Detonator

Nick Stone #17

by Andy McNab

A high-level conflict at the dark heart of the Russian Empire and an assassin's bullet on an isolated Alpine pass propel ex-deniable operator Nick Stone from an apparently run-of-the-mill close-protection task into his most brutal and challenging mission yet. Without warning, Stone finds himself one of Europe's Most Wanted. He must evade the elite forces of three nations in pursuit of faceless men who trade in human misery – and a lone-wolf terrorist capable of delivering the Western World's worst nightmare.

Vengeance of the most explosive kind is top of Stone's agenda. The fuse has been ignited – but who really holds the detonator?

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Crime, Action, Audiobook, Military Fiction, Mystery Thriller

432 pages, Paperback

First published October 22, 2015

About the author

Andy McNab joined the infantry in 1976 as a boy soldier. In 1984 he was badged as a member of 22 SAS Regiment. He served in B Squadron 22 SAS for ten years and worked on both covert and overt special operations worldwide, including anti-terrorist and anti-drug operations in the Middle and Far East, South and Central America and Northern Ireland.

Trained as a specialist in counter terrorism, prime target elimination, demolitions, weapons and tactics, covert surveillance and information gathering in hostile environments, and VIP protection, McNab worked on cooperative operations with police forces, prison services, anti-drug forces and western backed guerrilla movements as well as on conventional special operations. In Northern Ireland he spent two years working as an undercover operator with 14th Intelligence Group, going on to become an instructor.

McNab also worked as an instructor on the SAS selection and training team and instructed foreign special forces in counter terrorism, hostage rescue and survival training.

Andy McNab has written about his experiences in the SAS in two bestselling books, Bravo Two Zero (1993) and Immediate Action (1995). Bravo Two Zero is the highest selling war book of all time and has sold over 1.7 million copies in the UK. To date it has been published in 17 countries and translated into 16 languages. The CD spoken word version of Bravo Two Zero, narrated by McNab, sold over 60,000 copies and earned a silver disc. The BBC's film of Bravo Two Zero, starring Sean Bean, was shown on primetime BBC 1 television in 1999 and released on DVD in 2000.

Immediate Action, McNab's autobiography, spent 18 weeks at the top of the bestseller lists following the lifting on an ex-parte injunction granted to the Ministry of Defence in September 1995. To date, Immediate Action has now sold over 1.4 million copies in the UK.

McNab is the author of seven fast action thrillers, highly acclaimed for their authenticity and all Sunday Times bestsellers. Published in 1997, Remote Control was hailed as the most authentic thriller ever written and has sold over half a million copies in the UK. McNab's subsequent thrillers, Crisis Four, Firewall, Last Light , Liberation Day , Dark Winter , Deep Black and Aggressor have all gone on to sell equally well. The central character in all the books is Nick Stone, a tough ex-SAS operative working as a 'K' on deniable operations for British Intelligence.

McNab's fiction draws extensively on his experiences and knowledge of Special Forces soldiering. He has been officially registered by Neilsen Bookscan as the bestselling British thriller writer of the last year.

Reviews

[Donna Ann Sutcliffe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very special to me as it had been signed by the author. I took my time with this book and relished my sessions with it. Nick Stone has so much to deal with in this book. The body count is high and his personal loss even higher. Andy McNab has a very realistic style of writing and I can imagine how he was in his previous career. I love these books they are exciting and clever. Sad to have finished it so better get the next one soon.

[trev churchill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant book

Another brilliant nick stone story.
Think nick stone will need someone to take He's place soon.
He's not getting any younger.
Maybe should join force's with character from another story ?

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

The reviews are all 5's or 3's so I give it a 4. Still does this better than most. There ought to be a special shelf for Child's, Marcinko, Bruen and McNab.

[Vasilis · Rating 1 out of 5]

I give this 1 star, but it is perhaps more of a 1.5/5. This is an action packed story, with some interesting parts, but overall , I think it falls short of other similar style books (think some of the earlier Jack Reacher books for example). Characters are not developed much and although there's quite a bit of action, it is not that entertaining really.

[Solseit · Rating 4 out of 5]

So dark.

[Steve Ashodian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Andy McNab is the real deal!!

I have read all of the 18 or so Nick Stone books and have loved them all, some more than others but all great books. This most recent edition was really good and there were parallels for me with Kelly and Stefan that just reminded me of how good the previous books have been.
I truly appreciate Andy's writing as it is real and that can only come from someone who has lived it. He is a great story teller and I can't wait for the next Nick Stone story. Thanks Andy, hope you keep writing Nick's story for us to enjoy.

[Colin Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Typical McNab Tale.

Lots of blood, guts and thunder. It held my attention throughout the tale. I am looking forward to the next book.

[XOX · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nick Stone was injured and lost part of his memory of what had happened to him.

In his recovery, he found a man and a boy and surprised that the boy survived.

So they go on together to find who has killed the boy’s father, Nick’s friend. It turned out that the boy’s father has hired Nick to protect his son.

This begin the journey of discovery and action.

Lot of bad guys and lot of actions.

[قصي بن خليفة · Rating 3 out of 5]

أكتب هذه القراءة بعد سنة! وانطباعي عنه أنه مثل فيلم إثارة بدون قصة مشوّقة وعلى ما يبدو أنه يحاول أن يقنع المنتجين فقد ضمّن مشاهد رائعة تصلح لفيلم سينمائي... ولذلك لا تجد قصة تتابعها وأحداثاً مترابطة
~~~~
وحتى قصته الضعيفة لم تخلُ من ظلم للإسلام... ما بالهم يقتاتون على الكره
~~~~
لكنه ظريف أحياناً، وفيه معلومات وتفاصيل عسكرية حلوة.... وبس

[Eddie Owens · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I'm over these books.

Same old, same old.

[Alex Murphy · Rating 3 out of 5]

With this being the 17th book in Andy Mcnab’s Nick Stone series, you’ve probably already read a few before reaching here. The books have started to feel very formulaic; while still decent they’ve started to follow the same path every book, with Nick Stone being perhaps the unluckiest person alive. Ever. Almost every book (I can think of only one where this doesn’t happen) ends up with a long-lost friend being introduced at the start and dead by the end. It doesn’t pay really to know Nick.

The book started off a bit different from the rest. Nick wakes up in a car crash in the Alps, with some head injuries that have affected his memories. He tries to piece together who tried to kill him, his boss, the Russian billionaire Frank Timis and his son. This takes Nick across Europe, as he tries to uncover the conspiracy involving industrialists, ISIS and nuclear waste.

I enjoyed how the book began different from most of his other books. The action seemed more immediate and urgent, like hitting the ground running. The parts of Nick looking after Stefan, Frank’s 10-year-old son, were also good. The writing is always good, pacey and action packed. However halfway through, the tropes of all the other books start to filter in, along with the same problems; more misery heaped on Nick Stone, the plot that speeds up at the end with big leaps where I had trouble following what was going on, with a conclusion that seemed rushed and hard to figure out what had happened.
But many of these issues have always been part of these books, and I’m still reading them, so its not enough to put me off. But I’m not in a rush to get these read and finished like I used to be, but they are still better than many of the other spy/military thrillers about.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have enjoyed all of Andy McNab's "Nick Stone" books. Some more than others, but all good stories. I like how Nick is "human" and takes a beating at times. There were some sad events in this book that makes me wonder if "Detonator" is the last Nick Stone story. I will have to wait and see.

[Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well done - could not put the book down. Recommended read for all who like Nick Stone. The end was a little flat after being kept on a high for the whole read. But then again all good things have to come to an end!
Like the suggestion of other readers that he should take a partner as Nick Stone is getting on in years.

[J.D · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes friendships reach a cul-de-sac, sometimes one has to put a red line through a character. It's sad but sobeit. I probably outstayed my readership of this series. When his child and the Mum were killed a few books back, that should've finalised things for me. I was fatigued of Nick Stone.

[Rob Burton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was on my kindle and I needed a holiday read. It turned out that I had already read it - but never mind Andy McNab is always a page turner. So it kept me busy and engaged during some sleepless nights and some down time I had when on holiday. Excellent read as always.

[HARRY Cullen · Rating 4 out of 5]

one of those you can't put down, it's about payback, revenge and personal tragedy

[John Cheeseman · Rating 2 out of 5]

This felt like a complete rehash of a lot of the earlier Nick Stone stories including the very first book. I was so disappointed with it all really and a bit bored, on top of that the ending was pretty ridiculous and rushed like the author had a deadline to meet and typed any rubbish to get it out.
There were so many similarities to previous events that it made it even stupider that the character never referred back to any of them. I dont know if this was originally meant to be the last book in the series but if so it was a terrible way for such a promising, exciting, informative series to end.

[Vera VB · Rating 4 out of 5]

Keiharde actie van Andy McNab met Nick Stone. Het boek start midden in de actie, het lijkt een auto-ongeluk maar is uiteraard veel meer. Nick Stone weet niet goed wat er allemaal aan de hand is, beetje bij beetje kan hij de puzzelstukjes bij elkaar leggen. Hij was bezig met een beveiligingsopdracht maar die is helemaal fout gelopen.
Nick Stone is meedogenloos, maar dat zijn zijn tegenstanders ook. Die gaan ook over lijken en gebruiken iedereen die ze denken te kunnen gebruiken om aan de nodige informatie te komen.
Ze komen deze keer heel dicht bij.
Actie, actie en nog eens actie. Hard, ruig, snel.

[Timberforest · Rating 2 out of 5]

*** spoilers *** It was an entertaining read, action and a main plot which propelled the story along, but some of the plot threads didn’t make sense. Nic’s amnesia was so bad it seemed to cherry pick items in the past to make the present more intriguing. Perhaps the author wasn’t able to craft a story that held together in the light of Day. In general, I found this to be a sad tale. Why did the ending need to be so bad? I also half expected Stephan to resurface, so the story finished a little disappointing.

[Coy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not my cup of tea.
The hero is some kind of a macho type, swears a lot, doesn't seem to care much about anything. I understand he can't be thinking or pointing out how rosy things are but those 'who gives a fuck' or 'fuck that' bits repeated so many times really put me off.
And, he never eats, or drinks, he gets things down his neck.
My first and last book by A. McNab.

[John Galt · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've read ALL(?) of the Nick Stone novels, and many were outstanding! Great pacing, tight writing, interesting location. Entertaining to read. This one, however, was 'meh.' Halfway through I stopped reading. Perhaps I'm spoiled by his other books?

[Rory · Rating 4 out of 5]

As usual, a good pageturner with very interesting details only known if you've been on the inside of things.
And then, BOOM, things take a dark turn. Did not expect it, did not like it.
Dijani and his ilk got off too easy.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

-Much too dark. Favourite character is returned and written off. The guy’s son is written off. Nick’s Russian wife and son are written off. In the end, Nick prevails over the villains, but loses everything. Too dark and depressing. Hope he does better in future.

[Thembi Mehlomakulu · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't like that he kills off all the children in his books.

[Thomas Dunn · Rating 3 out of 5]

another good piece of escapism.

[Johan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Een Nick Stone actieverhaal, maar heb al betere gelezen.

[Emily Cowan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my thing. Weak plot, poor writing. I just wanted a quick and easy airport thriller but this didn't do the trick. Oh well.

[Steve · Rating 2 out of 5]

got a bit lost with the plot line ,don't think its really my cup off tea.

[Don Deedigan · Rating 4 out of 5]

andy McNab does it again

This fast paced thriller keeps you guessing all the way to the end. Great twists and turns keeping the reader engrossed throughout fine read.

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well what to say, another thrilling tale of Nick stone. Great depth and detail was put into the surroundings throughout.