Hacker

Marc Dane #3

by James Swallow, Lumír Mikulka (Translator)

Britský tajný agent Marc Dane, hrdina napínavých špionážních thrillerů, mezinárodních bestsellerů Nomád a Exil, se tentokrát pustí do své nejděsivější akce. Strašlivá hrozba z hlubin temné sítě digitálního zločinu. Zničující zrada v jádru skrytě operující úderné síly. Smrtelně nebezpečná honba na hackerském bojišti. Nemilosrdná teroristka dychtící po pomstě. Zničující útoky po celé planetě. Marc Dane musí nasadit veškeré své schopnosti a vynalézavost, aby vypátral záhadnou postavu – ženu známou jako Madrigal, jejíž tvář nikdo nezná. Dříve než uvrhne svět do války.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Crime, Espionage, Novels, Action, Spy Thriller

462 pages, Hardcover

First published May 23, 2018

About the author

James Swallow is a New York Times, Sunday Times and Amazon #1 bestselling author and scriptwriter, a BAFTA nominee, a former journalist and the award-winning writer of over sixty-five books, along with scripts for video games, comics, radio and television.

DARK HORIZON, his latest stand-alone thriller, is out now from Mountain Leopard Press, and OUTLAW, the 6th action-packed Marc Dane novel, is published by Bonnier.

Along with the Marc Dane thrillers, his writing includes, the Sundowners steampunk Westerns and fiction from the worlds of Star Trek, Tom Clancy, 24, Warhammer 40000, Doctor Who, Deus Ex, Stargate, 2000AD and many more.

For information on new releases & more, sign up to the Readers’ Club here: www.bit.ly/JamesSwallow

Visit James's website at http://www.jswallow.com/ for more, including ROUGH AIR, a free eBook novella in the Marc Dane series.

You can also follow James on Bluesky at @jmswallow.bsky.social, Twitter at @jmswallow, Mastodon at @jmswallow@mstdn.social and jmswallow.tumblr.com at Tumblr.

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hey, review below for ‘Ghost’ and next up ‘Asylum’

‘Ghost’ ( Marc Dane book 3 ) by James Swallow published by Zaffre in May 2018

432 Pages

I loved the first 2 Marc Dane books, ‘Nomad’ and ‘Exile’.....’Ghost’, for me, was a major disappointment, Marc is back and this time working for Rubicon as he goes against some of the worlds top hackers who want to cause disasters across the world, I never quite understood why and that was the problem, whereas before I found the first 2 books ‘tekkie info’ interesting in ‘Ghost’ the detail was so detailed its not an exaggeration to say it might as well have been written in a foreign language, as for the ‘story’, it got so complex and tbh silly it was almost in the realms of a sc-fi fantasy novel
I did finish it as wanted to and will read Book 4 at some point but for me this was a downgrade in the series and I hope the next book gets back to at least some reality and not cloud cuckoo land
On a positive note although he seemed a tad subdued I still enjoyed Marc’s character
3/10 2 Stars

[Carl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, I read the first Marc Dane novel NOMAD a few months ago and thought it was very good - a modern Bond. God knows we need a new British spy series.
The second Dane novel NOMAD I thought was not as good so my expectations of this one weren't that high.
Truthfully, after reading the first half of the book I thought it would fall short but I kept on and it bucked up. The second half was considerably better in my opinion. The action scenes are good and the characters are well rounded. Dane is turning into an action hero from being just "the man in the van" what he lacks in brawn he makes up for in brains. A computer whiz, hacker and above all a thinking hero. Leave the brawn to Bond!
Halfway through i was thinking three stars at the most but the latter half of the book pumped it up to four stars.
Looking forward to the next one.

[Stephen Clynes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ghost is the third book in the Marc Dane series but can be read as a stand-alone. This time our Spooks style hero is working for the Rubicon Group, so he has more opportunity to work alongside Lucy Keyes and maybe more. The bad guys are a group of hackers called Ghost 5 and their extremely powerful software can cripple infrastructure. Marc is on the case to catch these hackers before they launch another attack.

I enjoyed reading Ghost and it is more of the same. The structure is very similar to the previous 2 books, Nomad and Exile. The reader is refreshed with the stories of Marc Dane and Lucy Keyes plus many of the bad guys from Nomad and Exile. Previous naughty boys have a part to play in Ghost. The way this story is told, Marc and Lucy in their day job plus returning baddies makes this novel like Holby City, a popular British television drama/soap opera. But enjoy Ghost for what it is, an easy to follow workplace drama with familiar characters.

Ghost is action packed with lots of bombs, guns and fighting. The violence was tedious and the death toll is very, very high. But I really enjoyed the technical Spooks bits. The plot was good and got off to a great start. Anybody being nagged by their energy supplier to upgrade to a smart meter will shudder after reading this enlightening and entertaining book.

I found Ghost to be a glamorous, life in the fast lane, GOOD read that gets 4 stars from me. It also raised a smile along the way when the story reads…

and Madrigal stirred awake on a collapsible pallet in the middle of the derelict office. She blinked at him, for a moment chastely pulling the sleeping bag up to cover her bare chest. When she realised he was alone, she let it fall away and swung her feet out and on to the dusty floor.

[Peter Curran · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unfortunately, I didn't get the opportunity to read the other two Marc Dane books. Fortunately, in hindsight, I am glad I didn't. Many reviews here say Ghost is by far the best book so far in the series, if that is the case, bearing in mind that I found ghost the most tedious read I have endured in many a year, I think the others must have been ridiculously boring.
I wouldn't recommend this book, it is predictable, dull and boring. Every time I picked it up, I wanted to put it down, but just wanted to not waste my money. Though somehow regret wasting a part of my life on this book.
Good riddance, won't be looking at any more James Swallow.

[Samuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

GHOST BUSTERS

“The terrorist knows that he is incapable of building an alternative civilization capable of competing with the one he despises. So, he tries to destroy what becomes the cause of his humiliation.” - Amir Taheri.

‘To betray, you must belong, and I never belonged.” Kim Philby, traitor.

What’s the limit of forgiveness? In a civilized society, forgiveness is taken for granted. We’re all human, we all make mistakes. However, in the world of espionage, forgiveness is non – existent, a liability to be mocked and dealt away with. Failure is not an option in the high stakes world of espionage, and the cardinal sin among all covert operatives is betrayal. Traitors are beyond redemption and are to be annihilated wherever they may be. But is it possible to give those who betray your trust absolution for their sins? That’s the theme of James Swallow’s Ghost, the third novel in his outstanding Rubicon series.

Centered around the turbulent adventures of Marc Dane, a former employee of the UK SIS turned free agent, the novels delve into the world of non – state actors. Private Military Corporations, terrorist groups and such who in this day and age are finally gaining the power to dance with the nation states. And that power is visible in book 3 of the series where Dane and his employer, the Rubicon Corporation go toe to toe with a homicidal American hacker for hire who has big plans for the Asia Pacific rim. Now to the review, how do spies deal with their loved ones trying to destroy them?

The novel begins in Southern Europe. An American computer technician is running for his life. A meeting has gone wrong and death is stalking him through the streets of a sunny Greek town. He tries to flee to safety with a spectacular parachute jump but is cut down by sniper fire hundreds of meters in the air. His murders, a ruthless malevolent four person hit squad confirm their kill and prepare to get rid of witnesses. Hundreds of miles west to them, Marc Dane and Kara Lee, are sunning themselves in the South of France. It’s not a holiday though and they’re on business, conducting a surveillance mission on a French Media Mogul who is a leader of the Combine, a ruthless NGO Superpower that has executed blood-soaked gambits for profit. Across the Atlantic Lucy Keyes, Mark’s fellow employee at Rubicon meets with a pair of American agents, one whom they met in the first book.

They request a favor, explaining that an operation targeting a group of Christian Domestic Terrorists operating in California is about to be wound up and so at their wits end, they beg Rubicon to fill the breach and carry on their work. Lucy and another operative, Malte, accept this impromptu assignment. Quickly tracking down this terrorist group, they conduct surveillance on a transaction going down between its leader and a mysterious woman by the name of Madrigal.

Madrigal turns out to be an independent cyberwarfare expert and through pre – arranged commands, proceeds to turn off San Francisco making it conductive for the terrorists to slip a thermobaric vacuum bomb into the biggest park in the city. Lucy and Malte attack the terror group, ruining their plans in a gun battle. Meanwhile back in Europe, Dane and Kara begin an investigation into a dead hacker, one who appears to have been spectacularly killed on a Greek island by a well-trained hit squad. Methodically tracking running down leads, Dane is suddenly surprised when after getting the results she required, Kara drops off the grid and cuts off communications. Thus, begins a journey that takes Dane into the dark heart of the dark web, where he finds himself racing against time to stop the perfect storm of geopolitical chaos leaving Asia in ruins. But as a non – state actor begins to nudge nation states into doing something regrettable, only one question remains. How does one bust an elusive, electronic, cyberwarfare Ghost?

In Terms of plot, GHOST is all the best aspects of Swallow’s writing dialled up to eleven. Full of surprises, well crafted action and taking standard tropes into interesting and surprising places that readers would not expect from a British mainstream published thriller, this story is very tight and focused, like the laser range finders on Keyes sniper rifles. A globetrotting extravaganza, featuring some of the most vicious fights and the biggest action set pieces I’ve had the pleasure of reading, Swallow also takes time to explore some interesting themes and issues like how far can forgiveness go in the unforgiving world of espionage where betrayals are forever and only death or eternal imprisonment wipes the slate clean. But the main focus of the story is on the realm of one of the real world new, non-state actors who have become increasingly powerful bit by bit in this technology age. The hackers. Nihilists, idealists and opportunists, Swallow crafts a dark tale about the twisted dynamics that go down in such circles.

Action and setting? Amazing. Coming after the already formidable EXILE which wowed me with a vicious fist fight in a mansion swimming pool full of dead people, and a car chase through Dubai, Swallow’s imagination and creativity really went into overdrive here. From the harrowing opening where a desperate American is hunted down like an animal by a shadowy, almost supernatural hit squad, to a vicious fist fight in a Sydney elevator, Swallow then serves up a spectacular finale which I consider his masterpiece so far. A covert battle across the city of Seoul in the grips of a violent rainstorm, featuring impromptu helicopter dog fights, the storming by black ops assassins of one of the most geopolitically important buildings in Asia, and a harrowing cyber attack that systematically rips all semblance of order to shreds.

Swallow shines with well written large-scale action, with just the right amount of imagination and creativity to prevent things from going over the top and ludicrous. And Ghost demonstrates this perfectly. We also have a wide variety of settings in this novel. From the small villages and luxury mansions of Southern Europe, to a large antinov cargo plane, and the high-tech surroundings of an intelligence service’s campus, the author continues to keep things interesting and vary things up from the usual Paris or Washington DC settings in most mainstream thriller novels.

Research? Good as usual. What I love about Swallow’s writing is that he uses the real-world details in surprising, and relatively innovative ways. Whether it be North Korea’s sleeper agent network in the ROK, an explanation on what exactly a cyberweapon is, the use of modern UAV technology in espionage and what exactly a fuel air explosive device can do to human flesh (a death the stuff nightmares are made of), Swallow has all the gadgets, guns and goodies that thriller novel enthusiasts would love, far more than one can find in that of his peers in British thriller fiction. One standout highlight I appreciated especially however, wasn’t a gadget, but the use as a plot point, of the violent, sleazy history of the still sleazy South Korean intelligence community, one of the most virgin, untouched topics in contemporary Western thriller fiction. Swallow manages to sum up its complex history in a few sentences, that only those who have read up on the topic would be familiar with, but he does it with such impressive succinctness that any reader would be curious enough to do go and find out more for themselves.

Characters? Some standouts. I’ll focus on three, Marc, Lucy and Soong. First Marc. Having finally decided and fought for his place in the brave new world of corporate espionage, Dane is on top form in this story, and driving events. He’s a bit surer of himself, tougher and confident. He gets many standout scenes in this novel, but one of the best has to be his meeting with the villain of the piece. Being a former field technician with experience in cyberwarfare, he launches a very funny, withering barrage of passive aggressive British put down and insult at their abilities and makes them crack for just a moment. We also get to see his skills as a helicopter pilot put to good use again, where he manages to go toe to toe in a dogfight along the Han river in a damaged Eurocopter, and come out on top. But the most interesting thing about Marc’s journey in this story is him exploring the limits of forgiveness in the black ops game. Wronged by someone he had grown to like, he initially was angry and furious. But as the story goes on, he is forced to examine the context of the betrayal and ask himself whether he can forgive a newly minted enemy.

Next Lucy. Lucy is the African American ex-Special Operations soldier turned gun for hire. Handling the more violent, physical jobs which Dane still doesn’t have quite enough experience in, Lucy is a very tough female protagonist in the genre, which is still rather rare for British thriller fiction, and especially British spy thriller fiction. In this story, she’s thrown off her game a bit, delving into a world in which unlike Dane, she does not have much experience in. Despite this handicap however, Lucy does acquit herself well with her sniper training being the thing that makes the antagonist’s scheme fall from the heavens quite literally.

Finally, we have Soong. Soong is an enigmatic figure in the story. She finds herself going through the worst week of her life. First the man she loves dies and then she sacrifices her genuine friendships with people she admires to further her revenge against the people who have wronged her. A traitor with a noble cause, Soong does make her former friends suffer, but she regrets everything and understands that regardless of the objective, what she’s done is wrong and by the rules of the espionage world, forgiveness will not be forthcoming. Her arc is the most complex and the interactions between her and her former friends are the heart of this story, whether forgiveness is even possible among covert operatives.

Constructive criticism? A minor structural one. While I enjoyed Marc mouthing off against the big bad with the finest British passive aggressive insults and sarcasm, the chapters where he was a prisoner did drag the pacing down somewhat. The reward at the end however was the glorious battle of Seoul the author used to finish the book, but maybe some experiments with structure for more consistent pacing would be advisable for future books. Aside from that, I have no complaints.

Overall, James Swallow has written a wonderful spy novel. Fast paced, large scale covert warfare that delves into the past of one of the most misunderstood spy agencies on the planet, GHOST is somewhat unique in British thriller fiction that usually goes for small scale crime in seedy little housing estates, or war stories with a thousand SAS troopers. Like Tom Wood however, Swallow dares to go in interesting directions that most British thriller writers do not. Big, bold and surprising. Boasting an intricate, well thought out story about contemporary issues, visceral life or death action and violence and a cast of characters who continue to evolve and live with the repercussions of their actions, Ghost is where British thriller fiction should be heading in an ideal world. This year, Dane will return, and he will be racing once again to stop Europe exploding as another non – state actor decides to spread the most potent virus in the 21st century – terror.

RECOMMENDED.

[Kashif · Rating 5 out of 5]

After taking a short detour into the Lovecraftian genre, I came back looking for an extraordinary spy action thriller, and that is exactly what I found in Ghost. Ghost is a superbly written action espionage thriller incorporating the dark twists and thrills of the grey world of espionage as well as the action-packed narrative one expects from the venerable James Swallow in the NOMAD series. Ghost is a book that shakes up the foundation of the series, with some shocking twists and turns along with the promise of something even more sinister and personal coming in the next book.

Ghost starts off with the grisly murder of a techie after a thrilling chase sequence in Malta. Meanwhile, Marc Dane, Kara Wei, and Lucy Keyes are on different missions, all of which tie up with Combine, the sinister organization planning devastating acts to keep their hold on power from the shadows. The only thing is, the murder of the aforementioned techie starts a chain of reactions that bring about some unwelcome revelations about one of the teammates and upsets the harmony of Rubicon, a private espionage corporation designed to protect the world against nefarious actors hidden in the shadows. A new enemy, Madrigal, shows her digital face as she brings destruction and death through compromising lines of code that have the power to lay waste to an entire country’s infrastructure. It is up to Marc, Lucy, Kara, and a few willing hands from Rubicon to stop Madrigal before her destructive plan bears fruit in the form of starting a shooting war with South Korea and North Korea while bringing in South’s allies such as US into the fringe.

The entire book feels like a cinematic experience, from the events to the dialogues to the action, even grander than a James Bond movie. As Marc faces off against a digital adversary, there is a healthy focus on describing the elements of code involved, and as a computer science major, I had a fun time reading through some of the familiar coding elements. The techno-talk is balanced between keeping the grounded vibe of Marc’s expertise in the area and explaining the elements in layman terms so everyone can understand without a hard time. The author writes each aspect knowledgably, giving the sharp sense that there was a lot of research involved to get the details correct, adding to the finesse of the narrative.

The action in Ghost is absolutely fantastic. The tactical and technical descriptions of weapons and hand-to-hand combat proficiently create vivid and cinematic action sequences. There is no shortage of adrenaline pumping sequences, ranging from scaling high-scale buildings with customized ziplines to helicopter chases in the dark cloudy night over South Korea. I enjoyed the presence of some less common but real weaponry that were utilized aptly in the clandestine action sequences.

The heart of the thriller boils down to one of the best espionage narratives I have read. The spycraft feels refreshing and fun to read and the high stakes make for an extremely gripping read. The title itself resonates beautifully at the end as Marc Dane mentions the world of espionage can effectively turn people into ghosts with no one to trust.

Marc Dane’s and Lucy Keyes’ characters are evolved wonderfully throughout the events. With a strong bond, they compliment each other with Dane being the brain to Keyes’ brawn. They have a wonderful gelling chemistry and that is explored in good fashion even in the midst of fast paced narrative. Marc Dane’s character gets better and stronger as a protagonist taking on a more operational than tech role this time around. Lucy gets more and more badass with a desire to do the right thing despite the personal risk. The focus of the narrative also highlights Kara Wei as an integral cog to the story, with her mysterious and tainted past reappearing with personal connection to Madrigal. Madrigal herself is a dangerous and bloodthirsty adversary with a personal score to settle for a dark past. Each character brings something unique to the table.

All in all, Ghost is exactly the extraordinary spy action thriller experience I needed. This is an absolute must read and even if Ghost is the first book in the series you read, you will have no problems getting into the fold. Hats off to James Swallow.

[Liz Barnsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another pacy thriller featuring Marc Dane, nicely plotted with some great edge of the seat moments.

I'm going to leave it at that because the next one popped through my door (I'm a little behind!) So I shall be into that soon and will write a MUCH more coherent review of that one.

But if you like the secret agencies, high threat levels and people running around doing cool stuff to save us all then you'll enjoy this series.

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

This time around Marc Dane is up against some amoral hackers. It’s all perfectly pleasant but either because I overdosed on trashy thrillers over the holidays or because it was really a bit rote, it just seemed dull.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This accomplished action thriller has boundless energy and an enemy with an appetite for payback.

When the facts don’t add up and you’re chasing 'virtual' opponents that will stop at nothing to achieve their objective, you discover some ‘Ghosts’ can walk through any wall that stands in their way.

Neutralising such a threat is no easy task, which presents numerous challenges for one of our good guys, Marc Dane; gifted veterans exploit technology and their triumphant schemes test his own priceless abilities to the max.

Dane’s an intriguing chap; an intellectual quick-thinker, mentally and physically skilled to adapt any situation. Thankfully he’s also likeable, as he doesn’t possess the annoying cockiness that usually accompanies strong character roles, like his. Personally I loved the scenes with Lucy and her kick-ass approach to just about everything, not just her profession.

Ghost has a real talent for unleashing a stealthy fury. Nothing is obvious and there’s everything to play for, right up to the last moment. There’s the occasional coding banter between hackers, but it’s not hammed or complex. It was easy to just sit back and watch the chaos unfold.

(I am grateful to have received a copy of this title from the publisher via their Readers First website, which I chose to voluntarily read and review.)

[Aparna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Got about 1/4 of the way through and did not finish. The first two in the Marc Dane series were very good, fast paced and memorable. This was very dull in comparison.

[Nick Brett · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is “okay” but doesn’t deliver enough to make it overly memorable or special. Marc Dane and his chums (still working for the mysterious Rubicon) are betrayed from within. As they try to follow threads they find themselves up against a hacking group with some powerful and violent back up.
Dane is supposed to be (as the author describes him) the tech guy in the van, but has now somehow become a talented operator AND genius level tech guy. The action is non stop (a bit like the “24” tie-in novels the author has also written) and so fast paced you don’t really have time to go “hang on a minute”. So great on action and pace but weaker on depth of plot and logic.
So it’s okay, but I suspect I will have forgotten most of it within a week.

[ᴹⁱʰᵃᵉˡᵃ · Rating 4 out of 5]

În romanul "Fantoma" de James Swallow, tema centrală care străbate întreaga poveste este aceea a limitei iertării în lumea spionajului. Într-o societate civilizată, iertarea este adesea considerată un gest firesc, o parte a umanității noastre. Recunoaștem că toți suntem oameni și că facem greșeli. Cu toate acestea, în lumea spionajului, unde deciziile au consecințe cu adevărat devastatoare, conceptul de iertare devine efemer, aproape inexistent. Eșecul nu este o opțiune în această lume, unde fiecare mișcare și fiecare alegere pot însemna diferența dintre viață și moarte. Iar trădarea, în rândul agenților secreți, este considerată un păcat, o pată care nu poate fi ștearsă. Trădătorii sunt priviți ca fiind pericole permanente, și trebuie anihilați oriunde s-ar ascunde. Însă "Fantoma" ne pune în fața unei întrebări tulburătoare: este posibil să oferi iertare celor care îți trădează încrederea, chiar și în acest univers brutal?

Acțiunea romanului ne poartă într-o călătorie fascinantă, cu aventuri pline de turbulențe în care protagonistul principal, Marc Dane, fost angajat al serviciilor secrete britanice, acum devenit agent liber, trebuie să navigheze prin lumea spionajului modern. Poveștile lui explorează lumea complexă a corporațiilor militare private și grupurilor teroriste, care au acum puterea de a concura cu statele-națiune pentru influență și putere. Marc Dane și angajatorul său, Rubicon, se confruntă cu un hacker american angajat pentru acțiuni criminale, iar acesta are planuri ambițioase pentru regiunea Asia-Pacific.

Acțiunea romanului se deschide în sudul Europei, într-un decor pitoresc, dar plin de tensiune. Un tehnician american în calculatoare, fugind pentru a-și salva viața, devine vânat de moarte pe străzile unui oraș grecesc însorit. Într-o încercare dramatică de a scăpa, efectuează un salt spectaculos cu parașuta, dar este doborât de focurile precise ale unor lunetiști. Ucigașii săi, o echipă nemiloasă de patru persoane, confirmă uciderea și încep să elimine toți martorii, într-o demonstrație a brutalității fără margini a lumii lor. În același timp, la sute de mile depărtare, Marc Dane și colega sa Kara se află în sudul Franței, efectuează o misiune de supraveghere, iar ținta lor este un mogul media francez care este liderul unei organizații neguvernamentale nemiloase care desfășoară acțiuni sângeroase în scopuri profitabile.

În timp ce acțiunea se desfășoară într-o parte a lumii, în America, Lucy Keyes, colega lui Marc de la Rubicon, se întâlnește cu doi agenți americani. Acești agenți solicită ajutorul Rubicon pentru o operațiune împotriva unui grup de teroriști creștini din California. Operațiunea lor se apropie de final și ei se află în impas. Cu disperare, cer ajutorul specialiștilor din cadrul Rubicon pentru a continua și a duce misiunea la bun sfârșit. Lucy și un alt agent, Malte, acceptă această misiune neprevăzută și se lansează în acțiune. Ei reușesc rapid să localizeze grupul terorist și încep o operațiune de supraveghere asupra tranzacției acestora, care implică o femeie misterioasă cunoscută sub numele de Madrigal.

Madrigal se dovedește a fi o expertă independentă în cyberwarfare, cu abilități impresionante în manipularea tehnologiei. Prin comenzi pre-stabilite, ea reușește să oprească electricitatea din San Francisco, pregătind terenul pentru introducerea unei bombe termobarice în cel mai mare parc din oraș. Acest moment tensionat marchează începutul unui conflict armat între Lucy, Malte și grupul terorist, iar soarta San Francisco se află în balanță.

În Europa, Marc Dane se implică într-o investigație privind moartea unui hacker, ucis într-un mod spectaculos pe o insulă grecească de o echipă de asasini bine antrenată. Pe măsură ce urmărește meticulos indiciile, Marc este uluit atunci când partenera sa de misiune, Kara, dispare brusc din radar și întrerupe orice formă de comunicare. Acest eveniment ciudat îl împinge pe Marc într-o călătorie în lumea întunecată a Dark Web, unde trebuie să acționeze rapid pentru a opri o furtună perfectă de haos geopolitic care amenință să distrugă Asia.

Într-o lume a pericolului, a ilegalități rămâne o singură întrebare pe care Marc Dane și ceilalți protagoniști trebuie să o confrunte: Cum poți să dezvălui o fantomă din mediul electronic, invizibilă și expertă în cyberwarfare?

Personajele din "Fantoma" sunt complexe și captivante, fiecare având propriile lor dileme morale și evoluând pe parcursul poveștii. Marc Dane, protagonistul principal, este un fost agent al serviciilor secrete britanice, un om cu abilități impresionante, dar și cu o conștiință profundă. Lucy Keyes, colega sa de la Rubicon, este o femeie puternică și experimentată, gata să facă față provocărilor extreme. Song, un alt personaj cheie, este un trădător cu o cauză nobilă, iar interacțiunile sale cu ceilalți protagoniști adaugă un element de complexitate morală în poveste.

Cercetarea în "Fantoma" este bine documentată și adaugă autenticitate și profunzime poveștii. James Swallow folosește detalii din lumea reală, cum ar fi tehnologia sau istoria complexă a serviciilor de informații din Coreea de Sud, pentru a sprijini intrigă și acțiunea. Aceasta conferă cititorilor o senzație de autenticitate și îi atrage și mai mult în universul spionajului.

În concluzie, "Fantoma" oferă o combinație captivantă de acțiune spectaculoasă, dileme morale și personaje remarcabile, toate susținute de o cercetare bine documentată. Este o lectură recomandată pentru iubitorii de thrillere care caută o poveste complexă și plină de provocări.

[Nela Syvulja · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dávám tomu tak 3,5 z 5. Je to můj první špionážní thriller a asi nebudu moc velký fanda tohoto žánru. Děj byl trochu předvidatelný a na konci na mě bylo až moc akčních scén. Ocenila bych větší hloubku postav. Ale jinak se to četlo dobře, příběh docela odsejpal, idkyž by to klidně mohlo být o 100 stránek kratší a o moc bychom nepřišli.

[Eric Grounds · Rating 3 out of 5]

My fault, really, but I just couldn't get into this book properly

[Druss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook listen. Rollicking tale. Very technical but lots of action.

[Jeff Johnston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing to complicated here. Reasonable passed. Does make you wonder about the potential harm & mayhem the 'hackers' of our world could do.

[Ben · Rating 1 out of 5]

Waste of time, sorry.

[Martin Hunt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it a lot, a good plot and interesting characters, i look forward to seeing book 4 next year.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book 3 of the Marc Dane saga started a bit slow and seemed a little off balance with two differing storylines. I think it felt off because Dane was not with his usual partner in crime Lucy, so didn’t share the same chemistry. That all changed half way through when he and Lucy were back together working to neutralise the latest threat, this time from the Madrigal and computer hackers linked to North Korea. As usual with Dane, he got into some life threatening situations and got himself out of them spectacularly! He has a wealth of skills for a former man in a van and has honed them nicely over the 3 books. He is an endearing character who you desperately want to succeed. In this book, some of Lucy’s back story also came out and for once Solomon seemed fallible! 3 stars because of the slow start, but I’d still recommend this series!

[Mark Harrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent techno-thriller as Dane tries to save the world from another rogue group bent on global destruction. Improbable plot, huge body count, quite entertaining.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too much action and too unbelievable… a shame really as the broad strokes of the storyline seemed doable.

[Paul Holden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Started well, but sagged a little and then bounced back in fine form for the last third.

[Aaron Advani · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF got bored

[KathyL · Rating 2 out of 5]

TWO REVIEWS BY MEMBERS OF BiblioBelles, London

Ghost by James Swallow reviewed by KathyL of BiblioBelles, London
(Reading group set of books in exchange for honest reviews.)

“Britain’s answer to Jason Bourne” the quote which possibly caught my eye when choosing a set of books to apply for. I had certainly loved Ludlum’s Bourne Identity, Supremacy and Ultimatum as books and films so thought, yes. Our reading group hadn’t read anything quite in the genre of action thriller with high-tech specs but it’s good to diversify and not get stuck in a reading rut.

Although Bourne dates from the 1980s, I’d happily watch the movies again, though to be honest I wouldn’t choose to reread the novels. That decision would be totally unrelated to my memory of how eagerly I remember turning the pages of them and has more to do with the fact that there’s soooo much new reading out there to choose from, explore and enjoy. I’m only about half way through Ghost and it’s taking me much longer than usual to read. I don’t feel any real sense of connection with the characters or the plot. I’ll continue to the end because I’m reviewing. (I like to feel that I’ve given a book a good chance. Some books are slow burners - if/when the burn’s too slow, I sometimes put the book aside until a later date if I feel that slow burn might be more to do with me rather than the book. Sometimes, however, one just has to say ‘not my cup of tea’.)

Ghost, like the Bourne novels, would translate fantastically into action movie. I’ve noted that Swallow also works as a scriptwriter and I can’t help feeling that might play a part in why I haven’t connected with the characters. While I appreciate the characters’ use of technology as detailed in the book, in a movie, I suspect that would be so incorporated into action that it would feature only as a way of driving forward the action. To be a hit movie, so much would depend on choice of actors, how those actors connected with their characters and how well they then became meaningful to the audience.

The jury’s out at this point ...

Well, just finished. The second half is better than the first but, for me, it still felt a bit of a drag reading it, except for some of the action scenes. I still don’t feel connected to the characters but I stand by and even upgrade my earlier assessment of the book having the makings of a really good action movie - given the right director and actors. Clearly, there’s at least four potential films. Nomad, Exile, Ghost and the sequel. Time will tell. I’d give the movies a try but I won’t be reading any of the others in a hurry.

Ghost by James Swallow reviewed by LizB of BiblioBelles, London
A modern action adventure story full of excitement and tension.
The plot is highly believable and opens your eyes to the potential for digital espionage.
You don’t have to be tech savvy to understand the power of the digital crime that takes place. In fact it’s quite possible that you will learn something about the internet, fake news and hacking from this book.
The central characters (both male and female) are believable field agents that any security service would be pleased to run. Their mission is plausible and so fast moving that you will not want to put this book down until you know the outcome of their work.
This story would make a good film. The back drop provided by the several worldwide destinations the characters find themselves in, the digital tech they use and the hand to hand combat that they engage in would all make for an action packed big screen blockbuster.

[Tgv · Rating 2 out of 5]

The cover blurb says "The most exciting thriller you'll read this year", so it's a good thing the year is over. But well, that's just the publisher trying to spice up sales. My cover text would be: yet another global-terrorist-plot-foiled-by-super-hacker/spy-book that didn't meet my expectations.

The Characters

Nobody expects well-rounded characters in this kind of book, but in this one there's no life in them. They're all from the same factory that's been providing middle-of-the-road writers since Ludlum: the good guys are honest, the bad guys cheat; the good guys get a flesh wound when shot at, the bad guys die instantly; the good guys have a conscience, the bad guys have anger.

The writer tries to compensate for that by providing a checkered past for the protagonists and when that doesn't suffice, pours out all cliche descriptions of autism you can hear in entertainment programs that reserve half a minute for a serious topic. But it's not a fluke, it ties in with the writer's style.

The Plot

There's almost no plot; you can actually piece it together from the reviews, even those that don't have a spoiler warning. Where other books try to show a developing picture, this book reveals almost the entire plot pretty early on, and the text is just a sequence of fighting scenes and increasingly spectacular terrorist attacks and unlikely escapes. There's also some puzzling, unfortunately accompanied by a huge amount of tech nonsense.

The Style

This book's main problem is one of style: there's just too much text, and a lot of it doesn't make sense. You don't need to be a hacker, a psychologist, a master burglar and an experienced soldier to write a good book, but you do need to know when to hold back. Unfortunately, James Swallow just adds words and words and more words where none are needed. Let's just look at the first paragraph:

The panic filled him. It was fluid and heavy, choking his lungs and pooling in the pit of his stomach, weighing him down. As Lex walked, the hazy, midday air turned into a tidal drag and his knees weakened. He had to stop to catch his breath, so he lurched forward toward a pharmacy closed for the siesta, ducking out of the high sun and into cooler shadows.

There's so much wrong with that (you don't choke lungs, how does it choke and pool your stomach, why only the pit, how does air turn into resistance, why tidal, why hazy, why add the weak knees, how come he could lurch when he had to catch his breath, why a pharmacy closed, etc.), and the main feeling I got from it is that the author didn't know when to temporarily prorogue scribbling letters in orthographically legal form, or however he would try to paraphrase "stop writing".

This style permeates the book. Every action, every description, is adorned with words that might have use in a similar context, but not this one, and certainly not all at once, while the dialogs are stiff and unnatural. That makes reading pretty tiresome.

Merits

Does the book have no merits at all then? No. This book could help make people more aware of the dangers of an ever more interconnected world, knowing that there won't be someone like Marc Dane to save the day. There's a bit of plot twist, and it's not all bad, but unfortunately, plot, characters and above all style let it down.

[Claudio · Rating 4 out of 5]

What exotic locations will Marc Dane find himself in, what action-packed thrills will they offer, and will the Combine once again be involved?

This novel pulls off the same exploit I’ve seen Fleming do with his James Bond series, and that’d be taking off the focus, albeit only slightly, from the overarching villain, in fact the Combine does indeed play a role in the key events of the story, but not to the extend it did during the previous two, and it only actually appears at the end. Other than that, Dane is still Dane, and so are his coworkers (that is, completely unchanged) from the Rubicon Group, including Lucy, Malte, Delancort, and Solomon, but not so much Kara, whose betrayal will kickstart it all.

The book begins with a somewhat ordinary operation, led by Marc and Kara, to investigate a woman who’s been under the sights of Rubicon for quite some time. Everything goes as planned, and the former retrieves important data, while the latter, shortly afterwards, fills him in on a new mission that will take them both to Malta. Once there, Dane is tasked by Kara to gather information from the body of a dead hacker, after which he’ll find himself betrayed, by his seemingly trustworthy companion, and he’ll be thus thrusted into a plot that will have him, alongside Lucy, stop a hacker gone mad, Madrigal, from causing mass deaths across the globe.

The sequences that took place in Australia were some of the most entertaining, including the infiltration of a fancy-looking, nature-themed office, by our protagonists, and then the subplot that had them figure out the identity of Madrigal, by making an intelligent use of the drones owned by one of the employees, of the aforementioned company, before being swarmed and knocked out unconscious (or, for the unlucky ones, straight-up murdered) by a team of elite North Korean black ops.

Kara switching alliances, even if to avenge the death of his hacker companion, came out of nowhere, given that in the previous books there were no hints to her tragic past, and if anything that makes me wish a new character had been used in lieu of her, to play the role of the (almost justifiable) betrayer. However, the way she comes through in the end, for Marc and Lucy, was well-orchestrated and allowed the two to properly square off against Madrigal and her goons.

To conclude, much like in the other novels of this saga, there’s plenty of well-conceived action to be found, alongside neatly explained technological exploits, and charismatic characters. The hook at the end, to the inevitable sequel, was just perfect. In it, the woman, who was on the reader of Rubicon at the beginning, is revealed to be a part of the Combine. Soon after, she gets taken out by a fellow member of said war-mongering group, whose identity should be known to those who’ve read the previous entries (he’s none other than Pytor Glovkonin, who accomplishes the dirty deed by enlisting the aid of Khadir, whose name should also come off as familiar, since he was one of the main antagonists in the first book).

[Eve Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

JAMES Swallow, the acclaimed author of Nomad, which spent time on international best-seller lists, penned his third novel to follow on from the narrative of Nomad.

I, however, had never read any of his previous novels before picking up Ghost and being unfamiliar with his stories in no way prevented me from enjoying this book.

Deep in the underworld of cyber terrorism and digital espionage, the story follows multiple points of view and uncovers plot twists and turns, at times leaving you feeling quite confused.

However, confused is probably the best way to describe how the world is increasingly feeling with the advent of so many abilities to control it through the Internet of Things. This novel captures this chaotic confusion artfully.

If you’re even remotely interested in reading about a story that will scare you a little but also give you a sense of where the future might be heading, I can heartily recommend this novel.

James Swallow has written three New York Times best-seller list toppers. His novels, Exile and Nomad, received both popular and critical acclaim. He is also a BAFTA nominated script writer as well as a former journalist.

Clearly his past writing experience has allowed him to master the craft of creating a story that takes you into a place where you might not necessarily venture.
At times I felt like I wasn’t sure about what was real and what wasn’t, especially since I spend most of my time reading this before going to sleep.

One part James Bond and another Mission Impossible, the story coloured my dreams with images of technology, bridging the divide between what might be and what could be.

Swallow himself said that while writing this he experienced various stages of anger as he processed the feelings that the characters might have been expressing while writing from the ever-shifting perspective of the role players.

While not for everyone, I certainly think this is a book worth recommending to anyone interested in thrillers, spy stories and action with multiple points of view.

Ghost is full of the sort of action that translates beautifully onto the big screen but even better off the turned page.
Review published: (https://highwaymail.co.za/300897/swal...)

[Monsieurh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really good and thrilling read. Yes, it is the third book in the Marc Dane series but that does not mean you have to wait and read the first two books. GHOST can and does stand on its own.
GHOST is a modern, tech-savvy action-adventure thriller of a provocation by a very real new age peril to our society.
It’s also extremely timely, as our world reels from accusations of national elections being tampered by another nation’s cyber-attacks. Our security agencies are not surprised by these attacks but rather they seem to have expected it. We have been warned of the horrors of a cyber-attacks from our personal computers to large computer-run operations like hydro-networks.
Even with a lot of technical jargon and the occasional coding conversations between hackers, there is no distraction from the main story. Our heroes, Marc Dane and Lucy Keyes overcome many threats as they pursue a faceless terrorist known only as Madrigal whom they hunt across a digital battlefield and four continents. It all starts when one of their own comrade-operatives from the Rubicon Group goes rogue and disappears into the complex cyber-world. This Rubicon agent then betrays her friends to gain access to the inner circle of the hacker group known as GHOST 5.
The thrills continue to build up during the hunt from one country to another and from one national corporation to another. The rogue seems to be one step ahead at all times.
This is pure escapism, strongly relying on the characters and their motivations, and with its technology, too real threats are revealed that do threaten our modern world.
James Swallow manages to keep the story credible by not allowing any one person to remain in the heroic spotlight for too long. He also makes use of current modes of transport that are easily discovered on the Internet for the reader’s interest and reference.
The ending of the tale is a unique and honest way to settle the balancing of accounts.
This novel is not a treatise on the evils of computer warfare. Instead, it is a contemporary parable of what could happen and how it could be resolved. Thrills and dangers every minute.
All I can say now is: what’s next Mr. Swallow?? I’m really looking forward to the next novel.

[Trevor Snape · Rating 4 out of 5]

The main character of this book Marc Dane is a computer geek, a hacker and a good one. However, his background is not what one would consider as normal for a software engineer and hacker. He was in the Royal Navy and spent time with MI6 before being booted out. He picked up some basic skills whilst working in these two agencies but he is no trained killer, he is a computer geek who wants to stay alive and uses his wits to achieve this when he odds are stacked against him. Currently he is in the employ of the Rubicon corporation who's wealthy owner recruits certain individuals to help him rid the world of people who fuel hatred and war for their own gains. This book starts with the death of an individual who was a member of Ghost 5, a small team of the world's best hackers who hire out their skills to the higher bidder. They have found a weakness in a highly used computer operating system that will allow them to hack into the system and exploit it for their own ends. This results in Ghost 5 shutting down entire cities' electricity gird to prove they have this power. When Rubicon become aware of this, Marc Dane and others including a female sniper (ex US army, and a love interest of Marc Dane's) are dispatched to try and stop this group. Ghost 5's ultimate goal is far greater than anyone imagines and who are they really working for and why? Marc Dane and his comrades have to travel far and wide to stop them. This is a great story that tries very successfully to tell the tale of the powerful few trying to dominate the many where the lives of individuals are of little consequence and using our current reliance on smart technology as the catalyst. Definitely worth a read.

[The Geeky Viking · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ghost is the third book in the Marc Dane series, which is sort of a cross between Jason Bourne and Mission Impossible. The first two books, Nomad and Exile, and first rate action thrillers, but the third time around is not necessarily a charm for this installment.

This time Dane, former Army special forces sniper Lucy Keyes, and the rest of the Rubicon team are going up against a super black hat hacker who goes by the code name Magdril. This techno criminal is out to right a perceived wrong and doesn't how many innocent people get taken out in the process. After suffering a devastating betrayal from within their own team, it's up to Dane and Keyes to race against the clock to stop them.

Ghost took a while for me to get into, which is something that never happened to me with the previous books. While author James Swallow keeps the pace frenetic and the action cinematic, it all felt a bit...bland...if I'm being honest, sort of like this was simply a filler tale before he gets onto the next one. After two really compelling villains in the previous installments I found Magdril to be a bit on the weak side and I'm still not sure what the real point of her plan was.

Don't get me wrong: I still enjoyed Ghost. Just not as much as the first two in the series. But I've already got Shadow waiting a short way down on my TBR pile and James Swallow is still one of the best action thriller writers out there now. Looking forward to seeing what comes next for Dane and the Rubicon team.