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Jay Ryan #1
The Interrogator
According to Greek Mythology, Aphrodite had a wayward eye and a loyal son. When Eros gave Harpocrates a rose to keep quiet about his mother’s little indiscretions, the rose became a symbol for secrecy. This is a story Jay Ryan has never heard — until his hand is nailed to a table and a red rose tattooed onto his wrist.
Jay is an interrogator with a dark past and a tortured soul; he’s also the keeper of secrets Israeli spies will kill to get their hands upon. Renowned for his skills, he is used to commanding a certain level of respect amongst his peers. Then one day Jay is drugged, tortured, tattooed and accused of rape. He is forced to reveal information that could further destabilise fragile Middle East relations and plunge the entire region into war. They are secrets he has struggled to keep hidden for four years — proof that the ‘Coalition of the Willing’ knew Israeli Mossad agents removed chemical weapons from Iraq before the launch of the 2003 invasion.
After escaping his captors, Jay discovers that he is wanted for crimes he didn’t commit and that his father has been kidnapped by his own intelligence agency. No-nonsense secret agent Sarah Evans and lively retired security guard William ‘Bill’ Hunter join Jay on a quest to get his father back alive and avoid Israeli spies hell-bent on eliminating them all. Together they uncover the truth behind two spy agencies playing a high-stakes game of espionage with a ‘winner take all’ mindset. After Sarah goes missing, Jay must choose between hunting his father’s kidnappers or saving Sarah and exposing Israel’s involvement in the removal of chemical weapons from Iraq.
Jay is an interrogator with a dark past and a tortured soul; he’s also the keeper of secrets Israeli spies will kill to get their hands upon. Renowned for his skills, he is used to commanding a certain level of respect amongst his peers. Then one day Jay is drugged, tortured, tattooed and accused of rape. He is forced to reveal information that could further destabilise fragile Middle East relations and plunge the entire region into war. They are secrets he has struggled to keep hidden for four years — proof that the ‘Coalition of the Willing’ knew Israeli Mossad agents removed chemical weapons from Iraq before the launch of the 2003 invasion.
After escaping his captors, Jay discovers that he is wanted for crimes he didn’t commit and that his father has been kidnapped by his own intelligence agency. No-nonsense secret agent Sarah Evans and lively retired security guard William ‘Bill’ Hunter join Jay on a quest to get his father back alive and avoid Israeli spies hell-bent on eliminating them all. Together they uncover the truth behind two spy agencies playing a high-stakes game of espionage with a ‘winner take all’ mindset. After Sarah goes missing, Jay must choose between hunting his father’s kidnappers or saving Sarah and exposing Israel’s involvement in the removal of chemical weapons from Iraq.
- GenresThriller
322 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2009
1 person is currently reading
19 people want to read
About the author
J.J. Cooper
7 books6 followersJ.J. Cooper spent seventeen years in the Australian Army, deploying on two tours of duty in East Timor and one tour to the Middle East in 2003. As a former member of the Australian Army Intelligence Corps, he specialised in Human Intelligence, including interrogation (as a practitioner and instructor).
His expert knowledge and experiences of interrogation techniques add value to the idiosyncrasies and depth of the characters within his novels. Since leaving the military, he spends every spare moment on his passion for writing.
He finds time to be a devoted father of two boys and a girl, and lives in Brisbane.
His expert knowledge and experiences of interrogation techniques add value to the idiosyncrasies and depth of the characters within his novels. Since leaving the military, he spends every spare moment on his passion for writing.
He finds time to be a devoted father of two boys and a girl, and lives in Brisbane.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 14, 2016
The Interrogator was an enjoyable, fast read. There was quite an element of spying and intelligence gathering that I had not anticipated from the novel. It was refreshing to read a novel in which the narrator was an interrogator - although he did seem to be a little too perfect at times - and he
It was pretty formulaic - a thriller by the numbers. I also wished that the main character wasn't called Jay Ryan - it made me think of Jack Ryan the whole time I was reading it. If the author did it as a snide reference to a well known action hero, that is all well and good. However I was worried that the name was meant in all seriousness.
The plot was fairly predictable, and the twist at the end was obvious about half way through the text. It was enjoyable, though. There were some action packed fight scenes - Jay Ryan certainly knows his way around the human body.
I loved the fact it was set in Australia - and there were so many mentions of things that I know about. Love the fact that the 'cool car' that is always included in these novels was a Monaro - a decidedly Australian car. This is what ultimately saved this book, and a reason why I might hunt down some of JJ Cooper's other novels.
It was pretty formulaic - a thriller by the numbers. I also wished that the main character wasn't called Jay Ryan - it made me think of Jack Ryan the whole time I was reading it. If the author did it as a snide reference to a well known action hero, that is all well and good. However I was worried that the name was meant in all seriousness.
The plot was fairly predictable, and the twist at the end was obvious about half way through the text. It was enjoyable, though. There were some action packed fight scenes - Jay Ryan certainly knows his way around the human body.
I loved the fact it was set in Australia - and there were so many mentions of things that I know about. Love the fact that the 'cool car' that is always included in these novels was a Monaro - a decidedly Australian car. This is what ultimately saved this book, and a reason why I might hunt down some of JJ Cooper's other novels.
September 16, 2011
Jay Ryan is a top interrogator in the Australian Army. He has interrogated many, and always gets results. He also has a dark secret from an interrogation many years ago, which he has told no-one....
When Jay finds himself on the other side of the interrogation table, being brutally treated by someone he trusted, his trust and faith in his fellow soldiers is shattered. He is subsequently blackmailed into a mission, and his father, who was also a 'top dog' in the army, and is currently missing, is involved, and in real danger.
When Sarah Evans, a secret agent who he thinks is there to protect him, enters the scene, things go from bad to worse! The conspiracy he uncovers in the highest level of government, and across international borders has him fighting for survival. Will he find a way out of the nightmare?
The many twists and turns of who to trust, and who to fear, will leave you unable to put this book down, and needing to keep turning the pages to find the end result! JJ Cooper's debut novel is spellbinding, and I can't wait to read his next book!
When Jay finds himself on the other side of the interrogation table, being brutally treated by someone he trusted, his trust and faith in his fellow soldiers is shattered. He is subsequently blackmailed into a mission, and his father, who was also a 'top dog' in the army, and is currently missing, is involved, and in real danger.
When Sarah Evans, a secret agent who he thinks is there to protect him, enters the scene, things go from bad to worse! The conspiracy he uncovers in the highest level of government, and across international borders has him fighting for survival. Will he find a way out of the nightmare?
The many twists and turns of who to trust, and who to fear, will leave you unable to put this book down, and needing to keep turning the pages to find the end result! JJ Cooper's debut novel is spellbinding, and I can't wait to read his next book!
September 22, 2022
JJ was a twat in person. Thinks that because he was published by Penguin (👍🙌) that it quantifies as a good read. It doesn’t!!
March 28, 2009
If you're reading THE INTERROGATOR and you happen to have noticed that the author, JJ Cooper, has a bio that mentions he spent 17 years in the Australian Army, specialising in Human Intelligence including interrogation (as a practitioner and an instructor), you really cannot help but consider the possibilities of truth in fiction. Clinging to the belief that the truth was used when describing the techniques and technicalities, and it didn't quite leak into the actual activities described in the book, kept me sleeping at night.
THE INTERROGATOR builds a frightening reality - one which frequently seems all too plausible, at other times displaying all the elements of the classic military thriller - a lot of blood, gore, mysterious and nefarious goings on, action aplenty, a bit of romance and intrigue, some family background and ultimately - a battle royal between the good guys and the bad.
Jay is an interesting sort of a central character for a thriller. He has a high reputation in his field, he's taught a lot of other people about the techniques and tricks used in interrogation, and whilst he's fully aware of what his tormentors are doing to him when he's placed in the position of victim, he can control some of the outcomes but not all of them. A threat to his own father is nearly enough to make him give up the fight, but then his father's no slouch in the intelligence and covert game and between them, they make a formidable team.
THE INTERROGATOR is a thriller - there are elements in this book that just go with that territory. The ability of the central character to absorb limitless physical pummelling and just get up and get on with it is a given. A big conspiracy - a huge conspiracy is required to make the stakes high - proving that the biggest enemy is often a lot closer than you realise. A touch of romantic and sexual tension. The one man against the entire conspiracy concept gives you your lone wolf, the one man to save the world scenario that you need to keep the action moving and the tension ramped up nice and high. Nothing at all wrong with all of those elements, provided they are executed with some aplomb, which is achieved in THE INTERROGATOR. This book does twist the circumstances a lot more though, and perhaps that's the only minor quibble - there's a lot of twists and turns and the reader will have to be on their game to keep up with what's going on.
I do like a good military thriller. I like a big conspiracy and the one man (or woman) who will save us all from a fate worse than death. I like a bit of super-human action and I like a bit of derring doing and impossible feating. I can even like the touches of sentimentality that arise as the action calms and everyone involved dusts themselves off and gets ready for the next encounter! I sometimes just like a good old fashioned entertaining rush around in an over the top, world's in peril scenario. THE INTERROGATOR filled these elements for me nicely, it kept me wondering until the end, it certainly made me want to cling to my theory of fictional activities way after I'd finished reading the book.
THE INTERROGATOR is due out soon from Random House Australia - if you like this style of thriller, then you're in for a very entertaining time.
THE INTERROGATOR builds a frightening reality - one which frequently seems all too plausible, at other times displaying all the elements of the classic military thriller - a lot of blood, gore, mysterious and nefarious goings on, action aplenty, a bit of romance and intrigue, some family background and ultimately - a battle royal between the good guys and the bad.
Jay is an interesting sort of a central character for a thriller. He has a high reputation in his field, he's taught a lot of other people about the techniques and tricks used in interrogation, and whilst he's fully aware of what his tormentors are doing to him when he's placed in the position of victim, he can control some of the outcomes but not all of them. A threat to his own father is nearly enough to make him give up the fight, but then his father's no slouch in the intelligence and covert game and between them, they make a formidable team.
THE INTERROGATOR is a thriller - there are elements in this book that just go with that territory. The ability of the central character to absorb limitless physical pummelling and just get up and get on with it is a given. A big conspiracy - a huge conspiracy is required to make the stakes high - proving that the biggest enemy is often a lot closer than you realise. A touch of romantic and sexual tension. The one man against the entire conspiracy concept gives you your lone wolf, the one man to save the world scenario that you need to keep the action moving and the tension ramped up nice and high. Nothing at all wrong with all of those elements, provided they are executed with some aplomb, which is achieved in THE INTERROGATOR. This book does twist the circumstances a lot more though, and perhaps that's the only minor quibble - there's a lot of twists and turns and the reader will have to be on their game to keep up with what's going on.
I do like a good military thriller. I like a big conspiracy and the one man (or woman) who will save us all from a fate worse than death. I like a bit of super-human action and I like a bit of derring doing and impossible feating. I can even like the touches of sentimentality that arise as the action calms and everyone involved dusts themselves off and gets ready for the next encounter! I sometimes just like a good old fashioned entertaining rush around in an over the top, world's in peril scenario. THE INTERROGATOR filled these elements for me nicely, it kept me wondering until the end, it certainly made me want to cling to my theory of fictional activities way after I'd finished reading the book.
THE INTERROGATOR is due out soon from Random House Australia - if you like this style of thriller, then you're in for a very entertaining time.
September 4, 2011
Just not sure this hits the mark. It lacks originality, hell the lead character is called J Ryan (Tom Clancy anyone).
Not sure I would recommend this to anyone, not that its terrible. It just fails to live up to expectations.
Not sure I would recommend this to anyone, not that its terrible. It just fails to live up to expectations.
October 30, 2010
Awesome! Loved it!
Read
November 17, 2012Nice change of pace to have a spy/political thriller set in locales that are familiar and mundane. Really enjoyed the unapologetic Australianness of this story and the way it's told.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews