The Survivor

Samuel Carver #2

by Tom Cain

Samuel Carver makes bad accidents happen to worse people. He's very good at his job. But nobody's perfect. And one of Carver's targets has got away.

Now the world faces a new age of conflict driven by religious fanaticism. In Russia, the government have admitted they no longer know the whereabouts of one hundred small-scale 'suitcase nukes'. In Afghanistan and Kosovo, ruthless terrorists plot the downfall of their hated enemies. In Texas, a dying billionaire plots his own personal Armageddon.

And Carver can do nothing to stop them. He was beaten and tortured and left to die, but Samuel Carver is a hard man to kill. When he awakes in a Swiss sanatorium from weeks of torment, he discovers that the woman he loves has vanished. Somehow he must find the strength to track her down.

Carver's hunt will take him deep into the heart of a conspiracy in which the lives of millions are at stake. He must confront an agonizing choice between his duty and his heart, and face the ultimate sacrifice. As the clock ticks down to doomsday, who will survive the final, explosive conflagration?

In The Survivor the worlds of fact and fiction collide in a thriller that grips from the first page to the last.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Crime, Espionage, Suspense, Adventure

548 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 28, 2008

About the author

Tom 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.

Reviews

[Neil · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the sequel to "The Accident Man", and it begins with a short prologue which deals with one of Carver's previous missions for the Consortium. Then the book picks up where The Accident Man left off, with Carver in a semi vegetative state in a Swiss Sanitarium. The only people who care about him are his friends Alix and Thor, and the Sanitarium's financial director, but he is more concerned with the bills being paid.
A traumatic event seems to put Carver on a possible road to recovery, but his world has been turned upside down with the disappearance of Alix. After hardly any time to regain his wits, and strength, he is soon pressed back into service. The world is facing an unexpected threat, the hypothetical missing Russian tactical nuclear are real. There is a little known list giving locations and arming codes, which has found its way onto the weapons black market. Carver is tasked to retrieve that list at all costs.
This book is just as enjoyable as the first one in the series. Again it is well told, with a carefully thought out plotline. There are more shady characters and double dealings, and plenty of red herrings to keep the reader turning the pages.

[Dan Watts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picked this book up and couldn't put it back down; and it got increasingly hard to put down with each page turned! I hadn't read the prequel, as I found 'The Survivor' (UK title) on a bookshelf at work and wasn't aware it was part of a series. I'm reading the prequel now with equal enthusiasm.

I thought Cain's character development really have this read added interest. Each character had his or her own murky past which affected the outcome of the plot to varying degrees; similarly each character had their own personal agendas, meaning the plot twisted and turned all over the place and kept me engrossed.

As I was reading I always found it easy to picture the scenes being described - Cain's detailed, yet not tedious, descriptions saw to that. I often found myself picturing the proceedings in a cinematic way - I think it is one of those novels, it does appeal to the big screen. But in terms of the writing, I believe it's a credit to the author when I can vision the action in a cinematic way.

Overall, I suppose it is one of those stereotypically 'blokes' books', with assassinations, guns, explosions, secret agents etc. but I wouldn't discourage anyone from reading! I'm looking forward to reading the complete series.

[Kees van Duyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

De overlever is het tweede boek in de Samuel Carverserie. Als dit echter de eerste kennismaking met Carver is, en dat was bij mij zo, is dat jammer. Want in De overlever wordt nog wel eens verwezen naar het eerdere boek, De accidentman. Iedereen die aan deze serie wil beginnen, doet er dus verstandig aan met het laatstgenoemde boek te beginnen.

In De overlever krijgt Carver te maken met de ongelooflijk rijke Waylon McCabe, die, vijf jaar eerder, een 'vliegtuigongeluk' heeft overleefd. Maar pas nadat Carver in een Zwitserse privékliniek op wonderbaarlijke wijze is genezen van geheugenverlies.

McCabe is na zijn ongeluk bekeerd tot het Christendom en is daarin doorgeslagen. Tot fanatisme toe. Door dat fanatisme wil hij zijn eigen Armageddon creëren en door middel van manipulatie weet hij medestanders voor zich te winnen. Carver probeert die Armageddon te voorkomen. Mede omdat hij zijn vriendin, die plotseling uit de kliniek verdwenen is, weer terug wil vinden.

Het eerste deel van het boek is nog redelijk rustig. De echte actie en spanning begint in het tweede deel. Dan gaat Carver pas goed te keer. Als een ware superheld met James Bond neigingen gaat hij op jacht. Op die momenten zit de vaart er goed in.

Hoewel er in het boek wel waar onwaarschijnlijke en ongeloofwaardige momenten zijn, is het al met al een prettig boek om te lezen. Dit komt mede door de eenvoudige schrijfstijl die Cain hanteert. Nergens wordt het moeilijk en daardoor is het boek zeer toegankelijk. Voor de liefhebber van actiethrillers is het in ieder geval een aardig boek om te lezen.

[Jorge A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is great book pumped with adrenaline from the get go. It also keeps the reader thinking ahead as to what might happen next.....totally enjoyed it!

[Diaa. · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF
Got Bored :|

[Dan Hiner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the first one...

[Flor · Rating 4 out of 5]

No Survivors by Tom Cain
This is a story about a spy named Carver who can do it all- and is an epitome of a 007 Agent. He can rig hardware, don clothing to impersonate someone, murder several people at once, and fall madly in love with a former KGB agent.
This novel is characterized by short chapters that are refreshing and give you a feeling the plot is moving rapidly when it really is not. Keep reading otherwise as in many spy novels you may forget who is connected to whom and what alterative motive they may have. Finally, by the middle of this novel the author seems to have found his pace and instead of putting it down I wanted to finish it because the characters have purpose, and the action is moving as fast as the chapters you leave behind. Keep up or you will be left wondering about details; just move with the story and don’t ask, “How did he do that?”
There is religious zealot of a billionaire that wants to bring the world to Armageddon and the manipulations of a Russian woman who has a hold on Carver’s lover named Alix and an American nuclear scientist who can dismantle bombs plus a hodge-podge of spy tricks employed by Carver including how to make a bomb using household materials.
All in all, this “Accident Man Novel” which is a series, has lost a reader due to two reasons, which are: too much violence, a terrible ending that is beyond realistic! How can an author put so much effort in a novel and write a conclusion like that?

[James Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Survivor, also titled ‘No Survivors’,is the second book in the Samuel Carver series and if you like your books written at a fast pace with a never say die, hard and tough, do what ever it takes kind of hero and really nasty baddies, then I suppose this is the kind of thing for you, it is for me.
Sam Carver is in a Swiss Hospital where he is being tended everyday by his beautiful Russian girlfriend Alix he was found after being tortured and beaten to within an inch of his life but has also been psychologically damaged. Alix is running out of ways to pay his hospital bills when suddenly she is offered a solution. She disappears just as Sam is starting to make his recovery.
Meanwhile there is a very rich religious maniac hunting for a document which tells of the locations of secret Russian nuclear bombs that have been placed around the world and when he finds them then he will reek Armageddon on mankind.
Sam, although not yet fully recovered, is thrust into the hunt which takes him into the heart of a country which is in turmoil and on the brink of civil war. He has to use all of his resources to stop the end of the world and also to find the love of his life.
Tom Cain write an excellent plot which has a couple of twists and he sets a real good pace which had me turning the pages eagerly. It’s all good entertainment, just close your eyes and enjoy the ride. 4/5

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Confession: I didn’t read the first book. That said, there was enough backstory to cover the basics, making it unnecessary to get the gist and enjoy the story. Overall, the book was fine. One huge glaring issue I had came towards the end. After Carver arrives at the airport in Kosovo and performs his sabotage of McCabe’s plane (completing the circle), he notices Alix with the group garnering a physical reaction from him that causes him to be discovered. McCabe recognizes him and suspects he performed another sabotage of the plane. Carver says he didn’t, of course, and McCabe reasons that Carver should come with them on the plane to deliver the bomb, because surely, a saboteur wouldn’t want to be in a position to die by his own hand. Carver joins the group…then the story cuts to the plane going down and Carver trying to work out a way to save him and Alix. What? No dialogue? McCabe is faced with the man who nearly took his life all those years ago, which led him to become a born again Christian, and there’s no reflection? I feel like the author just got tired of writing his story, and ultimately decided not to add anything here since one could assume exactly what would happen in this situation (it’s not like we haven’t seen it a million times in movies), but more effort would have been appreciated and prevented me from feeling like the story just ended in a rush.

[Blake Hiatt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a to grit my teeth a bit, reading this one.

Russian mafia versus Right Wing Christian Sect!

There is some ridiculously bad theology in this book, though, I guess rewriting Revelation as a vehicle for part of a plot is to be expected in this day and age.

And, what is it with thrillers using the Russian mafia as their evil guys? I guess it makes for an easy plot and isn't nearly as dangerous for an author. Making Russians the bad guy probably is a lot safer than crossing Muslims.

That said, the book moved along decently and didn't drag. I also liked the author seems to understand just how much torture can take apart the psyche of a human being.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Second in the series that I said in a review of book one that I would probably keep reading. This one I found not as good as the promise of the first. Carver, the hero is a bit like James Bond and he manages the same incredible escapes and powers of recovery. I haven't seen enough to go higher than 3.5 even though I like the James Bond type action books. I think I'd like to see more of the relationship with the people who run Carver as well as all the action. I will carry on to see how it all develops.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sort of fine, but nothing more. I don't know if I'm just tired of super-powered secret agents who can fell helicopters with only their wits and a CS gas launcher, but this one just rang a bit hollow. Especially with all the religious fundamentalist end of the world Al-Qaeda stuff which was meant to be tied to real world events. I don't know, maybe it's just me.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good. Maybe a bit far fetched because I can’t get my head around the intensity of the “love” between Carver and Alix given that they only knew each other for a few days before the events of the end of first book but perhaps that’s just me. Anyway I enjoyed the book and might just go for the third in the series ……

[Ray Perigard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast moving and engaging thriller

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast paced and exciting . It was also a little hard to follow and unbelievable. I like this author’s style of writing .

[Darwin Little · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the first third of the book very slow. Too much time taken on the recovery of the protagonist. The last 2/3 of the story was well paced but not a strong recommendation from me.

[Dlmrose · Rating 3 out of 5]

3+

[Mariaan Belinfante · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite enjoyed this Samuel Carver adventure

[Fairport Public Library]

March 2018, Michele, Fiction

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bad guys everywhere- all double crossing each other. It is an easy and distracting read

[Simon Armitage · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ho Hum. Didn't really rate as an "I can't put this book down.

[Armands · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kaut kāds samocīts nobeigums, bet vienreiz izlasīt var.

[Yemic · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had paused my reading journey for some time, struggling to advance beyond the initial chapters. However, everything shifted when Sam finally broke free from his reverie.

[Juanita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review: No Survivors by Tom Cain.

I got off to a slow start with this book but then I started to enjoy and follow the conspiracy that was lurking in the shadows. I didn 19t know until this review why it started out slow. There was a book before this one that I had not read. I didn 19t know, No Survivors, was a sequel to the first book, The Accident Man. Most of the time I can catch on to a story and its characters if I read out of order but this one was a little tougher. The story was suspenseful, thrilling, and with plenty of twist and turns between the well developed characters and their actions.

The story starts at the ending of the first book. The reader is up-dated on Samuel Carver 19s condition of being brutally beaten and suffering from amnesia lying in a hospital bed. Than he is moved to a Swiss sanitarium and sitting by his side is his girlfriend, Alix Petrova a former Russian spy. For three months she has stayed by his side but frustrated with Carver 19s condition and pressured by the sanitarium wanting his medical bills paid or they were releasing him before he was ready. He didn 19t even know who he was or what his occupation entailed. He did have money for the sanitarium stay but could not remember where it was placed and Alix didn 19t know where, and she had no money of her own.

Now the action and thrill begins and Tom Cain provides, using public information (research) a powerful condemnation of the Feds, damage control in Lebanon, the USS Cole, the data on the embassies in Africa, the threats of Osama Bin Laden and the events that eventually lead to the devastation of 9/11. While all this is weaved throughout the story the main issue this time is the Russians had secretly stashed one hundred nuclear 1Csuitcase bombs 1D, still active, around the world years ago and one of them has been found and placed on the black-market. A Texas billionaire and a dying man, Waylon McCade gets a hold of the suitcase bomb and is planning a world wide nuclear war. Plus, there is a list of locations and codes for the bombs secretly hidden away that could cause tremendous harm to the world if it falls into the wrong hands and somehow that information leaked out to the wrong people.

Carver comes involved when his girlfriend is kidnapped and the shock jolted his memory about his life in bits and pieces. He now learns the kidnapping evolves around the issue with the nuclear bombs. He becomes adamant to find out where she is at and who is behind it. However, there are government people, terrorist, and high military personal also involved that they are all in chaos not knowing who to trust. Betrayal is coming out to it 19s fullest that even as the reader at one point I didn 19t know who was the good guys until near the end of the book. A lot of action, conspiracy, adventures and government protocol to make the story a real thriller 26.

[Ian Coates · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having loved Tom Cain’s debut, the awesomely brilliant The Accident Man, I was rather disappointed by Survivor, its sequel. Both star Sam Carver, the man who “makes bad things happen to bad people”. If you’ve already read The Accident Man, skip the first 130 pages of this thriller, which serve only to summarize what befell Carver in the previous book. If you haven’t yet enjoyed The Accident Man, read that story first... and then come back and skip the first 130 pages of this one. But from that point on, the plot of Survivor explodes like one of the Russian suitcase nuclear bombs that lie at its heart.

When a disgruntled Russian bureaucrat decides he has had enough of being ignored, he sells a forgotten document from the cold war era. It lists the hiding places of suitcase nuclear bombs that were secreted around the globe during the cold war. The paper eventually gets into the hands of an arms dealer and subsequently comes to the attention of Waylon McCabe, a religious fanatic who believes Armageddon needs help to get started. McCabe manipulates retired General Kurt Vermullen, now a wealthy entrepreneur, into purchasing one of the Russian devices. McCabe intends to steal it from him and convert it into a bomb that can be dropped on Jerusalem, the melting pot of Christian and Muslim religions. It that doesn’t get Armageddon going, nothing will.

The Russian Intelligence service soon becomes aware of the document’s sale, and coerces Alexandra Petrova, Carver’s girlfriend, back into working for them. She is told to recover the list, and they assign her to get close to Vermullen, who is now in the process of buying one of the bombs. Petrova abandons Carver’s bedside to start a relationship with Vermullen (at the start of the book Carver is still recovering in hospital). Vermullen takes her with him on his yacht for an extended business trip, during which he intends to complete the final exchange with the arms dealer. However, McCabe is on-hand to take over.

Carver is jolted to recovery by Petrova’s sudden disappearance and sets out to find her. His old paymasters in MI6, aware that Petrova is once more working for Russian Intelligence, soon become involved and point him in the right direction in the hope of using him to learn what’s happening. There follows an explosive and action-packed race across Europe to Serbia where the plane is being prepared to receive the bomb.

Survivor has brilliant pace and adrenalin pumping action once the initial summary of the previous book is out of the way. It’s not as good as Tom Cain’s debut, but it’s an exciting read nonetheless.

[Paul Pessolano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Samuel Carver is the "Accident Man". If you read Tom Cain's first novel, "The Accident Man" you would know that Carver is an assassin and he makes his assassinations look like accidents. You will also remember that at the end of the novel Carver was in a sanitarium and was a mere shadow of his former self.

"No Survivors" picks up with Carver struggling with his psychological problems he received from a severe brain washing. The woman he loves, Alix, has run out of money and can no longer afford to keep him in the hospital.

If you remember, Alix was a spy for the Soviet Union and she now has been contacted to take on another job. Her handlers have agreed to take care of all the hospital bills if she agrees to the job.

She agrees to take the job and finds she mustg find a document that contains the location of over 100 suitcase nuclear devices and their detonation codes. She becomes the confidant of a former Army general who is working with a Texas millionaire. The millionaire, a born again Christian, is dying and thinks that he can bring about Armageddon. The idea is to drop a nuclear device in the holiest place of both the Christian and Muslim world.

Carver must find a way to get back to the real world. He also has to find a wayh to et back into shape if he is to confront these new dangers.

The novel, as was "The Accident Man", a fast paced, full of action, mystery. Although he may be considerd a "good guy", Carver doesn't wear a "white hat". Very few things take precedent over getting the job done and unfortunately some innocent people could suffer in his wake.

An excellent read but I would highly recommend that you read "The Accident Man" first because it be a very difficult story to follow if you did not.

[Ian Mapp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Follow up to the morally dubious Accident Man.

Absolutely identical sense of style, short pacy chapters, assassins, international locations, beautiful girls to the first book. Cain is obviously writing with a view to getting the film rights to the next James Bond. This doesn't shound like a great endorsement but it is.... as a no brainer, thrill a minute, can't put it down book this knocks others, Lee Child included, into a cocked hat. In fact, we need Sam Carver to take on Jack Reacher in some cross polination show down.

There is a prologue, when Carver fails to quite knock off an evil business man through a plane crash. His subsequent survival turns him into an evangelical god bother, convinced the rapture is coming. He has a large part to play in the ongoing story.

This book starts off proper from where the last one finished and even has a sense of realism. Carver is recovering from his torture at the end of the last book. His lover, Alix, is struggling to make ends meet, taking a job in a swiss beer hall. Carvers recovery takes some time. When the action kicks off, he even goes through some Rocky 4 style training to get his mojo back.

The stort has the aforementioned christian trying to buy ex soviet nuclear suitcase bombs which he can detonate over Jerusalem to start a holy war. (Realism goes a bit here).

Cue the russians from the previous books, the british and the americans all trying to stop the attrocity. But you know that only one man can come up trumps.

Very well written. Identical to the first book. Summer thriller reading at its best but unlikely to bother any a level reading lists.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Audiobook review] I'm new to Tom Cain's books and the spy genre in general, but I found this one interesting and well-paced from beginning to end. The characterizations, the plotting, and the writing overall are flawless. Not once did I cringe or roll my eyes (I'm recently coming off of the Deathlands novels so, much eye fatigue there). In a nutshell, the book starts out with a single fact: Russia has lost over 100 briefcase nuclear bombs hidden throughout Europe (or perhaps the world). The plot jumps off from that startling but real life truth. Enter madman billionaire who narrowly escapes an accident/assassination by our protagonist, Samuel Carver, The Spy Who Creates Accidents (one gripe: why does everyone call him Carver, even the love of his life at the end of the book, what woman refers to her man by his last name only). Billionaire gets religious, doesn't like what he sees in the Middle East, and gains info on one or more of these lost suitcase nukes. The Russian FSB (formerly KGB) and the Americans get involved. Carver himself is more London/MI-6 based, more Daniel Craig, less Roger Moore. The story takes some odd twists, like Carver becoming a mental invalid after severe torture and his Russian seduction specialist becoming his caregiver. Oh, the Russians are stereotypical and cold-blooded for the most part but written delightfully. The FSB matriarch in the novel scares me. Things come full circle by the end with a bit of Hollywood action. All in all, an enjoyable read with a constantly moving plot, and some fun insights into The Trade.

[Alien · Rating 4 out of 5]

Der edle Attentäter und Serienheld Carver liegt völlig traumatisiert in einer Schweizer Klinik. Erst als seine Geliebte Alix, die für ihn sorgte, entführt wird, wacht er auf und tritt in Aktion.

Es war wieder ganz gut, aber nicht ganz so stringent und stark wie der erste Teil. Der Autor zieht wieder die Idee mit der Verarbeitung der Gegenwartsgeschichte zu einem Thriller durch. Und er macht das geschickt.
Die emotionale Entwicklung Carvers ist nicht so gut gelungen. Nachdem er anfangs ein Gemüse ist, scheint er später zu sorglos und unbeteiligt. Zwar hat er ein paar Flashbacks und ist auch über Alix traurig, aber so richtig anzufechten scheint ihn das alles nicht. Das Ende fand ich auch nicht so arg befriedigend.
McCabe als Bösewicht verschwindet ohne große Umstände von der Bühne. Er hat die Bombe scharf gemacht und dann...? Warum explodiert sie nicht? Das wird nicht klar. Und dann der Cliffhanger mit einem coolen Spruch auf den Lippen mit der halbtoten Geliebeten im Arm. Naja... trotzdem ganz gut. Ich werde mir wohl irgendwann den nächsten Roman der Folge besorgen.

[Ian Coates · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having loved Tom Cain’s debut, the awesomely brilliant The Accident Man, I was rather disappointed by Survivor, its sequel. Both star Sam Carver, the man who “makes bad things happen to bad people”. If you’ve already read The Accident Man, skip the first 130 pages of this thriller, which serve only to summarize what befell Carver in the previous book. If you haven’t yet enjoyed The Accident Man, read that story first... and then come back and skip the first 130 pages of this one. But from that point on, the plot of Survivor explodes like one of the Russian suitcase nuclear bombs that lie at its heart.

I've posted a full review on my web site, http://www.iancoatesthrillers.co.uk/r...