The Orphan Factory by James and Lance Morcan

Description from Goodreads:

"An epic, atmospheric story that begins with twenty three genetically superior orphans being groomed to become elite spies in Chicago's Pedemont Orphanage and concludes with a political assassination deep in the Amazon jungle.

The Orphan Factory, a coming-of-age spy thriller novel, is book two in The Orphan Trilogy and a prequel to The Ninth Orphan. Go on another frenetic journey with the ninth-born orphan as he busts out of the clandestine orphanage he knew as home and goes on the run across America.

In the late 1970's, in Chicago, Illinois, the secretive Omega Agency initiates the Pedemont Project - a radical experiment utilizing genetic engineering technologies - to create twenty three orphan babies with the plan to turn them into the world's most effective assassins.

One of the prodigies will rebel: meet Number Nine, an orphan with a mind of his own.

In 1998, when Nine reaches adulthood and graduates with honors from the Pedemont Orphanage, he is already an adept of the deadly espionage arts. Ordered by his Omega masters to assassinate a survivor of the Jonestown tragedy in Guyana's Amazon rainforest, Nine is forced to draw upon all of his advanced training just to stay alive."

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This is the second book in the trilogy, the second that has had me thoroughly engrossed and entertained and the second that I have been fortunate to have been sent to me by the author in return for an honest and unbiased review.

I won’t go into the ins and outs of the story as it is covered in the description but what I will say is that, like The Ninth Orphan, it is excellent. The plot is well thought out, well paced, exciting and thrilling as well as being different to anything else I have read before. I really enjoyed getting to know more about the beginnings of “Nine” and his fellow orphans - the authors provided small glimpses in the first book but this one put the flesh on the bones.

The characters are believable and interesting, some more likeable than others, but overall well developed from start to finish.

I would most definitely recommend this to lovers of espionage, conspiracy theorists or just people who enjoy a flippin’ good read and I look forward to reading the third in the series.

An OK Début: The Boathouse by R.J. Harries

Book description:

A criminologist seeks revenge for his journalist girlfriend’s murder.
A property tycoon’s wife is kidnapped for an ever-increasing ransom.
Sean Archer must find the Boathouse to solve these seemingly unrelated cases.
But the Boathouse is an off-grid torture facility operated by black-ops mercenaries.

Sean Archer is a self-taught criminologist and profiler who has been obsessed with crime since his parents were found dead when he was fourteen. A computer savant who has developed digital profiling tools that the police have come to depend on, Sean has acquired a reputation for being able to solve crimes that no one else can. But when his own girlfriend, Alex, is brutally murdered while researching an off-grid torture facility called The Boathouse, his brilliant inventions are of no use. Alex has left little for Sean to go on – only a list of names. Then Peter Sinclair, a property billionaire, contacts Sean for help. His wife, Becky, has been kidnapped and will be killed if he goes to the police or doesn’t follow instructions. Sean agrees to help. Not because he wants the case, but because Peter Sinclair was on Alex’s list. When Sean tracks Becky down, she leads him right where he wants to go. Or so he thinks. As he climbs over the wall of the Boathouse, he’s sure he’s just one step from finding Alex’s killers. But Sean is utterly unprepared for this crime and this place. The Boathouse is more heinous, more sinister than anything Sean has ever imagined.

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Pretty good storyline with an interesting cast of characters. Good pace and flow throughout but particularly towards the end.

Lots of detail and description which, at the beginning, seemed a bit too much but was something that was appreciated as the story went on as it put you right at the heart of the action and enabled vivid pictures to grow and develop as you read on.

I would have liked to have been given more background into the main characters, especially Archer. This would have been helpful and would have enhanced my reading experience but as it was, I felt like I'd been thrown into the action without much information or "meat on the bones". To me, this made it come across as though it was the second book in a series and I actually had to check to make sure it wasn't.

Overall though an OK début and opener to a series - if that is the intention - and I would recommend to anyone who enjoys a book with action and tension but be prepared to be a little lost at times.

Thank you to www.netgalley.com and Troubador Publishing Ltd for the copy in return for an honest review.

Stay Alive by Simon Kernick - enjoyable and engrossing with guaranteed action

ONE WITNESS

You’re on a trip with your family, miles from anywhere. A shot rings out – and your whole life changes in an instant.

ONE SECRET

A woman is racing towards you, chased by three gunmen. Although you don’t know it, she harbours a deadly secret. She’s in terrible danger. And now you are too.

NO ESCAPE

You’re running, terrified, desperate to find safety.

You know that the men hunting you have killed before.

And if they catch you, you’ll be next …

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I must admit that I am a huge Simon Kernick fan. I discovered him by accident when browsing at my local library and he fast became one of my favourite authors. I was lucky enough to receive a copy of this book from the publisher via www.netgalley.com in return for an honest and unbiased review.

To those who have read other novels by this author, Stay Alive sees a return of some familiar characters. For those who haven’t, where have you been? Stay Alive sends you on a roller-coaster ride of twists and turns, murder and mayhem from the very start and although the plot is not as complex as some of Simon’s other novels, it keeps you on your toes and provides you with those “doh” moments when you realise the clues have been drip-fed throughout the story but only come together at the end.

Some reviews I have read say that it is unbelievable - it’s not a non-fiction book people, it doesn't necessarily have to be believable to make it an enjoyable and engrossing read with guaranteed action delivered at breakneck speed.