Tracer

Korso #1

by Jason Dean

He was a man with many names. Moving from country to country, changing his face constantly so as to remain in the shadows, he was nothing more than a ghost. For now, he is known simply as Korso.

A covert salvage operative, he recovers lost artefacts and items, often stolen, for rich benefactors unable to operate through normal channels. But his shadowy existence is shattered upon the arrival at his Bermuda home of the man he had hoped never to see again...

Tasked with recovering a missing, one-of-a-kind shipment in only four days, his elite skill set will be tested to its limits. Failure will result in his identity being revealed to his former boss, the ruthless Nikolic, who would stop at nothing to eliminate the one man who walked away from his organisation.

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Ebooks

400 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 26, 2021

About the author

Jason Dean was born in South London. He spent many years as a graphic designer before turning his talent to writing the kind of pacy thrillers he's always loved reading. He has had four novels published, each featuring his series protagonist, James Bishop. He lives in Thailand with his wife and their dog, and is currently working on the first book in a new thriller series featuring an entirely different kind of hero.

Reviews

[8stitches 9lives · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tracer is the first instalment in the Korso Thrillers series, which is an all-action assassin adventure spanning the continent. Jason Korso is a man who is used to skulking in the shadows and hiding in plain sight as he goes about his dangerous work retrieving priceless stolen artefacts and belongings for dodgy benefactors who due to their own dubious behaviour cannot involve the police. In fact, he has so many identities and names that he can barely remember the one he was born with. Alongside each one is a slew of documents to prove he is who he says he is; except he isn't. He works in a solitary manner, clandestinely following the trails left behind by sloppy robbers to wherever it may take him. This particular mission takes him to the exotic island of Bermuda with its stunning pink sand beaches and searing heat.

But his world implodes when he receives an unsolicited package through FedEx containing a set of photographs of himself. This is the moment he realises he was not successful at faking his own death. Past nemesis Sardoca is the one taunting him and he has a proposition for Korso: if he can recover a precious, bespoke shipment of the finest caviar within four days Sardoca will not inform his boss, and Korso’s ex superior, Nikolic, that he is still alive and well, and that news would certainly give Nikolic some indigestion. And so a riveting, non-stop thrill ride ensues with Korso in a race against the clock, which is essentially counting down to his death unless he gets the blackmail situation under control. The developments and incidents along the way are palpitation-inducing and get the adrenaline pumping and Korso flies by the seat of his pants on many occasions.

The writing is snappy and straight to the point moving at rapid-fire pace and there are plenty of explosive scenes, dangerous journeys and Korso encounters some truly shady individuals who are not to be messed with. Korso is a superb protagonist who I am looking forward to learning more about but he seems to be intelligent, tenacious and durable and is pretty fearless in his outlook; it always makes for a thrilling and scintillating read when our anti-hero is willing to do just about anything to succeed in his mission including venturing into the morally grey area between legality and illegality. In the last part of the book, the tension becomes palpable, and Dean continues to ratchet it up as we near the conclusion. The ending wraps things up in a satisfying and suspenseful manner. Highly recommended.

[Abibliofob · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently discovered Jason Dean and started reading his books about James Bishop and found them good reading. This is a new series about Korso a man who finds things for people against payment. Tracer is the first book and it is great. I found the concept interesting and awaits the second book with great curiosity. Who is Korso? He's a man with many names but he is not sure if he remembers his real name anymore. In this book he is blackmailed to retrieve a stolen shipment or have his identity revealed to his former boss and it's a long winding road to trace it. This is a book filled with both action and suspense. I can really recommend this author. Thanks to @netgalley and @canelo_co for letting me read this one and to #JasonDean for writing it.

[A.A. Chaudhuri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tracer is the first in a new action-packed thriller series by Jason Dean, author of the James Bishop thrillers, centring on Korso, a man with many names and faces, who lives a solitary existence in the shadows and recovers lost artefacts and items for rich, often shady, benefactors unable to operate through normal channels. I knew I’d like Korso from the first moment he’s introduced to the reader. He’s smart, slick, tough and charismatic, a kind of James Bond/John McClane/Jason Bourne lead protagonist rolled into one. Not all good, not all bad, but a maverick anti-hero who you can’t help but root for and is capable of outsmarting the most merciless of men and the equally cutthroat organisations they work for. His shadowy existence, however, is shattered upon the arrival at his Bermuda home of the man he had hoped never to see again, the slippery Sardoca, who he had the chance to kill four years ago, and who works for Korso’s former boss, the pitiless Nikolic, from whom Korso walked away from. Accompanied by the alluring, yet ruthless Natasha, Sardoca tasks Korso with recovering a missing, one-of-a-kind shipment in only four days to prevent his identity being revealed to Nikolic. With no choice but to accept Sardoca’s mission, the reader is taken on a thrilling, race-against-time ride alongside Korso and Natasha, who must encounter all manner of heart-stopping situations, including perilous car and plane journeys, fatal explosions, the most heinous of characters and deadliest of snakes, culminating in a tense, knife-edge last quarter, made all the more satisfying by a neat twist, and stylish conclusion.
I loved Dean’s slick, punchy style of writing, which ensured the plot moved along at breakneck speed, along with the will they/won’t they chemistry between Korso and Natasha which gave the story added pizzazz. All in all, a great start to what I’m sure will be a hugely successful thriller series.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tracer is a new series about the mysterious Korso who has many names.

Korso is a mysterious guy that you'd find on the dark web to find lost artefacts items for the rich. Korso has many names and a changing face. He was an interesting guy with specific practices to keep himself generic. He didn't want to stick out and have people remember him. Everything was going great in Korso's life until one day. An old "colleague" showed up at his home in Bermuda, after sending photos of Korso anonymously. His old colleague, Sardoca, brings him a job from Korso's previous employer, Nikolic. Korso had killed off the persona he was using at the time to escape working for Nikolic. Sardoca found out that he faked his own death and blackmailed Korso into helping him find an important missing shipment. With the beautiful, merciless Natasha, one of Nikolic's henchmen, he went on a mission to find the missing shipment within 4 days.

This story has a riveting and chaotic plot that moves at a fast-pace. Jason Dean wrote a thriller with a teeny amount of chemistry between the two main characters. I enjoyed this book as it progressed fast and kept my attention. It's a great first book for a series.

ARC provided by netgalley for an honest review.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dean has given readers a new kind of flawed hero. Korso is a salvage operative, a very skilled man at finding missing items valued at a high level. Perhaps a stolen, high priced painting. Perhaps a hijacked shipment of drugs or arms. Here, he is blackmailed into recovering a shipment of high priced caviar being carried by an airplane that seems to have completely disappeared. But there is something much more important in the shipment than just caviar that makes the owner desperate for its recovery. Those with whom Korso is forced to work may not be who they seem. Danger lurks on many sides.

I liked this novel. Dean's writing style is good. The plot moves along well and has a good level of suspense. There is a good twist at the end. The character development is mixed. We find out about Korso's history as the novel progresses but his personality is somewhat hidden behind his determined action. I found it difficult to like him although I am interested enough in his character that I will be looking for the next in the series.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

[Amberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started and finished date – 20.11.25 to 28.11.25.
My rating – Three Stars.
This book was okay read and I somewhat enjoyed is book, but I didn't love it also I think people who like The Manhattan deception by Simon Leighton-Porter or silence in the desert by David Longridge may like is book. The cover of the book was simple but stunning and I think the colour palette at was used on the cover of book was great. The writing was okay, and the writing was easy to follow also the ending of book was fine, but it could have be better. I think the setting of the book was okay, but it was bit blend, and I think the atmosphere was fine, but it needed flash out bit more.

I think both the mystery and the suspense was okay, but I was bit bored while read it. I really enjoyed some of twists in the book and I did the first half of the book. I think this book had a good balanced of plot and action. The characters was okay and they needed to be flash out bit more also I would have like relationship between the characters to be flash out bit more.

[Greg D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well written. Full of non-stop action, along with mystery and intrigue. Great character development. Very much had a Jason Bourne feel to it. The story takes you several places including Bermuda, Tijuana, Texas, Colorado, and finally to Guyana. All in search of the elusive multi-million dollar cargo gone missing, that contains a special component wanted by a very wealthy billionaire. Will Korso find it? Or will he meet an untimely death? You won't know until the very end. I highly recommend this novel, and look forward to reading more by author Jason Dean.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting read, about a man who wishes to keep his true identity a secret, but for now he is known as Korso. He works as a covert salvage operative, recovering lost items, which are often stolen, for rich benefactors. When he returns home after one of his jobs a man he had hoped to never see a gain is waiting for him, to recruit him for a special job. He is tasked with recovering a one of a kind shipment in only 4 days. If he fails his identity will be revealed to Nikolai’s, his former boss. It was a clever plot, and it was thriller, with lots of action.

[Shannon Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from a Goodreads giveaway. It was a fast paced enjoyable read. This was the first book in the series and I feel like the ground was set to have some really great books in the future. There were some parts that were just wholly unrealistic but that didn’t take away from the story for me. I’m looking forward to the next one.

[Robert S Mezinko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Satisfying Read

A very enthralling story line and nice pacing made this book a plNeasing read. The main character was smart and his sidekick was also an engaging foe. It didn't get bogged down with too much detail which can distract and bore the reader. I hope to read the next in the series soon.

[gordon wilson and sandra wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

No expense is too high

Novel about professional assigns tasked with finding a missing aircraft and cargo of expensive appetizers. No expense spared private aircraft discovery tour around the world.

[Beverly McFall Killough · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tracer

A good read with lots of twist and turns. A mystery because you never know what they were really trying to find but they did find it. It is amazing what can be found out by how we live our lives.

[Jeff Cochrane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tracer

Wow. Excellent story. Characters were developed nicely. Very interesting story line, with plenty of twists and surprises. Lots of action. Looking forward to more stories about Korso. He’s not the typical hero who just shoots first. He actually thinks. Recommended.

[Michaela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this one.

Following Korso. A finder for wealthy unscrupulous men/women.

It’s full of action, death, guns and intrigue.

I loved the writing style and how everyone is not quite what they seem. Would definitely read more of this series.

[Robert Valdez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Devious

A great story, full of twists and turns. Intriguing character development that grabs you and keeps your attention until the very end. Can’t wait to read the next book in the series.

[s marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story

The story was well written with the plot twisting and turning. Very much like an Agatha Christie who dun it. The characters were well developed with a few surprises at the end.

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

And a half.

[Ronhsoru · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am looking forward to the next Korso book.

[Jay Clement · Rating 4 out of 5]

73-2022. This is a new series for me, and our hero jets around the world working to recover a special thing for a client. I like the character, so I’ll be back for future escapades.

[Garry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read

A really good read.well written and different I enjoyed it no end.good story twists and turns.good characters as well.well worth a read

[Bob Burch · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first Jason Dean. It was an easy read, kept me interested. I will read another in the series.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit long winded in some parts of the narrative but overall a great read.

[Daniel C. Rosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read...

Very intriguing and unique plot (for me, anyway). I really enjoyed following the main character and will continue to do so going forward.

[Ralph Wilkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little bit too James Bond for me. Hero is too perfect and smooth for my tastes

[Claire Rackett · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn’t the book for me and not my style of reading but I am trying to read a broader range in all fairness. The main characters were interesting and there was always plenty of action. The chapters were long which didn’t enhance the reading for me. It was well written and I am sure, if this is your sort of reading it would be a brilliant book to read and enjoy.

[JW_Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jason Dean’s ‘Tracer’ is the first instalment of the Korso Thriller series. The series follows an international assassin on his adventures as a salvage operative who is tasked with finding missing or stolen items with incredibly high values. The items can range from high-priced paintings to shipments of drugs and weapons.
Throughout this first instalment, Jason Korso is used to laying low and hiding in plain sight due to the nature of his work, having so many different identities that he struggles to remember the name he was born with. Korso prefers to work alone to ensure that his identity is never leaked to the wrong people and that he cannot be tracked whilst tracking thieves of dodgy benefactors himself. This journey takes Korso to beautiful Bermuda where he has been blackmailed to retrieve a shipment of stolen overpriced caviar by an old foe. Either retrieve the package or die. There is also a hint of romance within this thriller as Korso, out of no choice of his own, is accompanied by Natasha, one of his blackmailer’s accomplices meaning that this mission would be different to any he has undertaken before.
This novel is filled with fast-paced action and scenes of suspense that kept me hooked throughout. There are many twists throughout which left me reading and unable to put it down. This was my first read by Jason Dean and I will certainly be reading more in the future. Tracer left me wanting to follow Jason Korso on more of his adventures to see what trouble he can get into next.

[Waldemar Bak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting…

…piece of work, I’ll say. It has everything you’re looking for in a spy-action-planted book :)!
Nice one, highly recommended.
Thx.