Below Zero

Ryan Kyd #4

by Roger Hurn

Private Investigator Ryan Kyd and his sultry associate Carly Bloom have a less-than-conventional relationship. But when strait-laced MI5 agent Crispian Hunt enlists them for a job that they are in no position to refuse, that quickly become the least of their worries.

Hunt sends them to Spain on what he claims will be little more than a government-funded vacation. But Kyd soon realises that there is more to this case than an “all expenses paid holiday” to the Costa Del Sol.

He and Carly are being sent to track down Constantin Stere - a Moldovan scientist from Porton Down who has been working on a secret formula. Stere has cut his ties with MI5, left the country and is threatening to sell his latest breakthrough to the highest bidder.

With the Russian Mafia, Mossad, and any number of terrorist groups fighting to get hold of Stere’s formula, Kyd and Carly soon find themselves in the middle of a dark conspiracy involving the deadliest players in the international underworld.

Can Ryan and Carly find Stere – and the potential weapon of mass destruction – first?

Or will they be too late to save the world from Stere’s devastating chemical agent?

‘Below Zero’ is a gripping crime thriller featuring the private investigator Ryan Kyd. It is the follow-up to the best-selling 'Business Is Murder', 'Hand of Darkness' and ‘Dead of inter’.

Praise for the Ryan Kyd series:

'A gripping crime thriller set in the heart of modern London.' - Tom Kasey, author of 'Trade Off'.

'An accomplished and entertaining slice of London noir.' - Robert Foster, author of 'The Lunar Code'.

Roger Hurn has had over 70 books published. In his spare time Roger plays seven-a-side football and, to the horror of music lovers everywhere, guitar in a rock band.

Endeavour Press is the UK's leading independent publisher of digital books.

Genres: Thriller

112 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 5, 2014

About the author

Roger Hurn is an experienced writer with a background in primary schools, and has been a headteacher. He has written a large number of successful educational books, articles, games and web-based materials, including several covering the basics of English at grades 7-11.

Reviews

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the fourth outing for me reading about Private Investigator Ryan Kyd and his blossoming assistant Carly Bloom. Roger Hurn takes us on a jolly break to the Costa del Sol as Ryan Kyd goes international.
A Porton Down research scientist goes rogue and jets off to Spain in the hope to cut a deal with his breakthrough chemistry as his feels HM government were not rewarding him sufficiently. He has downloaded his data onto a memory stick and now every agency and faction is out to get a potentially lethal weapon and clever chemist to boot.
Kyd knows the offer of an all expenses 'holiday' to persuade Constantin Stere the Moldovan scientist to return to the UK with a package of his chosing to keep him sweet is more demanding and dangerous than MI5 are letting on, but Crispian Hunt has an hold over him so he can't say no. What follows is a rollercoaster of an thriller that never takes itself seriously but is packed with action and the usual body count. I liked the writing and the backdrop that Hurn gave himself to tell this story. He keeps the pace up and tension builds and ebbs only to rise again as the investigating duo go from crisis to life threatening crisis but somehow survive often due to the ingenuity of Carly.

[Norma · Rating 3 out of 5]

( Format : Audiobook )
"Teeth so he could lie through them."
My first encounter with ex secret service, now private eye working for MI5, and James Bond he is not ( thank goodness). A short, easy read - it's certainly not going to tax the reader's ability to follow the story line. And lots of near non stop action skipping round the continent. Humorous, too, with the sparky, and lovely, young assistant always depreciating the ability of the male. So I guess part of the humour lies in the constant use of cliches, such as if you need to ask the price of something you can't afford it, though I personally found it irritating as more and more were trotted out.
Narration was by the author. He did a passable job, improving as the story moved out of the less than promising beginning and into the faster moving action but would still have been better employed using an actual voice artist to give more emphasis, sexual expectation and self confident surprise.to the reading.

Good, basic spy or adventure short, undemanding, light and easily fitted into an otherwise empty evening: nothing special, but still enjoyable. My thanks to the Audible Plus programme for supplying a complimentary copy

[Annabelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full of cliches and ungenerous depiction of men.

[Lucy-Jane Burns · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was alright but idk, I get it, the MFC is hot, it doesn't need to be mentioned every other line, especially by her creepy married boss wanting to sleep with her

[Vera Carver · Rating 2 out of 5]

Easy read .

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh

I have now read 3 of these kindle singles by RH. as a shortish story they are ok but they feel like a script for a bogart movie

I always feel cheated when a series of books tells us the back story in every book and there is a tendency in these stories

Easy reading for an hour, yes
Anything else, meh

[Doghouse Gav · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another cracker

I'm really enjoying these books. They are short enough to enjoy in one sitting but are action packed and very well written. Would love to tell you more but I'm off to read another one!!!