Sentinel (Voyager Book2) by Carl Rackman ~ Conspiracy #Thriller #BookReview for #RBRT

Author: Carl Rackman

Independently Published: September 2020

Category: Conspiracy Thriller, Suspense, SciFi, Crime, Book Review

Four years have passed since Voyager One sent back chilling photos of a spaceship from deep in interstellar space.

A shocked world prepared to meet the Visitors, but terrorism, pandemics, and global political turmoil have now consumed it. Discredited as a hoax, the Visitors have faded from public attention.

But the powerful global conspiracy known as the Triumvirate is behind much of the chaos. Creating a screen of subterfuge and misdirection, they prepare a clandestine welcome for the Visitors, whose origins may be more sinister than the aliens of popular fiction.

Although this is the second book in the trilogy, there is enough information included, in a non intrusive way, to understand about the conspiracy, and what happened in the first book, Voyager.

Matt Ramprakash is under pressure. His piloting days are behind him as he is now an operations officer for MI5 and there is a potentially devastating situation looming. A British plane out of Delhi is reported to have been hijacked by persons unknown and is heading for London Heathrow. It’s not confirmed whether the hijackers are terrorists or asylum seekers but as the drama unfolds it becomes apparent it’s something much worse.

Robbie Martin’s desk phone trilled on his leather-topped mahogany desk. The caller’s number was both familiar and welcome. “Matt! Bloody good to hear from you. Let me guess why you’re calling.” 

Matt laughed. “I don’t have much time, Rob. Is your end secure?” 

“Of course.” 

“Okay, let’s get straight to the point. You know about the hijack – is there anything I should know about Triumvirate involvement?” 

Robbie was immediately surprised. “Why would this have anything to do with the Tri?” Matt paused. “I’m not sure. Just a hunch. Before the whole Voyager thing blew up, there was an incident in New York. An FBI strike team got its arse kicked. The killers got away.” 

“Yes. That was Supra, the paramilitary wing of the Tri. Supra were stirring up disinformation on their behalf. A diversionary red herring.” 

“Yeah, I know – but their modus operandi was to quietly infiltrate first and then reveal their hand, do you remember?” 

This time Robbie paused for thought. “I see. Is that what reminds you of this situation?” Matt sighed. “Rob, I don’t have time to go through all the ins and outs. But I need you to check your network. See if there’s any correlation between Tri-related traffic and any threat coming from India. If I remember, India played a part in the Voyager plot by providing the bogus signals for the images to be downloaded.” 

Robbie understood. “I’ll get on to it. What number will you be on?”

When Matt’s suspicions regarding the Triumvirate seem to be realised, he and his wife Callie, who is still working on the Voyager project researching into the possibility of extra terrestrial life, find themselves again teamed up with former FBI agent Brad Barnes.

Barnes now heads Sentinel, a counter terrorism and intelligence operation. Sentinel’s secret weapon is the genetically enhanced former assassin, Mirage, otherwise known as Alex Ephraim. Matt and Callie’s previous encounters with Mirage leave them suspicious about her involvement with Sentinel.

As Sentinel’s mission becomes ever more dangerous and takes them into the frozen wilderness that is Antarctica, it’s anyone’s guess who or what they will encounter and what the outcome will be.

The characters’ lives have moved on in the years since Voyager and continue to develop as their personalities deepen. The story is told from multiple third person perspectives, giving a rounded picture as events unfold, while ramping up the intensity, intrigue and tension. Plenty of action and plot twists keep the story moving at a fast pace.

This is another excellent read from Carl Rackman. An imaginative  conspiracy thriller with science fiction elements and, like this author’s previous books, is extremely well written and has a plausible storyline, which in this instance takes into account the strong desire for power. The plot is developed well and I’m looking forward to the concluding book.

Book links ~ Amazon UK | Amazon US | Book Depository

I chose to read and review Sentinel for Rosie Amber’s book review team, based on a digital copy kindly supplied by the author.

About the Author

Hi! I’m Carl Rackman, a British former airline pilot turned author. I spent my working life travelling the world and this has given me a keen interest in other people and cultures. I’ve drawn on my many experiences for my writing. I write suspense thrillers with a grounded science-fiction theme. I like reading novels that feature atmospheric locales and I enjoy complex, absorbing storylines combined with rich, believable characters, so that’s the sort of fiction I write. I try to create immersive worlds for the reader to explore, and characters who are more than just vehicles for the story.

I come from a naval military background and have held a lifelong interest in military history and seafaring – all my books usually contain some of these elements!

Author links ~ Website | Facebook | Twitter