Battle Sight Zero

by Gerald Seymour

The Kalashnikov AK47. A weapon with a unique image. A symbol of freedom fighters and terrorists across the globe. Undercover officer Andy Knight has infiltrated an extremist group intent on bringing the rifle to Britain - something MI5 have been struggling for years to prevent. He befriends Zeinab, the young Muslim student from Yorkshire who is at the centre of the plot. All Zeinab needs to do is travel to the impoverished high-rise estates of Marseilles and bring one rifle home on a test run. Then many more will follow - and with them would come killing on an horrendous scale. Zeinab is both passionate and attractive, and though Andy knows that the golden rule of undercover work is not to get emotionally attached to the target, sometimes rules are impossible to follow. Supremely suspenseful, Battle Sight Zero follows Andy and Zeinab to the lethal badlands of the French port city, simultaneously tracking the extraordinary life journey of the blood-soaked weapon they are destined to be handed there.

Genres: Fiction

448 pages, Hardcover

Published January 10, 2019

About the author

Gerald Seymour (born 25 November 1941 in Guildford, Surrey) is a British writer.

The son of two literary figures, he was educated at Kelly College at Tavistock in Devon and took a BA Hons degree in Modern History at University College London. Initially a journalist, he joined ITN in 1963, covering such topics as the Great Train Robbery, Vietnam, Ireland, the Munich Olympics massacre, Germany's Red Army, Italy's Red Brigades and Palestinian militant groups. His first book, Harry's Game, was published in 1975, and Seymour then became a full-time novelist, living in the West Country. In 1999, he featured in the Oscar-winning television film, One Day in September, which portrayed the Munich Olympics massacre.
Television adaptations have been made of his books Harry's Game, The Glory Boys, The Contract, Red Fox, Field Of Blood, A Line In The Sand and The Waiting Time.

Reviews

[8stitches 9lives · Rating 3 out of 5]

Battle Sight Zero, the 2019 offering from prolific writer Gerald Seymour, is ultimately not as gripping as his previous books, and despite my huge enthusiasm for starting it because of the most exciting synopsis I've come across in a while, it was a lot more predictable than I imagined it would be. The plot is actually pretty authentic and believable and this scenario is probably one that is playing out right now with the government and intelligence organisations fighting against guns getting into the country. Unfortunately, the topical storyline is incredibly convoluted and confusing and I like to think I'm an astute reader, but I just kept getting lost. My enthusiasm waned each time the narrative became difficult to consume and each time I had to reacquaint myself with the happenings in an attempt to finish it, but in all honesty by three-quarters of the way through I had lost interest completely.

On a lighter note, it's clear that Seymour has extensively researched his topic, and it really showed. His characters are some of the most diligently drawn in the business, but in Battle Sight Zero I felt there was far more detail than necessary, so the story got bogged down regularly due to over description. I usually very much enjoy books that are overly descriptive, but even for me, this was a little over the top. I guess it all depends on your reading preferences, so it's worth checking out a sample before purchasing to work out whether this is for you or not.

Many thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for an ARC.

[Ross Sidor · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the better of Gerald Seymour's more recent books, which have sometimes felt a bit long winded at times, and feels more like one of Seymour's classic novels. This one especially has a well developed cast of characters. As usual, the book is very atmospheric, and Seymour brings Marseilles to life, and the setting almost becomes a character itself. Unlike a lot of reviewers, apparently, I particularly enjoyed the vignettes describing the history of one AK rifle as it passes hands over several decades. Generally slow paced until the last few chapters when it suddenly speeds along to a violent climax. If you're a Seymour fan, you'll like it. If you're new to this author, you'll likely find it difficult to digest.

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gerald Seymour writes intelligent thrillers. Taking great care to flesh out the characters before it all kicks off, and usually this pays off in you actually caring. In Battle Sight Zero he tells the story of a terror cell attempting to buy an AK 47.

While I usually enjoy his thrillers a great deal, there were two bits in this book that I struggled with. The first was the character exposition took up three quarters of the book. You learn about every single character involved in the final scene at great length. At a certain point you need something to happen. The second was that the most interesting and concise character descriptions were of the AK47 itself. All the other characters especially the two main ones were given to the odd florid expositions and much introspection.

Will continue to look to this author for smart thrillers but this one is a miss for me.

[Colin Andrews · Rating 2 out of 5]

I usually enjoy Gerald Seymour's books but I found this one very heavy going. The concept was good - the story of a young female jihadist, and, in parallel, the history of one old Kalashnikov rifle from the production line and through a succession of owners, which I found very tedious after a while and skipped over some of the latter episodes. One knew where the rifle would end up eventually. Generally I found the main story lacked credibility in places, and the ending rather an anti-climax.

[Karen Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gerald Seymour to be congratulated for popping out an annual novel, as regular as Christmas. Especially given the rich texture and layering of his stories. Having said that, this one could have done with rather less of both, and a word count cull. The narrative timeline of the semi-automatic added little, at least for this reader. Would have preferred a shorter, sharper story focused on the Undercover and his target.

[Kathleen Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A compelling read about the smuggling of Kalashnikovs from Europe to. the UK for terrorism. The hero is an undercover policeman. It amazes me to think that someone is actually doing a job like this.

[Alicia Melvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seymour has an extraordinary grasp of the grey world which brings together crime and terrorism

I always learn from Gerald Seymour’s novels. He has a remarkable knack of weaving together a story into a complex mosaic which requires your attention but rewards it with insight and knowledge.

[Philip Higgins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another authentic well-researched thriller from the master. Has any other writer proven so prolific or consistent over the last 45 years? This diamond hard tale follows young Yorkshire jihadist Zeinab as she's sent to Marseilles to obtain a Kalashnikov. Her innocent boyfriend Andy will help with the travel. Except he's actually an undercover agent tasked with unmasking her cell. Alongside the main narrative there's a bloody history of the AK 47 concerned, from it's manufacture in Russia through the Hungarian revolution, the Lebanon, Afghanistan and Libya.

There are some classic Seymour staples here: the lone sniper, the old school mob boss and the dryly humorous MI5 handlers. Marseilles' squalid La Castellane estate is setting for much of the story and is detailed with the documentary realism we've come to expect from an ex-journalist. There were strong echoes of previous works such as The Collaborator set in Naples. It builds to the customary tense and brutal finale.

I could have done with a bit more action. One lengthy passage involving the attempted robbery of a boy on his moped didn't ring true for me and there were some unusual lapses in editing: a character is described as having a full face then a thin face in the next sentence. A diner orders fish but leaves his chicken untouched (!?) Perhaps not the author's best but still better than most in his field.

If you're wondering, 'battle sight zero' is when the sights on a rifle are set for the shortest range possible, for close quarter firing. The picture on the cover was also taken by the author. Presumably he will also write and sing the theme tune if adapted for TV.

[Warren C.Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fine adventure from the undisputed Master

Gerald Seymour delivers yet again, a gripping, wholly realistic and engrossing thriller. With his unique cadences, he brings the story of a lonely undercover infiltrator, veteran crime bosses, and a young disenchanted Muslim student. Ranging from West Yorkshire, Thru' Manchester to the slums of Marseilles, this is the story of a single Kalashnikov AK 47 assault rifle, 60 years old, and it's journey from factory in Russia to a slum tower block in Marseille, and all the lives affected. There is no one in Seymour's league, for a story that could be in tomorrow 's headline news, peopled with vivid, tangible characters. A must read for fans of authentic, unsentimental thrillers. Many try to emulate Gerald Seymour, all fail to come close. Highly recommended!

[Greville Waterman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I have read pretty much every one of Gerald Seymour's thrillers ever since the incredible Harry's Game. It is amazing that he still maintains his consistency, producing another well written, topical and brilliantly researched novel every year since.

This is ni exception where he tells the story of one single Kalashnikov rifle over the past 60 years whilst embedding it into a plot regarding a planned terrorist attack in the UK.

The characters are credible and well drawn and the excitement palpable.

I loved this book as I have all his previous ones. Well up to standard and an exceptionally good read.

[Tanaka · Rating 2 out of 5]

The plot is promising. Unfortunately, the author becomes absorbed in too many twists and turns, many of them irrelevant to the story. The history of a particular Kalashnikov gun could be nice additional info, but not some kind of 'running gag' throughout the whole novel. That way the story becomes more and more tedious, making the reader (me) skip the respective chapters when the 'destiny' of the gun is continued the 100th time.
Altogether after an interesting start an increasingly boring and predictable read, of a writer who can do better and has to be careful not to fall for increasingly narcissistic writing.

[Sonya · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't really enjoy reading this book. It seemed well researched and I thought the main characters were developed well, however I found the storyline drawn out and easily predicted by reading the book sleeve description. I tried to persist with it, but found I wasn't engaged and curious to keep reading, and ended up giving up. With my lack of curiosity in the storyline, I wasn't motivated to keep reading about the horrendous terrorist activities and the sadness of the state of humanity that seems to be depressingly authentic given the authors' knowledge and background.

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was a pretty fast paced book with a good plot but at times i felt a bit confused at to which of the many time frames I was in, and also the narrative was a bit confusing but at the end it all came good and our hero lives to fight another day and gain another personna for yet another run of an undercover agent.

[J C Alcock · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read quite a few of Gerald Seymour's books and enjoyed them all. Battle Sight Zero I found disappointing. A good story theme but it took an awful long time to come to a conclusion. Too much unnecessary rambling detail.

[Doug Rawden · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable read and better than Gerald Seymours previous novel (in my opinion). Current plot and a typically varied cast but often stalls and feels padded out rather than increasing the excitement.

[Peter Jowers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I seem to have liked it more than some reviewers. Mainly perhaps because of trying to imagine just how life would be working undercover, which I think the author probably captured. I have just started re-reading his first novel, Harry’s Game which is also a tale of undercover work.

[m j turnbull · Rating 5 out of 5]

The early complications were well worth the effort.Seymour has done it again, mjt.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as some of his others. The story of the Ak47, told alongside the main subject is a distraction and i think spoils the continuity of the book.

[Tom Barr]

8

[Darren]

boring, too much dialogue

[Dai Dai · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant

Another masterpiece from Mr Seymour. Seems always to have his finger on the pulse of the world we live in

[Mark James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seymour is always a great read

[David Wilson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quite a slow tale - but with Seymour's usual depth of detail. Interesting, but not one a I'd read again.

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great story - a bit drawn out though. Really enjoyed this during lockdown.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite the read. Gripping somewhat tedious at times but well written.

[Colin Hunt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the 17th Gerald Seymour book I have read. Not one of his best. Slow going.

[Srikanth Natarajan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A stunning read in the typical Seymour style

[Mr M. Reiss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant

Another great read from Gerald Seymour. I think he just gets better and Battle Sight Zero is proof of this

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another superior Gerald Seymour spy novel!

[Ethan Chin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A tad draggy at the front