Rosie’s #BookReview Team #RBRT @CathyRy reviews #Thriller Ryan Kaine by @KerryJDonovan

Today’s team review is from Cathy, she blogs at http://betweenthelinesbokblog.com

Cathy has been reading Ryan Kaine: On The Run by Kerry J Donovan

Former Royal Marine Captain Ryan Kaine, six miles out to sea in a fishing boat, believes he’s shot down the unmanned drone as per his contract to destroy it, but then he realises the weapon he’d used seems to be on a countdown. With no time to process what was happening he heaved the weapon overboard. As explosions rocked the boat violently he knew his only choice was to swim for his life, before the boat sank and he was caught in the undertow.

Rage at the knowledge he’d been set up, but for what he doesn’t yet know, fuels Ryan’s desperate fight with the ocean and helps him make the shore. Determined to find out what’s going on, he hasn’t travelled very far when he hears a report on the radio that leaves him devastated and wracked with guilt. Now he’s topping the most wanted list – by the police as well as those he trusted, who quite obviously want him dead.

This is a thrilling, action-packed ride from the start. The pace is perfectly managed so the reader is never overwhelmed but always engaged, and the third person narrative, from various perspectives, serves to create a great deal of depth to the characters. Ryan Kaine is an engaging protagonist with a high moral code, driven by guilt and determination to get to the bottom of who and why, and ensure they don’t escape blame and punishment. I enjoyed the cameo appearances of two of my favourites from previous books and the strong female characters Ryan unwittingly finds himself dependent upon. Laura, a vet, becomes involved when she treats Ryan’s wounds and is forced to flee with him. Sabrina is playing a dangerous double game, and such are the intricacies of the plot, I wasn’t sure until towards the end whether or not she could be trusted.

As always, the details in Kerry Donovan’s books, whether it’s the weaponry and military aspects, as in this case, or the police procedural, are all extremely well researched and totally believable. The dialogue is snappy and realistic, particularly between Ryan and his contemporaries, characters have depth and credibility and the storyline is well plotted. A suspenseful and gripping tale from an accomplished writer and storyteller.

Book Description

A passenger plane explodes. Eighty-three people die. One man is responsible.
When a routine operation ends in tragedy, decorated ex-Royal Marine, Ryan Kaine, becomes the target of a nationwide manhunt. The police want him on terrorism charges. A sinister organisation wants him dead.
Kaine is forced to rely on two women he hardly knows: one, a country vet who treats his wounds, the other an IT expert with a secret of her own.
Battling overwhelming guilt, life-threatening injuries, and his own moral code, Kaine hunts the people who turned him into a mass-murderer.
Can Kaine’s combat skills, instincts, and new-found allies lead him to the truth and redemption?
Ryan Kaine: On the Run—a powerful, action-packed novel set against the backdrop of the international arms trade.

About the author

Kerry J Donovan was born in Dublin. He spent most of his life in the UK, and now lives in the heart of rural Brittany with his wonderful and patient wife, Jan. They have three children and four grandchildren (so far), all of whom live in England. An absentee granddad, Kerry is hugely thankful for the advent of video calling.

The cottage is a pet free zone (apart from the field mice, moles, and red squirrels).

Kerry earned a first class honours degree in Human Biology, and has a PhD in Sport and Exercise Sciences. A former scientific advisor to The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, he helped UK emergency first-responders prepare for chemical attacks in the wake of 9/11. This background adds a scientific edge to his writing. He is also a former furniture designer/maker.

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