What do you think?
Rate this book
David Trevellyan #2
Die Twice
“Modern noir at its best…Here’s hoping Grant is hard at work on the next installment featuring his thoroughly compelling tough guy hero, David Trevellyan.” —Jeffery Deaver, on Even In his gritty, action-packed debut, Even , Andrew Grant introduced readers to David Trevellyan, a James Bond for the twentyfirst century. Now, Trevellyan returns in Grant’s latest, a fastpaced, modern thriller fueled by adrenaline and revenge. Obliged to leave New York City in the aftermath of his previous mission, David Trevellyan is summoned to the British Consulate in Chicago. To the same office where, just a week before, his new handler was attacked and shot by a Royal Navy Intelligence operative gone bad. Assigned the job of finding the rogue agent and putting an end to his treacherous scheme, Trevellyan soon finds that once again, his only hopes of saving countless innocent lives lie not within the system, but in his own instincts and skills. Trust is an illusion—trust the wrong person, and it could get you killed. Drawing comparisons to Robert Ludlum, and his own brother, Lee Child, Andrew Grant’s remarkably seasoned voice cuts a new path through the crime thriller genre, continuing to test the limits in this groundbreaking new series.
291 pages, Hardcover
First published May 11, 2010
49 people are currently reading
399 people want to read
About the author
Andrew Grant
13 books406 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Andrew Grant (born 1968, Birmingham, England) is the younger brother of bestselling thriller writer Lee Child. After graduating from the University of Sheffield, where he studied Drama and English Literature, Grant founded a theatre company that produced original material, culminating with a critically successful appearance at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Grant remained in Sheffield after graduating from university but now lives with his wife, the novelist Tasha Alexander, on a nature preserve in Wyoming.
Series:
* David Trevellyan
Andrew Grant (born 1968, Birmingham, England) is the younger brother of bestselling thriller writer Lee Child. After graduating from the University of Sheffield, where he studied Drama and English Literature, Grant founded a theatre company that produced original material, culminating with a critically successful appearance at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Grant remained in Sheffield after graduating from university but now lives with his wife, the novelist Tasha Alexander, on a nature preserve in Wyoming.
Series:
* David Trevellyan
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews
November 19, 2014
I didn't really like the first book in this series but I thought there was potential so I read the second book as well. Unfortunately that was a bad decision.
The story was rather ridiculous and peppered with wooden dialogue between interchangeable characters. Not that there were many characters, apart from a bunch of bad guys. Literally only five characters had a name. The "surprising" plot twist at the was so obvious from page one, that it wouldn't have made any difference if the guy just had "surprise bad guy" tattooed on his forehead.
The story was rather ridiculous and peppered with wooden dialogue between interchangeable characters. Not that there were many characters, apart from a bunch of bad guys. Literally only five characters had a name. The "surprising" plot twist at the was so obvious from page one, that it wouldn't have made any difference if the guy just had "surprise bad guy" tattooed on his forehead.
July 16, 2012
It wasn't a good start that I couldn't EVEN remember a single plot point from Andrew Grant's first novel featuring Royal Navy Intelligence op David Trevellyan. This second adventure has been even less memorable. In fact, what plot there is here seems silly--too silly for a James Bond movie, which Grant seems desperate to imitate. His device of opening each new chapter with the hero's reflections about his days in training or a nugget of wisdom gleaned from a previous assignment--well, it got tiresome. Just for fun, I kept a running body count and ended up with 12 corpses produced by Trevelyan and another five attributed to the supposedly clever traitor in the story, the guy who deserves to DIE TWICE ("killing him once just isn't enough"). My next, unexpected, reaction was total indignation. What the frak is the Royal Navy doing littering the Chicago area with dead people and not even informing Homeland Security about their lamebrained mission?!! Okay, Grant is writing about a counter-intelligence world where just about anyone can be "surplus to needs," but it's a tough sell having a hero as bang-bang mechanical and dull as Commander Trevellyan. He, truly, has "no remorse--none at all." His decisions aren't moral or patriotic ones, they're "just another example of cost versus benefit." Little brother of Jim Grant (a.k.a. "Lee Child") or not, I'm not cutting the guy enough slack to read another installment...
February 7, 2022
While this was a pretty good thriller, not a very good mystery. By about a quarter way through I thought I had it figured out. There were just too many clues. I hope his next is better, but I don’t think I will be wasting my time reading it. I only hope Andrew Grant, ie Andrew Child, isn’t taking over the role of his older brother in continuing the Jack Reacher books.
One last thought, I see the title now, the book was Dead on Arrival and Died again at The End.
One last thought, I see the title now, the book was Dead on Arrival and Died again at The End.
August 20, 2023
David Trevellyan goes from New York City to Chicago to find a rogue agent. I came out of this thinking maybe we should all trust British intelligence a lot less.
July 8, 2015
I started ‘Die Twice’ with high hopes. I usually enjoy books like this. Three of my favorite authors are Vince Flynn, Brad Thor and David Baldacci. This novel is not even close. I cant recall the last time I hoped for so much and go so little.
To me, it almost felt like this was a book written by a kid for other kids.
The only good thing is the fact it was a pretty fast-moving book. That, however, didn’t save it. I read 200 of the 299 pages and could not take anymore. I gave up.
There were so many things in this story that were childish, silly and not believable that I‘m not even sure where to begin.
The main characters, Treyvallan, Trayvallyn or whatever his name is is ex Royal Navy. Yet, he uses no military lingo or jargon. Not bogey, not HVT, not hot zone. Nothing. His ‘contact’ is Richard Fothergill. Fothergill is supposedly a spy or spook or something in intel…but we’re never told what agency or what his title is other than ‘liaison.’ These 2 people, Treyvallyn and Feathers-whatever work together. Yet, there is no chain of command. No use of title or rank. He’s not Captain Treyvallyn, Major Treyvalleyn. Instead, he’s David.
In one scene, the hero of the book, Tremayne or whatever his name is, drives from Chicago to Gary, IN. There’s a warehouse there where supposedly some very dangerous weapons are being stored. Trevaylln is on stakeout, waiting for the mean tough scary bad guys to come out. He sits there all evening, through the night, through sunrise. Nothing. Finally, after 10 hours with terrorists in possession of dangerous weapons, Tremayne decided to go into the warehouse. Why he waited 10 hours I don’t know. And how does the elite Navy guy, well-trained with high skills, infil the warehouse? He picks up a brick and smashes the padlock.
I also find it implausible. Bad guys are in Chicago possessing a nerve agent that can kill millions. However, Tremane and Father Feathers don’t share this info with the US govt. They also seek help from “London” but no help comes. 1) I’d like to think if England, an ally, knew about a coming attack on US soil, they’d share that info. 2) I found it funny how Feather Father contacts his HQ’s in London, yet never says the name of the agency he works for or who he spoke with. It’s always ‘I just got off the phone with London.’
Writing style. Granted, someone’s style is subjective but I had 2 main issues with Mr. Grant’s style.
He starts each chapter with a ‘flashback,’ usually of the main character in training, other times to childhood. At first, I thought that was pretty clever. However, it quickly became tedious and boring, especially when it drastically slowed the pace of the novel. For example, in one part, the bad guys escape. They’ve got really bad weapons with them and they’re heading toward Chicago. Oooh, good stuff. Scary. Chapter ends. Quick, turn the page!!! The next chapter begins with Travalleyn thinking back to childhood when he’s visited by two aunts from Ireland. Huh???
Secondly, Mr. Grant appears to be the king of the sentence fragment. I’m not an English teacher and sure, sometimes you need to write like that to make a powerful point. However, it was annoying. Frustrating. The book slowed. To a crawl. To a snail’s pace. The pace awkward. Slowed down. Drastically. (see what I did there.)
Also, it was pretty obvious from the second chapter who was behind it. The fact that it was so obvious to me (and others based on their review) and not obvious to the highly trained, extremely brilliant protagonist was laughable. It was also obvious who the bad guy was simply because only about 5 characters are given names and by page 130, 3 of them are dead. The only 2 characters with names still alive are the main character and _____.
As I said earlier, I really wanted to like this book. I really tried to like this book. But it was about as enjoyable as a trip to the dentist.
To me, it almost felt like this was a book written by a kid for other kids.
The only good thing is the fact it was a pretty fast-moving book. That, however, didn’t save it. I read 200 of the 299 pages and could not take anymore. I gave up.
There were so many things in this story that were childish, silly and not believable that I‘m not even sure where to begin.
The main characters, Treyvallan, Trayvallyn or whatever his name is is ex Royal Navy. Yet, he uses no military lingo or jargon. Not bogey, not HVT, not hot zone. Nothing. His ‘contact’ is Richard Fothergill. Fothergill is supposedly a spy or spook or something in intel…but we’re never told what agency or what his title is other than ‘liaison.’ These 2 people, Treyvallyn and Feathers-whatever work together. Yet, there is no chain of command. No use of title or rank. He’s not Captain Treyvallyn, Major Treyvalleyn. Instead, he’s David.
In one scene, the hero of the book, Tremayne or whatever his name is, drives from Chicago to Gary, IN. There’s a warehouse there where supposedly some very dangerous weapons are being stored. Trevaylln is on stakeout, waiting for the mean tough scary bad guys to come out. He sits there all evening, through the night, through sunrise. Nothing. Finally, after 10 hours with terrorists in possession of dangerous weapons, Tremayne decided to go into the warehouse. Why he waited 10 hours I don’t know. And how does the elite Navy guy, well-trained with high skills, infil the warehouse? He picks up a brick and smashes the padlock.
I also find it implausible. Bad guys are in Chicago possessing a nerve agent that can kill millions. However, Tremane and Father Feathers don’t share this info with the US govt. They also seek help from “London” but no help comes. 1) I’d like to think if England, an ally, knew about a coming attack on US soil, they’d share that info. 2) I found it funny how Feather Father contacts his HQ’s in London, yet never says the name of the agency he works for or who he spoke with. It’s always ‘I just got off the phone with London.’
Writing style. Granted, someone’s style is subjective but I had 2 main issues with Mr. Grant’s style.
He starts each chapter with a ‘flashback,’ usually of the main character in training, other times to childhood. At first, I thought that was pretty clever. However, it quickly became tedious and boring, especially when it drastically slowed the pace of the novel. For example, in one part, the bad guys escape. They’ve got really bad weapons with them and they’re heading toward Chicago. Oooh, good stuff. Scary. Chapter ends. Quick, turn the page!!! The next chapter begins with Travalleyn thinking back to childhood when he’s visited by two aunts from Ireland. Huh???
Secondly, Mr. Grant appears to be the king of the sentence fragment. I’m not an English teacher and sure, sometimes you need to write like that to make a powerful point. However, it was annoying. Frustrating. The book slowed. To a crawl. To a snail’s pace. The pace awkward. Slowed down. Drastically. (see what I did there.)
Also, it was pretty obvious from the second chapter who was behind it. The fact that it was so obvious to me (and others based on their review) and not obvious to the highly trained, extremely brilliant protagonist was laughable. It was also obvious who the bad guy was simply because only about 5 characters are given names and by page 130, 3 of them are dead. The only 2 characters with names still alive are the main character and _____.
As I said earlier, I really wanted to like this book. I really tried to like this book. But it was about as enjoyable as a trip to the dentist.
June 4, 2022
This is the eighth volume I have read by Andrew Grant, I have read the two he wrote with his brother Lee Child, published under the name Andrew Child. And prior to this I have read one in each of his series, and his single standalone novel. I believe he has 9 books published under the name Andrew Grant, and two contributions to anthologies. He has also contributed to one anthology as Andrew Child. I am currently reading his series sequentially. I have read the first in each series, and this is the first series that I have read book two from. There was previously a Kindle edition but I can no longer find in from either the US or UK imprints.
I stated previously that “if I had not known that Andrew Grant was Andrew Child and had read this story, I would have stated that it reminded me a lot of the Reacher novels. Except this time David Trevellyan if still active duty for the Royal Navy and home office. But his style, panache, and focus are similar to Reacher’s.” The story begins almost immediately after Even. At the beginning David expects he is on his way home to England. But he is stopped and redirected to Chicago. He reminds a superior that they never work on the same continent back to back. But he is overridden. He ends up being tasked with tracking down a fellow rogue agent, and some missing chemical weapons. But all is not as it appears. And our own suspicions are likely to trigger shortly before David’s about what might really be happening. Part of the description of this book states:
“Obliged to leave New York City in the aftermath of his previous mission, David Trevellyan is summoned to the British Consulate in Chicago. To the same office where, just a week before, his new handler was attacked and shot by a Royal Navy Intelligence operative gone bad. Assigned the job of finding the rogue agent and putting an end to his treacherous scheme, Trevellyan soon finds that once again, his only hopes of saving countless innocent lives lie not within the system, but in his own instincts and skills. Trust is an illusion—trust the wrong person, and it could get you killed.”
This story has a lot of action, some significant risk, And something that is just off. David must navigate a new city, coordinate with a new liaison office, a former field agent, and prevent some very dangerous chemicals from being used on foreign or locally on American soil.
Many readers would make comparisons to Reacher, If I was push to, I would say it is a more polite and subtle version of Reacher. More akin to Reacher’s nephew in Diane Capri’s Hunt for Reacher novels. David Trevellyan does not lack strength, skills or smarts. In fact he might be off the chart for skills and smarts. He also is a little short on empathy, but that is what makes him so good at what he does. He has a job and he will do it to the best of his ability, or die trying.
This story was a good read. I have now picked up all of Grant’s works, and plan on about 1 a week until I have finished them. If you want a good crime thriller with great action this is a book for you. I am certain fans of Reacher, Bourne, Jack Ryan, And Jason Bourne would appreciate David and how he gets the job done. As I have read several of the volumes published under the name Andrew Grant, I can only hope that he returns to some of the characters and series he started before he started co-writing the Reacher novels with his brother. All the books published as Andrew Grant predate that collaboration. A highly entertaining read.
I stated previously that “if I had not known that Andrew Grant was Andrew Child and had read this story, I would have stated that it reminded me a lot of the Reacher novels. Except this time David Trevellyan if still active duty for the Royal Navy and home office. But his style, panache, and focus are similar to Reacher’s.” The story begins almost immediately after Even. At the beginning David expects he is on his way home to England. But he is stopped and redirected to Chicago. He reminds a superior that they never work on the same continent back to back. But he is overridden. He ends up being tasked with tracking down a fellow rogue agent, and some missing chemical weapons. But all is not as it appears. And our own suspicions are likely to trigger shortly before David’s about what might really be happening. Part of the description of this book states:
“Obliged to leave New York City in the aftermath of his previous mission, David Trevellyan is summoned to the British Consulate in Chicago. To the same office where, just a week before, his new handler was attacked and shot by a Royal Navy Intelligence operative gone bad. Assigned the job of finding the rogue agent and putting an end to his treacherous scheme, Trevellyan soon finds that once again, his only hopes of saving countless innocent lives lie not within the system, but in his own instincts and skills. Trust is an illusion—trust the wrong person, and it could get you killed.”
This story has a lot of action, some significant risk, And something that is just off. David must navigate a new city, coordinate with a new liaison office, a former field agent, and prevent some very dangerous chemicals from being used on foreign or locally on American soil.
Many readers would make comparisons to Reacher, If I was push to, I would say it is a more polite and subtle version of Reacher. More akin to Reacher’s nephew in Diane Capri’s Hunt for Reacher novels. David Trevellyan does not lack strength, skills or smarts. In fact he might be off the chart for skills and smarts. He also is a little short on empathy, but that is what makes him so good at what he does. He has a job and he will do it to the best of his ability, or die trying.
This story was a good read. I have now picked up all of Grant’s works, and plan on about 1 a week until I have finished them. If you want a good crime thriller with great action this is a book for you. I am certain fans of Reacher, Bourne, Jack Ryan, And Jason Bourne would appreciate David and how he gets the job done. As I have read several of the volumes published under the name Andrew Grant, I can only hope that he returns to some of the characters and series he started before he started co-writing the Reacher novels with his brother. All the books published as Andrew Grant predate that collaboration. A highly entertaining read.
June 5, 2011
Cooler than Bond. Deadlier than Bourne.
Obliged to leave New York City in the aftermath of his previous mission, David Trevellyan is summoned to the British Consulate in Chicago. To the same office where, just a week before, his new handler was attacked and shot by a Royal Navy Intelligence operative gone bad. Assigned the task of finding the rogue agent, and putting an end to his treacherous scheme, Trevellyan soon finds that once again his only hope of saving countless innocence lives lies not within the system, but in his instinctive believe – you’re bound to do what’s right, whatever the personal cost may be.
Although the second Lt. Cmdr.David Trevellyan adventure, Die Twice serves as my introduction to the world of spies, double-cross and intrigue through the eyes of the British Naval Officer – and a very interesting world it is too!
A highly enjoyable read, Trevellyan is an interesting character. He doesn’t suffer fools gladly, carries emotional baggage from a previous relationship and although part of a continuing series, I never once felt short changed for not having read the first title Even.
I couldn’t help but compare Trevellyan to the fictional character – although I know a lot of people believe he’s really out there yours truly included – Jack Bauer, a Counter Terrorist Unit agent, played by Kiefer Sutherland in Fox’s 24. The main difference …. Trevellyan gets to change his clothes, take long hot showers and manages to eat – apart from that they could be long lost twins!
Leaving an enviable body count along the way there’s no shortage of action in this summer blockbuster and with an impressive plot line the book is an incredibly quick read. Having said that, and this is being hyper critical, I felt the storyline lacked a certain je ne sais quoi - but I can’t quite put my hand on it – I really am being incredibly picky. This certainly doesn’t detract from a highly enjoyable adventure, I wanted it to go down a different route two thirds in and it didn’t! I’m certainly not going to hold that against Andrew Grant!
Full review on my blog:- http://www.milorambles.com/2011/05/31...
Obliged to leave New York City in the aftermath of his previous mission, David Trevellyan is summoned to the British Consulate in Chicago. To the same office where, just a week before, his new handler was attacked and shot by a Royal Navy Intelligence operative gone bad. Assigned the task of finding the rogue agent, and putting an end to his treacherous scheme, Trevellyan soon finds that once again his only hope of saving countless innocence lives lies not within the system, but in his instinctive believe – you’re bound to do what’s right, whatever the personal cost may be.
Although the second Lt. Cmdr.David Trevellyan adventure, Die Twice serves as my introduction to the world of spies, double-cross and intrigue through the eyes of the British Naval Officer – and a very interesting world it is too!
A highly enjoyable read, Trevellyan is an interesting character. He doesn’t suffer fools gladly, carries emotional baggage from a previous relationship and although part of a continuing series, I never once felt short changed for not having read the first title Even.
I couldn’t help but compare Trevellyan to the fictional character – although I know a lot of people believe he’s really out there yours truly included – Jack Bauer, a Counter Terrorist Unit agent, played by Kiefer Sutherland in Fox’s 24. The main difference …. Trevellyan gets to change his clothes, take long hot showers and manages to eat – apart from that they could be long lost twins!
Leaving an enviable body count along the way there’s no shortage of action in this summer blockbuster and with an impressive plot line the book is an incredibly quick read. Having said that, and this is being hyper critical, I felt the storyline lacked a certain je ne sais quoi - but I can’t quite put my hand on it – I really am being incredibly picky. This certainly doesn’t detract from a highly enjoyable adventure, I wanted it to go down a different route two thirds in and it didn’t! I’m certainly not going to hold that against Andrew Grant!
Full review on my blog:- http://www.milorambles.com/2011/05/31...
October 20, 2014
I loved his fist book in the series...this one? Not so much
August 8, 2019
Fresh off his self-therapeutic break (following the events of Even) to avenge the death of a colleague for whom he had unprofessional feelings, British Navy intelligence agent David Trevellyan is reassigned to help the Chicago consulate catch the rogue operative who recently traded bullets with Trevellyan's new handler. Tony McIntyre has gotten mixed up with black market arms deals, and now he has brought a canister of something hideous to the Windy City, with the apparent intention of selling it to at least one side in a small African nation's next civil war. Every time Trevellyan thinks he has McIntyre where he wants them, however, somebody either hits him over the head, or blows something up nearby, or crashes a car into his handler's vehicle, etc.
My father and I both enjoyed reading early chapters of this book together, aloud, during a short road trip. By the end of that excerpt, however, I was already starting to detect something fishy. I didn't know if it was a flaw in Andrew Grant's pacing as a writer of dialogue, or whether I should be suspicious that Trevellyan was being had. I am happy to report that those suspicions were on target, and that it led (if possible) to an even tougher, tighter, brusquely violent conclusion than the previous book. In the middle, there were loads of gripping action, suitably complex spy-vs.-spy intrigue, some sky-scraping suspense and, of course, opportunities to appreciate the special skills of a guy whose entire upbringing (as he feels free to tell us, little by little, throughout the book) make him really well suited to this kind of work.
Trevellyan is pretty much Jack Reacher with a British accent, albeit a little chattier and more given to making witty quips. He isn't a big fan of traitors to the service, either. No surprise, then, that Lee Child of Jack Reacher fame is Andrew Grant's older brother, as I may have mentioned once before. What I might not have noted is that Grant's wife is also an author – Tasha Alexander, whose "Lady Emily" mysteries run to 16 books. Hmm. I may never get out of this "reading books by authors who are related to other authors" business. Anyway, for more about Trevellyan, you'll have to settle for the third and (since 2012) latest book, More Harm Than Good. But Grant is also the author of at least six other novels, including two other series and the standalone thriller Run.
My father and I both enjoyed reading early chapters of this book together, aloud, during a short road trip. By the end of that excerpt, however, I was already starting to detect something fishy. I didn't know if it was a flaw in Andrew Grant's pacing as a writer of dialogue, or whether I should be suspicious that Trevellyan was being had. I am happy to report that those suspicions were on target, and that it led (if possible) to an even tougher, tighter, brusquely violent conclusion than the previous book. In the middle, there were loads of gripping action, suitably complex spy-vs.-spy intrigue, some sky-scraping suspense and, of course, opportunities to appreciate the special skills of a guy whose entire upbringing (as he feels free to tell us, little by little, throughout the book) make him really well suited to this kind of work.
Trevellyan is pretty much Jack Reacher with a British accent, albeit a little chattier and more given to making witty quips. He isn't a big fan of traitors to the service, either. No surprise, then, that Lee Child of Jack Reacher fame is Andrew Grant's older brother, as I may have mentioned once before. What I might not have noted is that Grant's wife is also an author – Tasha Alexander, whose "Lady Emily" mysteries run to 16 books. Hmm. I may never get out of this "reading books by authors who are related to other authors" business. Anyway, for more about Trevellyan, you'll have to settle for the third and (since 2012) latest book, More Harm Than Good. But Grant is also the author of at least six other novels, including two other series and the standalone thriller Run.
October 17, 2025
Imagine if you will an episode of a beloved television show-- let's say Star Trek-- except Captain Kirk is played by the diminuative Billy Barty. Or perhaps Bonanza, but Wally Cox plays Hoss.
That's what happens when you let a mediocre writer take the helm and continue writing a series you enjoy. This is why the Jack Reacher novels have been going south for a number of the Reacher novels.
But, hey, you might be saying-- this review isn't about a Jack Reacher novel... Well, since Grant has stepped in to assist with the Reacher series-- it really sort of is. Add that insult to the reader's injury-- this character is something of a poor imitation of Reacher, without the depth of character that Child developed in the earlier Reacher novels. In fact, in one scene he uses one of Reacher's standard combat moves. He tries to think like Reacher-- but the author fails to make him seem nearly as clever. So, this pale imitation is so thin and transparent as to be difficult to read.
Further, the author decides to start each chapter with a lecture... something along the lines of "When I was in training, they taught us to _________________ in order to ____________. " Not a sentence, but several paragraphs. Or "My parents always said ________________, but I ____________." Or, "I've learned over the years to always ________________." These asides are burdensome and after the first few just outright annoying-- slowing the pacing of the novel.
Finally, it's just plain obvious from the beginning. The final chapter "reveal" only shows what the reader has known pretty much from the beginning, but I won't spoil it for you. I'll leave it to the author to do that.
I usually pass on my books to others who I think will enjoy them. If I can't fit a fellow reader to a book I donate it to the local Thrift store. My reader friends and family won't see this copy. Furthermore, I won't even donate it-- because I cannot picture any other reader feeling compelled to obtain his money's worth, because this one is pretty close to worthless. So, into the trash can where it belongs.
If I wasn't clear enough.. this one is pretty much a stinker! One of the worst spy novels I've ever read.
That's what happens when you let a mediocre writer take the helm and continue writing a series you enjoy. This is why the Jack Reacher novels have been going south for a number of the Reacher novels.
But, hey, you might be saying-- this review isn't about a Jack Reacher novel... Well, since Grant has stepped in to assist with the Reacher series-- it really sort of is. Add that insult to the reader's injury-- this character is something of a poor imitation of Reacher, without the depth of character that Child developed in the earlier Reacher novels. In fact, in one scene he uses one of Reacher's standard combat moves. He tries to think like Reacher-- but the author fails to make him seem nearly as clever. So, this pale imitation is so thin and transparent as to be difficult to read.
Further, the author decides to start each chapter with a lecture... something along the lines of "When I was in training, they taught us to _________________ in order to ____________. " Not a sentence, but several paragraphs. Or "My parents always said ________________, but I ____________." Or, "I've learned over the years to always ________________." These asides are burdensome and after the first few just outright annoying-- slowing the pacing of the novel.
Finally, it's just plain obvious from the beginning. The final chapter "reveal" only shows what the reader has known pretty much from the beginning, but I won't spoil it for you. I'll leave it to the author to do that.
I usually pass on my books to others who I think will enjoy them. If I can't fit a fellow reader to a book I donate it to the local Thrift store. My reader friends and family won't see this copy. Furthermore, I won't even donate it-- because I cannot picture any other reader feeling compelled to obtain his money's worth, because this one is pretty close to worthless. So, into the trash can where it belongs.
If I wasn't clear enough.. this one is pretty much a stinker! One of the worst spy novels I've ever read.
April 11, 2021
Well, that was confusing. The plot reminded me of an Escher print called Relativity. The one with upside down staircases going nowhere. The story just kept changing direction and the protagonist, British Navy Intelligence agent David Trevellyan, ran into one blank wall after another. The body count was extremely high. Not too many people survived an encounter with Trevellyan. The book picks up shortly after Even - the first entry in this series. Trevellyan has left a lot of dead bodies in New York City and expects to return to London. But he is instead ordered to Chicago. It appears that one of their own has turned traitor and needs to be put down. The rogue agent has some poisonous gas that he is willing to sell to the highest bidder. And there is more than one party interested in this lethal weapon. The author definitely has talent but it seemed like he was trying to put too much content into this book. The result was less than satisfying.
March 23, 2021
David met this older guy Richard who was shot in his office by his formal coworker. Now he was told that he has to catch a guy who is selling poison gas for terrorist purpose.
Come on.
How could David not verify that with his agency? And rely on a person he just met? He was attack by thugs and of course run around in circle.
It is so obvious that he should not have trusted the old guy. Should have got allies in the team as it is always the team that one could trust when one doing dangerous field work.
The action part is okay. I like the thinking back in training part too. Too bad that it is not that logical that David didn't realize the betray.
This is the second in the series.
Come on.
How could David not verify that with his agency? And rely on a person he just met? He was attack by thugs and of course run around in circle.
It is so obvious that he should not have trusted the old guy. Should have got allies in the team as it is always the team that one could trust when one doing dangerous field work.
The action part is okay. I like the thinking back in training part too. Too bad that it is not that logical that David didn't realize the betray.
This is the second in the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 29, 2022
Frankly, I only finished this because my son bought me it as a birthday present. It was turgid, without any redeeming qualities.
Characters were so two dimensional you couldn’t stand them up. The only thing more paper thin was the plot. Why bother with twists and turns when it’s obvious right from the start who’s the bad guy?
I can’t believe this is a series.
I’ve always thought I’d struggle to write a book, I love them but doubted my ability. After reading this, I know I could do a better job than it.
Seriously, I’m struggling with the idea of donating this to the charity shop, why would I want to inflict it on someone else?
Characters were so two dimensional you couldn’t stand them up. The only thing more paper thin was the plot. Why bother with twists and turns when it’s obvious right from the start who’s the bad guy?
I can’t believe this is a series.
I’ve always thought I’d struggle to write a book, I love them but doubted my ability. After reading this, I know I could do a better job than it.
Seriously, I’m struggling with the idea of donating this to the charity shop, why would I want to inflict it on someone else?
July 18, 2017
I am trying to figure out who died twice in the novel. The main character never followed protocol. Even though his superior was crooked in the novel, the need to stand down and change plans was not adhered to. If London is a real city, why did the African country have to be made up? The whole concept of trying to intercept canisters of poison gas that were in the U.S. but destined to do damage in Africa was difficult to understand. How good was David that he found the only empty warehouse in Gary, Indiana based on a whim? Unbelievable.
June 21, 2020
Read a long time ago and this is the book that scares me that Grant will be taking over Reacher.
This is so badly written, shallow, trite.
An example - the full description of the 'baddies' is that they are African.
South African?
Somail?
Egyptian?
Nigerian?
Motivation apart from being cardboard baddies?
This is so badly written, shallow, trite.
An example - the full description of the 'baddies' is that they are African.
South African?
Somail?
Egyptian?
Nigerian?
Motivation apart from being cardboard baddies?
October 26, 2020
I am reading his works in preparation for him taking over for his brother, Lee Child. I did not like this as much as his first book, but I got through it. Like many books these days, it could have been 50 pages shorter. It was a good story, kept my interest, but it only had a few characters of consquence.
April 1, 2021
What carries the slightly predictable plot is the clever narrative of the main character and the pace of the story. David Trevellan’s reminiscences at the beginning of each chapter are an interesting addition that adds enjoyable context. And his tongue in cheek commentary make for a really enjoyable read. Much like Jack Reacher, you really want to know more.
February 24, 2026
I believe this is the first Andrew Grant novel that I have read but have read several Jack Reacher books that he co-authored with his brother. This story was a mixed bag as there were parts that kept you interested and others that really dragged. It certainly had a British feel to it and of course free from the local public library.
February 6, 2020
The first book (Even) was just OK. Die Twice stepped-up a notch in readability and was a better organized and plotted novel. My problem is I'll compare this and other Andrew Grant books with the Lee Child books, and they are world's apart in quality and flow.
December 11, 2021
This book was all over the place. The ending was like a bond movie. “Let me explain the entire plot before you kill me.” Not sure I will read any more Andrew Grant novels. HOPEFULLY he gets this all strsightened out before taking over the Jack Reacher series from his brother.
March 31, 2022
Not well written. About a third of the way through the book, I had figured out the actual bad guy. Mr. Grant needs to figure out how to end a book, instead of these cliff hangers. He is not a good enough writer to drawn readers back to the next book.
March 12, 2024
This was pretty good, held my interest. But the tone wasn't the same as in Trevellyan #1, Even, truly a Jack Reacher tone. Our hero just executes a lot of guys in cold blood. Bad guys, but still. Also, he just overcomes them, not with the details that make Reacher so riveting.
January 13, 2025
Rated 5/10 A follow on from his first novel "Even". Not really up to the same standard. You kind of new where it was headed a third of the way through so kind of made a large part of the story pointless and somewhat to convoluted. Not a great read.
January 19, 2025
I enjoyed the book and the further adventures of David Trevellyan.
enjoyed the tour of dowtown Chicago.
AG ( and David T.) would do well to learn from Leroy Jethro Gibbs rules( of tv's NCIS)- #9 :Always carry a knife....would be helpful in several of Davids scrapes.
enjoyed the tour of dowtown Chicago.
AG ( and David T.) would do well to learn from Leroy Jethro Gibbs rules( of tv's NCIS)- #9 :Always carry a knife....would be helpful in several of Davids scrapes.
June 15, 2018
I’ve read the first of the David Trevellyan books (Even), while I think I enjoyed it (I gave it 3 stars), I could only remember bits and pieces of it. This book starts not soon after the first and I had trouble trying to remember what happened at the end of the last book, but after that initial part the action gets started.
Trevellyan, an ex-Royal Navy officer now turned British Intelligence spy (like another famous spy…), after the events of the first book, is transferred to the British Consulate in Chicago, and immediately finds himself thrust into a new case. The head of intelligence at the consulate has been attacked by a former agent turned rogue. Trevellyan’s new boss wants him to find this agent and the chemical weapons he’s stolen. This throws Trevellyan into a conspiracy involving mercenaries, rogue agents, traitors and chemical weapons.
Trevellyan, compared to other similar spy characters, he is more light-hearted, more likely to crack a sarcastic joke, not weighted down by some tragic backstory like character in similar books, and I find him an enjoyable character to read. The writing is fast paced and filled with action. Gun fights, chases, ambushes and meaty hand to hand combat are all there, and the style of writing makes it exciting and fun to read. While not particularly the most original story ever (I guessed who the villain of the piece was before halfway through, I think anyone whose read these types of books before will guess it right as well), while this ruins some of the fun being that predictable the story is good enough to match up with the decent action scenes to make it a better book.
There’s some odd decisions the author did through the book, like leading up to what you think will be a good action set piece, then jumping the story to straight after and then talking about what happened. But along with the common trope of the plot, was not really enough to effect how much I enjoyed it.
To fans of action style thrillers, the David Trevellyan books are good choice, not as serious as some, or as outrageous as others, it provides a less dour character than many other books have, with a fair amount of action in it.
While I can say I enjoyed it, I think I will have the same problem when I finally get round to reading the next one, I would have probably forgotten big chunks with it. I good read, but not one that stays on the mind.
Trevellyan, an ex-Royal Navy officer now turned British Intelligence spy (like another famous spy…), after the events of the first book, is transferred to the British Consulate in Chicago, and immediately finds himself thrust into a new case. The head of intelligence at the consulate has been attacked by a former agent turned rogue. Trevellyan’s new boss wants him to find this agent and the chemical weapons he’s stolen. This throws Trevellyan into a conspiracy involving mercenaries, rogue agents, traitors and chemical weapons.
Trevellyan, compared to other similar spy characters, he is more light-hearted, more likely to crack a sarcastic joke, not weighted down by some tragic backstory like character in similar books, and I find him an enjoyable character to read. The writing is fast paced and filled with action. Gun fights, chases, ambushes and meaty hand to hand combat are all there, and the style of writing makes it exciting and fun to read. While not particularly the most original story ever (I guessed who the villain of the piece was before halfway through, I think anyone whose read these types of books before will guess it right as well), while this ruins some of the fun being that predictable the story is good enough to match up with the decent action scenes to make it a better book.
There’s some odd decisions the author did through the book, like leading up to what you think will be a good action set piece, then jumping the story to straight after and then talking about what happened. But along with the common trope of the plot, was not really enough to effect how much I enjoyed it.
To fans of action style thrillers, the David Trevellyan books are good choice, not as serious as some, or as outrageous as others, it provides a less dour character than many other books have, with a fair amount of action in it.
While I can say I enjoyed it, I think I will have the same problem when I finally get round to reading the next one, I would have probably forgotten big chunks with it. I good read, but not one that stays on the mind.
August 26, 2018
Fast pased and easy to read with a thoroughly plausible storyline.
March 27, 2019
I found the first half slow, even tho lots was happening. Second half did pick up.
December 9, 2019
Boring
This book is not worth reading. The plot is so unbelievable and jumps from one thing to the next. Do not recommend
This book is not worth reading. The plot is so unbelievable and jumps from one thing to the next. Do not recommend
February 4, 2020
Kinda good but I had guessed who was killed pretty early, it was not well hidden which was a shame as it made DT look a bit dim.
June 15, 2020
Excellent follow up to Even!!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews