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Nick Stone #11
Brute Force
A cargo ship is apprehended by the authorities off the coast of Spain, packed with enough arms and ammunition to start a war.
Twenty years later, an unknown aggressor seems intent on taking out those responsible for the treachery - one by one. The last victim was brutally tortured with a Black & Decker drill and then shot through the head at point-blank range.
And Nick Stone - ex-SAS, tough, resourceful, ruthless, highly trained - is next on the killer's list. He has only two options - fight or flight - but which do you choose when you don't know who you are up against?
Twenty years later, an unknown aggressor seems intent on taking out those responsible for the treachery - one by one. The last victim was brutally tortured with a Black & Decker drill and then shot through the head at point-blank range.
And Nick Stone - ex-SAS, tough, resourceful, ruthless, highly trained - is next on the killer's list. He has only two options - fight or flight - but which do you choose when you don't know who you are up against?
400 pages, Hardcover
First published November 8, 2008
152 people are currently reading
906 people want to read
About the author
Andy McNab
205 books1,164 followersAndy 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
June 23, 2013
Well, it's not often that I read the summary for a book and find that the PR guy who wrote the summary didn't actually read the book.
So, first, this correction. Nick Stone's car does not erupt in flames. On holiday in Ireland, he finds a bomb under the car, removes it, and takes it apart to analyze it. This part, incidentally, is fascinating. As Stone takes apart the bomb, he describes the way it works, how it is made, and what constitutes a bombmaker's signature.
Andy McNab writes terrific thrillers, filled with stunningly authentic operational details. It's not just about the plot; Nick Stone is beautifully written, with a painful, nuanced, believable background. Stone is a deniable special operative, sent in by government secret services--or sometimes, rich criminals--to assassinate, to steal, to protect, to create chaos. McNab, who clearly knows people like this, makes him an introspective killer, telling us how he gets through these operations, trying to preserve his humanity, forlornly wishing he had some kind of a family. From book to book, we learn more details about Nick's past--and about the kind of man who rises to the top of the Special Forces ranks.
So, first, this correction. Nick Stone's car does not erupt in flames. On holiday in Ireland, he finds a bomb under the car, removes it, and takes it apart to analyze it. This part, incidentally, is fascinating. As Stone takes apart the bomb, he describes the way it works, how it is made, and what constitutes a bombmaker's signature.
Andy McNab writes terrific thrillers, filled with stunningly authentic operational details. It's not just about the plot; Nick Stone is beautifully written, with a painful, nuanced, believable background. Stone is a deniable special operative, sent in by government secret services--or sometimes, rich criminals--to assassinate, to steal, to protect, to create chaos. McNab, who clearly knows people like this, makes him an introspective killer, telling us how he gets through these operations, trying to preserve his humanity, forlornly wishing he had some kind of a family. From book to book, we learn more details about Nick's past--and about the kind of man who rises to the top of the Special Forces ranks.
February 3, 2016
I've read a lot of Thrillers over the years, but none like this one. I was gripped from page one.
It was my first Mcnab book, and I was not aware that there were more in the line with Nick Stone, but boy was I excited to hear that this was book number 11 of the series..and there's even more afterwards!
It's so easy to read, meaning you sweep right through the pages, gripped by the story line and the dark humor. Plot twists left, right and center, and the casual nonchalant attitude of Nick makes it so hard to put this book down without dreaming or thinking about it for days to come.
I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in getting into the thriller genre, because you'll never leave it.
Thanks Dad for giving me this book to read on the plane home.
It was my first Mcnab book, and I was not aware that there were more in the line with Nick Stone, but boy was I excited to hear that this was book number 11 of the series..and there's even more afterwards!
It's so easy to read, meaning you sweep right through the pages, gripped by the story line and the dark humor. Plot twists left, right and center, and the casual nonchalant attitude of Nick makes it so hard to put this book down without dreaming or thinking about it for days to come.
I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in getting into the thriller genre, because you'll never leave it.
Thanks Dad for giving me this book to read on the plane home.
January 20, 2020
Changes perspectives and style of writing too much for me. This character acts all superior one second then acts like he's two years old the next. The inner dialogue does not match the character at all.
November 28, 2025
I have read way more exciting thriller books than this one. I also read a review where someone said that the person who wrote the summary clearly didn’t read the book and I couldn’t agree more…
April 15, 2013
The book I am reviewing is Brute Force by Andy McNab which is an excellent SAS thriller which I bought from a car boot sale. This is another installment in the Nick Stone series about an ex SAS trooper and the covert jobs he does. Andy of course was a sergaent in the SAS & if you only read one book by him read Bravo Two Zero which is the true story about when he went on a mission in the First Gulf War and got captured by the Iraqis. It is one of the greatest war books ever. This book is great and features many delicious details about life as a covert operative only an ex special forces trooper would know. The plot is Nick has been involved in a mission to sink a ship off Spain that is carrying lots of weapons bound for Northern Ireland & use by the Provisional IRA. The Libyans & Gadaffi have supplied them. They briefly capture Nick as he is helping plant the explosives but he gets away. That was in 1987. Now in 2007 when the story continues the exoperatives involved in that operation are being murdered one by one by being tortured with a black & decker drill and then shot. Nick realises he is next. When his partner and her daughter are kidnapped he realises he must go to Libya to rescue them. He also has to change his identity. He is accompanied by Lynn another covert op & there is a happy ending and I daresay there will be more sequels. It's quite violent so you would probably not want children reading it. It's a brilliant book though as one reviewer on the back page of the book put it, "other authors do there research but Andy has actually been there."
November 27, 2012
Dopo "Plotone Sette", un libro autobiografico incentrato sul toccante rapporto con i compagni d'armi e sull'impossibilità di affrancarsi del tutto da un mondo speciale quanto dannato e dai suoi spettri, McNab non abbandona questo fil rouge nel ritorno ai thriller d'azione. Nick Stone, reduce dall'avventura afghana, invita la compagna e la figlia del defunto amico Peter in Irlanda per trascorrere il Natale. La vacanza idilliaca si trasforma ben presto in un incubo: Stone rinviene una bomba destinata a ucciderli e deve scoprire chi gli stia dando la caccia. Potrebbe trattarsi dei servizi segreti, per i quali è un uomo scomodo, oppure dei vecchi nemici dell'IRA, che ha combattuto prima nel SAS e poi nel Det. Comincia così una corsa disperata in cui il protagonista è allo stesso tempo cacciatore e preda, affondando sempre di più in un abisso di intrighi e sospetti che non risparmiano nessuno.
Pur avendo perso la freschezza che caratterizzava i primi romanzi, McNab resta un maestro nel tenere alta la tensione, regalandoci 400 pagine di adrenalina pura, alleggerite dai consueti lampi di dissacrante ironia che lo caratterizzano.
Meno angosciante di "Dark Winter" e dello splendido ma crudo "Contraccolpo", "Forza Bruta" è un romanzo piacevole per gli amanti del genere e una garanzia per i fan dell'autore.
Pur avendo perso la freschezza che caratterizzava i primi romanzi, McNab resta un maestro nel tenere alta la tensione, regalandoci 400 pagine di adrenalina pura, alleggerite dai consueti lampi di dissacrante ironia che lo caratterizzano.
Meno angosciante di "Dark Winter" e dello splendido ma crudo "Contraccolpo", "Forza Bruta" è un romanzo piacevole per gli amanti del genere e una garanzia per i fan dell'autore.
September 2, 2011
Realy enjoyed this book, was very detailed without being overly complicated with military jargon. Good story and easy to follow all the way through. Thats me read all but the most recent book of the Nick Stone series, which I will be picking up over the next day or two.
March 27, 2014
Once again Andy McNab writes a great book. I really enjoy the factual-fiction of the Troubles in Ireland. Looking forward to reading on!
December 30, 2015
Great action with lots of technical details and realism.
May 19, 2016
Another great Nick Stone story, I love the way Andy McNab writes.
November 19, 2023
Sorry a very poor story in my opinion, no umph, no suspense, couldn't be bothered with the characters.
December 17, 2015
Andy McNab is the master of the SAS book. You know he's been there, he's done that. Brilliant.
March 31, 2021
Nick is now a target
Who wants to kill him?
There is a long list.
There is very little clue.
Nick has been jumping to conclusion and then running around trying to solve a mystery that linked to something happened many years ago.
So how was it?
For the plot:
Only a 3 out of 5 as there isn't much to go on with him being followed, and someone has left a car bomb.
For the action:
4 out of 5. There is where the good stuff supposed to be in the book. A lot of actions with details on how to defuse a bomb. Never mind if it is real, as it is a storytelling that counts.
For the character development:
3.5 out of 5. Nick didn't mature after 11 books. A little. But not much. He is still paranoid and in the running mode. Too bad there is real threat and someone trying to kill him at every turn.
Overall story:
For readers like me who like B action movies. This is as good as it gets. No cheesy cardboard female characters, just mothers and wife to keep the guy in check. Lot of actions with details. A lot of car chase. Moving one point A to point B. Just what I like for a light reading to distract me for the worries of real life and things I have not much power to change.
Good one. Going to read the one follow this one soon.
4 stars out of 5. When it goes together, it deserves a 4.
Who wants to kill him?
There is a long list.
There is very little clue.
Nick has been jumping to conclusion and then running around trying to solve a mystery that linked to something happened many years ago.
So how was it?
For the plot:
Only a 3 out of 5 as there isn't much to go on with him being followed, and someone has left a car bomb.
For the action:
4 out of 5. There is where the good stuff supposed to be in the book. A lot of actions with details on how to defuse a bomb. Never mind if it is real, as it is a storytelling that counts.
For the character development:
3.5 out of 5. Nick didn't mature after 11 books. A little. But not much. He is still paranoid and in the running mode. Too bad there is real threat and someone trying to kill him at every turn.
Overall story:
For readers like me who like B action movies. This is as good as it gets. No cheesy cardboard female characters, just mothers and wife to keep the guy in check. Lot of actions with details. A lot of car chase. Moving one point A to point B. Just what I like for a light reading to distract me for the worries of real life and things I have not much power to change.
Good one. Going to read the one follow this one soon.
4 stars out of 5. When it goes together, it deserves a 4.
March 24, 2018
Another excellent book in the Nick Stone series. I'm not going to give anything away about what happens, but my only problem with this book (which is very minor), is that the ending / last few chapters felt a little rushed.
But, that's not really a problem as I love this series of books anyway and tomorrow evening or should I say this evening as its now gone 1am, I'll be starting the next book in the series.
But, that's not really a problem as I love this series of books anyway and tomorrow evening or should I say this evening as its now gone 1am, I'll be starting the next book in the series.
June 29, 2019
This is the 11th book in McNab's series about the ex-SAS soldier, now a private contractor, Nick Stone. This is not the best book in the series - too similar to the previous books, perhaps, and a bit preachy on the political history of Libya. However, I do enjoy getting my history lessons served in an exciting narrative!
So for a McNab it is a bit disappointing, but it is still a competent thriller - and I do enjoy Nick's constant harping on British class system...
So for a McNab it is a bit disappointing, but it is still a competent thriller - and I do enjoy Nick's constant harping on British class system...
October 5, 2021
Nick Stone wants to get away for s Christmas break. So his old pal Dom lends him his cottage in Ireland.
But trouble has a way of following Nick wherever he goes and someone finds him and tries to execute him along with the friends he has taken with him.
What follows is a chase across Europe, Collecting a former colleague in the UK on his way who he suspects he ends up in Italy before going to Libya to track down his assassin. What he finds surprises him as his past catches up with him.
But trouble has a way of following Nick wherever he goes and someone finds him and tries to execute him along with the friends he has taken with him.
What follows is a chase across Europe, Collecting a former colleague in the UK on his way who he suspects he ends up in Italy before going to Libya to track down his assassin. What he finds surprises him as his past catches up with him.
March 17, 2020
Andy McNabb’s books are never going to be classic literature, but you always get an action packed read.
Want to read
July 19, 2020elibrary
February 2, 2021
An ok read - not his best!
April 12, 2021
Nick Stone joins forces with Colonel Lynn in a fight to the death with PIRA paramilitaries and soviet mafia a fight that spans Ireland,Italy and Lybia.
Excellent read
Excellent read
May 3, 2021
Rubbish. Complex plot difficult to follow.
September 2, 2021
Excellent SAS thriller - written in first person.
October 9, 2022
415 pages
January 5, 2023
Great Plot
A fantastic plot, fast moving and lots of tradecraft make this one of the best in the series for me so far. Thanks
A fantastic plot, fast moving and lots of tradecraft make this one of the best in the series for me so far. Thanks
June 7, 2023
It was okay. Liked the Le Carré references.
Currently reading
September 20, 2023Good read
April 3, 2024
- Good read. Nick deals with an attempted hit on him as a result of action twenty years ago.
April 30, 2024
As always a brilliant read from Andy McNab the high octane tense action of this book had me gripped throughout
May 3, 2024
Another excellent easy read
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews