Review by Booklist Review
The man who doesn't feel fear is back for the second installment of Craven's Ben Koenig series, following Fearless (2023). When two people are murdered and another is abducted on the streets of London, Koenig finds himself at the center of a secret that could lead to catastrophic consequences for America. Adding to the chaos is the enormous bounty the Russians have placed on him, making Koenig the target of many as he races to piece the puzzle together. Koenig is a compelling protagonist. He can kill without a second thought, yet is guided by a moral compass of his own, making this a good read for fans of Dennis Lehane's Darkness, Take My Hand (1996), Jeff Lindsey's Darkly Dreaming Dexter (2004), and Peter Swanson's Nine Lives (2023). Koenig's acerbic wit plays well off his reluctant partner Draper's brand of sarcasm, bringing lightness to a book riddled with graphic murders. Fans of complex thrillers with an intriguing antihero will enjoy Craven's latest Koenig adventure.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Ben Koenig, a former U.S. marshal who cannot feel fear, returns in Craven's exhilarating and darkly comic follow-up to Fearless. When a woman murders two pickpockets and abducts an elderly woman in a London park, the CCTV footage triggers an alert that points investigators toward a top secret CIA file. Inside is a reference to "the Acacia Avenue Protocol" and a list of four names--three dead men and Ben Koenig. Ben knows nothing about the Protocol, but upon reviewing the video footage, he recognizes the killer as a woman he helped assume a new identity a decade earlier. Though he still doesn't understand the full scope of that mission, he knows she's privy to ultrasensitive American intelligence. Ben and his brutally efficient CIA handler race to find the woman, unwittingly getting in the way of father-daughter assassin duo Stillwell Hobbs and Harper Nash, who have been tracking down and killing everyone involved with the Protocol. Craven effectively mixes the unvarnished brutality and high body count of Lee Child with the black humor of Mick Herron (one character bludgeons another until "his skull was softer than warm ice cream"). With style, wit, and plot twists to spare, Craven cements this series as a must-read. Agent: David Heady, DHH Literary. (Dec.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Former U.S. Marshal Ben Koenig, now an independent intelligence operative, is out to prevent the dire fate predicted by a newly discovered protocol, but the $5 million bounty on his head adds unwanted…complications. For most men in his position, the threat of being rubbed out would create fear, but Koenig has a rare genetic syndrome making him incapable of it. He also has no compunctions about killing people, as he demonstrates while making quick work of four armed opponents with a sharpened credit card. Comparisons to Lee Child's Jack Reacher, who gets a shoutout from Koenig, are encouraged. Unlike Reacher, Koenig has a sardonic, quick-witted, wise-guy attitude that cuts through any and all situations. The story gets underway with a double murder and abduction carried out on the streets of London by a mysterious woman who appears to be homeless. Koenig identifies her as the person whose faked death he helped stage a decade ago--and who is now in possession of crucial secrets. Teamed with intelligence operative Jen Draper, who hates his guts, he's in constant motion, crossing international borders and dealing variously with corrupt British cops, the colorfully named father-and-daughter hit team of Stillwell Hobbs and Harper Nash, a cold-blooded military contractor, and the Russian crime syndicate that put out a bounty on him for killing the son of one of their bosses. Craven's second Koenig novel, followingFearless (2023), is a razor-sharp, adrenalized effort with complicated but satisfying twists and turns. In the early going, the book boasts a bit of an experimental edge with its maze-like narrative, leading you to believe the author--fearless himself--has read the work of Italian master Italo Calvino. But the socko ending leaves all such concerns in the dust. A new kind of espionage thriller with plenty of old-school action and violence. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.