Between The Lines

Author: Rob Sinclair

Published: May 2014 by Clink Street Publishing

Category: Crime/Mystery/Suspense

Carl Logan was the perfect agent. A loner, with no real friends or family, he was trained to deal with any situation with cold efficiency, devoid of emotion. But Logan isn’t the man he used to be, or the asset he once was.

My thanks to Rob Sinclair for sending me a copy of his book for review purposes. 

Dance With The Enemy introduces Carl Logan, a covert operative for a British/USA Joint Intelligence Agency, who is on medical leave and in recovery after a life changing ordeal. Before his recuperation is complete he’s called in by his boss, Charles McCabe, when US Attorney General Frank Modena is abducted. When Logan learns Youseff Selim, the brutal terrorist who left him for dead five months ago could be involved with the kidnapping, he recognises a chance for revenge as his brief is to rescue Modena. The question is, is Logan ready for this new assignment? Most of the agency members don’t think so, only Mackie, Logan’s boss, is in his corner. Logan himself isn’t totally sure he’s up to this job. His previous assignment has had a profound effect on him, he’s lost the ability to contain and ignore the emotions he was trained to hold in check for the most part of his adult life.

Until five months ago. When everything had changed.

Now he could feel emotions once again. But he was filled with so much angst, anger, regret, shame – so many feelings coming to the fore that he didn’t know how to control. And sometimes he wished he was still the zombie he had been for the last eighteen years – almost half of his life.

As Logan follows the trail which he hopes will lead to Modena and more importantly to Selim, he reluctantly teams up with FBI Agent Angela Grainger. Each is wary of the other and although they are working together, Logan is pursuing his own agenda. It seems he’s not the only one. The deeper Logan and Grainger delve and the more the case evolves and the less straightforward it becomes. The layers of deceit and lies need to be peeled back one by one to find the motives and the real mastermind behind the conspiracy.

The writing is extremely well done and very descriptive with easy, genuine dialogue and realistic scenarios. Carl Logan is an intriguing character, complex and although he is recovering from the physical and mental damage he sustained he has the odd lapse, which makes him more human and realistic. He prefers to work alone and will do whatever it takes to get the job done. He’s circumspect when it comes to his job but has an emotional sensitivity giving his personality a balanced quality. His back story is revealed little by little throughout the story. I like that, although he’s determined and strong-willed, he can be unsure of himself and sensitive at times. 

The action scenes are exciting, tense and cleverly devised. A great cast of characters, Mackie especially and there’s good interaction between him and Logan. The pace is maintained from the beginning with a fast-moving story and the twist at the end is totally unexpected. A strong, dramatic and enjoyable debut novel.