I just love Jonas Merrick. He’s developed a real personality as the quiet, unassuming, underrated intelligence officer whose intellect and understanding of the spy game is superb. He’s unseen by most; a man of rigid routine with the same journey to work in London daily, wearing his trilby hat and with a briefcase cuffed to his wrist. Hints of his subversive nature are clear. He takes home papers that shouldn’t leave HQ. He works alone, annoys his senior colleagues and is generally despised or disliked by his peers. He’s a loner who talks to Plaf, his cat and goes on caravan holidays with his long suffering wife. He’s abrupt, secretive and yet he’s been awarded bravery medals ( which are kept in his wife’s knicker drawer), so he’s not to be underestimated.

Gerald Seymour’s spy thrillers have such an edge of authenticity. There’s chilling detail about the infiltration of the Chinese, about drug cartels and Russian oligarchs. There are sleepers and double agents; who’s to be trusted, who has betrayed their own and what price will be paid? The Best Revenge really whips along as Jonas lays a series of traps, ignoring collateral damage, determined to achieve his goal. But it’s now a race against time as there’s a price on his head. Literally. Buckle up, this is a bumpy and thrilling ride through the world of modern espionage, delivered by a writer who seems to be in the know. Absolutely loved this fast paced spy thriller.

Age old tactics combine with modern day threats and work together to create this meticulously plotted web of spies, which is truly contempory espionage at its finest.