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Alan "Mac" McQueen #3
Double Back
Intelligence agent Alan 'Mac' McQueen is returns in a action-packed and gripping new thriller. This time he's putting his life on the line to fight the forces who will stop at nothing to destroy the independence movement in East Timor. 'Abernethy conjures echoes of Fleming, Ludlum, Clancy and the Jack Reacher novels of Lee Child.' - "The Weekend Australian
"Intelligence agent Alan 'Mac' McQueen - the intrepid hero of "Golden Serpent" and "Second Strike" - is back!
"Double Back" sees Mac fighting dangerous forces that will stop at nothing to sabotage East Timorese independence. Fighting the good fight, Mac discovers a plot to use a deadly ethno-bomb which kills only native East Timorese - who don't share the ethnicity of most Indonesians ... Can Mac find and destroy the ethno-bomb before it's too late? With "Double Back" Mark Abernethy confirms his status as a master thriller writer.
Praise for Abernethy's previous Alan McQueen books
"'Golden Serpent" is the most accomplished spy-thriller we've seen locally, a discerning read, full of action and a kind of knowing wit.' - "The Australian"
'Abernethy has once again hit the market. Gripping.'- "Herald Sun"
'A rip-roaring tale of espionage, terrorism and counter-intelligence.' - "Sunday Tasmanian"
'Fast paced and action-packed.' - "The Age"
"Intelligence agent Alan 'Mac' McQueen - the intrepid hero of "Golden Serpent" and "Second Strike" - is back!
"Double Back" sees Mac fighting dangerous forces that will stop at nothing to sabotage East Timorese independence. Fighting the good fight, Mac discovers a plot to use a deadly ethno-bomb which kills only native East Timorese - who don't share the ethnicity of most Indonesians ... Can Mac find and destroy the ethno-bomb before it's too late? With "Double Back" Mark Abernethy confirms his status as a master thriller writer.
Praise for Abernethy's previous Alan McQueen books
"'Golden Serpent" is the most accomplished spy-thriller we've seen locally, a discerning read, full of action and a kind of knowing wit.' - "The Australian"
'Abernethy has once again hit the market. Gripping.'- "Herald Sun"
'A rip-roaring tale of espionage, terrorism and counter-intelligence.' - "Sunday Tasmanian"
'Fast paced and action-packed.' - "The Age"
444 pages, ebook
First published August 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 24, 2011
I really really really hope that, in particular, local fans of spy and espionage thrillers are reading Mark Abernethy's terrific series. Firstly because each of the stories is set in our own region, and secondly because Alan McQueen is such a quintessential Aussie bloke hero type.
Of course, just setting books in our region or taking current day events as a basis for your books doesn't qualify them as must reads. What does that for DOUBLE BACK and the earlier books in the series is that they are extremely good layered high-action thrillers.
Part of the attraction of the books is Alan 'Mac' McQueen who is just about bullet-proof, but with a heart and human foibles. He's the sort of bloke that would appeal to men and women equally - fearless but not stupid about it, caring but not woosy about it, loyal but not in the face of upper echelon idiocy, Mac is an extremely good central character to weave the plots around. What also works is the settings and timeframes into which Abernethy drops MacQueen. In the case of DOUBLE BACK we are deep into the time leading up to the Indonesians being forced out of Timor. What's particularly scary is that you really have to hope that the scenario the author builds is purely fictional as it's chillingly realistic and frighteningly brutal.
But this is a military style thriller, so there is a lot of rushing about, a commensurate amount of sneaking about, and a lot of shooting and shouting. There are some great bit players in the cast - and there's some very realistic and quite funny dialogue amongst them all. Because this is such a good thriller there is also quite a good sense of place - the jungles of East Timor are dark, dangerous and damp. The towns and cities littered with sinister types with an oversupply of sunglasses.
DOUBLE BACK really is a terrific thriller - fast paced, with a good and very realistic plot. The sense of menace is particularly poignant knowing the history of the East Timorese struggle against the Indonesian army, and the scenario that Abernethy builds into the plot is particularly chilling. Having only recently gotten hold of DOUBLE BACK I was particularly pleased to see that the next book in the series COUNTER ATTACK was released in January 2010. Excellent!
Of course, just setting books in our region or taking current day events as a basis for your books doesn't qualify them as must reads. What does that for DOUBLE BACK and the earlier books in the series is that they are extremely good layered high-action thrillers.
Part of the attraction of the books is Alan 'Mac' McQueen who is just about bullet-proof, but with a heart and human foibles. He's the sort of bloke that would appeal to men and women equally - fearless but not stupid about it, caring but not woosy about it, loyal but not in the face of upper echelon idiocy, Mac is an extremely good central character to weave the plots around. What also works is the settings and timeframes into which Abernethy drops MacQueen. In the case of DOUBLE BACK we are deep into the time leading up to the Indonesians being forced out of Timor. What's particularly scary is that you really have to hope that the scenario the author builds is purely fictional as it's chillingly realistic and frighteningly brutal.
But this is a military style thriller, so there is a lot of rushing about, a commensurate amount of sneaking about, and a lot of shooting and shouting. There are some great bit players in the cast - and there's some very realistic and quite funny dialogue amongst them all. Because this is such a good thriller there is also quite a good sense of place - the jungles of East Timor are dark, dangerous and damp. The towns and cities littered with sinister types with an oversupply of sunglasses.
DOUBLE BACK really is a terrific thriller - fast paced, with a good and very realistic plot. The sense of menace is particularly poignant knowing the history of the East Timorese struggle against the Indonesian army, and the scenario that Abernethy builds into the plot is particularly chilling. Having only recently gotten hold of DOUBLE BACK I was particularly pleased to see that the next book in the series COUNTER ATTACK was released in January 2010. Excellent!
February 5, 2014
good old shoot em up storytelling
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March 26, 2018Sequel to: Second strike.,,
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews