Redemption

Ryan Drake #1

by Will Jordan

A new thriller series featuring British CIA agent Ryan Drake—perfect for fans of Lee Child, Vince Flynn, and David Baldacci

Ryan Drake is a man who finds people who don't want to be found. Once a soldier in the British Army, he now works for the CIA, leading an elite investigation team that tracks down missing agents. But his latest mission—to free a prisoner codenamed Maras and bring her back onto U.S. soil within 48 hours—is more dangerous than anything his team has attempted before. Despite the risks, the team successfully completes their mission, but for Drake the real danger has only just begun. Faced with a terrible threat, he is forced to go on the run with Maras—a veteran agent scarred by years of brutal imprisonment. Hunted by his former comrades and those willing to do anything to protect a deadly secret, Drake is left with no choice but to trust a dangerous woman he barely knows, for he has only one chance to save those he loves and time is running out.

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Audiobook, Espionage, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Adventure

551 pages, Paperback

First published June 21, 2012

About the author

Will Jordan was born in Fife, Scotland in 1983. He is best known as the author of the RYAN DRAKE series of action thrillers, and for his YouTube alter-ego, THE CRITICAL DRINKER, amassing well over a million followers and quickly becoming one of the most popular movie critics on the internet. Having always enjoyed a passion for storytelling, he began writing short stories from a young age, eventually moving up to full-length novels and the publication of his first Ryan Drake novel in 2012.

His works to date include:

Redemption (Ryan Drake 1) - 2012
Sacrifice (Ryan Drake 2) - 2013
Betrayal (Ryan Drake 3) - 2014
Black List (Ryan Drake 4) - 2015
Deception Game (Ryan Drake 5) - 2015
Second Chances (Ryan Drake novella) - 2016
Ghost Target (Ryan Drake 6) - 2016
Shadow Conflict (Ryan Drake 7) - 2017
Deadly Cargo (Co-written with James Patterson) - 2017
Trial by Fire (Ryan Drake novella) - 2018
Downfall (Ryan Drake 8) - 2019
Something to Die For (Ryan Drake 9) - 2020
Dark Harvest (2022)

Reviews

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't sure what to expect from a novel by the "Critical Drinker", but I loved this book! Great first novel. Could not put it down.

[John Wiltshire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is there a male equivalent to chic lit? If there is, this is it. It's readable. I finished it. It's full of guns and missiles and insurgency into enemy territory. It's fast paced. Why the hesitancy to give it more stars? To be honest, this was almost cartoonish. Marvel Universe kind of action. With one character in particular. I know authors have to be woke to get anything published these days. So in a story about Special Forces, you have to have women included as part of the elite fighting squad. But in this novel, the whole plot revolves around the rescue from a Russian prison of the most elite of elite fighting predators the world has ever seen. Yeah, you guessed it. A woman. So, Katya can eliminate a room full of SAS soldiers in the dark with her bare hands (did it in this book). She's so dangerous that even cuffed, smashed in the face twice and with a deep shrapnel wound, she can still kill a Special Forces team. But, of course, she's also stunning to look at, with womanly curves and soft breasts and still wants sex after four years in a Russian prison being starved and raped every day. Yeah, give me a break. The Katya character totally ruined this novel for me. Make her an android--good character. Make her an alien--good character. But a human female? It's so ludicrous that it just ruins what could have been a really solid action novel.
Shame.

[James Tullos · Rating 1 out of 5]

BOOORRRRIIING!


Oh my god, this is a spy novel about terrorists and explosions but it stretches everything out to be twice as long as it should and all tension or excitement dies in the womb.

Combine that with obnoxious sequel baiting, annoying dialogue, and the dumbest villains I've seen in a long time and this was more than a chore to finish: It was an ordeal.

[Logan Horsford · Rating 1 out of 5]

Any time a writer uses 'Two weeks earlier...' (then cuts to action two weeks earlier) or 'twenty minutes later' I immediately think "Hack".

Not one but two cut to earlier time before I gave up on this.

Why use one word to describe something when you can cram in two to five? Or have a lot of stuff detailed which doesn't matter? Or flat characters? How the heck have so many books been written? Why are they rated so highly?

I don't get it.

[martin scott · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don't you just hate it when it's obvious that the author doesn't have a clue what they are writing about?
I know it's fiction but this is on the verge of fantasy.
Tandem parachute jump at night landing with pinpoint accuracy in high winds, CIA having no drug testing policies, and my personal favourite, being able to have a whisper quiet conversation on the back of a Chinnock. There's hundreds more inaccuracies but at this point I would just be quoting the novel word of word.
It's the written equivalent of Uwe Boll film.
If you are looking for something more far fetched than Marvels Avengers, here you go.

[William Cast · Rating 2 out of 5]

Halfway through, I'd have given it 4 stars plus maybe a half because the story and premise were promising and, although typical of the genre, well done. As the story reached an early climax and moved toward a concluding climax (after all it is a CIA, good-guy-bad-guy thriller) author Jordan reached into his Super Hero bag of cartoon tricks. Only Wiley Coyote can get up and run after being hit with an anvil, or so I thought before Jordan's heroes throw off bullets and killer blows as if they were Men of Steel. How does a bullet go through and through one's abdomen missing not only vital structures but apparently bowels as well. Go figure? I'll assume Jordan found realism too demanding and chose the easier route of cartoon dialogue. A quick read with familiar characters that might have been worth more than 2.5 stars.

[Drew Ericsson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Action-thrillers aren't my usual fayre, but I really enjoy the Critical Drinker's film and TV reviews on YouTube, so I thought I'd support him by buying one of his novels.

This was a proper page-turner: a twisty, intrigue-type plot that proceeded logically in easy-to-plough-through writing. But I wonder how the Critical Drinker would have responded to the (very) occasional convenient plot jump/omission/"it'll be fine" moments, or the overly convoluted climax (this is due to point #2 below). But these are minor concerns. The main criticisms I have are 1) I just didn't give a crap about any of the characters, though that may be down to my lack of alpha maleness, or my sobriety; 2) rather like in the Critical Drinker's astute review of 'Star Trek: Picard', I don't feel that the supposed main character Drake was the real protagonist - Anya was on the bigger journey here, having a more intense back story, changing the most during the novel, and generally being the more interesting character.

Saying all that, I'm quite sure that those readers who enjoy the genre will get a kick out of this book, so I fully recommend it to them. "Anyway, that's all I've got for today. Go away now."

[Gerald Sinstadt · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Balling up her fist, she drilled him in the face with a hard cross, stunning him, then delivered a second blow to his fleshy stomach that doubled him over. A hard kick to the groin stamped out whatever fight remained in him, yet for some reason she found herself unable to stop."

Note "for some reason" - this is not a book to be admired for its psychological insights. But you see the world we are in: high-octane action, improbable deeds performed by unbelievable characters. The pace is fast, the violence frequent. Ryan Drake is the hero, if that is the word I want. His handler tells him, "This is your chance, Ryan. Maybe your only chance." Redemption for the past is the bait that has to be swallowed - not by Drake but by the reader.

There is a market for books of this kind but it is competitive; whether Will Jordan will thrive in it is an open question.

[Raven · Rating 3 out of 5]

A high-otane and fast paced tale of derring-do set in the world of elite investigation and black-ops that had me hooked throughout. The hero of the piece is Ryan Drake, a wonderful amalgamation of thriller favourites, Geordie Sharp, Nick Stone and ‘Spider’ Shepherd but with a slightly softer centre as he finds himself at the whim of his immediate superiors and with an additional threat to his nearest and dearest. Tasked with liberating a former CIA agent, Maras, from a harsh prison in the snowy wastes of Siberia, Drake and his team come to realise that this mission is not all that it first appears to be and forces Drake on the run with Maras as the depth of this conspiracy becomes clear.

One of the strongest aspects of this book is Jordan’s grasp of characterisation as Drake is a compelling and empathetic protagonist with a strong moral sense but who seeks to retain his professionalism as a soldier. Maras, named after the goddess of war, also proves to be an intriguing and exceptionally well-drawn character and is probably the finest kick-derriere heroine of the thriller genre I have read. She is incredibly driven, consumed with a thirst for revenge and not above using her feminine wiles to manipulate Drake to achieve this. Likewise, the characterisation of members of Drake’s disparate team and his oily superiors is equally balanced and I particularly liked Drake’s nemesis Dietrich who Drake reluctantly adds to his team and the way their rocky history comes to light.

The plot moves quickly through a series of unforgiving terrains as Drake and Maras go on the run for reasons that I will not reveal as this would totally spoil this read but needless to say Jordan’s depiction of these locations is utterly authentic and I particularly enjoyed the Siberian section getting a real sense of the isolated and brutal confines of a frankly despicable place of incarceration. Jordan has said that having undergone a military bootcamp in the past, igniting his passion for military hardware and history, that he has undertaken much research in the US and Europe becoming something of an arms expert and this is self-evident throughout the plot. There is a meticulous attention to weaponry and military procedures throughout, which is not only informative but reveals much of this secret world of military warfare.

Overall a very creditable debut and bodes well for a long running series featuring this new action-hero on the block and perfect for readers looking for something to supplement the works of other established writers in the military thriller genre…

[Rusty Menace · Rating 1 out of 5]

Easy to read but too simplistic and predictable.
If it wasn't for the rape, this would be a children's book.

[Sean Harding · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought I had never read this geezer before, it turns out I had as he was one of the co-authors for some Patterson schlock, but anyway this one, what I most will remember about it was it just seemed to go on and on and on and on and on forever and a day and then it just kept going after that. It was, for the type of book it was even exceeding Baldacci at his most verbose in length! Anyway apart from that it was not that exciting really, but hey knock yourself out and read it, it may take a while though.

[Evelynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned about this book because I followed the YouTube book reviews of the author, Will Jordan. Sadly, his reviews are no longer available online, but I had been very impressed with his sharp commentary and his clear understanding of character, plot and pacing. The fact that he was able to present it in a fun and amusing way was an added bonus. Naturally, when he announced he had been awarded his first publishing contract, I was keen to see if his skills as a reviewer would translate into those of an author.

The novel most certainly did not disappoint. It is a riveting roller--coaster ride with interesting, well written characters. Jordan switches easily from viewpoint to viewpoint, with each character having his or her own motivations and voice. Although it is not a world I personally inhabit, the characters were believable and realistic. The plot was well thought out, with one twist after another and kept me turning page after page.

One review I read mentioned that the language was often repetitive and uninspired. I would say that is probably a valid criticism. It's clear Mr. Jordan is no wordsmith. However this is more than balanced by excellent characterisation, plot and pacing. Personally, I would also have welcomed some of the author's natural wit to have come across in the novel.

In any case, I will certainly read the sequel when it is published. I gave Redemption (Ryan Drake 1) four stars out of five.

[Joseph · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't enjoy the book. In fact gave up half way. The plot is not credible and the characters are obviously made up. The final straw was the language, why do all the characters have to swear all the time it does not add anything to it and for those of us who don't like using the f word in every sentence it takes away from the pleasure of reading this book.

[Olli Lloyd · Rating 1 out of 5]

Lacklustre and clichéd. Will reconsider recommendations based on this. A tired genre and unsurprising plot. I'll consider the second in the series in the hopes that it was slow out of the gates.

[Jacki (Julia Flyte) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fast moving thriller, the perfect book to make a long plane journey feel shorter. Our hero, Ryan Drake, is ex SAS and now works for a specialist division of the CA, charged with finding and if necessary rescuing CIA agents who go off grid. He is given the assignment of rescuing a former agent from a high security and very remote Siberian prison. The agent is a woman, codenamed Maras, and she is both startlingly beautiful and a very efficient killer. The first third of the book deals with this assignment and it flows very quickly. Once Maras is back on US soil, Ryan thinks he will have no more to do with her, but a change in circumstances puts them on the run together.

I enjoyed this book. It moves quickly, which allows you to ignore the (many) implausibilities and time compressions. It reminded me of the later Robert Ludlum books like The Prometheus Deception. I liked Ryan Drake's character - he's highly competent but no uber-hero.

A few criticisms. The writing is quite repetitive. Characters eyes frequently "light up". Good looking people inevitably have narrow noses and jaws tapering down to well-defined chins. Different characters use the same words to describe the same events. There is also a section set in Saudi Arabia when Maras (blonde female) moves around the city freely without head covering, uses public transport and then drives a car for several hours. All of these actions are either illegal or extremely unlikely in Saudi Arabia and completely lack plausibility.

I also hated the cover design. Covers in this genre are increasingly conforming to a genre. Solo man with movement behind him. Lee Child is the most successful example, now copied by Vince Flynn, Robert Crais, Nelson DeMille etc. This is trying to mimic those covers but for some unknown reason our protagonist is running in a suit. The running man in the suit is generally the sign of a legal thriller, eg John Grisham or Mark Giminez. Moreover, Ryan Drake barely wears a suit in the entire book! It's a cobbled together, low effort, shoddy cover design, and frankly, this book deserves better.

[James Pierse · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I would have enjoyed it when I was in my early twenties. It is not bad, just predictable, I have just read it before in other books. But if you want easy reading action, I would recommend it. The next time I am on holiday and want to read something by the pool I will read the next one.

[Mary · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not .finish, since did not appreciate the rape scene or the fact that I had no idea they were coming

[Gordon Wallis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Came to this book as a fan of the author's YouTube persona, The Critical Drinker. I'll frame this by saying that I don't consider myself to be a fan of this particular genre, but props to Jordan for entering a field already well-populated (saturated, even) with big names and heavy-hitters.

Redemption is a fast-paced thriller with a very cinematic feel. The characters are fairly loosely drawn, but all very familiar - archetypes of the genre, essentially. The first third of the book sets up the daring and urgent rescue of a key operative locked away in an absolute hellhole of a Russian prison, and was a fantastic, evocative read, even though it requires robust suspension of disbelief on certain technical points.

After that, I found myself experiencing déjà vu almost every other page, once the 'rescue' goes awry on the way home, revealing a deeper and more convoluted plot behind its apparent inception. The entire story from that point on becomes very formulaic. When the protagonist goes on the run with the newly-liberated agent, there's even that scene where she does something foolish that will inevitably alert their pursuers to their location and likely heading, and the fugitives discuss "Shouldn't we go left?"/"No, they'll be expecting that, so we'll carry on going right". This is immediately followed by the pursuers discussing "Won't they go left?"/"No, he'll know we'd expect that, so he'll keep going right".

One of the team is that old favourite, the Disgraced Former Colleague With A Drug Problem and, while some of his early behaviour and decision-making once he decides to go cold turkey mid-mission reflect the state he'd be in, it's barely an inconvenience and is quickly forgotten. While the origins of his addiction are explained, how he managed to smuggle his next fix along with him on this mission is never addressed.

Redemption is never less than fun to read but, unfortunately, it's enjoyable in much the same way that cliché-ridden action-oriented TV shows and movies are still fun to watch, even if you end up yelling at the screen every time a character makes a predictable and easily-avoided poor decision to ramp up the drama, or something unexpected happens purely for expediency rather than because it makes sense.

Conversely, some of the twists - the introduction of the antagonist, then the later revelation of the shadowy figure pulling the strings - are clearly telegraphed ahead of time, and so lose all their impact.

The rescued agent is an absolute cypher, becoming whatever a scene requires to move the story forward: when she has to be tough, focussed and capable, that's what she is; when she has to be weak, impulsive or inept, that's what she is. To an extent, it might make some sense in the context of the character... But in the context of the specific events and how they're narrated, it usually doesn't, feeling inconsistent rather than calculated. Her interactions with the protagonist are all predictable and by-the-numbers. There's also the continuity gaffe that is the variable strength of her accent: it's described as 'a trace', but it's conspicuous enough for anyone to pick up on and identify, and yet she's able to put on a flawless American accent when required... at one specific point in the story.

I'd tend to lay a portion of the blame for this on the editor rather than the fledgling writer, since there are instances of copy-and-paste repetition and clumsy phrasing that should not have slipped through (such as a line where "the sweep of the desert swept by..." or somesuch). Additionally, there are some lines of description peppered throughout that are beautifully written, bordering on poetry and, again, Redemption is a compelling read. Throughout, I was reluctant to put it down and eager to pick it back up again.

The protagonist comes across well and mostly competent, without being some kind of flawless super-agent. Quite the opposite, in fact, though I ended up wondering how a man so wracked with guilt and self-recrimination as Ryan Drake ever got into his chosen line of work... Then again, the reasons behind his need to seek redemption (roll credits!) only really comes up once and, like the colleague's drug problem, is quickly set aside.

Towards the end, when Drake's pursuers suddenly switched to being his rescuers without any obvious prompt, and in spite of the clear contradiction offered at the very start of the novel, I was half expecting the sort of happy ending whereby the mastermind is brought to justice and all his victims (direct and indirect, those who survive, at least) get the second chance they're after. Thankfully, Redemption didn't disappoint on that score, with the implication of a longer game to be played through later books. Weirdly, it reminded me a lot of Dumas' morally grey ending to The Three Musketeers, which has never once been faithfully adapted to the movie/TV screen.

I look forward to reading the next in the series, but probably won't be making it a priority.

[Rob · Rating 2 out of 5]

Story was ok, writing was a bit basic and the characters and plot were a bit predictable and flat but there is enough promise that I might read a few more in the series

[Tom Tischler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ryan Drake is a former British Army soldier who now works
for the CIA. He is called a shepherd. This is an elite inves-
tigation team that finds and brings back missing agents. His
latest mission is to free a prisoner codenamed Maras from a
Russian prison and he only has forty-eight hours. This is the
most dangerous mission he and his team have ever attempted but
despite the risks it is successfully completed. But for Drake
the real danger is just beginning. Faced with a terrible threat
he must go on the run with Maras a veteran agent who is scarred
by years of brutal imprisonment. He is hunted by former comrades
and those willing to protect a deadly secret. Drake has no choice
but to trust a woman he barely knows. He has only one chance to
save the ones he loves and time is running out. I can only
say that Goodreads only rates books to a 5. I would have given
this one a 10 and it's Will Jordan's first book. This is 500
pages of action packed adventure and if you like thrillers I
would not pass this up. He has just completed his second book
and I'm already looking for it.

[Jacob Chinchen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this one. Would have read it quicker if I didn't keep nodding off on the bus to or from work - which is not a reflection on the quality of the book, more a reflection on the stamina of the person reading it.

Immediately scoped out the second book and will be buying it when I've finished typing this review.

So round about now, then.

[Jenifer Mohammed · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent thriller with lots of suspense, double-crosses, and people who are never quite what they seem to be. Drake is a honourable soldier/CIA operative and Maras is a woman/former operative who is a survivor determined to get justice for what has been done to her. This book will keep you up all night to see how it all ends.

[Josiah Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic Character development

This book has fascinating characters and their development is fantastic, especially Dietrich's. It's been a while since I've been this captivated in a book but Will Jordan was able. If you want a fun fiction book, read it.

[M.J. Finley · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has action, then some more action, oh, and did I mention it has action? As this is the author’s first book, I prefer to read the next one in the series before issuing an opinion.
Nevertheless, I can say that despite the insane amount of action, the book is still quite readable.

[Shared Machine · Rating 3 out of 5]

The characters are compelling. The situations are tense. The pacing and style are strong. Jordan sets the scenes clearly and deftly moves you from one set-up to the next. Good solid read.

[Joonas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Before saying anything else I feel necessary to point out that I'm not very familiar with this genre of literature. However, I do enjoy good storytelling and well written characters, and as the author's work and insights on his YouTube channel ("The Critical Drinker") oft resonate with me I decided to give his first book a try, and listened to the audio version of it.

Redemption is a fast paced action thriller, told from multiple points of view, with interesting locations and characters that complement each other nicely. Interaction and banter between the main characters is generally fun and enjoyable, even if unoriginal at times. There are no dull moments in this book, and it's paced in a way that it's hard to stop reading - or, as in my case, listening.

The writing quality, while mostly pleasing, seems to vary somewhat. Sometimes the scenes are beautifully described and the words carefully curated, while some parts seem less developed in this sense. There's quite an amount of repetitive language, lack of polish if you will, though the author has clearly gone to great lengths in order to understand the subject he's writing about in order to make his descriptions of gear, military tactics and locations believable (at least to a non-expert like me).

Sadly the tone of the characters is not always consistent, and several moments that are supposed to be emotionally important come too soon or are otherwise underdeveloped. The closer we get to the ending the more most characters seem to start following a typical Hollywood formula with all the clichés you may find in generic action movies, along with lines we've all heard uttered before. In any case, the book is written well enough and the story is compelling enough to keep the reader hooked.

Somewhat ironically, considering how I got interested in reading this book in the first place, my biggest gripes have to do with the characters and the story itself.

The story is skillfully told and it's a captivating read, yes, but at the same time the events unfold in a way that's seldom surprising. Many of the plot twists are quite easy to see coming from afar, and there's not much that's genuinely new, original or surprising in the storyline. Sometimes the characters are made to do uncharacteristically stupid mistakes for the sake of drama, such as a badly wounded character forsaking their gun and being taunted into a fistfight with a much stronger opponent, even though the same character is supposed to show their enemies (and this one in particular) no mercy.

Of course, many a generic story has been saved by great characters, which I dare guess has been the focus of the author here as well. While well written and enjoyably human at times, many of the characters are little more than stock characters at heart. And while there's certainly glimpses of personality and flaws visible in all of the tough military types, sometimes it feels as if the author felt a need to present these sides of the characters simply in order to avoid getting accused of writing one dimensional characters, even if it wouldn't necessarily have made sense for the characters to display these sides of themselves within the confines of this story. As such, these matters are often underdeveloped (though a point is made about stuff that's left unsaid - for sequels, I suppose) or quickly brushed aside.

In any case, those are minor issues, and I did consider Ryan an interesting main character, at least in the first half of the book. It is a pity that the focus shifts to another character almost completely, and for the rest of the story he's left underdeveloped and passive as the female protagonist's story is fleshed out much more. Unfortunately I found her mostly uninteresting while the start of the book made me intrigued about Drake. He starts as a competent leader of an elite strike team - one of the best, we're told, though with his flaws - but he ends up as a passive sidekick to the female protagonist. And as he loses the limelight, he seems to lose much of his personality as well.

What broke my suspension of disbelief was the character of Maras, the woman Ryan and his team are sent to rescue in the beginning of the story. I'm all for strong and interesting female characters, but Maras seems like a superhero in an otherwise grounded story. She's way too strong and fast, unbelievably perceptive, skillful in everything she does, and established as pretty much the toughest fighter there is.
Engaging an armed strike team in darkness, unarmed? Easy.
Assaulting elite soldiers that hold her at gunpoint, unarmed? No problem.
Fighting a formidable enemy twice her size and strength after being badly wounded? I pity the man.
There seems to be no wound, neither mental nor physical, that can prevent her from easily beating up anyone who crosses her path. And this is told to us ad nauseam throughout the book.

This is an interesting contrast to the author's own recent critiques on how female action heroes are often depicted in modern movies (Drinker Fixes Maras, anyone?). And of course, in addition to being able to punch her way through any man, she's very beautiful and sensual (with so much emphasis on descriptions of her body that it almost feels uncomfortable at times), in a great physical condition, and doesn't shy away from sexuality at all - all this regardless of just having been released from a prison where for years she had been abused in all ways possible.

To be honest, I was more intrigued about Drake's team members than the heavily featured Maras, and it was often the interaction between the side characters that kept the story interesting. Maras could've been great if she weren't depicted in such an unrealistic way, and to me this feels like a missed opportunity to create a truly interesting and strong female character. She would've been equally impressive but much more believable had she prevailed through her conflicts through resourcefulness and deception instead of physically dominating everyone regardless of size or strength.

Regardless, while Redemption was nowhere near a mind blowing experience I consider it an enjoyable listen. Many of the issues I raised may be caused by the author's relative inexperience and so may hopefully be 'fixed' in the sequels that the book's ending neatly sets up. I may have had higher expectations of this book, having seen several videos in which the author analyses storytelling and characters with great wit and insight, but I recognise this was his first novel and it's been a few years since it was written, so with any luck the sequels have improved upon the first. There's potential in this story to become something quite entertaining so I think I'll still give the second book a chance.

[Alex Murphy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think about 80% of the readers of this book and this author, like me; are fans of the author’s YouTube channel, The Critical Drinker. When I found out he was also an author I always wondered if his writing was any good, and him writing military style action novels which I am a fan of, I decided eventually to give one a go.

So, with a rising YouTube presence, are his novels carrying the same expectations? So, strap in ladies to see if the wit, sarcastic tone of the Drinker appears in his novels. (Spoiler: it doesn't.)

Ryan Drake is a ‘Shepard’; an off-the-books contractor for the CIA that brings back agents and informants out of danger. An ex-SAS member, after a mission that went bad, he’s found a job away from the regret that lies at home. His handler, a former Delta Force soldier that Drake saved in Afghanistan has a impossible mission for him. The US has lost control of its Predator drone network, and the only clue is a former CIA agent codenamed Maras. The problem is that Maras is currently imprisoned in a Siberian maximum security prison and has been for the last 5 years. So Drake has the mission to lead his team into a isolated Russian prison in Siberia against impossible odds to rescue the CIA’s most deadly agent, with the hope that the CIA might clear his name. After the rescue, things only spiral further out of control. Maras, or Anya with her real name lives up to her codename; Maras – Goddess of War. Deadly and beautiful she presents a danger, even to her rescuers. After extracted from Russia, Maras/Anya’s true role in this appears. It is her former protégé that has hijacked the predator drones. Betrayed by Anya, he wants Drake to hand her over, with Drake’s sister held hostage to make sure he complies. Drake breaks Anya out of CIA custody and betrays his own team and goes on the run. Hunted now by his own friends and allies, he and Anya must work together; not only to save Drake’s sister but also discover what is really going on, relating to Anya’s last mission before being imprisoned in Russia and how this all links to the search for WMDs in Iraq. As Drake and Anya race across the US, Saudi Arabia and Iraq, Drake doesn’t know who he can trust, and even as he finds himself drawn to Anya, she might be the most dangerous of all.

As a military action thrillers it fits well into the tens of thousands of other military action thrillers that are out there by being “alright”. It wasn’t bad, but if you’ve read quite a few of these types of books, like I have, they do tend to all blend together. Ex-special forces soldier carrying some tragedy. Works for intelligence agency on black bag operations. That the real enemy of the CIA are elements within the CIA itself. Pretty much your standard military spy thriller. And that’s what it feels like here. There’s nothing here that makes it standout from the hordes of other similar books that it shares the bookshelves with. Drake being a British ex-soldier is a bit different but I’d say not enough to really add much of a quirk to make the book seem more fresh. The rest of the characters; Dietrich, Keegan, and Frost as part of Drake’s Shepard team are given enough to be characters but not enough to be particularly interesting. Franklin; Drake’s friend and superior is there, but doesn’t really being anything worthwhile. Cain and Munroe as the main antagonists of the book; Cain a slimy, backstabbing CIA chief and Munroe as the loose cannon black-ops operative. Other than ticking off those villain checkmarks they don't really make an imposing, threatening set of villains. The main focus other the Drake is on Maras or Anya; the beautiful as she is deadly CIA superagent. I found it funny as one of the authour's gripes on his Youtube channel, he brings up about modern action movies, is a smaller woman able to throw around and kill in hand to hand combat against musclebound Navy SEALs, yet here Anya can best both Drake and Munroe who are both Tier 1 spec-ops fighters. Anya didn't really do it for me. The secretive, deadly assassin who can kill you with ease but underneath is a softer misunderstood woman is a bit of a cliché and her depth here is barely that of a pond, or at least a big puddle. You get some backstory but nothing to write home about in terms of originality. Serviceable is probably the best term for it.

The plot is pretty basic; ex- special forces solider who carries a cloud of dishonour undertakes an impossible mission and gets dragged unwillingly into a dark conspiracy where his bosses are the actual enemy. This is the plot of every other Chris Ryan book. And there’s over twenty of them. The action scenes are decent at least but lack an edge to them to cover the other areas of the book that are a bit lacking. The prison rescue at the beginning I’d say was the best of the bunch. Some scenes do fall into trope territory that can cringe a bit. While on the run Drake and Anya pull into a lonely petrol station, where two rednecks attempt to rape Anya. Its the first petrol station they stop at, in the middle of the day and the first people they meet are two rednecks who go from creepy come-ons to attempted rape in eight lines of dialogue. This scene was kind of eye rolling.

I've criticised this book quite a bit in this review, but it's not really a bad book, it’s just lacks that something that makes it standout in an already crowded genre that’s full of decent if a bit bland military thrillers. Sort of like the current crop of Liam Nesson action films – watchable, with a bit of charm but on no ones top 100 action films list. A little bit too long for what it was. If you're fan of these types of books this isn’t the worse one in the world, and if you’ve read a lot of these types of books you'd recognise the style before the end of the second chapter. If you haven’t read any or many of these types of stories there are much better books in this genre to pick up ahead of this one. For fans of The Critical Drinker, there’s not anything here that would you pick up from his book to the style of his YouTube channel, so if you like the channel, the book doesn’t carry that kind of twisted, black comedy culture war that’s made his channel popular. So pretty much a bit unremarkable. And in the Drinker's words. Go away now.

[Nathan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I like Will Jordan's YouTube channel and we have similar likes/dislikes so I thought I'd give his first book a try.

Started off with an interesting premise but within the first 30 pages, there's a prison rape scene. Doesn't go into explicit, long form detail but there's enough to make a normal person sick at heart.

Very disappointed and didn't finish the book. Didn't WANT to finish it if that's what the first few pages are like.

[Dan Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant fast-paced thriller with a sympathetic protagonist (like Jack Reacher but with an actual human personality) and a kickass heroine who more than balances him out. Loved it!

[M Rosey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! A fast paced thriller that caught my attention right from the first page. Stayed up a little too late last night finishing this one! Can't wait to read the rest of the series.