Stalking the streets of Prague, James Ryker is on the hunt for justice when he hears a news report of a murder in rural England. Big problem. He knows the victim. Ten years ago, in Qatar, Ryker led a team of assassins to kill him. He thought they had.
So how has a man Ryker thought dead for over a decade suddenly resurfaced?
Travelling across the globe, Ryker sets off on a quest to discover the truth from that fateful night in Qatar. When he realises that his old team members are now under threat from a ruthless female assassin, he knows his problems have only just started.
In a race against time, Ryker must work out who is behind the killings and evade the assassin before he becomes the next victim…
Rob is the author of the critically acclaimed and bestselling Enemy series and James Ryker series of espionage thrillers. His books have sold over half a million copies to date with many reviewers and readers having likened Rob's work to authors at the very top of the genre, including Lee Child and Vince Flynn. Rob began writing in 2009 following a promise to his wife, an avid reader, that he could pen a ‘can’t put down’ thriller. He worked for nearly 13 years for a global accounting firm after graduating from The University of Nottingham in 2002, specialising in forensic fraud investigations at both national and international levels. Rob now writes full time.
Originally from the North East of England, Rob has lived and worked in a number of fast paced cities and is now based near Atlanta, Georgia, with his wife, sons and dog
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 July 2021 Rob Sinclair brings us the latest welcome return of James Ryker. An apparently successful JIA operation in Doha turns into anything but as the apparent target is murdered 10 years later in Gloucestershire. Now operating independently Ryker is determined to find out who betrayed the operation, only to discover an assassin who's more than a match for him is killing members of his squad. Action packed as always, with Sinclair's usual quota of extreme violence this is a different Ryker, but no less fascinating. The pace never flags and the conclusion leaves just enough unfinished business to suggest there's more to come.
Sinclair and Ryker are in better shape than ever with this series
Disclaimer: I received an ARC as a courtesy of the author, which did not influence my opinion in any way.
A Russian oligarch presumed dead for ten years found murdered in the English countryside. A traitor in UK intelligence who was never discovered. A ruthless and bloodthirsty female assassin killing on the behest of shadowy puppeteers. And someone willing to do anything to burn the connective tissue between those events. There is only one problem; they will have to go through Ryker first…
Rob Sinclair has rightfully made a name for himself as a highly prolific thriller writer but with his new RYKER RETURNS series he has upped his game in the biggest possible way.
The author has mastered the art of dropping the reader right into the action, than quickly establishing all the pieces on the board, while keeping the said reader in the dark and frenetically guessing about the bigger picture till the very end. Through it all he continually cranks up the pacing til the tension reaches its bursting point during the climax
Sinclair‘s biggest feat however isn’t the twisted, action-packed and cleverly constructed plot but the characters. They aren’t merely chess pieces with preordained roles to serve the overall narrative but real people. Walking contradictions whose motives and drives are puzzles of their own, left for the reader to solve.
Sinclair has yet again crafted a pulse-pounding thriller of the highest order. Not to be missed by any means!
The second book in the Ryker Returns series is a nail-biting and fast-paced thriller by Rob Sinclair that could also be read as a stand-alone. After reading the first book in this series - Renegade, I was keen to know what the author has in store for his fans. Truly this was no disappointment with lots of action and twists and turns along the way. The book opens with James Ryker leading a team of seven JIA operatives on a covert mission in Qatar, where they are to assassinate Pavel Grichenko, a Russian Oligarch and a Kremlin loyalist, involved in arms sale to terrorists, funding rebel movements, shady drug dealings and human trafficking. Though the operation did not go as per plan, Ryker was assured by his team that Grichenko is killed. Ten years later, after Ryker broke off all ties with the JIA and while spending time in Prague, he is aghast with the news of the murder of Pavel Grichenko and his wife in Cotswold, England. Ryker is flummoxed and curious to know what happened on that fateful night ten years ago. Had someone from his team helped Grichenko escape? He was convinced one of his teammates had betrayed. But Who and Why? Ryker needed answers and sets out to track his team members. Meanwhile, a female assassin is on the prowl, who is alleged to have killed Grichenko is now hunting down the members of Ryker's team. Ryker needs to act quickly if he has to get the answers before they are killed. Ryker trusts no one and time is short. Will he be able to save his mates? Will he find the betrayer from the ten-year-old operation? What was his motive? Who was behind the master plan? Most importantly, who was the female assassin, and will she kill all of them. Reading through this book was very much like being on a scary and unpredictable roller coaster, with more ups and downs that you can find on a board game. The authors writing skill engineers enough surprises and the suspense is not revealed until the action-packed finale. In all, an exciting and mesmerizing thriller with subterfuge that makes it a compulsive read for espionage fans. Hope the next book in the series will be as exciting as the two releases so far.
Firstly I’m going to get this off my chest! How bloody awesome is Ryker? I mean seriously this guy has been beat up more times than I can count but he doesn’t stay down for long. Credit to the author Rob Sinclair who continues to offer up riveting espionage thrillers. The author has found his way of refreshing his main character Ryker, keeping things interesting and turning the energy up to the max.
In this instalment we learn of mission from Ryker’s past.. it didn’t go to plan but the end result was the same.. a dead body… this dead body though turns up a decade later..he’s been alive and well all this time.. but how? And why has someone killed him now?
Ryker only works for himself now and the JIA his former employers are no more..well at least on paper.. this means he’s got his work cut out for himself. He’s not stayed alive this long without learning some skills and more than one trick to hide up his sleeve.
Things spiral fast and it soon becomes clear there’s more going on…. and the body count rises.. there’s a new assassin on the scene but who is she? And what’s the motivation?
The only way Ryker can solve this riddle is to find out what really happened 10 years ago.. but this assassin isn’t going to make it easy for him.
As thrillers go you can’t go wrong with Rob Sinclair, the pace is perfect, there’s action when you need it and it’s balanced superbly with the plot and character development.. the flow is so natural you just end up devouring the story. To say it’s action packed is an understatement.. it’s got the action….the blood and guts..and the twists you just don’t see coming… there’s some pretty decent explosions too 🙂
Ryker finds it hard to trust anyone because everyone that gets close to him either dies.. or can’t be trusted.. what’s your bet on this instalment ha.
I can honestly say I really do get excited when I hear Rob’s got a new book coming out, without fail I know I’m going to enjoy it.
James Ryker together with a team of six other members of JIA was in Doha to assassinate a Russian, Pavel Grichenko. The operation didn’t go according to plan, but Ryker was assured that Grichenko was killed. Ten years later, Ryker has retired and severed all contact with his previous life when news reaches him that Grichenko and his wife had been found murdered at their home in the Cotswolds, England. The news means that someone in the team had helped Grichenko escape that night in Doha. Who? Why? James Ryker can’t rest until he can visit each member of the team to work out who the traitor was.
Tracking down the former members will see Ryker racing across countries in Europe – while trying to avoid an assassin who has been coerced into eliminating all the members of the team.
The novel had me hooked from the opening sentence; “Ten pm, but still over thirty degrees Celsius, with choking humidity that sapped his strength…….” I knew that what followed would be a wild ride. What I didn’t expect was to meet a woman assassin. Vicious, violent, and happy to kill for money, with no real interest in why or who she was “eliminating”.
Rob Sinclair has come up trumps with this, the latest James Ryker novel. The storyline is filled with some remarkably interesting characters, some I liked and some I loathed and then others had me wondering whether, under different circumstances, they might have once had souls, but now, are more like robots.
Rony
The Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of the book to review.
Gripping and Heart-Pounding This is another thrilling read from Rob Sinclair, featuring the former special agent James Ryker as he races around Europe to find the truth about what really happened on a mission he led a decade ago. To the surprise of Ryker and others, the man he thought had been killed by his team survived, only to have been murdered in England, many years after. He soon finds that the murderer, a female assassin, has others in her sights, members of his team and Ryker himself.
Ryker goes all out and uses all the means at his disposal to get to the bottom of what really happened in Qatar ten years ago. There’s plenty of suspense as he realises he is up against an assassin who is sublimely skilled and ruthless – can he get to his team members and discover the truth before she dispatches them? Is Ryker himself safe from her machinations and those of others involved in the web of deceit?
I was entertained by the many twists and turns in this tale and loved the female assassin – the snippets from her own past were a great addition to the text and gave depth to her character. She is a worthy adversary and I got perverse enjoyment out of the varied grisly ways she despatched her targets.
The book can be read as a standalone but also makes a great addition to previous James Ryker (aka Carl Logan) books which the author has also penned. Please note, a copy of this book ws given to me by the author and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
Second in the series, but could be read as a stand-alone, this is another excellent thriller by Rob Sinclair. Fast paced, there is something happening on every page as Ryker travels around the world trying to find out who lied to him 10 years earlier.
Briefly, Ryker is in Prague when he hears about the death of a man in the UK; only one problem, that man was already dead. 10 years ago Ryker had led a team in Qatar to kill this man; he thought they had. But someone on his team had clearly lied. He needs to know who the traitor was. When he realises that other members of the team are being killed in horrific ways he knows that his life is in danger. Can he stop the assassin? Who is she? And why has she been given this job?
This is a very tense thriller, quite graphic in places, and it moves at a great pace. I did find myself getting a bit confused in places with all the characters, there are a lot, trying to work out who they were and whose side they were on. Despite her sadistic nature I did have feelings of sorrow for Leia, circumstances had made her what she was, or is it just nature? Ryker appears indestructible and again his life has made him who he is. Both good characterisations. It was a great read and 4.5* ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Well that was a frantic 2 weeks for Ryker. Though nothing out of the ordinary in the day job of spies, double agents, assassin squads and certain government employees. Do pay attention to the characters in the assassin squad in Doha ( plot your character chart) or you will be flipping back to the start on occasions which is not that navigationally friendly reading on a Kindle.
In Sydney it’s cold wet and the winter weather miserable. So stay inside for 2 days and read this creative , blood letting, bone crushing , plot complex thriller.
Whilst a well written enjoyable work of fiction it still tells the old old yarn of corruption in government, power and the noble workings of business men and their counterparts in Government. So whilst People , Power , Politics and Greed and the coercive use of guns are used in negotiations we will have a source of good reads for generations to come.
I have started my Rob Sinclair books at number 7, I will read a few others in the series as I like the structure of this book. As there are books after book 7, I think it safe to tell you Ryker managed to win out on all his fantastic fights, falls and fumbles and lives on to battle good over evil. Enjoy it is a good read.
Another excellent book from Rob Sinclair. When you pick up one of his books you expect a book that is fast paced and full of action, this one is no exception!
The latest in the James Ryker series although it does read well as a standalone. Ryker, a former special agent with the Joint Intelligence Agency, a secret Government organisation, is now working on his own. When he finds out that a mission he was part of some ten years previously did not go as he was led to believe he set out to find out why and woe betide anyone that got in his way. He was to find out that he was not the only one turning back the years. His former team members on the failed mission were running scared. Running concurrently with this was a female assassin who had a list of people to kill just to preserve her own life. Her and Ryker were destined to meet and of wouldn't end well for one of them.
As well as being fast paced this story takes us on a journey around Europe with bodies being left in each country visited.
Again a very good book by this wonderful author.
Thank you to Bloodhound Books for the ARC which I've reviewed voluntarily
Here’s another fast-paced thrill ride for the James Ryker fans!
Ryker is thrown for a loop when someone from his past is discovered murdered. Unfortunately, this person was executed ten years prior on a covert mission in Qatar that Ryker led. Driven by a reckless moral standard Ryker is on a one-man mission to determine which member of his troop betrayed him all those years prior.
Tracking down an elite group of assassins is not an easy task but nothing Ryker does is easy. As he sets out across the globe looking for answers, he and his old team members are being tracked by a female assassin who shows no mercy. Can Ryker finish what he started, or will this be his last mission?
The James Ryker series is always full of excitement and this book certainly didn’t disappoint.
Thank you to Bloodhound Books for the opportunity to read this ARC.
I absolutely loved this book, what a read! It was fast paced, thrilling, and so realistic. I was drawn into the story right from the start and the author certainly knows how set the scene, grab my attention and hold it all the way through to the end. When Ryker hears of a murder in England and the victim was killed by him and his team 10 years before he searches for the truth of what happened that night. Was their team compromised? How, why and by who? I loved following Ryker and his search for answers and thought this was a very absorbing read with so many plot twists and was very well written. If you like a book that is fast, full of action, has cliff hanger chapter endings that just make you want to carry on reading and know more then this could be for you. I read this in just over a day and found it very hard to put down, and think this is an excellent addition to a great series. Rob Sinclair never disappoints. Highly recommended.
I enjoyed this suspenseful thriller. This is the second book in this series but can be read as a standalone. The first book is just as great as this one and I would suggest reading it as well. This is a well written story that has characters that give the story life. Ryker is back in another story and he is on the hunt for justice. As the story becomes a race against time will Ryker find himself a victum before he finds the assassin? Ryker is such a great character. He is strong and makes the story fun to read. The twists and turns left me turning pages fast, just waiting to see what would happen next. This is a really great story that I would highly recommend.
Rob Sinclair has a style of writing that is both thrilling and intense. I was entertained by the fast action and thrilling ride through most of Europe. Intrigued about the many moving parts of the story that often seemed unconnected but kept my interest piqued. There were exciting plot twists and story changes that sometimes were abrupt. But everything moved smoothly and the ending took me by surprise. My thoughts for an ending didn't mesh with Mr. Sinclair's and I must admit that it really was better than mine anyway ;-).
Awww...bless him, in danger again. Heck, this guy must have shares in duracell. 'I get knocked down but I get up again'...A must theme tune if the Ryker series becomes a film. Brilliant book, exciting, action packed, tittalating (some parts), this guy is a beast! He just can't let things rest...even 10 years ago when his team had a mission to assassinate. They did it, didn't they? Oooow, now there's a thing, someone is lying and who is pulling the strings? Ryker has an itch now to find out the truth. I'm right behind you mate! So much enjoyed this book. Looking forward to the next one.
Ryker has left his old job quite a few years ago. The clandestine government agency he worker for lost it's appeal to him or rather it's lack of morals. His past is catching up with him. A botched assignment. The man his team was ordered to take out which they thought they did survived. One of his team mates was a double agent. Now this agent to protect his secret has contracted a notorious and highly successful assassin to do the job for him. Non stop action. An excellent read!!
Typically action packed, but part of the attraction of the Logan/Ryker books is the intrigue and plot behind the scenes. Just because Ryker is jaded by it all doesn't mean the reader wouldn't like to know the machinations that lead to what was essentially a McGuffin for a Ryker rampage. All felt a bit sketchy and glossed over. Interesting characters made it to the end so perhaps we'll see them again after so much work put into building their back story. Probably being a bit harsh, still a great read, great reveal, but wanted more meat on the bones.
Rob Sinclair's books just seem to get better and better with each one - Assassins lived up to this. We are given a tour throughout Europe as Ryker tries to untwist the mystery of the death of a man whom he believed to have been killed ten years before. Add to this an unknown female assassin and it makes for a great, fast paced and thrilling book. So belt up and head off on a fab journey! Thanks to Bloodhound Books for the ARC to review.
Another tale of Ryker and his adventures, although this is part of a series I think you could read it as a stand alone novel. At times it is fairly graphic but if you like action it will keep you on the edge of your seat.
While I have read all James Ryker books so far, this one was perhaps the least interesting. The mystery of the book was not who was the bad guy, (they all were) but you needed to figure out who was helping who?
Glad to finish the book, took a little longer as it didn't really flow so well. Lots of characters took some time to remember them all. In general not his best in my opinion.
A really great second book in the Ryker returns series and I am looking forward to reading the next book. Great central character and plenty of action with the book moving along at a fast pace.
Another fast action story to keep you on the edge of your seat. Well thought out and gets you rooting for the good guys, if you can figure out who they are