Title: City of War

Author: Neil Russel

Genre: Contemporary Thriller

Read: First week August 2010

Summary: Extremely fun read.

I don’t read too many Thrillers without a Horror/Sci-fi/Fantasy/Supernatural element, but I was introduced to the author through a friend of mine and decided to check his book out. I’m glad I did. This is a roller coaster ride I can only describe as Fletch meets James Bond meets The Big Sleep. A billionaire playboy who happens to be ex-special forces happens to rescue a naked (and gorgeous) kidnapping escapee on the freeway, and things snowball into a globe spanning conspiracy of murder, art forgery and more. It’s fast and fun, but what really sells everything is the know-at-all first person voice of the protagonist. The action is often a little over the top, but his snarky attitude makes everything amusing. Perhaps (like Bond and many other action heros) he is a little too good at what he does, too calm under pressure etc. But it doesn’t really matter because he entertains with every paragraph. Great settings and a plot with a few shocking moments and unexpected changes of direction doesn’t hurt either. A director and well cast lead with the talents to capture the voice could turn this into a great action movie.