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Gutted by the ruthless power brokers known as the Combine, the Rubicon Group is a shadow of its former self, its founder Ekko Solomon missing presumed dead and the members of its private security and intelligence team in hiding, framed for a terrorist atrocity they did not commit. For ex-MI6 officer Marc Dane, his friend and colleague Lucy Keyes, and the survivors of Rubicon's Special Conditions Division, the future is bleak. With no support and no backup, they are living on the edge, and the walls are closing in - so with nothing left to lose, the team will risk everything in a last ditch gambit to strike back at the Combine and bring them down...once and for all. Rising from the ashes of Rubicon's destruction, Marc and the team undertake a high-stakes undercover mission to stop a catastrophic plan to crash the global financial network, with only their cunning and their skills to carry them through. If they succeed, they might just get their lives back. If they fail, it will be the end of everything they've been fighting for...

474 pages, Paperback

First published October 28, 2021

105 people are currently reading
393 people want to read

About the author

James Swallow

305 books1,072 followers
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.

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5 stars
514 (45%)
4 stars
461 (40%)
3 stars
130 (11%)
2 stars
19 (1%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
Profile Image for Mark.
1,688 reviews
December 28, 2021
ONE SPOILER ALERT

Seems a longish time since Marc Dane was in my book orbit so it was a welcome return and an immediate Christmas read choice when saw Book 6 was out as I knew I would love it, unless there had been a drastic change to the other 5 ( all reviewed previous on here ) am pleased to see there was no drastic change, loved every page
I would say that to really appreciate it you need to have read all the previouz books ( starting with Nomad ) there is so much back history and although snippets are explained you would feel you were only knowing half the details and past plots
Marc is ace, one of my fav book characters and Lucy and the usual crew are back and basically the story continues and with the awesome writing skills Swallow gives to us we have another full on adventure from start to finish
There IS conclusions this time and endings and I felt bereft almost until right at the very end of the acknowledgments I read the words every fan wants to read ‘Marc Dane will be back’
Hurrah, roll on Book 7
A great series, cast and perfect writing

10/10
5 Stars
Profile Image for Caroline.
87 reviews3 followers
September 24, 2023
Good start as the story follows on from the previous book. The Rubicon team are fractured and in mourning having lost 3 of their team and being wanted fugitives. They have an uphill mountain to climb to take down the Combine with limited resources and people. The middle of the story is a bit of a slog when the team attempt to gain intel into the latest plot and seems to go on far too long. Having invested the time in reading all the previous books in the series, it didn’t seem right to give up on the final one. The story picks up about 3/4 in and has a satisfactory ending but it was a struggle to get to this point!
536 reviews2 followers
December 7, 2021
WOW James never disappoints. Soloman is presumed dead and Marc and his team have had to go into hiding as they had been framed for a terrorist attack they did not commit. Their only option is to face the Combine and bring them to their heels once and for all.

They go undercover in order to stop a global financial network from going world wide which would cause a catastrophic financial disaster.

I loved it at the end of Outlaw, James mentions that he wrote this book during lockdown and some billionaires may have been harmed during it's production.

I would love it if James's books could be made into films as they have been so exciting. I wonder if this will be the final Marc Dane book as at the end Solomon says "We still have to clear our name."
6 reviews
November 25, 2021
This was another incredible read. I love the characters and plot. This time with many more twists and gasps. Thanks to J.Swallow for writing this series.
Profile Image for Nickie.
312 reviews1 follower
February 22, 2022
I love the Marc Dane series. I read each one as soon as it comes out.

"Gutted by the power brokers known as The Combine, the Rubicon Group is a shadow of its former self, its founder Ekko Solomon missing presumed dead and the members of the private security and intelligence team in hiding framed for a terrorist atrocity they did not commit"

The Marc Dane series books are always a thrill ride from start to finish and this is no different.

Outlaw picks up right where Rogue left us so if you have not read Rogue then I highly suggest you read that one before you read this as Outlaw is more of a continuation of Rogue than it is a standalone book.

I read the 519 pages of this book in just 4 days! One of the aspects of the Marc Dane series that I love is that the women in this thriller are strong and fiery and not just used as props for the plot or the men. Love to see it.

*Spoilers ahead*

You are led on a tale of what happens when The Combine falls into the wrong hands without Rubicon to balance the scales. All that is left of Rubicon is the people - is that enough? Is Rubicon more than its assets?
The character of Marc Dane has come on by a mile since the first book. The growth seems genuine and you fully believe that Marc can lead the Rubicon group, or the remains of more aptly, in Ekko's absence. Even the budding romance with Lucy is believable.

I'm still questioning how realistic it is that Ekko survives but he does.

You are left wondering where the story goes next and if Marc will return but the final pages state that Marc Dane will return so the saga isn't done yet.
Profile Image for DAN BOULTON.
9 reviews
February 28, 2023
I have absolutely loved all 6 of the Marc Dane series. However Outlaw has been the best of the bunch. I really liked the way it tied the previous 5 books together. It was also great to see the relationship between Marc and Lucy develop further. Even though you can read this without reading the other books first, I would suggest you read them in order. Each of the 6 books i couldn’t put down. I really hope James Swallow continues the story and we get to see where the Rubicon Group go next.
112 reviews
April 26, 2022
Marc Dane is back! Another high octane adventure with the techie turned field operative. The team, Lucy and co, are back too - and although this book would stand alone I enjoyed knowing the back history since Book 1… and time for a bit of romance too! Yay! Looking forward to book 7 already. These books are crying out to be filmed.
Profile Image for Vicky Hughes.
309 reviews11 followers
January 15, 2022
Lots of loose ends get tied up in this book, could it be the last in the Marc Dane series? I really hope not. The action is relentless and remains multinational. A James Bond for the techie times we live in.
Profile Image for Terry Simpson.
132 reviews3 followers
January 29, 2022
The recovery begins

This book is up to the usual standard from Swallow this time as a rebuild. Rubicon was wrecked but Dane grabs the bull by the horns and pursues the Combine. Not much to add other than spoilers.
Profile Image for Nicolaas Bergman.
97 reviews
July 15, 2022
Fantastic
I must admit this was by far the best book from James , the others were good too but wow i enjoyed this book a lot.
This was a true page turner full of action and suspense and if you enjoy action books you wont be disappointed in it and it has a good complot aswell.
184 reviews1 follower
August 30, 2025
long awaited 'Boys Own' story with lots of "with one bound they were free" examples. I'm happy with that in the Marc Dane series but maybe stretching things a bit.
James tells a good story and tends to get me totally hooked by page 2. I'll look for the novella and a bit more enjoyable escapism.
1 review
December 28, 2021
Brilliant

Excellently written book. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Gripping and exciting. Good story which kept you glued. I would recommend this to all my friends.
1 review
January 1, 2022
Book 7

Great read, hard to put down, gripping action packed book finalising the demise of the combine. Hopefully not the last in the series??
142 reviews3 followers
January 26, 2022
Another great Marc Dane book. Love the team and the way they relate. Tension and action dominate with lots of locations and twists.
Profile Image for Andrew.
64 reviews3 followers
April 25, 2022
Just another great nail biting romp through international terrorists - great beach read. Definitely macho stuff and keeps you turning the pages.
6 reviews
May 24, 2022
Another no holes barred romp across the globe. I've loved these books and look forward to what peril Mr Dane and the Rubicon team will find himself in next time
Profile Image for Paz Parsnip.
48 reviews
June 21, 2022
Nowhere near as good as first four books

Marc Dane will be back, but not sure if I will
15 reviews
March 19, 2023
Superb

Great storytelling and characters that are addictive .. Ian Fleming would enjoy this .. can see this on the big screen
Profile Image for Gerard Hulsebos.
213 reviews2 followers
June 15, 2023
I liked Nomad very much , the next Marc Dane stories were entertaining enough, this last one a bit predictable and at parts a bit boring
28 reviews
July 18, 2023
Outlaw is awesome.

Gripping, tense, moving. The twists and turns in this episode are exciting and induce interest and intrigue. A great read.
Profile Image for Lachlan Clark.
38 reviews
March 28, 2024
Wrapped a bit quick considering this moment had been coming for 5 novels, but was still a good finale for the team.
589 reviews6 followers
June 18, 2025
Great series, great book. Waiting for the next one.
Profile Image for Simon Scholfield.
20 reviews
December 9, 2025
Outlaw, the latest in James Swallow’s excellent 6 book series did not fail to disappoint ! It was as fast paced and constructed as the previous books.
Profile Image for Ross.
74 reviews
January 18, 2022
The Marc Dane novels are my current guilty pleasure series. As usual James Swallow product is well written and plotted with exciting set pieces and a couple of surprises. The most impressive feat is the tying up of loose plot threads from the five previous books which I had not realised were left hanging.
This book picks up after the events of "Rogue" and finds Dane and the remnants of the Rubicon group attempting to run a more guerrilla style investigation to stop the Combine's end game. Things do not look too good until a ghost from the past re-emerges.
Profile Image for David Kolář.
1 review
July 20, 2024
Update: I finished this book just one day before the Windows outage. So VERY EPIC!!!!
And kind of mhmmmmmmm🤔🤔
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews

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