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Nick Stone #14
Dead Centre
The new Nick Stone thriller from the bestselling author of Bravo Two Zero.
January 2005: Nick Stone is in tsunami hit Banda Aceh on a job to retrieve incriminating evidence of an oil deal. When looters arrive a fight breaks out and a man, Mong, is killed. Nick makes a promise to his dead friend to protect his widow, Tracey.
March 2011: Nick is in Moscow filling his days at a private gun range when he is lifted by heavies and taken to meet an oligarch. The oligarch wants Nick to track down his kidnapped wife and son. It transpires that the oligarch has married Tracey and so Nick is given the opportunity to fulfil his promise to Mong. Nick follows the trail from Mogadishu to Nairobi, from Courchevelski to Bristol, on a mission to unravel this complex and explosive plot. He eventually tracks down Tracey and her son and leads a rescue mission, all guns blazing, only to find that Tracey is dead and the boy is missing.
There's only one man the boy can be with, and one place, which only Nick knows... Nick goes after him, and he has vengeance to wreak.
January 2005: Nick Stone is in tsunami hit Banda Aceh on a job to retrieve incriminating evidence of an oil deal. When looters arrive a fight breaks out and a man, Mong, is killed. Nick makes a promise to his dead friend to protect his widow, Tracey.
March 2011: Nick is in Moscow filling his days at a private gun range when he is lifted by heavies and taken to meet an oligarch. The oligarch wants Nick to track down his kidnapped wife and son. It transpires that the oligarch has married Tracey and so Nick is given the opportunity to fulfil his promise to Mong. Nick follows the trail from Mogadishu to Nairobi, from Courchevelski to Bristol, on a mission to unravel this complex and explosive plot. He eventually tracks down Tracey and her son and leads a rescue mission, all guns blazing, only to find that Tracey is dead and the boy is missing.
There's only one man the boy can be with, and one place, which only Nick knows... Nick goes after him, and he has vengeance to wreak.
416 pages, Paperback
First published September 15, 2011
176 people are currently reading
923 people want to read
About the author
Andy McNab
205 books1,172 followersAndy McNab joined the infantry in 1976 as a boy soldier. In 1984 he was badged as a member of 22 SAS Regiment. He served in B Squadron 22 SAS for ten years and worked on both covert and overt special operations worldwide, including anti-terrorist and anti-drug operations in the Middle and Far East, South and Central America and Northern Ireland.
Trained as a specialist in counter terrorism, prime target elimination, demolitions, weapons and tactics, covert surveillance and information gathering in hostile environments, and VIP protection, McNab worked on cooperative operations with police forces, prison services, anti-drug forces and western backed guerrilla movements as well as on conventional special operations. In Northern Ireland he spent two years working as an undercover operator with 14th Intelligence Group, going on to become an instructor.
McNab also worked as an instructor on the SAS selection and training team and instructed foreign special forces in counter terrorism, hostage rescue and survival training.
Andy McNab has written about his experiences in the SAS in two bestselling books, Bravo Two Zero (1993) and Immediate Action (1995). Bravo Two Zero is the highest selling war book of all time and has sold over 1.7 million copies in the UK. To date it has been published in 17 countries and translated into 16 languages. The CD spoken word version of Bravo Two Zero, narrated by McNab, sold over 60,000 copies and earned a silver disc. The BBC's film of Bravo Two Zero, starring Sean Bean, was shown on primetime BBC 1 television in 1999 and released on DVD in 2000.
Immediate Action, McNab's autobiography, spent 18 weeks at the top of the bestseller lists following the lifting on an ex-parte injunction granted to the Ministry of Defence in September 1995. To date, Immediate Action has now sold over 1.4 million copies in the UK.
McNab is the author of seven fast action thrillers, highly acclaimed for their authenticity and all Sunday Times bestsellers. Published in 1997, Remote Control was hailed as the most authentic thriller ever written and has sold over half a million copies in the UK. McNab's subsequent thrillers, Crisis Four, Firewall, Last Light , Liberation Day , Dark Winter , Deep Black and Aggressor have all gone on to sell equally well. The central character in all the books is Nick Stone, a tough ex-SAS operative working as a 'K' on deniable operations for British Intelligence.
McNab's fiction draws extensively on his experiences and knowledge of Special Forces soldiering. He has been officially registered by Neilsen Bookscan as the bestselling British thriller writer of the last year.
Trained as a specialist in counter terrorism, prime target elimination, demolitions, weapons and tactics, covert surveillance and information gathering in hostile environments, and VIP protection, McNab worked on cooperative operations with police forces, prison services, anti-drug forces and western backed guerrilla movements as well as on conventional special operations. In Northern Ireland he spent two years working as an undercover operator with 14th Intelligence Group, going on to become an instructor.
McNab also worked as an instructor on the SAS selection and training team and instructed foreign special forces in counter terrorism, hostage rescue and survival training.
Andy McNab has written about his experiences in the SAS in two bestselling books, Bravo Two Zero (1993) and Immediate Action (1995). Bravo Two Zero is the highest selling war book of all time and has sold over 1.7 million copies in the UK. To date it has been published in 17 countries and translated into 16 languages. The CD spoken word version of Bravo Two Zero, narrated by McNab, sold over 60,000 copies and earned a silver disc. The BBC's film of Bravo Two Zero, starring Sean Bean, was shown on primetime BBC 1 television in 1999 and released on DVD in 2000.
Immediate Action, McNab's autobiography, spent 18 weeks at the top of the bestseller lists following the lifting on an ex-parte injunction granted to the Ministry of Defence in September 1995. To date, Immediate Action has now sold over 1.4 million copies in the UK.
McNab is the author of seven fast action thrillers, highly acclaimed for their authenticity and all Sunday Times bestsellers. Published in 1997, Remote Control was hailed as the most authentic thriller ever written and has sold over half a million copies in the UK. McNab's subsequent thrillers, Crisis Four, Firewall, Last Light , Liberation Day , Dark Winter , Deep Black and Aggressor have all gone on to sell equally well. The central character in all the books is Nick Stone, a tough ex-SAS operative working as a 'K' on deniable operations for British Intelligence.
McNab's fiction draws extensively on his experiences and knowledge of Special Forces soldiering. He has been officially registered by Neilsen Bookscan as the bestselling British thriller writer of the last year.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews
July 29, 2013
So, as I raced towards the end of this spectacularly good Andy McNab thriller yesterday, I had tears in my eyes. Just shuddup, okay?
The way Andy McNab writes, you always know; he's been in this place, on that job, used the weapon he's describing so lovingly, watched a man die. In his early books, something or another would lag behind the action, or the tradecraft. But here, he gets everything right; the plot, the location, the dialogue, the action, the characters, the emotional center. Dead Centre takes place in Somalia, which I absolutely believe, without a doubt, that he has been to. His descriptions of the people, the bereft landscape and the pure and deadly anarchy are nothing less than astonishing.
I do miss the urgency of the early books; they weren't always as literary as this one, but they had an I-just-got-out-of-Special-Forces-and-I-sat-down-and-wrote-this-book immediacy to them that this one trades in for better, smoother writing. But that's a personal thing.
I continue to be blown away by how well he writes about horrors the rest of us ignore, in places in the world we will never visit, fearlessly exploring the kind of front-page newspaper stories that have us turning the page so that we don't see anything that disturbs us as we drink our morning coffee.
If you are curious about Andy McNab, Dead Centre is a good place to start.
The way Andy McNab writes, you always know; he's been in this place, on that job, used the weapon he's describing so lovingly, watched a man die. In his early books, something or another would lag behind the action, or the tradecraft. But here, he gets everything right; the plot, the location, the dialogue, the action, the characters, the emotional center. Dead Centre takes place in Somalia, which I absolutely believe, without a doubt, that he has been to. His descriptions of the people, the bereft landscape and the pure and deadly anarchy are nothing less than astonishing.
I do miss the urgency of the early books; they weren't always as literary as this one, but they had an I-just-got-out-of-Special-Forces-and-I-sat-down-and-wrote-this-book immediacy to them that this one trades in for better, smoother writing. But that's a personal thing.
I continue to be blown away by how well he writes about horrors the rest of us ignore, in places in the world we will never visit, fearlessly exploring the kind of front-page newspaper stories that have us turning the page so that we don't see anything that disturbs us as we drink our morning coffee.
If you are curious about Andy McNab, Dead Centre is a good place to start.
September 13, 2013
Number 14 in the 'Nick Stone' series is as thrilling as ever - from start to finish. McNab's ability to describe frantic action and minutely detailed portrayal of what is happening (how seemingly impossible things are actually done in real life from his own military experience) are almost too realistic - you feel every emotion possible - and the ride is so compelling (you simply can't put it down) and it is equally exhausting to read - nerves are on edge throughout. Brilliant story telling. Five stars sometimes just doesn't seem enough!
January 22, 2019
It’s a fast paced thriller set in the darkest corners of earth. The author’s experience brings in a lot of detail to the story. Though the storyline is fast, it gives you enough time to get invested in each character and you start to feel for them. Though there is always a risk of readers calling the book biased and judgemental in the opinions presented by the lead character, the book leaves you happy and satisfied in the end. If fast paced stories with lots of weapons, aircrafts, explosives, spies, soldiers and good people is your thing, then this one is a must read!
January 25, 2020
Een middelmatige militaire thriller met een nogal ongeïnspireerd plot dat voor zijn genre misschien iets te traag op gang komt. Op bepaalde momenten vond ik de actiescènes nogal onoverzichtelijk. Het einde is goed, maar zeker geen hoogvlieger.
April 7, 2018
This is a bloody good read. Full of action and real to life facts. Great for anyone who wants a easy action read.
October 30, 2014
Book review about Dead Centre (by Andy McNab):
In January 2005, Nick Stone, a former British SAS trooper, goes to Aceh Province, Indonesia with his partners(BB and Mong) on a mission to destroy a bunch of secret documents from an office the city center. If they fell into the wrong hands, the energy company they are working for would be truly screwed up. The last thing his employees wanted was the government and the military to discover that they were having cutting deals with the local separatists over future oil and gas contracts. While burning and destroying the contracts, a bunch of local military arrive and a fight breaks out. Mong is killed, Nick promised his friend to take care of his wife, Tracy.
Moscow 2011: Nick is in Moscow filling his days at a gun range club when he is kidnapped by a bunch of locals to meet a Russian oligarch. The oligarch wants Nick to track and retrieve his son and wife,who were kidnapped by Somali pirates, while cruising in the Seychelles.Surprisingly, the oligarch has married Tracey, so Nick has to fulfill his promise to Mong.
The oligarch would anything, pay anything, to get his family back. But for Nick, the mission will take him to the poorest and most violent country on the planet, Somalia.
In January 2005, Nick Stone, a former British SAS trooper, goes to Aceh Province, Indonesia with his partners(BB and Mong) on a mission to destroy a bunch of secret documents from an office the city center. If they fell into the wrong hands, the energy company they are working for would be truly screwed up. The last thing his employees wanted was the government and the military to discover that they were having cutting deals with the local separatists over future oil and gas contracts. While burning and destroying the contracts, a bunch of local military arrive and a fight breaks out. Mong is killed, Nick promised his friend to take care of his wife, Tracy.
Moscow 2011: Nick is in Moscow filling his days at a gun range club when he is kidnapped by a bunch of locals to meet a Russian oligarch. The oligarch wants Nick to track and retrieve his son and wife,who were kidnapped by Somali pirates, while cruising in the Seychelles.Surprisingly, the oligarch has married Tracey, so Nick has to fulfill his promise to Mong.
The oligarch would anything, pay anything, to get his family back. But for Nick, the mission will take him to the poorest and most violent country on the planet, Somalia.
August 23, 2016
I had picked this book randomly when i saw Sale in a book stall and got excited to explore!
The author used to work for the "Special Air Service" which is a special unit of British Army so has all the right credentials to write this series which is full on action and keeps us on the edge of our seat almost all the time!
This time, he takes us to Somalia - a lawless, violent land, ignored by the West, ripped apart by civil war and famine, fought over by drug-fuelled, gun-crazy clan fighters and shows us their new terrifying weapon- Pirates. I am absolutely amazed how this country has not been "fixed" so far by rest of the world considering the nuisance value with their strategic location in Horn of Africa with the longest coastline in the entire continent which are being used by these Pirates.
Go for it to just get a feel of Nick S and then decide if you want to go through the whole series :-)
The author used to work for the "Special Air Service" which is a special unit of British Army so has all the right credentials to write this series which is full on action and keeps us on the edge of our seat almost all the time!
This time, he takes us to Somalia - a lawless, violent land, ignored by the West, ripped apart by civil war and famine, fought over by drug-fuelled, gun-crazy clan fighters and shows us their new terrifying weapon- Pirates. I am absolutely amazed how this country has not been "fixed" so far by rest of the world considering the nuisance value with their strategic location in Horn of Africa with the longest coastline in the entire continent which are being used by these Pirates.
Go for it to just get a feel of Nick S and then decide if you want to go through the whole series :-)
May 19, 2017
This was an exciting action thriller featuring an ex-special forces British soldier who is now doing freelance work. This episode involves a hostage recovery from Somalia. The characters are interesting and the plot flowed ahead relentlessly. I have one quibble, which stopped me from awarding this book a full five stars: McNab has a habit of frequently including UK slang expressions as part of the dialogue. These expressions are unknown to me and sometimes hard to decipher - I'm Canadian and usually take pride in understanding both American and British idioms - these ones went over my head. In spite of this complaint, I will probably read more books by Andy McNab.
August 2, 2025
I really enjoyed this one — Dead Centre is everything you'd want from a fast-paced military thriller. The action kicks off early and doesn’t let up, with short, snappy chapters that kept me totally engrossed from start to finish.
Nick Stone is as sharp and gritty as ever, thrown into a hostage rescue mission that spirals into something much bigger. McNab’s real-world experience shines through in the detail and realism, making the whole thing feel authentic and intense without ever dragging.
If you're into action-packed reads with no filler, just clean, direct storytelling and loads of suspense — this one's a solid choice. One of the most addictive reads I've picked up in a while.
Nick Stone is as sharp and gritty as ever, thrown into a hostage rescue mission that spirals into something much bigger. McNab’s real-world experience shines through in the detail and realism, making the whole thing feel authentic and intense without ever dragging.
If you're into action-packed reads with no filler, just clean, direct storytelling and loads of suspense — this one's a solid choice. One of the most addictive reads I've picked up in a while.
September 12, 2017
Открыл книжку наугад где-то на середине.
Узнал ряд интересных фактов о России:
- русские любят книги Тарковского
- станция метро "Лубянка" самая глубокая в мире (спуск на эскалаторе занимает более 5 минут!), на платформе бухают бомжи С СОБАКАМИ, а в углу истекает кровью избитый мент
- в 1980 году Путин был мэром Петербурга
- подмосковные поселки носят названия "Навахо" и "Челси"
- когда Светлана Аллилуева покончила с собой, Сталин похоронил ее В ЦЕНТРЕ ГУМА
Закрыл книжку и навсегда забыл о существовании писателя Макнаба.
Узнал ряд интересных фактов о России:
- русские любят книги Тарковского
- станция метро "Лубянка" самая глубокая в мире (спуск на эскалаторе занимает более 5 минут!), на платформе бухают бомжи С СОБАКАМИ, а в углу истекает кровью избитый мент
- в 1980 году Путин был мэром Петербурга
- подмосковные поселки носят названия "Навахо" и "Челси"
- когда Светлана Аллилуева покончила с собой, Сталин похоронил ее В ЦЕНТРЕ ГУМА
Закрыл книжку и навсегда забыл о существовании писателя Макнаба.
September 17, 2019
Gripping action
The sTory began with setting up the characters involved and their interrelationships which made the following plot very believeable.
The action later on was fast paced, with the clan described just how you would imagine they would be in real life with no holds barred.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes fast paced action with graphic descriptions of battle.
The sTory began with setting up the characters involved and their interrelationships which made the following plot very believeable.
The action later on was fast paced, with the clan described just how you would imagine they would be in real life with no holds barred.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes fast paced action with graphic descriptions of battle.
July 15, 2018
I have enjoyed these book
Such good writing.story telling mashed to grab the reader in sometime you read to fast .Then you slow down think you just something but no you haven't books are full on .loved every book I have read you take us in a journey at moment following the key people..
Such good writing.story telling mashed to grab the reader in sometime you read to fast .Then you slow down think you just something but no you haven't books are full on .loved every book I have read you take us in a journey at moment following the key people..
January 12, 2020
Perhaps I have read too many books about Nick Stone (the 14th, as I've read them all in order!) so by now it has become a bit of a routine. But the books picks up when Stone goes to Somalia, and you get a chilling depiction of the failed state, the clan system, of piracy and hostage taking and ransoming a business. So yes, another skilfully written action thriller from McNab!
May 10, 2020
He's good
I read Bravo Two Zero a long time ago and loved it.
I only got back into reading last year and I've just read all 19 of the Nick Stone adventures back to back .
They are really very good.
You know something bad is going to happen but you're not sure when or to who.
Not predictable like Steven King and some others.
Enjoyed them all.
I read Bravo Two Zero a long time ago and loved it.
I only got back into reading last year and I've just read all 19 of the Nick Stone adventures back to back .
They are really very good.
You know something bad is going to happen but you're not sure when or to who.
Not predictable like Steven King and some others.
Enjoyed them all.
September 13, 2019
Exceptional book
Another exceptional book by Andy McNabb well written and very exciting from start to finish looking forward to reading more from him exceptional author with plenty of flair and experience to draw on for more novels in the future very enjoyable
Another exceptional book by Andy McNabb well written and very exciting from start to finish looking forward to reading more from him exceptional author with plenty of flair and experience to draw on for more novels in the future very enjoyable
December 28, 2020
After reading 200 pages - I’ve abandoned the book. Have met couple of guys who are big fans of this author & I’ve also heard him on the radio.
This book was purchased from a local charity shop. It appeared to be very disjointed & just did not captivate my attention to read anymore.
This book was purchased from a local charity shop. It appeared to be very disjointed & just did not captivate my attention to read anymore.
June 8, 2021
Great read, great hero!
I've been reading the Nick Stone series from book 1 until this one. All have been great reads and you can really get behind the character. I look forward to starting on the next in the series
I've been reading the Nick Stone series from book 1 until this one. All have been great reads and you can really get behind the character. I look forward to starting on the next in the series
July 13, 2021
Very very good. Not for the squeamish. Nick Stone takes on recovering a Russian Oligarch's son and wife after they are kidnapped by Somalian pirates and taken to one of the worlds greatest cesspools, Mogadishu.
January 3, 2024
You know what to expect when you get an Andy McNab book. An exciting story, realistic situations and plenty of bloody action. Number 14 in the Nick Stone series was no different, I absolutely loved it and lost sleep with " just one more chapter " reading. For once Nick showed his softer side in an emotional ending, really looking forward to number 15. As with all his books this comes highly recommended, an easy 5 stars.
July 16, 2017
a gritty thriller , not my usual sort of read .
July 26, 2017
Cracking good yarn
Moves like a forest fire from Russia to Britain to Africa. Nick Stone is the thinking man's action hero. Splendid
Moves like a forest fire from Russia to Britain to Africa. Nick Stone is the thinking man's action hero. Splendid
August 12, 2017
Brilliant book go read. An excellent twist at the end I didnt see coming.
September 4, 2017
Great book. Every detail is elaborated with extreme authenticity. I thought it was McNab himself, although in some situations I would see him do something else...
February 20, 2018
Me ha gustado Nick, no lo conocía y me ha gustado 😉
February 26, 2018
I got bored and couldn't finish reading it. I can't remember the last time that happened. I usually keep reading hoping that it will get better, but I just couldn't get into it.
November 30, 2018
Another hit
I am well pleased I have to know Nick Stone as a friend I have read just about all the stories of Nick Stone and I have enjoyed them all
I am well pleased I have to know Nick Stone as a friend I have read just about all the stories of Nick Stone and I have enjoyed them all
June 13, 2019
Yet again another fantastic book by Andy Mcnab. Lots of action and lots off twists. Got to be my favourite book in the Nick Stone series so far.
September 22, 2019
Non-stop action with credible detail.
Would make a great film.
Would make a great film.
October 10, 2019
Andy Mcnan
This was the first book by Andy Mcnab I had read. I really enjoyed it.I will certainly read some more.
This was the first book by Andy Mcnab I had read. I really enjoyed it.I will certainly read some more.
October 15, 2019
Exciting from page one. An excellent book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews