3.5⭐
What drew my attention to this book are its unique lead character and the setting. Special Forces Major Rake Ozenna is a Bering Strait native, an indigenous Chukchi people. His home is on Little Diomede Island, which is 3 miles from Russia's Big Diomede Island. (Russia's time is 21 hours ahead, crazy!)

Russia wants to hand-deliver its weapon secret to the US at the border between the Diomede Islands. Rake and his longtime buddy whom he considered a brother, Mikki are to retrieve that intel and head back. Unfortunately, things aren't that easy and there's a firefight as the delivery is taking place. A Russian woman was critically shot. Assuming she carries that secret, the two brought her back with them on a dinghy. This is an exciting and action-packed start that rolls to a full geopolitical and espionage thriller. I have to admit the pace was off as the story moves along with many characters. At roughly 70%, the action starts again and it's hard to put down.

"Man on Fire" is book #3 in Rake Ozenna series. The author did a good job introducing Rake. I haven't read the first two books, but I'd like to. We're also told what a badass he is, but that's not shown until later in the book. I wouldn't mind more action throughout and more Rake and Mikki.

I'd like to thank Canongate Books, Severn House Publishers, and Netgalley for this digital copy.

I always feel that with this type of James Bond adventure that you need a certain suspension of belief. Somehow the hero and heroine survive against almost impossible odds. But if you can accept that, then Man of Fire has good pace, lively adventure, a not totally improbable plot, and the requisite rugged characters and political in-fighting. The locations veer from the Russian-American border of the Bering Straits off Alaska, through Washington to a world leader summit in Germany. Non-stop action, and in its own way, great fun.

Man on Fire, by Humphrey Hawksley kept me rea0ding to the end. As thrillers go, it worked, but just barely. I was never surprised, and that’s what I depend on a thriller to do. The protagonist. Rake, wasn't sympathetic, and most of the supporting cast was nearly forgettable. But, there was just enough there .to make me curious about what Hawksley writes next.

Fans of the military thriller will enjoy this fast paced novel that pits our hero- Rake Ozenna- against a more or less vast global conspiracy and Russia. Starting in the Bering Strait, it criss crosses time zones as he races to find the truth about a super weapon. Don't worry if you missed the earlier books as there's enough back story to get you going. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's both implausible and gripping- just the sort of thing for travel.

An edge of your seat political thriller worthy of the genre. Mr. Hawksley has delivered a third novel in the Rake Ozenna series that is every bit the equal to those that preceded it.

Set in the interesting geographical location of the Bering Strait, where Russia and the United States are separated at its narrowest point by a scant 55 miles, Special Forces Captain Rake Ozenna is deployed to meet a boat coming from Russia. In the spirit of cooperation, the passenger on the boat is carrying information about a new secret weapon that has the capability to cripple the world, which the Russian government believes needs to be shared in order to neutralize it. Without warning, the boat is attacked, the passenger killed and the intelligence information is lost. Rake’s hunt for the data, the killers and while battling the hidden political agenda, takes the team from the Diomedes Islands, Bohemia, Germany and the United States.

This is a well developed story with likable characters that won’t disappoint.

I enjoyed reading this book, it was well written and exciting. If you like Tom Clancy, then you’ll like this author. This is the first book I’ve read from this author and I plan to read his other books.

I had read Hawksley’s DRAGON STRIKE and DRAGON FIRE and liked both of them very much so I thought I would try his action-adventure. Sadly, I was terribly disappointed and didn't even finish the book. It simply wasn't very good. After a strong start, the book soon turned horribly dull with a lot of windy and tedious passages composed of lectures on historical context. I skimmed for a while, found that didn't help because they kept coming, and finally gave up completely.

Hawksley does the ‘future history’ thing a lot better than this. He should stick to it.

Instructed to guide in a speed boat crossing from Russia in the Bering Strait, special forces Major Rake Ozenna watches in horror as the operation culminates in a fatal firefight - and the loss of vital intelligence of a deadly new weapon. A weapon of unimaginable power. A weapon that, if it were unleashed, would cripple civilization as we know it. But who sabotaged the mission? Who possesses the weapon - and what is their ultimate goal?

Rake's search takes him to the remote outpost of Uelen on the Russian coast - and the discovery that he is up against a formidable enemy from his past. As world leaders gather in Bonn for the signing of the new European security treaty, Rake enters a desperate race against time to prevent a catastrophe beyond imagining.
A story that takes a dark turn, has several surprises and kept me on my toes right up to the final page!

Super detailed, a bit uneven in terms of pacing and style. Mostly very exciting thriller, however all the elements got to be a bit much.
I like the main characters quite a bit, even though Rake is a bit of a mystery. (Thankful to NetGalley and the publisher for a complementary copy of the book)

Man on Fire is your average good guys vs bad guys espionage thriller. The characters are not very memorable. The plot is nothing special. It is a fun read and would be good company on your next business trip.

This is a good spy novel, but some of the political intrigue was a bit too complicated for me. I've not read any books by this author and some of the characters have obviously been in other books, but there was adequate background to follow the story. There were diverse characters that aren't typically found in novels. A good story if you like political thrillers.

My first book by the author and I may have missed out on some background by not having done so.
Major Rake Ozenna is a stoic Special Forces agent, brought up on the edge of the Bering Strait. He is ordered to meet a boat coming from the Russian side, but the boat is attacked by the very same Russian forces that seemed to have sanctioned the operation. This kick starts a sinister plot relating to a weapon that could change the shape of the world.
The Bering Strait is fascinating, only about 50 miles separates Russia and Alaska with the two tiny Diomede Islands, one owned by Russia and one the US. A great and complex place to place much of this thriller and as an origin for Rake and his friends.
I quite enjoyed this, it had pace and an original setting. Perhaps Rake and his chums are too stoic and this restricts us emphasising with them as people. You also wonder, at times, why the more traditional US Special Forces don’t get involved, it seemed odd that Rake’s small team were so front and centre.
But overall, interesting thriller, good location and a fair bit in there to make you think amongst the thrills.

"Man on Fire" was a good espionage thriller. The book is the third in the Rake Ozenna series. I have not read the first two books, but there was enough background provided, especially as many of the characters appear to be reoccurring characters, that I did not feel I was missing out; though I may go back and read the earlier books. Rake Ozenna and Mikki Wekstatt, two of the main characters, are Eskimos who live on Little Diomede, a tiny Alaskan island just east of the Russian-US border, with Big Diomede (Ratmanova), a Russian controlled island on the other side of the border. Having the main character be an Eskimo makes this book (and series) stands out. I liked that some of the story took place in the Bering Strait, focused on these islands and other islands in the area, and the cultural aspects of the native populations.

The overarching story focuses on Ruslan Yumatov, an enemy with whom Rake has crossed paths in the past, and who was rescued from the US interrogation site where he had been held for over two years, and a secret weapon capable of setting off a destructive electromagnetic pulse (EMP) that would destroy the electronic infrastructure of the target area and create mass chaos and destruction. Yumatov wants to destabilize and remake the world in a more equitable fashion, with a focus on Europe, in revenge for what happened to his father.

The story is set in the present, so it references Covid (the anger and instability that the pandemic has brought about), extremist movements, Brexit, manipulation of elections, and utilization of data mining and other techniques to understand the mood of a specific segment of the population and then manipulate that mood to get the desired results for the paying clients. Geopolitics, especially the relationships between the US and Russia, and the European Union and Russia, are central to the story. In addition to the macro level of international relations, there is also the micro level of family relationships, with Yumatov's actions and motivations strongly focused on his family. The story has plenty of action and intrigue.

I received a copy of the e-book from NetGalley in exchange for a review.

Too complicated. Good development of characters and subject matter but entirely too complicated for me.

This thriller is based on a very plausible and realistic terrorist scenario: a rogue group of nuclear scientists develops a new technology that is in danger of threatening the world. The team of specialists from around the world has come together to figure out what the tech is, who is behind its deployment, and how to eventually stop it from happening. The personalities involved are all interesting and captivating -- both good and bad guys alike -- and the non-stop action sequences don't drag in the least and keep you reading to see what will happen next. I couldn't put this book down and found it an interesting look at our world on the brink of a potential disaster. Highly recommended.

I recently finished reviewing an ARC of "Man on Fire," written by Humphrey Hawksley and soon to be on offer from Severn House publishing. The book follows a formula familiar to readers of people like Tom Clancy, Brad Thor, or Vince Flynn. The author has a particularly deft touch in incorporating the geography and demographics of the area where most of the action takes place, and it is this feel for "place" that sets it a bit apart from some of its many competitors. The story includes some apocalyptic elements, an underlying Cold War backstory (no pun intended-it is set largely in the vicinity of the Bering Straits) and weaves all of these things into a rousing good read propelled by a race against time to find and neutralize a new Russian space based weapon which is, quite literally, a game changer. Worse, this weapon is already operational and
has been brought to an operational stage with the the eager participation of an assortment of international and underworld players so that while the Russian government might be expected to be the primary beneficiary of the weapon's employment, it exercises only minimal control of rogue elements within the Russian military allied with others intent on changing the world order for personal profit. Once it got going, it was difficult to put down.