particuarly the way the min subs, and a whole ship could be hacked and used for nefarious purposes, with the crew helpless spectators.

For a change Zavala has more to do than most novels, but this series could carry on without Zavala, he is very much a bit character, unlike Al Giordino in the Pitt series.

I have to admit I quite liked the reason for capturing Mrs Westlake. The story seems to be unfolding that she has been taken, to change Phalanx for there own needs but, the opposite is true. They have taken her to ensure that Phalanx is not installed by the government, so that the real piece of villainy can take place. It reminded me of the early Die Hard films, where the terrorists pretend a high minded, noble cause that they fight for, but in fact they are only interested in money.

The week point of this story does seem to be the core reason behind the operation. It is apparent the authorities know nothing of Brevard and his family so why stage a huge opreation to disappear? Although it could be other events not touched on in the book are forcing the issue.

For once there is a strong adversary to take Kurt on, although unusually it is a woman that he is forced to confront, however in the early part of the book she is totally ruthless, and is a very strange person to deal with, later on I feel she does seem to become a weak at the knees woman, which is a shame, she was far more entertaining as the out and out villain.

Overall a good solid story, technology was kept within reasonable bounds, and many of the answers did not appear on a plate as can happen at times.

A good decent read.

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