Critical Space

Atticus Kodiak #5

by Greg Rucka

The acclaimed author of Shooting at Midnight has penned a thriller like no other ... the no-holds-barred story of a bodyguard with the ultimate protecting a woman who also happens to be the most hunted killer in the world...

Code-named Drama, she is a lightning-fast death machine — a hitwoman sought by intelligence agencies around the world. Drama kills as easily as she breathes ... and the last time she and Atticus Kodiak met, they barely escaped each other alive.

Atticus Kodiak has a reputation as one of the toughest bodyguards in the business. He’s used to picking his assignments and calling the shots. But all that changes when he is forced to take on Drama as a client — the last person he ever imagined would need his protection.

This time, Drama is the one who is running from a killer. She needs Atticus’s help, and she won’t take no for an answer. To prove it, she abducts a high-profile member of the royal family whom Atticus has sworn to protect. He will do almost anything to get the woman back. But what Drama needs from him will destroy his reputation — and siding with her means he can never turn back.

From New York’s Russian enclaves to the Swiss Alps and the Caribbean, Atticus becomes Drama’s protector, and her only hope for survival as she tries to outlive and outrun her bloody past. But once immersed in Drama’s high-stakes, covert world, Atticus breaks a cardinal He gets to know Drama as a woman rather than just a client — and it’s a bond that could cost them both their lives.

For the men hunting Drama are capable of unspeakable violence — of sins that make Drama’s own look like the acts of an amateur. And they will stop at nothing to see her dead....

A masterful work by one of the most unique voices in the field, Critical Space combines high-voltage, high-tech action with swift, terrifying brutality. The result is Greg Rucka’s most explosive thriller to date — a powerhouse of a novel destined to become a classic of modern suspense.

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Crime, Suspense, Mystery Thriller, Espionage

528 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 2, 2001

About the author

Greg Rucka, is an American comic book writer and novelist, known for his work on such comics as Action Comics, Batwoman: Detective Comics, and the miniseries Superman: World of New Krypton for DC Comics, and for novels such as his Queen & Country series.

Reviews

[Jim Wilkerson · Rating 1 out of 5]

I loved the Atticus books up to this one. What had been a fairly realistic feeling series(given the genre) about a fallible, interesting person making his way through difficult personal and professional circumstances turned into Batman. Batman is fine, but when I want to read Batman, I will read Batman.

Where is my Atticus Kodiak?

[Oli Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fifth #atticuskodiak novel #criticalspace from @ruckawriter published in 2001. My favourite so far. Fast paced, full of ‘drama’ suspense and character development. Really exciting. Plenty of cool twists and turns. It Never went where I expected. Very interesting exploration of trade craft and finances. Alena is a fascinating character the prologue was jaw dropping. Looking forward to the next one.

[Brent · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this installment, Kodiak gets diesel...

[Maddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

PROTAGONIST: Atticus Kodiak
SETTING: New York; Caribbean
SERIES: #5 of 7
RATING: 4.0
WHY: Together with some long-time friends, bodyguard Atticus Kodiak has formed a very successful security firm. A very surprising client wants to hire them--Drama, who is an assassin who has had one or more of the group in her sights. No one but Atticus believes this is a good idea. The interactions between Drama (aka Alene) and Atticus are transformative. There was too long of a build-up, but once the book got going, it took off. Atticus will never again be the same.

[Michael Norwitz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had dropped out of read Rucka's earlier Atticus Kodiak novel, Smoker, due to its interest in perfectly trained super-assassins, and this novel unfortunately returns to that world. One of them, a woman codenamed Drama, hires Kodiak to protect her from another assassin who seeks to kill her. In the process, she invites Kodiak into her world through an excruciating process of physical and mental training. While a reasonable well-written thriller, the result is a disruption of the family Kodiak has constructed for himself over the previous novels, and a consequent straying of my interest from the character.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 stars. The first Rucka book I didn’t absolutely love. It was still good and well-written, but ultimately a lot of what’s usually there was missing: I wasn’t fully invested in the characters, and didn’t really care about anyone in this book, except maybe Scott; and I didn’t really care for the plot—the assassin angle just wasn’t that interesting to me. 🤷‍♂️

It’s also frustrating because of how good Shooting at Midnight was, which sort of flipped the script but did so incredibly well and interestingly.

[Jdetrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

As much as I love Greg Rucka, I've never enjoyed the Atticus Kodiak novels as much as I would have liked to. This novel is perhaps the perfect example of why...characters in this novel make decisions that don't seem to track with their personalities, with many of the characters seeming emotionally stunted. These books also have incredibly abrupt endings, never really giving any sort of resolution to the many plotlines introduced throughout the novel.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to re-read it, because I still don't entirely understand why Atticus made the decision he did. But given that decision, everything else fits, and Rucka is ruthless in taking Atticus and his life apart.

[Hans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Atticus Kodiak, professional bodyguard, is at the top of his game with most pieces of his life finally falling into place again. Of course that would make a rather dull story, so expect things to get complicated quickly. The series makes a major shift with this fifth novel.

[Fletch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent thriller, but about halfway through it takes a surprising turn; from that point I was hooked. Rucka did a good job of wrapping the immediate story and leaving me hungry for the next book in the series.

[William Walter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite the dark subject matter, the plot had good twists and pretty compelling characters

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes I hate foreshadowing.

[Veselin Nikolov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Приятно развлекателно четиво. Както други са забелязали, нивото на реализъм в тази и следващата рязко спада и серията преминава в сферата на фантасмагориите.

[Tory · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the 'get diesel' regime. The incorporation of ballet and how in touch with his body and environment, that it made him.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite my love for James Bond, I have never been a big fan of spy novels. They always felt tired and predictable, and the characters were one dimensional stereotypes at best. So when my boss handed me Critical Space, I wasn't all that excited. I figured I'd read 50 pages for due diligence and then chuck it. Two days and 490 pages later, I am hooked. So hooked, in fact, that the first book in the series is now in my Amazon cart!

What makes Critical Space so excellent is wonderful, fully formed, complex characters in extraordinary circumstances. The main character is Atticus Kodiak (get past the stupid name), a high profile body guard. He can disarm an attacker with breath-taking skill, but he's also worried about his little sister at college, addicted to coffee, and at a strange place in his relationship with his girlfriend. It's these everyday details that make Atticus so compelling: he just like you, except much better with a gun. His partners in his bodyguard firm include Natalie, a former flame, Corry, a married guy with two kids, and Dale, a gay man who's sexuality is refreshingly mentioned only in passing (I love it when being gay is only one facet of a character's personality- it's a sure sign of progress). I immediately recognized these people, and I love that, too- when characters feel like real people you know. Though their personal lives aren't the major focus of the story, they provide nice secondary plots that remind the reader that personal protection is a job like any other, and at the end of the day, these people have other things going on in their lives.

To say too much more about the beautifully crafted plot would include giving away some key plot points, but I will say that Rucka is a very skilled writer to pull off such a thriller and make you believe it's all true, or at least possible. I love good old Bond, but there's a willing suspension of disbelief involved. But with Atticus, he with his complicated relationships and very human faults, feels totally real, and that's a refreshing change for this genre. As with any good character, in the hours since I've finished the book, I find myself missing Atticus and Natalie and the others. And that's why I love a series: because as soon as that Amazon box arrives on my doorstep, I can join them on another adventure.

[Jacob · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are a writer handling a series you often find yourself wondering how to keep things fresh. Greg Rucka got to the fifth book with Atticus Kodiak before he broke him down and rebuilt him as something else entirely. "Critical Space" is the point where the Kodiak novels flipped and seemed to throw away everything that came before. That isn't a bad thing. There is something to be said about playing with expectations. Rucka wanted to play in a bigger wheelhouse than the personal security game that he had been running previously. We really started to get a feel for what he wanted to do all the way back in book three but it is only with this book that he really puts his foot on the gas.

Rucka decides he wants to play in the professional killer action thriller sandbox and rather than starting a new series and building from the ground up he organically inserts a character who has been heading down a rabbit hole into bigger and badder things into a new genre and throws the dice on a risky gambit. Luckily the move pays off and we get a thrilling novel that subverts expectations and leaves us wondering where things will go from there.

The biggest accomplishment of "Critical Space" is that while it is a completely different kind of novel, Rucka makes it feel completely logical in progression. Kodiak feels at home in these situations. We have been led to believe that the man is perpetually outclassed but what happens when the tables turn and he begins to work toward his full potential? That is an interesting thread to unravel, because it also gives us a chance to ask whether the tip-top Atticus is someone he wants to be or if he should allow himself to be that person. Rucka's character work here is amazing as always and I found myself wondering how far he was willing to go.

It is always nice when a series keeps me surprised. Usually a series comes saddled with a bevy of preconceived notions but this one is downright unpredictable in most regards. I really do like that.

[Micah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Greg Rucka doesn't strike me as the type of guy to work a system. If he perfected the bodyguard-thriller formula in Smoker (Zoë Sharp is forever grateful), this is the book where he fucks with it until it becomes something better.

Its been remarked upon before, but the most striking thing about reading Rucka is how humble his writing is. Like the devil, his greatest trick is to convince you he doesn't exist. Occasionally he'll display a authorial flourish, here the second-person training montage that separates the first and second halves of the book, but generally he focuses his energy on one thing and one thing only: making you empathize with his characters.

Characters like Bridgett (who could be charitably described as a self righteous asshole) come across as completely sympathetic. When Atticus struggles to understand why he's doing what he doing, the reader struggles with him. Even a sex obsessed serial killer assassins gets a brief character moment. The fact that Rucka pulls all this off without showing his hand makes his near stylelessness all the more impressive.

This book may not the finely tuned plot machine Smoker is, or an absurd genre-reconstructing victory lap like Alpha, but it successfully synthesizes Shooting at Midnight's deep character work, noir atmosphere, and non-traditional structure with the first Kodiak trilogy's thriller elements to create something incredibly compelling.

[Ensiform · Rating 3 out of 5]

The fifth Atticus Kodiak novel. The group gets a mild brush with fame after guarding a high-profile client and being featured in a true-crime book about Drama, the assassin from Smoker. But fame comes at a price, as Drama kidnaps Kodiak’s principal, then Kodiak himself. She takes him to her Caribbean home and hires him to protect her from another of “The Ten” named Oxford. Much to the disgust of Bridgett and his co-workers, Atticus accepts. The association may indeed be harmful, as Atticus finds himself willing to do whatever it takes to protect her.

This is a terrific book, up until the end. Rucka has created an amoral world of grey, where the CIA offers murder contracts and assassins can be sympathetic; he keeps the drama tense and brutal by killing off two characters, one of whom is rather major. Unfortunately, the ending is spoiled by a totally unbelievable meet between Atticus and Oxford. It’s in the dead of night in an abandoned, desolate spot. After showing us for dozens of pages the lengths to which Drama will go to get Atticus alone for a meet, it is simply not credible that Oxford, just as canny as Drama, would walk into a trap like that with no backup and no plan, not for the money Atticus has stolen or anything at all. A pity Rucka dropped the ball at the end there; up until that point, he had me riveted.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having skipped a few in the Atticus Kodiak series, I wasn't sure what to expect when I read this on my nook. It starts out with Atticus protecting a spoiled brat. I won't spoil the book too much but suffice it to say, many twist and turns occur. By the end of the first few chapters, Atticus is no longer protecting the spoiled brat and instead is charged with keeping a person of royalty safe while they do appearances in New york.

All of this is standard fare for a Kodiak book except assassins are apprantly at first trying to kill Kodiak's principal.

From there, all is not what it seems. For those who have followed this series, you'll be glad to know that all the characters you know and love are here, a few deaths occur and old villians return.

There is also a transformation of Atticus that I think Rucka does effectively, albeit I don't really like it as much as I feel I should. That will be for each individual reader to decide.

[Jerry Pinkard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great! Great! Great! If you like thrillers... hell, if you just love great storytelling, this book will blow your mind. I was hooked on page 1. I could say the same for all of Rucka's work that I've read so far, but this has to be one of the best, most well-written novels I have read in a while. It had it all. Suspense, drama, action, a smart and intense plot that does not let up for a second, and brilliantly crafted characters that all grow on you as you get to know them. This book could honestly stand on its own. However, if you have never read any of Rucka's other Atticus Kodiak novels, this one will probably make you want to check them out. I would even recommend reading the previous titles first, as some of the brilliantly crafted characters that I mentioned, including our main character, have developed dramatically throughout the series.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have ravenously gone through this excellent series. Atticus is a Security Protection Advisor -- a Bodyguard and he takes his job very seriously. I am having a bit of trouble deciding what I want to say about this one without revealing too much so will suffice it to say I ranked this one a 9 of 10 and highly recommend the series.
It goes at a furious pace as all of the previous books have as well. Atticus and his friends are human and determined and incredibly gutsy as they run a small but one of the best security firms in NYC. This tale is chock full of Assassins, FBI, CIA, choices and risks, morality and committment.

[Rosina Lippi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This addition to the Atticus Kodiak series is (in my opinion) one of the best so far. The unusual premise for this main character -- he's a professional bodyguard -- might have been short-lived, but Rucka comes up with a twist that turns everything on its ear and promises the next book will be something special. The ballet theme was maybe a little bit of a stretch, but that was the only slightly off point for me.

Of course, I know nothing about this kind of thing in real life. It may be badly flawed for all kinds of reasons, but in this case, for me personally, the story is what matters.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't give this book 4 stars, (why don't we have a half-star option?). I could easily give it 3.5 stars. Although it held my attention from start to finish, the hero went a little too far over to the dark side with expected results. Despite the fact that parts of the book were highly disturbing, I can hardly wait to start the next one to see where Atticus's moral compass takes him next. And what will the ultimate impact on his friendships be? It is a deep hole that he's dug. I'm interested to see how he gets out.

[Joey Cruz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably the biggest gut punch of the Kodiak series. Up to this point, each book drastically changed Atticus's life, but left him a solid base in his surroundings and supporting cast. After the events here, nothing will ever be the same. Contains perhaps the most fascinating chapter of the series; you really have to wonder about the research Rucka had to do to write this book. The first (and best) of the second era of the series.

[Donald · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a well-written and paced thriller about a bodyguard who gets kidnapped by an assassin to get him to protect her against another assassin. For all the interesting technical details and methods used, I didn't get a real good sense of the tension and danger incumbent, which lessens the story a bit.

[Sheilagh · Rating 5 out of 5]

atticus gets stockholm syndrome and becomes batman. really. throw in a tidy plot device or two (having the main character rush from a woman who protects children to a woman whose childhood was stolen; involve him with women who disappoint their families by alternately joining the family business [natalie] or not [bridgett]), and it's a pretty engaging read.

[Carolyn (in SC) C234D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read in 2007. Noted at the time: I really like this writer. His main character, Atticus Kodiak, a bodyguard, is a little different (rather than a cop or a private eye), and the characters are interesting. In this one, his firm is hired to protect a visiting Lady from the UK. Then a world-class assassin is on his trail. It'll be interesting to read the next book in this series.

[Julia · Rating 2 out of 5]

A look into the boring side of professional assassins: meetings, bank accounts, and dedicated yoga. I stopped halfway through and finished it a year later. There were lots of unnecessary details to take up space (e.g. comprehensive directions for how to get everywhere).

2 Stars - Some parts were okay, but I would not recommend

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Atticus Kodiak novels are great good fun, and Rucka writes with a real love of deliberate process and procedure and specifics of the craft of, oh, fighting or gunplay or what-have-you. Can't wait for the soon-to-be released fifth Kodiak novel.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A winner. Rucka just doesn't let up. This book is relentless, moving at breakneck speed. This one is obviously the major turning point of the series. Why the hell hasn't this series been optioned? It would be a perfect HBO series!