CIA black-ops legend Christopher Wren's in semi-retirement, enjoying some well-earned family time on his Delaware farm. Then an 11-man paramilitary squad attacks.
The farm is left in ashes. Bodies litter the ground. Wren wants payback, but answers may lie very far afield.
Tokyo, Japan. A city in uproar. Five people are dead - their bodies carved with a simple message:
FOR CHRISTOPHER WREN
Wren doesn't know the dead. He doesn't know the killer. But it doesn't matter.
A dark new world is rising. The farm is no longer safe. Japan may hold the answers, and Wren will dig them out, whatever it takes.
Some crimes can never be forgiven. Some crimes can only be avenged.
The acclaimed Christopher Wren novels are each a complete action adventure and can be read in any order.
Mike Grist is the British/American author of the Christopher Wren and Girl Zero thriller series.
For 11 years Mike lived in Tokyo, Japan, exploring and photographing the dark side of the city and the country: gangs, cults and abandoned places. Now he writes from London, UK, about ex-DELTA operator Christopher Wren - an anti-hero vigilante who brings brutal payback for dark crimes on an unprecedented scale.
Mike also writes science fiction and fantasy as Michael John Grist:
I’ve been hooked on the Christopher Wren series since the first one. My favorites are the introductory novel and this latest work.
Every novel in the series is filled with action, hateful villains, mystery, and a final denouement. This novel has all of these welcome elements.
But, there are several things that I especially liked about this volume.
First off, Wren has become more than a mere action figure. He is becoming a more fully developed human. In this novel, finally, there’s hope for him to have a healthy relationship with a woman.
Second, the setting in Japan was very interesting and it’s evident that Mr. Grist has deep knowledge of the country and its culture.
Third, as always, there are some characters that are very easy to hate. And several of my favorite characters from other novels are back.
Fourth, I don’t normally laugh out loud at things I read, but there was a set of hilarious puns.
So, if you want a fast-paced, fascinating, and very readable novel, give this one a try!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Oh how I've missed CW! This is a thrilling tale of corruption and evil, lurking in the shadows of subterranean Japan but with the potential of widespread destruction. There are echoes of Blue Fairy but worse!
CW is manipulated by the US President, into solving some killings in Japan, with a supposed link to him. He is met with disdain and blocked at every turn but someone is on his side, calling him with messages and warnings. His allocated Japanese police partner starts to see the danger unfolding and joins forces with CW.
After a literal life saving leap, CW has had enough and takes control. His hackers have found the truth about the box and it's implications are catastrophic for Japan, the world and all of decent humanity!
Rage under control, revenge unleashed!
I couldn't put it down. Don't miss this book or the CW series, they just keep getting better and better!!!
I received an ARC and I'm voluntarily leaving an honest review.
This is an overall addicting series. When I finished the first book, I took a break. I was overwhelmed. I never binge read. Then I picked up book 2. Thank goodness I am retired. I really try not to read all day long but sometimes I lose track of time.
Never Forgive gets Wren's downtime ruined when some teXas Xers (book 7) track him down and attempt to kill him. Before he completely recovered he gets sent to Japan to help investigate murders that have been branded "For Christopher Wren ". And down another rabbit hole we go. Yakuza backed child molesters just like the Pinocchios. Frustrated by the Japanese authorities who want to save face and bury the problem, he starts breaking rules. He gets more injured than ever. He refuses to give up and stop or die.
I have always loved action movies. Mike Grist sucks me in and doesn't let go. I find hard to put down his books.
Taking Wren out of the US might have been a mistake but in fact the move works perfectly - a brief period of calm in which Wren has been able to reconnect with is children is interrupted by mayhem and he is drafted (blackmailed) into an investigation in Japan to which his name has been linked.
The very different society in which he has to work doesn't affect Wren overmuch, depite the pressure from both Japanese and US authorities. Most readers will be largely unaware of the folktales which impinge on the plot but manage to link back to earlier books in the sequence.
A fine reset - Wren seems more human and even perhaps (very slightly) less driven than in the past.
He is supported by the usual gallery of (mostly offstage) colleagues - the next book promises to give us a closer look at two of them: looking forward to it!
This story takes off early and never slows down! Zero to 60 in five seconds, no time wasted waiting for the action to begin. There is some humor mixed in, too, which is excellent for breaking up the tension now and then. I love that. Be prepared to want to read it start to finish without stopping. I nearly skipped an evening class the day I started it, just because I didn't want to stop. It can be read as a standalone, and you won't be lost if you pick up here. There are references to earlier adventures, but they are explained. But if you haven't read the first seven, though, do yourself a favor and read those, too. I'm already looking forward to #9.
I did receive an advance copy, but this is my honest opinion.
I may have finished my best read for a long time, but the adrenaline is still pumping round my body and mind. So much detail and intricacies all coming together so smoothly, so slick, so tense, to form the most thrilling intense read imaginable. Horrendous, sick group of people living in a supposedly impossible environment in Japan, building a network that could destroy humanity as we know it, except they hadn’t met a Warrior called Christopher Wren …..
Best Christopher Wren yet! All the previous ones have been loaded with action and this one knows no bounds. Very simple job. Go over to Japan and solve some murders. Seems all the victims had his name etched on them. It turns in to Wren saving the world. Highly recommend this one.
I'm amazed that this author can write so many fantastic novels, I hope that he never stops writing. His books are some of the best Entertainment I have read and worth the time to read them. Thank you for a very fun entertaining read.