I thought I would try to see if any substance to the whole thing. I have to admire the book it's immense and very informative as well as holding a good story. Mr Gardner is a cross between cussler and clancy. But better. So enjoying.

My first Frank Gardner! I did seem to read it all in his voice I'm afraid but as most of it was pretty serious stuff it kind of worked. I need to read the rest of the Luke Carlton books but I liked the fact that he's portrayed as an M16 agent with flaws and doubts unlike many main characters in the spy genre. Bizarrely I'm still enjoying epidemic scenarios in fiction despite lockdown. A strong four stars and my oh my that ending!!

I enjoyed this one, for me the right blend of “tip of the spear” action and the background stuff that enables it, just the way Tom Clancy balanced his books. Written after Covid, this relates to a bioweapon that could be even more deadly. An infected body in the Arctic leads to a race against time. MI6 agent Luke Carlton is brought in for the initial investigation and continues to be the lead guy as the action moves around the world. Who is responsible and why? Are the Russians helping or hindering, the answers might determine if Carlton lives or dies. As I said, I enjoyed this. I enjoyed that it wasn’t just an agent plane hopping from one gun fight to another and that we got more under the skin of the intelligence services. Possibly my favourite of the books so far, not just because it was topical but because it all clicked together rather well. The author has the experience and knows his stuff and it all clearly shows.

When a deadly virus is discovered in the Arctic Circle, MI6 agent Luke Carlton is sent to investigate. It's thought that Russia has been developing a new bio-weapon. What follows is a cat and mouse race against time to prevent a global pandemic. Outbreak is the third book in the Luke Carlton series but the first that I've read. It worked well as a standalone and whilst I enjoyed it, it wasn't quite what I expected. There was too much chatter around tables in meetings and not enough action to totally capture my full attention. Also, an abundance of acronyms weighed it down (a case of "oh no, here comes another one!"); yes, explanations were given but was it all really necessary? I thought the writing (minus acronyms) was excellent and characters skilfully brought to life. However, I found them a little too clichéd. Overall it was an enjoyable read but I do think a few tweaks here and there would elevate it to the next level.

When a British team enter a cabin in Svalbard they find themselves contaminated by a new and deadly biological weapon - a genetically engineered virus with 100% fatality. Luke Carlton is despatched by the SIS to investigate and all points towards Moscow. However the Russians are just as much in the dark as the British, perhaps there is a greater conspiracy out there? This is the first Luke Carlton book I have read and I have to say that it's definitely not my normal genre! Having said that I can really see the appeal to a popular thriller market. The action is fast-paced, the technical issues are always explained in layman's terms and there is enough violence without excessively cringey sex scenes.