88° North is the final instalment of the Nadia Laksheva spy thriller series. I am somewhat saddened by that, but my what a ride it has been.

This book follows on from the last. Nadia is determined to defeat Salamander, he has already cost her so much and she has nothing left to lose. She doesn't have much time and the only information she has are some coordinates. It is a deadly and dangerous mission but one she is determined to carry out for the good of everyone.

This whole series has been exceptional and this final book does not disappoint the action ramps up a gear, the chapters are exciting and exhilarating. The pacing is phenomenal and the characterisations are excellent throughout.

I have really enjoyed reading about the character of Nadia, it has made a really pleasant change to have that strong female lead and I liked her very much.

88° North is absolutely full of suspense and page turning events, trying to keep up with Salamander was quite a task. The twists and turns are plenty and I never quite knew what was happening until right near the end.

This is an outstanding series in a genre that I didn't know that I would enjoy. I loved it and think a lot of people will too.

Sad to see it end but happy that others still have the pleasure of reading it.

J.F. Kirwan saved the very best for last in the Nadia Laksheva trilogy with 88° North.

Pushing aside her own mortality, Nadia is determined to take down Salamander… for Katya, her father, Lorne… all the lives ended by him or because of him. She had trouble “taking the shot” in book one, but that Nadia is long gone.

With Jake at her side in her single-minded mission, the two quickly find themselves pawns in Salamander’s end game. The Russians and MI6 also haven’t shared everything they know. And is that North Korea dropping in? Oh my!

The foiled plan in London was revenge-worthy, but decades in the making, the main part of Salamander’s plan will change… and cripple the planet for years to come if he isn't stopped.

I am hard-pressed to think of a villain as brilliant as Salamander. Even Sherlock Holmes’ arch nemesis, Moriarty pales in comparison. But he’s come up against a crew who's learned the hard way how he operates, led by a woman with nothing to lose. The closer Nadia gets to her target, the more she learns about him... and begins to think like him.

While I respected Nadia in the first two books, I didn’t particularly like her. She did what she had to—almost robotic-like. She showed emotion, but I never felt there was any depth to it.

Nadia won me over in 88° North!

Maybe it’s because she’s dying, maybe it’s because she’s lost so much, but her determination to take down Salamander is fueled by a new humanness I didn’t feel from her before.

Nadia has regrets and remorse, and while rooting for her to defeat Salamander, I also didn’t want her to die—I wanted her to have a chance at the life she hasn’t had the opportunity to experience.

She has other experiences though, like an unholy alliance she wouldn’t have dreamed of. (Me either!)

One of the best scenes in the book for me is when, with Katya in mind and avenging the death of a friend, Nadia and her new partner take out a camp of henchmen/kidnappers/rapists! It was fast and fierce… with a nod to the Shilluk warriors! Awesome scene!

Jake delivers too, even though his hands are tied much of the time –literally and figuratively!

There were moments it appeared fighting against Salamander was futile. He was always two steps ahead of everyone and no life was exempt from taking, even family.

But what has been started can’t be stopped and Nadia and Jake persevere separately, each not knowing if the other was still alive most of the time.

Backup was provided by the resourceful Chef and the amazing Greaves—who should be nicknamed ‘Bulletproof!’ I’d love a book about Chef and Greaves’ back stories!

But this is Nadia’s party and despite bouts of nausea and dizziness, she fights the radiation poisoning slowly taking her life at every turn. I’m sure she wanted revenge against Salamander, but I believe for her he’s also a loose end… an unfinished assignment she intends to finish even if it takes her last breath.

If you haven’t read 66 Metres or 37 Hours, you must! Then sit back with 88° North, making sure your coffee and snacks are refilled before you reach the seventy percent mark in the story. That’s when this cat and mouse game will have you swiping pages to see who prevails because anything is possible once everyone reaches 88° north. Can Nadia and Jake stop Salamander and save the world? Can they save each other? Can I have a t-shirt with Greaves on the back? HA!

Kudos to the author for a well-written trilogy that tightly weaves the plot together through all three books to deliver a young woman who not only became something she promised her mother she never would… she became more.

"Salamander. Her quarry, the world’s most wanted terrorist … was on the run after she’d thwarted his attempt to nuke London, but not before he’d taken out eight world leaders."

The third and final book in Kirwan’s trilogy doesn’t disappoint. At the hands of the sadistic killer, Salamander, Nadia is dying of radiation poisoning and Jake is harboring a deadly device implanted in his eye, and as pawns once again in Salamander’s game of “subterfuge and symmetry”, they are willing to sacrifice anything, including each other, to make sure Salamander is eliminated.

This time Kirwan takes us from an underground maze of tunnels and chambers in Hong Kong to three thousand metres below the Red Sea, to the sewers of Moscow, and finally to the Arctic, the eighty-eighth parallel. 88º North. In this book, we are introduced to a triad, a secret society in China, the Janjaweed, an Arabic militia group, and the workings of an underwater oil rig. In addition, we meet more multi-dimensional characters along the way such as The Chef, Nadia’s assassin mentor, Blue Fan, Salamander’s granddaughter, and Greaves, an MI6 agent who owes Nadia his life.

Kirwan’s writing is cunning and very precisely detailed so that the reader eagerly awaits the final culmination that has been long-awaited in this trilogy. The amount of research that Kirwan has done to make this series so fascinating and unique is incredible. In my opinion, it’s this research and the attention to detail that make this series so captivating and engrossing. I highly recommend this trilogy and hope to read more by Mr. Kirwan.

88° North is the third and final book in the Nadia Laksheva spy thriller series which I couldn't wait to get stuck into having enjoyed the previous two books. I must admit it is hard to review a book that is part of a series. I feel like I keep repeating myself but crikey this series just got a whole lot better and this is definitely my favourite. The author has certainly saved the best until last with this mind blowing thriller.
With a tense and exciting prologue the author keeps that going all the way through the story which is told in three parts. This will certainly keep you on the edge of your seat I cannot begin to tell you how action packed this is. I have said it before and will say it again...this would make a brilliant film. When is something going to snap the author's arm off for the film rights?! lol
This can be read has a standalone but it is to good a series not to miss. And you will get the background information with Nadia's journey by reading the first book's She is one kick ass character .... fans of assassin thrillers will love her.
88° North will have your heart pounding building up to an epic climax....I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to find out what was going to happen. Now I am left gutted that this is the final book.
I cannot recommend this enough giving it 5 massive stars.

88° North is the third and final instalment in the Nadia Laksheva spy series and what an amazing ride it’s been. This review may be a tad on the vague side as I desperately try to avoid spoiling anyone for events that happened in the previous books. Personally, I don’t feel you should treat this one as a stand-alone. While some things are explained and will give you a good feel of the background story, I think you should read the entire series to really understand where Nadia is coming from and why she’s so determined to stop Salamander. This isn’t just about making sure a terrorist doesn’t ruin the planet. It’s also personal.

Throughout the series, I sometimes found Nadia quite hard to warm to but I never ceased to admire her sheer determination in doing what was necessary. Even if it went against her own principles. In 88° North, she tries to restore a balance that was screwed up, to see the smaller picture instead of the bigger picture, to do a kind act and hope for some kind of ripple effect and just like that, I liked her that little bit more.

But the biggest threat is of course Salamander, who will stop at nothing and his next plan is to “make the sky bleed”. True to form, this spy thriller takes us to various exotic places around the world including Russia, Hong Kong and The Sudan. One word : camels! As the team is unwillingly split up in their pursuit of Salamander, they realise they are merely pawns in his game. Like a true chess master, Salamander is always several steps ahead and time is running out. Not only for the world, but for Nadia as well.

Full of tension, thrills and harrowing moments, 88° North is the perfect conclusion to this series. Some characters even managed to surprise me and the tense knife fights had me on the edge of my seat. What I truly liked is that you’re never really sure who will survive. The author has no qualms in killing off what could be important characters and I always like it when I’m left guessing as to who will make it out alive.

While it’s always sad to see a series come to an end, I feel J.F. Kirwan wrapped things up brilliantly. The exciting arc that runs throughout the three books had me hooked and if you like your well-paced and action-packed spy thrillers, I have no doubt you will thoroughly enjoy this series! I look forward to whatever J.F. Kirwan comes up with next!

5☆ A Fantastic Thrilling end to a Fantastic series!

88° North is the final instalment and what a thrilling tense edge of your seat finale it was too.

Another Action packed Thrilling race against time. Once again Kirwan has delivered the Perfect spy thriller. I feel privalaged to be a part of Nadia's adventures to save the world!  

Nadia and Jake are back and still chasing the elusive Salamander.
With Nadia's life on borrowed time as she has radiation poisioning, She knows she was to catch Salamander before it's too late. With revenge on her mind she's even more determined to catch the man who killed her family.

When I picked up the very first book 66 metres I must say I was really dubious as spy books are not really my thing.
But I'm so so glad I didn't give up as the series just keep getting better.

Nadia is a kick ass strong female Spy and I loved her. She's ballsy, determined, strong, loyal, committed, trustworthy and one hell of a lead character.

I really didn't want this series to end, I'm secretly hoping that Kirwan may change his mind and bring her back.

88° North is not to be read as a standalone. I guess you could but you would be missing out on Nadia's adventures and believe me you don't want to be missing out!

88° North is an action packed, spy thtiller with exciting juicy twists and turns that will leave you breathless, there is plenty of danger and some graphic scenes. A fantastic ending to a fantastic series.

If like me you are not really keen on spy thrillers then give this exciting series a chance. It gets under your skin and won't let go!.
You won't be disappointed!

88 NORTH by J.F. Kirwan is the epic climax to this excellent spy thriller series and had everything you could want in a gripping novel.

Nadia Laksheva doesn't have much time left as she is dying from radiation poisoning so she knows she must bring Salamander, the ultimate terrorist, to justice and there is no time to waste. Brimming with action, danger, and unexpected twists will Nadia be able to stop him destroying the world or will her time run out too soon?

While 88 NORTH is a compelling story I was a little sad to read the final book in this series as Nadia is such a dynamic and strong character that burrowed under my skin and I didn't really want to see her story come to a conclusion. This novel is tense, dark, and graphic at points, and it contains so many subtle complexities throughout that really make it stand out in its genre.
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88 NORTH by J.F. Kirwan is a dynamic, strong, and action-packed adventure, and the perfect way to end this riveting trilogy, so what are you waiting for, jump right into this series!!

What a roller-coaster of emotions this series has been. I genuinely feel sad and a bit bereft that the adventure is over having finished the final installment!

The previous books have been a test up to this final showdown with the deadly and incredibly slippery Salamander and Nadia and Jake have proved to be worthwhile adversaries. This is what everything has been leading up.

We are also introduced to some new characters which is a brilliant on the authors part to keep things fresh and especially lively. Blue Fan is an amazing character and although mentioned in the previous book she takes front stage with Nadia. She is such an intense and intelligent character that she deserves a book of her own! (In my head I picture her as Yukio from Wolverine).

Nadia and Blue Fan although not allies are very similar characters. They are both strong-willed women who have had to try and thrive in a male dominated world against all assumptions and succeeded. It's been a brilliant change to read a spy thriller with such a strong female character. In this case 2 who are written so well.

We are thrown back into the action straight away and it really does grab your attention hook, line and sinker. It doesn't let up as we are once again brought along for the ride with Nadia and Jake as they once again try to thwart Salamander and his evil and chilling proclamation of wanting to "make the sky bleed".

It's always sad to say goodbye to characters that you have almost come to think of as friends but JF Kirwan has ended the series perfectly.

I've absolutely loved being along for the ride in this action packed to the brim and then a bit more added series and think everyone should experience them.

Fast paced and crammed with incidents and characters, you are taken on a roller coaster of a journey. Starting off with a character who seems to have nothing to lose, having lost her family and being apparently on borrowed time, Nadia keeps going to track Salamander down. You have to empathise with the gutsy way she goes for it and how her desire to save Jake burns brightly.

I felt that it was quite an exhausting read to be honest as the story unfolds relentlessly. Having read Book 2 however, I was invested in the characters and wanted to see how it would all pan out. I wasn't disappointed.

In short: For lovers of spy thrillers and action packed adventures- a great read.

Thanks to the author for a copy of the book.

*I received a free ARC of this book. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*

Wow.

Just to restate my previous position: I enjoy any well written book, but action thrillers are not my favourite personal genre…usually.

I whomped this book down in one night. A ‘school’ night. When I had things to do the next day. That is just how good it is.

From the very first sentence I was experiencing every cliché; biting my nails, holding my breath, on the edge of my seat (well, sat very tensely and uncomfortably in bed)… the lot.

About 50% through the book I stopped, grabbed my husband’s tablet (on which he was in the middle of watching something or other) and bought a copy of the first book in the trilogy for him, because not only did he HAVE to read these books, but he HAD to start right NOW!

In other words, I would certainly recommend this series for fans of action thrillers, and I feel this third installment is the best yet.

The writing is accomplished and immersive, the character ‘voices’ are authentic and consistent, and the action is non-stop. The tension could not be higher, with both of our main protagonists having nothing left to lose and the whole planet to save.

I did note that statistically and realistically speaking, the ending was pretty unlikely, however I wouldn’t really say that this was a ‘criticism’ as I wouldn’t have liked it to turn out differently and so was willing to suspend my disbelief in the luck-ridden outcome. Having come so far with these characters I felt it was a satisfying conclusion to their adventures.

It’s a shame that this is the end of the series, but I look forward to seeing what comes next from this author. It’s likely to be explosive!

I have to start with the bad for this book as there is only one and it's completely personal to me. The pink on the cover hurts my eyes and I find it hard to focus on the book cover, which is a total shame because from what I can see it's just as perfectly fitting as the last one. The blurb definitely gets all my gears in motion to read this book too.

Having read the second book, I feel that my emotional investment with Nadia has grown and I was dying to know if the radiation poisoning killed her before she managed to get to Salamander. No, I won't tell you what happens either. I love the development of Nadia and Jake, their love story is definitely one that pulls at your heartstrings.

In this story, we are taken all over the globe from Hong Kong to the Arctic and all places are well developed. Even though I've never been to them the description gave me a perfectly clear image in my mind of where they were. I still hated Salamander and my feelings towards Blue Fan were strange, I wasn't sure if I like, pitied or hated her at all different parts of the story.

Overall, this was another cracking story, which combined fact paced action with a little bit of mystery.

Wow, what a book to end the series with. I absolutely adored 37 Hours, so I couldn’t wait to get stuck into this book, and get stuck in I did. I just didn’t want to put it down.

J.F. Kirwan has a knack for making you gasp out loud, as well as hold your breath in, with his action packed scenes that really do pack a punch.

Although the series mainly follows Nadia, there is a vast array of amazing secondary characters, all whom have their own parts to play, and they don’t half play them well.

There was one secondary character that I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to like her or not, especially at the beginning, Blue Fan. That woman is a super cool ninja with some kick ass abilities. She is also the daughter of Salamander.

This is one hell of a series that you don’t want to miss. It is fast paced, exciting and suspenseful. The plot takes you in all directions, and keeps you on your toes. It is a breath of fresh air to have a thriller written about a tough woman who can definitely hold her own.

This is a prime example of how you write an outstanding thriller.

If you had told me a couple of years ago that I would be hooked on a spy thriller series, I would have laughed in your face. I have never really paid much attention to, nor had much interest in, spy novels. I've always thought of them as 'boy novels', stupidly. So, when I was approached to read J.F.Kirwan's previous novel '37 Hours', my curiosity got the better of me and I decided to take a running leap out of my comfort zone, to read J.F.Kirwan's novel. Of course I thought to myself, 'nahhhhh, I won't like it', yet I was pleasantly surprised when I absolutely flipping loved it. Because of that, my excitement to read '88 North' was through the roof. Would Nadia complete what she set out to do? Would Salamander STILL rule the roost? So many questions, so little time. I would be lying if I said that my heart wasn't in my mouth the entire time - because it was.

Once again J.F.Kirwan has written such a complex, intense and jaw dropping storyline, which makes talking about this book even more difficult as each event in the storyline is linked with another one, therefore not only would the chances of giving away one piece of information be extremely high, the chances of giving away multiple pieces of information are through the roof. I don't wish to be the person who gives away an entire storyline, yet I would love to be able to shout about this book and say, 'WHAT ABOUT THE PART WHEN.......'. Seriously.

Seeing as it had been a little while between reading the books in the series, it did take me a little while to get back into the swing of the storyline. That said, I guess you could read this book as a standalone. But in my personal opinion, I would advise you to grab the previous two books before you read this one just so that you can read all of the events in order, and so that you know each of the main characters back stories.

Reading '88 North' really was bittersweet as whilst I was super excited about delving into the book, I was gutted that as soon as I came to the last page, the series was now at an end. I didn't want it to finish but I whole heartedly understand that Nadia's story had to be left somewhere, and that carrying it on could weaken the overall feel of the storyline. 

I'm not sure whether it was just me, but I found this storyline to contain a lot more gore than the previous book and, whilst I would usually shy away from that sort of thing, all of the blood and gore fit one hundred percent. In all honesty, I don't think the storyline would have made such an impact on me if it contained no elements of gore. It needed all of that to bring Nadia's story to life even more, as weird as that sounds but I'm hoping that that makes sense to a lot of you.

J.F.Kirwan has quickly become one of my all-time favourite authors with his dark, gritty, suspenseful and utterly incredibly storylines. If it wasn't for this author, I don't think that I would have dared to step outside of my comfort zone to read, and fall in love with (as weird as that sounds) with this spy thriller series. I could not put this book down and to be perfectly honest, I really didn't want to either.

Jaw-droppingly brilliant, '88 North' is the icing on the cake where Nadia Laksheva is concerned. A brilliant finale to a phenomenal series, I would recommend this book, and the series, time and time again.

Outstanding!!!

Huge thanks to HQDigitalUK.

I’ve written countless reviews this year. But 88˚ North by J.F Kirwan may be the hardest. Why? Trying to form a coherent review when you squealed, screamed and squeaked your way through a book is much harder than it sounds.

I’ve read over 85 books this year. I’ve reviewed most of them. I’ve read some crackers. This may have just beaten the lot.

First of all, there are the characterisations. Never underestimate a woman who thinks she has nothing left to lose. But Nadia, despite her own life already being forfeit, cares far too deeply for those around her, especially Jake. While she is confident saying she’ll do whatever it takes to defeat her enemy, she is not prepared to sacrifice her heart in the process. Her inner conflict – kill Salamander or save Jake – is so human, despite her training, that it is impossible not to empathise with her. She also throws in a bucket load of sarcasm and a refusal to be defeated, which makes it tricky not to love her.

I love how Jake is her equal in every way. This isn’t some soppy love story where one must protect the other. This is a love story with all guns blazing, both prepared to die and kill for the other – even kill each other – if that is what it takes to save the world. I connected more with Jake’s character in this book as he had a mission of his own to carry out. I couldn’t tell you who I was more concerned about, either.

The secondary characters are also great. Greaves has a dry sense of humour but is crucial to both Nadia and Jake. Blue Fan is a mystery, but a mystery with a purpose. The Chef, the Major, even an innocent girl Nadia rescues at the start… everyone has a place. There is never the sense that anyone is superfluous, which is really satisfying.

Then there is the plot itself. Tense, fast-paced and nail biting. Despite the main character theoretically dying before the book has even begun, it’s incredible how you can make a reader concerned for their safety. There were twists along the way – not jaw-dropping unpredictable, but enough that I couldn’t figure out what the plan was.

I also felt like I learnt a lot from these books. I now have a desire to learn how to dive and know more about how an oil-rig works than I ever thought I needed to know. But the knowledge is never forced or out of place – you pick it up through the characters, rather than feeling the author is showing off what they know – a mistake I’ve picked up on far too often in the past.

There isn’t really a lot I can say other than go and read this trilogy. You’ll love the good guys, hate the bad guys and be trying to figure out how they can save the day when the bad guy holds all the cards. What more do you want?

I’d been eagerly awaiting this book and I most certainly wasn’t disappointed!
This is the third in Kirwan’s ‘Nadia Laksheva’ series and we were left on a precipice at the end of the last one regarding the consequences of Nadia trying to tackle her nemesis, the evil Salamander. In this one, we find out for sure…
Nadia has now lost her entire family to the twisted machinations of the man determined to make the world pay for a betrayal decades ago. The only person she has is Jake – the MI6 agent she teamed up with in book one (66 Metres). But Salamander has plans for him too! There’s one point you might have to hold on to your lunch with respect to that – just giving you fair warning!
In the previous books, there have been resting places, so to speak, where the action slowed down briefly for whatever reason and gave us pause to breathe. In this final part, however, there’s no chance of that! The action begins almost from the first page and doesn’t slow until the last couple of pages. I must admit, I was a little worried about how this one would end but I have to say, Kirwan did a beautiful job on this point. It was the perfect ending.
Although I loved the first book, I did – as my review stated – have a bit of trouble connecting with Nadia. She’s not exactly the easiest character to warm to. But by book 2 (37 Hours), she had grown on me a little more. And now, I can safely say, I’ve thoroughly connected. She’s more rounded now, and more ‘real’. I think that’s right for the character too – she’s grown, had to learn to trust people, and through that she’s let people – including the reader – in.
It’s definitely a great ending to a great series, and one I’d highly recommend.

*I read this advance copy voluntarily.

Well that was a fast paced packed action adventure! Ha how many adjectives can I get into one sentence? Well this book deserves them all and I'm pleased there's more in the series I can now go and read!. It's billed as a spy thriller and whilst this is true, I think it 's a lot more to be honest. The action is fast paced and violent in parts but it would make a great action movie that's for sure! From Hong Kong to the arctic and a few places in between - there are gangs, deals, Russian mafia, oil fields, dodgy deals and a whole lot more.

There's a lot to enjoy here and very realistic in parts so that you might need to wear a fur blanket around you when reading the cold parts!