Holy heck, what an action-packed page-turner this one was!
From the opening scene, I could tell that this was a book that was going to pull no punches both in terms of subject matter and general action, and I was right. It did not let up from beginning to end.
I liked how the author wove different plotlines into a cohesive story. Every event fed into the greater narrative and made sense. The story seemed entirely plausible, especially in today’s world of political turmoil and shifting alliances.
I thought that the characters were well-developed also. I had a difficult time keeping everyone straight at first because there were a lot of players. Novak is a hero to get behind, even as he skirts the limits of legal and moral boundaries. I found that to be one of his most realistic traits because real life (especially in the situation he found himself in) sometimes requires ambiguity for survival.
The descriptions of post-event analysis, risk assessments, and other law-enforcement/military actions were accurate and well-described. I appreciate it when an author shows knowledge in an area beyond the “oh, this would be interesting, I’ll do a Google search” mentions. It was clear to me that this author knows his stuff and knows it well.
The timeliness of subject matter may be touchy for some people, and I did feel that there were a few times that the author veered into more opinionated territory that was not warranted by the plot (case in point: Muslims are not a race, they belong to a religion, so while starting a “race war” with Muslims is a prevalent talking point in some countries real life, it is not factual). Fortunately, moments like this were few and far between.
Going Rogue is the second in the Tom Novak series. While it is not necessary to have read the first one to understand and enjoy this one, there are a few returning characters and references to events from the previous book. I would recommend picking up Going Dark first if only to get in on Novak’s story from the very beginning.
About Neil Lancaster:
Neil was born in Liverpool in the 1960s. He recently left the Metropolitan Police where he served for over twenty-five years, predominantly as a detective, leading and conducting investigations into some of the most serious criminals across the UK and beyond.
Neil acted as a surveillance and covert policing specialist, using all types of techniques to arrest and prosecute drug dealers, human traffickers, fraudsters, and murderers. During his career, he successfully prosecuted several wealthy and corrupt members of the legal profession who were involved in organised immigration crime. These prosecutions led to jail sentences, multi-million pound asset confiscations and disbarments.
Since retiring from the Metropolitan Police, Neil has relocated to the Scottish Highlands with his wife and son, where he mixes freelance investigations with writing.
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/neillancaster66
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NeilLancasterCrime/
- Website: https://neillancastercrime.co.uk/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neil_lancaster_crime/
- Publisher’s Website: www.burningchairpublishing.com
