The Green Viper (James Ryker Book 4) by Rob Sinclair ~ Gangland War in NYC #CrimeThriller @RSinclairAuthor

Author: Rob Sinclair

Published: November 2018 by Bloodhound Books

Category: Thriller, Suspense, Crime, Book Review

Ex-intelligence agent James Ryker receives a coded message through a secret drop point, a means of communication known only to him and one other person. The problem is, that person is his ex-boss, Mackie… and he’s already dead.

But the cry for help is real, and it’s a request Ryker can’t refuse.

Ryker receives a message through a channel no-one but his old boss, Mackie should have known about. But Mackie was dead.

The call for help came from Mackie’s widow, Janet Campbell. She was afraid for her son, Scott who’d moved to New York with his girlfriend, Kate after losing his accountancy job in London.

Scott wanted to impress Kate’s father, Henry Green, despite the fact he is aware Green’s business methods are suspect, to say the least. Just how suspect is apparent soon enough but Scott allows himself to be drawn in as Green’s accountant, his desire for wealth and status warring with doubt and apprehension for the possible consequences and the dread of Kate’s disapproval.

Scott had always felt the lack of his father as was growing up. Mackie was always at work and Scott believed he thought more of Ryker than he did of his son. Scott feels like he has something to prove, even though his father is no longer there.

‘You okay, Scott?’ Kate said, tugging on his arm as they walked hand in hand across 5th Avenue.

‘Yeah. Just a busy day.’

She said nothing to that. For weeks she’d been encouraging him to seek a new job. She knew Green had been giving him errands, but did she have any inkling exactly what they’d been up to? Would she be pleased for him?

No, the answer was she’d be horrified, which was why he’d downplayed the whole thing as much as he could.

Regardless of the offer of help and subsequent warnings from Peter Winter, Ryker’s old boss and the head of the JIA, Ryker travels to New York without authorisation and under an assumed name. His only goal is to extricate Campbell from Green’s influence but he hadn’t expected to be caught between gangster battles and the FBI. Meanwhile Scott is treading a fine line between fear, as he’s drawn ever deeper into Green’s criminal world, and pleasure at the rewards.

The Green Viper continues the theme of fast paced, tense and action filled story lines with a protagonist who, over the course of the two series, we’ve come to know and love—despite the fact it’s an incredible feat to survive for this long in Ryker’s world and after everything he’s been through since we first met him as JIA operative, Carl Logan. 

Ryker’s personal losses have impacted on him, his personality tempered by his experiences. This is shown to great effect in this story by the way he handles the rescue mission and his obvious concern for Scott. If I have one small niggle it’s the use again of a particular torture method, otherwise the book is as well written, suspenseful and enjoyable as always.

I chose to read and review The Green Viper based on a copy of the book supplied by the author.

Book links ~ Amazon UK | Amazon US

About the Author

Rob is the author of the critically acclaimed and bestselling Enemy series and James Ryker series of espionage thrillers. His books have sold over half a million copies to date with many reviewers and readers having likened Rob’s work to authors at the very top of the genre, including Lee Child and Vince Flynn. 
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Rob began writing in 2009 following a promise to his wife, an avid reader, that he could pen a ‘can’t put down’ thriller. He worked for nearly 13 years for a global accounting firm after graduating from The University of Nottingham in 2002, specialising in forensic fraud investigations at both national and international levels. Rob now writes full time.

Originally from the North East of England, Rob has lived and worked in a number of fast paced cities, including New York, and is now settled in the West Midlands with his wife and young sons.

Author links ~ Website | Twitter | Facebook | Amazon