Son of France

A Christopher Kruse Novel #2

by Todd Babiak

Security agent Christopher Kruse lost his wife and young daughter in the south of France. In Come Barbarians he investigated and stopped the people responsible for their deaths. He has remained in France working for the ambitious mayor of Paris, wandering streets haunted by his lost family and watching over a woman and her daughter. But when a charismatic politician is murdered by a grenade attack in the Jewish quarter, Kruse catapults back into the maelstrom of organized crime and dirty politics. A young woman named Zoe, working for a shadowy division of the French clandestine services, hires Kruse and his old colleague and mentor Tzvi to hunt down and assassinate the killer. The mission leads him not to redemption but down a rabbit hole of deception, violence and unlikely romance. With edge-of-your seat action and crackling tension, Son of France is a non-stop political thriller and engrossing new novel from the #1 bestselling author Todd Babiak.

Genres: Canada, Thriller, Fiction

288 pages, Paperback

First published March 8, 2016

About the author

When I think no one else is around, I conduct pretend orchestras.

Reviews

[Ron S · Rating 3 out of 5]

A thriller distinguished by a protagonist who, unlike the usual unrealistic cardboard cut outs in most books of the genre, doesn't readily accept or easily enter into violence. Security agent Christopher Kruse, a Canadian raised by Mennonites, spends more time wrestling moral complexities than bad guys, in this pre-EU story that takes place mostly in Paris. The second of a series, this book doesn't easily lend itself to readers jumping in here, who should go to series debut Come Barbarians first.

[Laura Frey (Reading in Bed) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this. Even more than the first. This one relied less on gross-out violence and more on sexual tension to build the emotional connection, so yeah. Christopher Kruse is "a man who loves".

Hoping for a third book in the series!

[Theresa Paltzat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Son of France is a thrill ride; Babiak rarely slows down the pace of action and political intrigue. The protagonist, Kruse, is a beat up, scarred, but emotionally vulnerable hero. He mourns the loss of his daughter and wants nothing more than to spend time with the other little girl that has come into his life. However, his aptitude for security and violence leads him into dangerous situations. He’s a reluctant Bond, handsome in a suit or tuxedo, ready and able to quickly dispatch his enemies.
This is the second novel featuring security expert Christopher Kruse. Although the novel could stand alone, readers will understand Kruse and his tangled emotions better if they have read Come, Barbarians first.

[Kym Fisher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ummm yeah....its left me on the fence about this book! A political thriller about a canadian who lives in france with a jewish mentor who is like a father to him who works in security but ends up being an assassin for who he thought was for the french governement and turns out it wasnt, can be hard to read and follow in places, the ending was a bit meh, predictable BUT it was intense and had me reading it in 2 and a half days....so I'm left unsure on whether I like it or not!

[Freya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mystery-type story which I'm not normally into but someone recommended it so I gave it a shot. It was well-written and it kept me guessing about what was coming. It was violent and graphic at some stages though, which is not for me. I also didn't get a solid sense of the emotional side of the characters, and I found the political connections hard to keep straight.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Dan Ofer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this novel!

[Alvin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn’t finish the book. Too hard to follow.

[Joanne]

Had a hard time finishing this book - found it hard to follow who the good guys were and who the bad guys were!
-Kruse has a contract with the Mayor of Paris to provide him with protection, among other things
-the Mayor is injured in a grenade attack that kills a prominent politician
-everyone things Kruse is responsible and he's on the run
-he and Tzvi are employed by Zoe who works for a shady division of the French "CIA" to find the person who set the bomb
-Annette and Anouk : shadows of Lily and his late wife
-who do you trust?
-he's deceived right and left
-Tzvi's torture is so very gruesome
-lots of violence

[Rich · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot explain why I love these books so much. It isn't even rational. But, he is such a wonderful storyteller and the main character is so engaging that I cannot wait for the next installment. I will experiment with your hummus (which, to me, is the best thing in life to eat) if I ever have the opportunity, but I'd love to meet you just to hang out. Thanks for inviting us along for the ride.

[Steven Buechler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Babiak has continued his great story line from Come Barbarians. His prose here (like all his novels) is expressive and emotional. As we read along, we can clearly see every scar added to Kruse’s face along with every scar added to his soul when he is forced to take a life. It is a pleasure to read a thriller with more than just action to it.

http://tinyurl.com/zsbssok

[Jody Spencer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing makes me like the the main character and want to see him happy. I just felt this was a bit too much of a wild goose chase. Maybe just 1 crazy scenario too many for me to invest as much as I did in the first novel.

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was so lost in parts of this book. Who is who and what are they doing?
I did like the writing for the most part and the setting was great!

[Peter Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A worthy follow-up to Come Barbarians