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Samuel Carver #5
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Früher war Samuel Carver einer der besten Geheimagenten der Welt, heute arbeitet er ausschließlich auf eigene Rechnung - und auch nur, wenn es ihm passt. Doch dann wird Carver erpresst: Entweder er tötet einen prominenten Milliardär, oder London wird Ziel eines Anschlags. Carver bleiben 5 Tage, um das Schlimmste zu verhindern.
397 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 10, 2011
12 people are currently reading
285 people want to read
About the author
Tom Cain
30 books113 followersTom Cain is the pseudonym of David Thomas, an award-winning journalist with twenty-five years experience working at Fleet Street newspapers, as well as for major magazines in Britain and the US.
Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
July 1, 2015
It was nice to see the 5th Sam Carver book almost get back to the level of the initial 2 books in the series. Maybe in places it might read a little like the plot of a James Bond film, but that didn't stop my enjoyment. Once again the author has taken a well known world event, in this case the Lehman Brothers Bank crash, and has skillfully woven a plausible 'what if' scenario about it all.
The tale sees Carver once again loosely working for Grantham, now the head of one of the British intelligence services. Another welcome return is that of Alix, Carver's one time love interest. The plot rattles along at a good pace, with the usual red herrings thrown in. Some elements were slightly predictable though, and some parts seem to have been left to the reader's own imagination.
The tale sees Carver once again loosely working for Grantham, now the head of one of the British intelligence services. Another welcome return is that of Alix, Carver's one time love interest. The plot rattles along at a good pace, with the usual red herrings thrown in. Some elements were slightly predictable though, and some parts seem to have been left to the reader's own imagination.
February 3, 2016
The collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008 sent shock waves around the financial world.
A large financial organization like this had never been allowed to fail so quickly and it
started a domino effect hitting banks and economies around the world. Theories abound
about the cause like bad management, or good old greed. But what it was is none of the
above. What if it was the act of one mans part of financial terrorism and this was a dry run
for a bigger and bolder attack of terrorism against the financial capitol of the world London,
England. Sam Carver is once again about to find himself on the biggest mission of his life.
This is book 5 in the Samuel Carver series. It's a slow starter but once it starts to move it
roars to the end. I gave it a 4.
A large financial organization like this had never been allowed to fail so quickly and it
started a domino effect hitting banks and economies around the world. Theories abound
about the cause like bad management, or good old greed. But what it was is none of the
above. What if it was the act of one mans part of financial terrorism and this was a dry run
for a bigger and bolder attack of terrorism against the financial capitol of the world London,
England. Sam Carver is once again about to find himself on the biggest mission of his life.
This is book 5 in the Samuel Carver series. It's a slow starter but once it starts to move it
roars to the end. I gave it a 4.
May 24, 2014
This has a complex (in a good way) plot looking at the morality of the super-rich. It strains credibility and coincidence a few times but isn't that far-fetched. Unfortunately the hero, Sam Carver, is your regulation super-efficient ex-special forces killer without much depth and complexity himself. Any women with speaking roles exist to kill or have sex with the men, and the right-wing leanings of the author emerge in the characters' opinions too.
August 14, 2011
Dreadful....
June 26, 2024
I did not realise that this was a series. This is #5 and the first that I am reading.
There are some references to previous characters and how they correlate to the current story, but you do not have to have read any of the previous books to follow this one.
Malachi Zorn is a rich investor who knows how to read the investment market and invests wisely to become extremely rich. Because of his influence his friends include the ex prime minister, Nicholas Orwell, and is able to bring other investors into his plans.
Carver while on holiday is tricked into using his skills to kill a man, which is then used to blackmail him into killing Malachi Zorn.
Zorn is able to spread his ideas due to his influence and encourages the politicians to take eco warriors seriously. This results in a meeting of heads of security, Orwell and others involved in energy and National Security on an oil rig to discuss the situation.
In another part of Wales an eco group is preparing for battle - infiltrated by a Zorn plant the peaceful group become violent.
Zorn not only bets on the market, he creates the situations to maximise his profits. His hate of Lehman a result of issues with his parents when he was a child.
Carver teams up with British intelligence Grantham to attempt to foil Zorn's plans.
Overall, this story is fast-paced, containing some twists and turns. There are some unbelievable aspects and coincidences that need a big leap of imagination, but the story does hold together.
There are some references to previous characters and how they correlate to the current story, but you do not have to have read any of the previous books to follow this one.
Malachi Zorn is a rich investor who knows how to read the investment market and invests wisely to become extremely rich. Because of his influence his friends include the ex prime minister, Nicholas Orwell, and is able to bring other investors into his plans.
Carver while on holiday is tricked into using his skills to kill a man, which is then used to blackmail him into killing Malachi Zorn.
Zorn is able to spread his ideas due to his influence and encourages the politicians to take eco warriors seriously. This results in a meeting of heads of security, Orwell and others involved in energy and National Security on an oil rig to discuss the situation.
In another part of Wales an eco group is preparing for battle - infiltrated by a Zorn plant the peaceful group become violent.
Zorn not only bets on the market, he creates the situations to maximise his profits. His hate of Lehman a result of issues with his parents when he was a child.
Carver teams up with British intelligence Grantham to attempt to foil Zorn's plans.
Overall, this story is fast-paced, containing some twists and turns. There are some unbelievable aspects and coincidences that need a big leap of imagination, but the story does hold together.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 11, 2017
A very nice return to form for Mr Cain Carver is a great book and so great to see Alix make a return back into Carvers life.
5 books and only one poor entry book 4 Dictator which wasn't bad just not very good compared to the other I look fwd to book 6.
If your a fan of Reacher your be a fan of Carver well worth your time.
5 books and only one poor entry book 4 Dictator which wasn't bad just not very good compared to the other I look fwd to book 6.
If your a fan of Reacher your be a fan of Carver well worth your time.
June 5, 2017
Good story, fast paced.
February 16, 2019
An action packed story.
Read 15 Feb 2019
Read 15 Feb 2019
June 16, 2019
Good character, good story, in some ways frighteningly plausible.
February 25, 2024
Good thriller. Plenty of page turning. Thoroughly enjoyed the read.
August 24, 2011
I was underwhelmed by the previous novel, Dictator but delighted to see a return to form here. Carver felt like a slight change in style, a Bond villain style bad guy, closer ties to the British Intelligence services and a story that does not just focus on Carver himself.
Introduced in the excellent “The Accident Man”, Carver is a skilled assassin, ex-special forces type. He’s a ‘good’ assassin (?) who only goes after guys who deserve it but he keeps trying to retire but being dragged back into the game.
Here the markets are being manipulated by our bad guy and Carver is blackmailed into an assassination plot, meanwhile MI6 boss Jack Grantham is also taking an interest in the same guy. Carver ends up working with Grantham ( a great character by the way) to try to understand the end game. Cue eco-terrorists, Russian bad girls, the Chinese intelligence services and even Carver’s old chums from the SBS.
It has pace and short, sharp, chapters. Action is blended well with a structured story and a variety of interesting characters and plot twists. Minor downsides were the original set up for the blackmail (too daft a premise) and a terrible scene where the bad guys explain the plot to each-other (in case we readers had missed it) but these do not overly detract from an easy to read and enjoyable thriller.
Introduced in the excellent “The Accident Man”, Carver is a skilled assassin, ex-special forces type. He’s a ‘good’ assassin (?) who only goes after guys who deserve it but he keeps trying to retire but being dragged back into the game.
Here the markets are being manipulated by our bad guy and Carver is blackmailed into an assassination plot, meanwhile MI6 boss Jack Grantham is also taking an interest in the same guy. Carver ends up working with Grantham ( a great character by the way) to try to understand the end game. Cue eco-terrorists, Russian bad girls, the Chinese intelligence services and even Carver’s old chums from the SBS.
It has pace and short, sharp, chapters. Action is blended well with a structured story and a variety of interesting characters and plot twists. Minor downsides were the original set up for the blackmail (too daft a premise) and a terrible scene where the bad guys explain the plot to each-other (in case we readers had missed it) but these do not overly detract from an easy to read and enjoyable thriller.
April 5, 2015
Sam Carver is a former assassin for hire, who is intent on living a quiet life but is blackmailed into accepting a job to assassinate a prominent billionaire financial genius, who goes by the name of Malachi Zorn. From the outset Carver senses that there is nothing straightforward about this assignment, and ends up working with the MI6 to get to the bottom of the matter.
The plot of this book reads very like a Bond movie. Malachi Zorn reminded me strongly of the villain in Tomorrow Never Dies (James Bond 007). It tears along and made for entertaining holiday reading, but it's also highly forgettable. One of the strengths of the first Sam Carver novel, The Accident Man, was the way that Cain rooted it in actual events. Here there is simply zero believability and that was a huge barrier for me in enjoying the book. The other was the re-introduction of Carver's previous love interest, super sexy and dull as ditchwater Russian Alex Petrova.
If you're after a moderately entertaining thriller that holds your attention, that's fast paced and easy to read, this is a fair choice. It goes down easily enough, but the absence of any depth or credibility was a disappointment to me.
The plot of this book reads very like a Bond movie. Malachi Zorn reminded me strongly of the villain in Tomorrow Never Dies (James Bond 007). It tears along and made for entertaining holiday reading, but it's also highly forgettable. One of the strengths of the first Sam Carver novel, The Accident Man, was the way that Cain rooted it in actual events. Here there is simply zero believability and that was a huge barrier for me in enjoying the book. The other was the re-introduction of Carver's previous love interest, super sexy and dull as ditchwater Russian Alex Petrova.
If you're after a moderately entertaining thriller that holds your attention, that's fast paced and easy to read, this is a fair choice. It goes down easily enough, but the absence of any depth or credibility was a disappointment to me.
August 9, 2012
With more turns than a coursing hare and more violence than a Jacobean revenge tragedy, Sam Carver returns, along with old favourites including Jack Grantham, the lovely Alix, and a smart, passionate villain that you may just end up rooting for. Tom Cain brings financial intrigue, car chases, hot deadly babes, bike chases, blood, fire and death. The last fifty pages burn along in a cinematic style, you will leap from sentence to sentence like someone jumping down two flights of stairs at a time. I absolutely loved it.
October 30, 2012
A good read although I still feel like I've missed a book somewhere in the middle of this series (which I haven't) but apart from that. Sam is back in the thick of things and is forced to protect his homeland from Eco terrorists as well as a financial shark. The story clips along at quite a pace and Sam is reunited with an old friend in fact many old faces from his past crop up. An enjoyable read which kept the pages turning and will make me buy the next book in the series to find out what happens next.
June 27, 2013
A much better book than the last, in every aspect.
The more I think about it I am more convinced that the previous book was either written halfheartedly or by a "stand in" or whatever it is called in literature.
This book is not complex, you get what you buy, but there and then you get your money's worth.
Enjoy
The more I think about it I am more convinced that the previous book was either written halfheartedly or by a "stand in" or whatever it is called in literature.
This book is not complex, you get what you buy, but there and then you get your money's worth.
Enjoy
September 1, 2012
Just a book. Is it entertaining? Yes. Is it teaching? No. Quite protracted story. I enjoyed some moments, but i dont think it's necessary, just a waste of time. No wonder Carever reminded me James Bond.
January 19, 2012
read all the books and cant wait for the next one
September 19, 2013
Sam carver back to great form. a good plot that was fast paced and came together for a good ending. really enjoyable!
Want to read
June 6, 2014good
March 9, 2016
A nice gripping thriller....if you like cops and secret service type of stuff...go for it
April 1, 2015
Muy buena historia
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews