📚’Based on the mysterious shipwreck of the sailing vessel’ @SueBavey reviews #HistoricalMystery Irex by @CarlRackman for Rosie’s #Bookreview Team #RBRT

Today’s team review is from Sue.

Sue blogs here https://suelbavey.wordpress.com/

Rosie’s Book Review Team

Sue has been reading Irex by Carl Rackman (A book that featured on our review list a few years ago)

Irex by Carl Rackman

It is difficult to believe that this novel is a debut – Rackman’s atmospheric prose, complex characters and many-layered plot drew me in right from the start and left me wanting more right up until the tension filled final acts! In fact there was a surprising revelation right at the end which leaves open the possibility of a sequel one day.

Based on an actual historical event – the mysterious shipwreck of the sailing vessel Irex – but a fictional retelling thereof, the writing style immediately transports the reader to an earlier time period and the dialogue is both believable and ‘of its time’. The evocative descriptions add levels of menace to what is essentially an intriguing mystery: What exactly happened to cause the shipwreck and the tragic loss of lives associated with it?

“The shriek of the wind was the sound of tormented souls. It rose and fell with each gust and was answered by the groaning members of the ship itself, the lines stretched to their limit and humming a morose dirge.”

The chapters switch between two time frames, each with its own disparate cast of characters, that of the doomed maiden voyage of the Irex and a couple of months later, the inquest into what exactly happened on board this ill-fated ship to cause the deaths of most of its crew and passengers.

Rackman’s characterisation is skillful and many layered. The crew is made up of a large cast, including a hard-working and dedicated chef, boisterous youths and a surly bosun. The main point of view character, Captain Will Hutton comes across as pious, dedicated to his position, and concerned for his new ship and for the smooth running of its maiden voyage at the beginning of the story, if somewhat plagued by semi-prophetic dreams. However, some of the surviving crew claim that he lost his grip on reality just before the devastating tragedy occurred. There is also Mackie, an outgoing first mate whose description is particularly vivid:

“His head was large with meaty features, not handsome but more reminiscent of a Hereford bull.

His words rumbled like a Glasgow tram.”

Carrying only three passengers, we meet on board the beautiful young wife, Mrs Elizabeth Barstow who has enough feminine wiles to entrance anyone and manipulate them however she chooses. Is she the reason the married Captain was driven to distraction? Major Barstow is her sickly, older husband and Mr Clarence is a boorish, well-connected gentleman with a superiority complex and a particularly shocking secret identity. This was a twist I found completely unexpected, but which added a delicious threat of intimidation and jeopardy for the crew and passengers.

In the chapters detailing the inquest we meet the judge and barristers. Mr Frederick Blake, Her Majesty’s Coroner for Hampshire County, is the presiding inquisitor, a straightforward and honest man who smells something fishy – could there be a spy in his courtroom? We also meet the brave and tenacious Scottish reporter, Rennie, who Blake befriends and takes into his confidence.

Slowly the layers of intrigue are built up. Blackmail? Mutiny? Madness? Murder? All are possibilities entertained by Blake during his meticulous investigation, even as he is hampered by Matthew Thornthwaite, a suspiciously well-informed replacement for an unfortunate predecessor on the coroner’s panel. Blake immediately suspects there is more to this man than meets the eye and becomes determined to catch him out, but up against the fearsome British Establishment what little chance can he have to retain his integrity?

The story gets more and more intriguing as the clues begin to stack up in Blake’s chapters and events play out before our eyes in the Captain’s chapters. The pace of this story becomes absolutely frenetic during the perilous storms and the action ramps up accordingly.

Highly recommended for fans of mystery, tales of the high seas and well-written historical fiction in general.

Book description

In the harsh winter of December 1889, the sailing vessel Irex leaves Scotland bound for Rio de Janeiro. She carries three thousand tons of pig iron and just three passengers for what should be a routine voyage. But Captain Will Hutton discovers that one of his passengers hides a horrifying secret.

When the Irex is wrecked off the Isle of Wight six weeks later, it falls to the county coroner, Frederick Blake, to begin to unravel the events that overtook the doomed ship — but he soon finds that powerful forces within the British Establishment are working to thwart him. Locked in a race against time and the sinister agents sent to impede him, he gradually discovers that nothing aboard the Irex is what it first seemed…

Irex is an atmospheric mystery, set in a rich Victorian world, packed with intrigue, twists and colourful characters — the spellbinding first novel by Carl Rackman.

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Rosie’s #BookReview Team #RBRT Fast Paced #Thriller SENTINEL by @CarlRackman

Today’s team review is from Noelle, she blogs here https://saylingaway.wordpress.com

Noelle has been reading Sentinel by Carl Rackman

I will confess I am a fan of Carl Rackman’s books but somehow missed the first book in this series, Voyager.  Nevertheless, I plowed ahead and discovered that the author covered enough of the high points from Voyager that I could hit the ground running. I was not disappointed.

Four years have passed since Voyager One sent back chilling photos of a spaceship from deep in interstellar space. However, with terrorism, pandemics and political turmoil consuming the news, the story faded to the back page and the public has accepted it as a hoax. All but the Triumvirate, a global and powerful conspiracy that has inserted itself into the highest levels of various governments. They have created a wall of subterfuge so they themselves can welcome the Visitors, the occupants of the spaceship, who are coming with sinister plans.

Countering the Triumvirate are the strong characters typical of Rackman’s writing: Matt Ramprakash, former airline pilot and now an officer of the British intelligence agency MI5; his wife, Callie Woolf, who once headed the Voyager One mission and who believes that the spaceship is not a hoax; former FBI agent Brad Barnes who now leads Sentinel, a private intelligence and counter-terrorism operation founded to counter the Triumvirate; and Alex Ephraim, a superhuman soldier, thought to be genetically engineered, and a former Triumvirate assassin who has switched sides to join Sentinel.

The story opens a little slowly, which is where I think it could have been improved, but then starts to pick up speed until by the end, the reader is reading and flipping pages as fast as possible. The action scenes are meticulously plotted and easy to visualize and employ incredible technology. From a diversionary airplane hijacking to action on the icy cold and barren reaches of Antarctica, this suspense thriller pulls you in and then delivers a solid punch with a science fiction twist, leading directly to a third book in this series. Which I await.

This is a cracking good read.

The Voyager story continues…

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.

Standing in their way are the few brave men and women who foiled the Triumvirate’s last attempt to upset the world’s fragile balance of power:

Former FBI agent Brad Barnes leads Sentinel, a private intelligence and counter-terrorism operation founded in the wake of the Triumvirate’s last deadly plot.

Alex Ephraim – the former Triumvirate assassin known as Mirage – is Sentinel’s major weapon against terror.

Matt Ramprakash, former airline pilot and now an officer of the British intelligence agency MI5, is embroiled in a deadly standoff when an airliner is hijacked.

Callie Woolf, once the project manager of the Voyager mission, struggles against the sceptical government’s bureaucracy to continue the search for the elusive Visitors as her time and funding runs out.

Sentinel is the only organisation capable of taking the fight to the Triumvirate’s door – flexible, unorthodox well-funded and free of government red tape.

But as they pursue the Triumvirate from the streets of London to the wild, deadly wastes of Antarctica, Brad will need Matt and Callie’s help to stop the Triumvirate, which has its own plans for putting Sentinel – and especially Alex – out of the picture for good…

Sentinel is the pulse-pounding second instalment in the Voyager trilogy by Carl Rackman

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Rosie’s #Bookreview Team #RBRT #Thriller SENTINEL by @CarlRackman

Today’s team review is from Cathy, she blogs here https://betweenthelinesbookblog.wordpress.com/

Cathy has been reading Sentinel by Carl Rackman

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.

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.

The Voyager story continues…

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.

Standing in their way are the few brave men and women who foiled the Triumvirate’s last attempt to upset the world’s fragile balance of power:

Former FBI agent Brad Barnes leads Sentinel, a private intelligence and counter-terrorism operation founded in the wake of the Triumvirate’s last deadly plot.

Alex Ephraim – the former Triumvirate assassin known as Mirage – is Sentinel’s major weapon against terror.

Matt Ramprakash, former airline pilot and now an officer of the British intelligence agency MI5, is embroiled in a deadly standoff when an airliner is hijacked.

Callie Woolf, once the project manager of the Voyager mission, struggles against the sceptical government’s bureaucracy to continue the search for the elusive Visitors as her time and funding runs out.

Sentinel is the only organisation capable of taking the fight to the Triumvirate’s door – flexible, unorthodox well-funded and free of government red tape.

But as they pursue the Triumvirate from the streets of London to the wild, deadly wastes of Antarctica, Brad will need Matt and Callie’s help to stop the Triumvirate, which has its own plans for putting Sentinel – and especially Alex – out of the picture for good…

Sentinel is the pulse-pounding second instalment in the Voyager trilogy by Carl Rackman

AmazonUK | AmazonUS

Rosie’s #Bookreview Team #RBRT #Thriller SENTINEL by @CarlRackman

Today’s team review is from Terry, she blogs here https://terrytylerbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/

Terry has been reading Sentinel by Carl Rackman

This is the sequel to Rackman’s Voyager, which I haven’t read, but it totally works as a stand-alone; there is enough information about what happened before, without long, tedious explanations.  Could actually be presented as a masterclass in how to do this!

Former pilot Matt Ramprakash is now an aviation expert for M15, and, along with many from other government agencies, etc, awaits assistance from anti-terrorism body Sentinel in taking action on a hijacked plane – but who are the hijackers?  The discovery that his old enemy, the Triumvirate, are involved, leads him to Antarctica, along with Sentinel, his wife – and Mirage, a ‘supersoldier’ who has been genetically engineered – or has she?

As I was reading this, it occurred to me that Carl Rackman has invented his own genre – seemingly earthbound thrillers that end up being a bit paranormal, without it seeming weird.  Works very well!  The amount of research that has gone into this book is evident; it’s highly professional, extremely well-written, and should appeal to anyone who loves an intricate government thriller.  With some alien stuff thrown in.  I read at the end that a third book is planned – I would love to see some of it from the point of view of the Visitors.  The ending was one of the best I have seen for this type of book—the sort that makes you want to open the next instalment immediately.

I felt it could have been edited down a little in places, with less factual detail and fewer conversational exchanges, to tighten up the pace, but that could be just personal preference; it’s a smart, intelligent novel of which the author should be most proud.  And I know it’s a cliché, but it really would make a fabulous TV series!

The Voyager story continues…

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.

Standing in their way are the few brave men and women who foiled the Triumvirate’s last attempt to upset the world’s fragile balance of power:

Former FBI agent Brad Barnes leads Sentinel, a private intelligence and counter-terrorism operation founded in the wake of the Triumvirate’s last deadly plot.

Alex Ephraim – the former Triumvirate assassin known as Mirage – is Sentinel’s major weapon against terror.

Matt Ramprakash, former airline pilot and now an officer of the British intelligence agency MI5, is embroiled in a deadly standoff when an airliner is hijacked.

Callie Woolf, once the project manager of the Voyager mission, struggles against the sceptical government’s bureaucracy to continue the search for the elusive Visitors as her time and funding runs out.

Sentinel is the only organisation capable of taking the fight to the Triumvirate’s door – flexible, unorthodox well-funded and free of government red tape.

But as they pursue the Triumvirate from the streets of London to the wild, deadly wastes of Antarctica, Brad will need Matt and Callie’s help to stop the Triumvirate, which has its own plans for putting Sentinel – and especially Alex – out of the picture for good…

Sentinel is the pulse-pounding second instalment in the Voyager trilogy by Carl Rackman

AmazonUK | AmazonUS

Rosie’s #BookReview Team #RBRT Techno #Thriller SENTINEL by @CarlRackman

Today’s team review is from Liz, she blogs here https://lizannelloyd.wordpress.com/

Liz has been reading Sentinel by Carl Rackman

It is sometime since I read Voyager so picking up this next part of the trilogy I thought I would have forgotten the characters but as each person appears in the sequel the author reminds us of their role in past events so that you could easily read this action packed adventure without having read the first novel.

Former pilot, Matt Ramprakash, is well placed as the MI5 aviation expert dealing with an inbound hijacked plane, but is the plane held by terrorists, criminals, or asylum seekers? As it appears that an old foe is responsible, he awaits assistance from Sentinel, a private anti-terrorism group who have the trust of the FBI. Discovering that Sentinel is organised by Brad Barnes, who had shared his worst experiences 10 years earlier, he soon becomes aware that he must also work with Mirage, the genetically-engineered super soldier who had tried to kill him and his wife, Callie.

Dramatic events at the airport reveal the link to their old enemy, the shadow group, Triumvirate, and soon he and Callie are part of the Sentinel group travelling to Antarctica. Callie’s work has continued to involve investigation of the Voyager Mission and the evidence of extra-terrestrial life. Now, as the Sentinel team come into conflict with the well-armed Triumvirate in a harsh, dangerous environment, are the Visitors about to arrive?

This is not a book you can put down easily as the revelations and terrifying events keep you mesmerised to the text. A great read!

The Voyager story continues…

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.

Standing in their way are the few brave men and women who foiled the Triumvirate’s last attempt to upset the world’s fragile balance of power:

Former FBI agent Brad Barnes leads Sentinel, a private intelligence and counter-terrorism operation founded in the wake of the Triumvirate’s last deadly plot.

Alex Ephraim – the former Triumvirate assassin known as Mirage – is Sentinel’s major weapon against terror.

Matt Ramprakash, former airline pilot and now an officer of the British intelligence agency MI5, is embroiled in a deadly standoff when an airliner is hijacked.

Callie Woolf, once the project manager of the Voyager mission, struggles against the sceptical government’s bureaucracy to continue the search for the elusive Visitors as her time and funding runs out.

Sentinel is the only organisation capable of taking the fight to the Triumvirate’s door – flexible, unorthodox well-funded and free of government red tape.

But as they pursue the Triumvirate from the streets of London to the wild, deadly wastes of Antarctica, Brad will need Matt and Callie’s help to stop the Triumvirate, which has its own plans for putting Sentinel – and especially Alex – out of the picture for good…

AmazonUK | AmazonUS