What do you think?
Rate this book
Spycatcher #3.5
Counterspy
MI6 agent Will Cochrane is living in Washington, D.C. when a dangerous terrorist, codenamed Trapper, escapes from a top secret CIA military base. Trapper comes after Will—saying he is the one who killed his leader—but Will knows there has to be more to this story. Will gets close enough to shut the man down, but when he does, that act opens the door to yet another, much more dangerous surprise . . .
160 pages, ebook
First published August 26, 2014
43 people are currently reading
224 people want to read
About the author
Matthew Dunn
16 books275 followersMatthew Dunn was an MI6 intelligence officer who spent years operating around the world on matters pertaining to the national security of Great Britain and its allies. For the last decade he has been an author and has written 14 published books. He is the author of the "Spycatcher" series and "Ben Sign" series of espionage-mystery noir novels.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
August 14, 2014
http://www.newandusedbooks.com/index....
Counterspy: A Spycatcher Novella
By Matthew Dunn
William Morrow
September 2014
For two days, four CIA heavyweights have been waterboarding a small, wiry Indian agent that is physically inferior to any one of the men, but mentally superior a thousand fold to all of them. Sahir has been practicing withstanding torture for most of his life, and has decided that after the fourth waterboarding, he will cry uncle, because no one has ever lasted that long before. When he does start talking he informs the agents that his name is Trapper and he allowed himself to be caught so that he could send a message to the head of the CIA. One of their top agents will be killed in retaliation for killing a high ranking Taliban member. Please pass this on to Agent Will Cochrane, as he is the target.
Then when Sahir is put in a cell, he disappears like a puff of smoke; Sahir means magician. The real Trapper sets his course for Washington, D.C.
Will is already in D.C. and being stalked by a Pakistani Intelligence Officer that has turned on him. Will wins the day, which is also his 35th birthday, but is put into a safe house that is shared by a female colleague he would like to know better. Will and Chrissie had joined forces once before; now she is his baby sitter. Will is thinking of getting out of the business and finding a wife and thinks Chrissie is the one he will choose. Will has a rather unusual bucket list.
COUNTERSPY is a short novella that gives Will Cochrane’s background from the time he was seven and his CIA father was killed; at seventeen he killed four men that attacked his mother and were trying to get his sister; he put his sister in a private school; then he joined the French Foreign Legion; graduated with an honors degree from Cambridge; recruited by M16 and has served nine years as a top secret operative. He also works with the CIA. COUNTERSPY is also a lead in to Mr. Dunn’s next Cochrane book, DARK SPIES that is a superlatively edgy and white knuckle suspense tale – if the first few pages are anything to go by.
COUNTERSPY is paced like a speeding bullet with action on most every page. Matthew Dunn has created a quick read that keeps the reader invested in every word and connecting with the intelligent, straightforward characters he has produced. There is also an excerpt from DARK SPIES to whet your appetite to Will’s next adventure.
Betty Cox, ReaderToReader.com
Counterspy: A Spycatcher Novella
By Matthew Dunn
William Morrow
September 2014
For two days, four CIA heavyweights have been waterboarding a small, wiry Indian agent that is physically inferior to any one of the men, but mentally superior a thousand fold to all of them. Sahir has been practicing withstanding torture for most of his life, and has decided that after the fourth waterboarding, he will cry uncle, because no one has ever lasted that long before. When he does start talking he informs the agents that his name is Trapper and he allowed himself to be caught so that he could send a message to the head of the CIA. One of their top agents will be killed in retaliation for killing a high ranking Taliban member. Please pass this on to Agent Will Cochrane, as he is the target.
Then when Sahir is put in a cell, he disappears like a puff of smoke; Sahir means magician. The real Trapper sets his course for Washington, D.C.
Will is already in D.C. and being stalked by a Pakistani Intelligence Officer that has turned on him. Will wins the day, which is also his 35th birthday, but is put into a safe house that is shared by a female colleague he would like to know better. Will and Chrissie had joined forces once before; now she is his baby sitter. Will is thinking of getting out of the business and finding a wife and thinks Chrissie is the one he will choose. Will has a rather unusual bucket list.
COUNTERSPY is a short novella that gives Will Cochrane’s background from the time he was seven and his CIA father was killed; at seventeen he killed four men that attacked his mother and were trying to get his sister; he put his sister in a private school; then he joined the French Foreign Legion; graduated with an honors degree from Cambridge; recruited by M16 and has served nine years as a top secret operative. He also works with the CIA. COUNTERSPY is also a lead in to Mr. Dunn’s next Cochrane book, DARK SPIES that is a superlatively edgy and white knuckle suspense tale – if the first few pages are anything to go by.
COUNTERSPY is paced like a speeding bullet with action on most every page. Matthew Dunn has created a quick read that keeps the reader invested in every word and connecting with the intelligent, straightforward characters he has produced. There is also an excerpt from DARK SPIES to whet your appetite to Will’s next adventure.
Betty Cox, ReaderToReader.com
February 14, 2016
One: I have never read anything else in this series.
Two: the actual story in this book is only 80 pages, the other 70 or so are an excerpt from a forthcoming, at the time of publishing, novel.
Three: I was enjoying the story until it suddenly stopped and I was greeted by the aforementioned excerpt. Causing the story to be rather underwhelming, and feel more like a prequel or something than an actual novella.
Two: the actual story in this book is only 80 pages, the other 70 or so are an excerpt from a forthcoming, at the time of publishing, novel.
Three: I was enjoying the story until it suddenly stopped and I was greeted by the aforementioned excerpt. Causing the story to be rather underwhelming, and feel more like a prequel or something than an actual novella.
October 27, 2014
MI6 agent Will Cochrane has a nan after him known only as Trapper. He'd escaped from a base in the Middle East after announcing he was going to kill Will. Will's handlers wanted out of the way and safe.
But Trapper had somehow got hold of his cell number and was taunting him with phone calls.
Will has to get away from the CIA safe house and fins this man first.
Recommended for lovers of spy fiction.
But Trapper had somehow got hold of his cell number and was taunting him with phone calls.
Will has to get away from the CIA safe house and fins this man first.
Recommended for lovers of spy fiction.
October 13, 2015
This novella was interesting but is it some sort of "filler" between books? Even though it was interesting, it was predictable and overall I didn't feel it was worthy of Matthew Dunn.
September 25, 2019
I need to like, not be able to figure out right at the introduction of the character Also, the slender 80 pages this constituted somehow how managed to pack in ALL of the cliches. This includes peeing all over the CIA because they are all just IDIOTS who are somehow responsible for EVERYTHING and whatever the main character's name is is SO MUCH smarter than EVERYONE except that one sociopathic bad guy who likes fine things and talks like he was educated at English public schools in the 1930s.
September 19, 2020
2.5 stars
This was a complete surprise to me. I really, really like the Will Cochraine series. I was thrilled when I found this novella and could not wait to read it. If I had to give a completely honest opinion, that would be that it was not written by the same author as the other books (I know, sounds like some silly conspiracy theory. I know the book says Matthew Dunn on it...just throwing a thought out there). The tone was different, the writing style was not the same, and worst of all - Will came across as a whiny, completely different character. I thought maybe it was like a first book or something, but I think it was set in between books 3 and 4 maybe? I'm not sure, but that wouldn't make sense because the writing wasn't that way for the first couple of books.
So, bottom line - I'm at a loss. I've read every book and have really, really grown to love and empathize with Will as he goes through his journey - which has NOT been easy. I'm going to just say this must be a one off - for whatever reason - and wait for book 8 in the series whenever it comes out.
And - does the question ever get answered later about who Trapper really is? I don't remember it, but then I didn't know about it when I was reading the series - but I am curious.
This was a complete surprise to me. I really, really like the Will Cochraine series. I was thrilled when I found this novella and could not wait to read it. If I had to give a completely honest opinion, that would be that it was not written by the same author as the other books (I know, sounds like some silly conspiracy theory. I know the book says Matthew Dunn on it...just throwing a thought out there). The tone was different, the writing style was not the same, and worst of all - Will came across as a whiny, completely different character. I thought maybe it was like a first book or something, but I think it was set in between books 3 and 4 maybe? I'm not sure, but that wouldn't make sense because the writing wasn't that way for the first couple of books.
So, bottom line - I'm at a loss. I've read every book and have really, really grown to love and empathize with Will as he goes through his journey - which has NOT been easy. I'm going to just say this must be a one off - for whatever reason - and wait for book 8 in the series whenever it comes out.
And - does the question ever get answered later about who Trapper really is? I don't remember it, but then I didn't know about it when I was reading the series - but I am curious.
September 22, 2021
Ok, I admit I didn't read the seventy page excerpt from Dark Spies included after the eighty page novella! Reason: I was so disappointed with the way Dunn ended the novella. The story was essentially left unfinished and the reader - me - completely unsatisfied.
The story had so much potential but ...
Readers are best advised to focus their time on 'real' thriller novels with comeyr stories.
The story had so much potential but ...
Readers are best advised to focus their time on 'real' thriller novels with comeyr stories.
April 13, 2022
It's a novella all right. Not the best writing from the author and certainly had an abrupt ending. I guess we'll see Trapper again along with a couple more dangling down the line. A nice excuse to introduce Trapper, but not in the next two books at all.
Rather a letdown.
Rather a letdown.
August 29, 2019
Was not a whole novel.
November 28, 2019
A killer who calls? 🤨
November 15, 2020
This novella introduces a character, Trapper, that you know will show up somewhere along the long and Will Cochrane has a score to settle! 5 out of 10.
August 19, 2014
ARC for Review
Will Cochrane is a spy working for the M16 and handles joint M16 –CIA joint cases. His father was an American working for the CIA when he was captured and thrown in prison before he was tortured to death when he was five. Later on he watch his British mother murdered after protecting his younger sister from four men.
The CIA is lead to capture an Indian Muslim who after five days of waterboarding says that his code name is “Trapper” and that he is planning to kill Will Cochrane. Leaving him in jail while they seek out if he is telling the truth the prisoner escapes.
He eventually tracks down Will after Will is place in a safe house. They eventually meet up at a deserted place where the real “Trapper” kills the fake one and tells him that they will meet again one day. The fake one was told that Will was the one who killed the fake’s dad and that was his motive to kill Will even though Will had nothing to do with it.
It’s a case of mistaken identities and what will happen to Will when they do meet again. What is the reason why Trapper wants revenge on Will, we can only wait and see.
A fast pace read that keeps moving along.
Will Cochrane is a spy working for the M16 and handles joint M16 –CIA joint cases. His father was an American working for the CIA when he was captured and thrown in prison before he was tortured to death when he was five. Later on he watch his British mother murdered after protecting his younger sister from four men.
The CIA is lead to capture an Indian Muslim who after five days of waterboarding says that his code name is “Trapper” and that he is planning to kill Will Cochrane. Leaving him in jail while they seek out if he is telling the truth the prisoner escapes.
He eventually tracks down Will after Will is place in a safe house. They eventually meet up at a deserted place where the real “Trapper” kills the fake one and tells him that they will meet again one day. The fake one was told that Will was the one who killed the fake’s dad and that was his motive to kill Will even though Will had nothing to do with it.
It’s a case of mistaken identities and what will happen to Will when they do meet again. What is the reason why Trapper wants revenge on Will, we can only wait and see.
A fast pace read that keeps moving along.
September 19, 2015
It's been a long time since I read espionage fiction. I thought the story gonna bore me with its predictability but I were surprised with the endings (if it can be called endings). Anyway, I find that I am looking forward to read Mr Dunn next books. Hope it was better.
October 16, 2022
Love Will Cochran
Another great read from Matthew Dunn! Grabs you from beginning to end. I was almost chewing my nails off every second! Can't wait for Dark Spies!
Another great read from Matthew Dunn! Grabs you from beginning to end. I was almost chewing my nails off every second! Can't wait for Dark Spies!
July 20, 2015
Double spies...miam!
March 30, 2017
Perfect
Fully engaged from beginning to end... Love Dunn's style. Character is one that is believable yet you really wonder if that person cups exist.
Fully engaged from beginning to end... Love Dunn's style. Character is one that is believable yet you really wonder if that person cups exist.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews