This was a fast paced thriller which kept me on the edge of my seat. The theme is really current bearing in mind recent terrorist atrocities all over Europe.
13 young boys have been removed from their homes and brought up to be jihadi fighting machines by The Teacher who is both cruel and fanatical. They are smuggled to The Farm in Afghanistan and never see their families again.
Aydin or number 13 is kidnapped by his father and taken to the farm at the age of 9.
M15 agent Rachel Cox is desperately searching for the 13 fearing a terrorist plot is underway with these brainwashed men as lead players.
The story moves between Aydin who shows humanity despite the jihadi training and Rachel who has to defy her boss to keep the investigation going.
When Aydin’s twin sister is killed he escapes from his terrorist masters and plans revenge on those responsible.
I enjoyed the way the novel switched between Rachel and Aydin as the reader could see what was happening from two perspectives. The flashbacks to the farm were chilling and helped to fill in Aydin’s background. In fact by the end of the book I felt I knew him better than Rachel.
This is a real rollercoaster of a read full of action and excitement and I whizzed through it in a couple of days.
The end was great and paved the way for a possible sequel which I would be very happy to read.
This is perfect for spy thriller lovers and fans of I Am Pilgrim,Orphan X and the Gabriel Allon series by Daniel Silva.
I suggest you look out for this book in the Summer when it is published as I’m sure it will do very well.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my arc in exchange for a review.

Where to start? I could not put down this book. Some readers may say that the plot is brave for today, considering the numerous recent terrorist atrocities. Some may question how the author managed to research the content. I, however, found the plot fascinating and terrifying at the same time. The pace skipped along and I liked the flashbacks to the ‘farm’. I could really see this being made into a film and liked the fact that the reader is left dangling, wondering if there could be a sequel. Thoroughly enjoyed and recommended.