After binging all the Washington Poe series available and then speed reading Fearless so I could get to this one it did not disappoint!!!
How does Mr Craven do it?! If you haven’t read anything by Mike Craven you are sorely missing out!! The writing draws you in and spits you out leaving you bereft at having to wait for the next book!!!
Brilliant book from a brilliant mind. I’m now scrabbling round finding what I’ve not read by Mike to fill the void!!

Nobody’s Hero
M.W. Craven
This was a complex storyline and masterfully written. I would read anything M.W. Craven writes with his Washington Poe series as one of my all time favourite series.
Ben Koenig gave me Jack Reacher vibes. There’s lots happening within this book but you’re addicted from the jump.

I chose to read a free eARC of Nobody's Hero but that has in no way influenced my review.

Nobody's Hero is the second book in the Ben Koenig series written by one of my favourite authors, M.W. Craven. This series though is a little different to the author's other books which tend to be police procedurals. Ben Koenig used to head the US Marshal's Special Operations Group until he disappeared one day. Koenig had to vanish after a Russian crime syndicate put a five-million-dollar bounty on his head. Now, he's a hunted man. But that doesn't scare Ben Koenig. Nothing scares Ben Koenig. Ben Koenig doesn't have the capacity to feel fear due to a condition, which makes him highly dangerous to his enemies. His lateral thinking skills outshine everyone else. His determination and approach to getting the job done make him a valued member of the security service. He can also be a little reckless and impulsive, and that's where Jen Draper comes in.

Ben and his handler, Jen, return in this highly thrilling second instalment of the series. Both Ben and Jen have complicated pasts and a fairly complicated working relationship. They really don't like each other but the trust the two of them share is quite extraordinary. They are a formidable, unstoppable team.

Ben's missions are always multi-layered and intricate, with numerous seemingly unrelated threads coming together in perfect harmony and setting the storyline up for an explosive finale. That is certainly the case in Nobody's Hero. When an elderly academic is snatched in broad daylight by a homeless woman on the streets of London, the case immediately goes cold. The women haven't been seen on any of the myriad of CCTV cameras in the Capital since leaving Speaker's Corner. Ben is tasked with finding the academic and her abductor. But where others fail, Koenig thrives! Particularly when he recognises the homeless woman as someone he shot in the head ten years earlier...

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. Nobody's Hero is thrilling, unstoppable and completely gripping from the first word to the very last. I have enormous respect for the author. To write such a complex, imaginative and full-on story, to have so many individual pieces, so many seemingly unconnected threads that all need to be tied together at the end, and to do it with such incredible style is an achievement. I love the characterisation. I like Koenig but the more time I spend with Jen Draper, the more my girl-crush develops! The storyline doesn't really let up. There are no quieter moments for the characters to take a breather. There's always someone trying to shoot them/blow them up/run them off the road. As I think you would expect, the level of violence is fairly high. A hell of a lot of people die and for a lot of them, their deaths are quite grisly. There are a couple of really big twists in the tale. Twists that the reader just doesn't see coming. One of which, was delivered in the most perfect way. Loved it! The ending is explosive and totally full-on. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough and I couldn't see how Koenig was going to get out of this one. You'll have to read the book for yourself to see if he does! M.W. Craven is a superb storyteller, and I cannot wait to read more of his work. All in all, thrilling from the get-go, chock full of action, totally unexpected and stuffed full of twists. An absolutely relentless read that will consume you. Recommended.

I chose to read and review a free eARC of Nobody's Hero. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

[Review will be published on 10th April]

Another fantastic Book by M. W Craven - I have read all of the Washington Poe series and I am loving this series too!

Craven makes no attempt to hide the fact that Koenig is a Jack Reacher rip-off, and when the storytelling is this good it really doesn't matter. Huge fun with twists I never saw coming. Looking forward to more in this series! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

We first met Ben Koenig last year in Fearless and I knew that I had found a new favourite author. I was excited to get my hands on book 2 Nobody’s Hero and it did not disappoint!

Ben has a condition that makes him incapable of experiencing fear which leads to an action-filled read filled with endless action, humour and a high body count.

Thank you to @netgalley for the eARC. Nobody’s Hero is out now.

M W Craven's writing is always a cut above, as anyone who has discovered the brilliant crime series featuring Washington Poe and Tilly Bradshaw knows. This series (of which this book is the second) takes a different genre - the thriller - and proves that Craven can turn his hand to this genre just as well.

This book is the second outing for protagonist Ben Koenig, former head of the US Marshalls' Special Operations Group. He's literally 'Fearless' (the title of the first novel), having a medical condition that means he is afraid of nothing. After the events of the first novel, Ben has been living under the radar - he's a highly trained killer and has made a lot of enemies along the way. When people start going missing, Ben gets called in by the CIA to see if he can help - and he quickly learns that his past has some surprising links to the current investigation. But Ben isn't someone who can ever walk away from a challenge - no matter how dangerous...

I made the mistake of picking this up before bed one night and then struggled to put it down! It's not my usual genre, but I loved the clever plotting and the crazy, extreme situations that Ben found himself in. I don't think it's as realistic as the Poe and Bradshaw books, but it's a great read nevertheless. You've kind of got to believe that the stakes are high (I wasn't really clear on why, but I didn't care!) and go with the flow.

As with all Craven's books, you can expect a high body count, some very gruesome moments and also flashes of humour. If you like Craven's writing, you'll like this - and if you haven't discovered this writer yet then now is the time!

Thanks to NetGalley for my copy of the book for review.

Nobody’s Hero by M.W. Craven is an electrifying action thriller with an outstanding premise: original and clever. The smart, intricate plot masterfully balances slow-building tension with bursts of fast-paced excitement, keeping me hooked throughout.

I especially loved getting to know protagonist Ben Koenig better in this installment, which added depth to his character and made the story even more compelling. The characterisation in general was fantastic too; each one authentic and nuanced. The way the plot unraveled was expertly done, with a couple of great twists that kept me on the edge of my seat. This instalment had a global scope which I enjoyed and this aspect also upped the stakes. The final showdown blew me away!

This should be a must-read for all action thriller fans. One of my favourite books this year!

Another great story from M W Craven. Excellent writing and storyline which was gripping all the way through.

I'm a fan of M W Craven and the Poe series so thought I would jump in to the latest series featuring Ben Keonig

Absolutely loved it. Fast paced, witty and clever with a twisting, intelligent plot. I honestly looked forward to getting to bed to read it! I'll definitely be ordering the next in the series.

Another pitch perfect MW Craven novel.

Although I am not the biggest fan of action heroes, Ben Keonig has to be the exception. Deftly written with some absolutely phenomenal one-liners, I could not put this novel down.

An absolutely exquisite ending, too.

It's been a long time since I've read an action thriller and this has rekindled my love for them. It was fast paced, intense and gripping. Mike's sense of humour and writing ability just oozes through everything that he writes and this book was no difference. It was so very witty and intelligent and I just loved it. I would fully recommend.

another gripping tale about the man who can't feel fear. Mike Craven is such a talented writer and has the power to weave a story that is near impossible to put down. And that ending!!! I can't wait for book three. Brilliant for fans of Lee Child or David Baldacci.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the advance copy to read and review.

As a huge fan of M.W Craven it was a privilege to have the opportunity to read this in advance to it being released. I previously read the first in the Ben Koenig series when it was released last year. I really enjoy the idea and concept of the main character being someone who is incapable of fear and what they can also mean for them and their actions. I think it is a very niche and cool idea, one that I haven't come across before this series.

The writing is incredible, as per everything that Craven writes. He has an unbelievable talent for writing such captivating plots, characters and the pages are filled with interesting facts. If I were to ever play in a pub quiz, I think I would want Craven on my team. Whenever I read one of his books I tend to always find myself googling something from the book to find out more. The level of research and thought that goes into his writing is extremely apparent. I genuinely think he is one of the greatest fiction authors of our time.

Ben Koenig is a great character, who is well developed and I really felt like we got to know more of him in this book. He also has a lot of funny one liners and retorts, somewhat reminiscent of Poe (if you know, you know). The side characters are also brilliant and really made this book. I loved Margaret and thought she was very well written.

The plot is fast paced, action packed and had me turning the pages rapidly. I did not want to put this down. I actually much preferred this book in the series to the first. There was a great mix of mystery, investigation and special operations procedure, along with a lot of murders.

I would highly recommend this to any Craven fans, Jack Reacher fans or anyone who likes to read to escape. It's like having a blockbuster film playing in your head in an imax cinema screening.

Another brilliant book from M.W. Craven.
This is a complex crime thriller but is also action packed from the word go, and I loved every minute of it.
Koenig is arrested after attacking some corrupt cops but is soon released by Draper and a man he doesn’t recognise.
It’s clear the man needs his help but Koenig will only provide it if Draper is brought on board as well. The two of them have a tense relationship but there’s no doubt that they work well together when catching killers.
They need to find a woman who was thought to be dead as she is crucial to finding out what threat is posed against the US.
I won’t say anymore about the story as there’s lots of layers and I wouldn’t want to spoil it for you.
This is a gripping crime thriller that I highly recommend.
Thanks to Little Brown Book Group for the opportunity to read this book.

I’ve loved all of M W Craven’s books and Nobody’s Hero is no exception. Following on from the first in the series, this book continues the story of Ben who has no fear of anything. There were plenty twists in this book that kept the story moving, a few maybe suspend belief a little moments, but this didn’t distract from the overall plot and reading of the novel. Definitely a twist at the end too and I’ll be waiting for the next in the series.

Clear your schedule, sit down and brace yourself. Fast-moving and brilliant, to call it a thrill ride is not a big enough way to describe this absolutely fantastic read.

You can see why publishers want a ‘new Jack Reacher’ – find a character who can sell over 100 million books and it make financial sense. So any ‘action’ thriller these days will get some blurb from readers or the publishers themselves claiming the book in question to be ‘the new Jack Reacher’. When authors like Neil Lancaster, Steve Cavanagh, Vaseem Khan, and Zoë Sharp make the comparisons you might be more inclined to take the claim more seriously (My father-in-law reading the first Ben Koenig book summarised it saying “Well, he makes Reacher look like a boy scout”.
So we’re in for a thrill ride, a high adrenaline trip, a roller coaster of a story and all the rest of it, and let’s be clear: Reacher wasn’t the first action hero: neither was Jason Bourne, or even Jack Higgins’ Sean Dillon. But he undoubtedly changed things in the action genre and everyone wants to publish one.
What gives this series a definite leg up is the fact it is written by Sunday Times Bestseller and CWA Dagger Award Winner MW Craven, author of the Washington Poe series. So you know the writing is going to be good and the stories, no matter how much action there is in them is going to be well thought out and with some humour in there.
If you haven’t read the first book: ex US Marshall Ben Koenig is, due to a syndrome, a man without fear – literally. While the first novel talked us through this in detail in terms of how it came to be diagnosed and what it meant, here we jump straight in: Koenig is living a nomadic life under the radar (in large part due to the events of book one), and a $5 million bounty on his head. When a group of corrupt cops try to capitalise on that bounty and he…reacts, he’s brought in by the CIA (And don’t worry about spoilers – this is the first chapter of the book) to look into a murder/ abduction case in London involving a woman Koenig knows. A woman he killed several years ago (again – not a real spoiler and there’s more to it than that which you’ll find out quickly enough).
This is a bigger book than the first one and, by the author’s own admission, one which is more. More? More researched, more complex, more action and more developed given the years in between writing the first one and this.
Anyone who’s read MW Craven before will know his fondness for cultural reference: so yes: he DOES mention Reacher in a way that means there won’t ever be a shared universe/ team up… but if you’re looking for a new action thriller that ISN’T just another Reacher in all but name, go for one of the best writers in the business…

A new Ben Koenig novel is a reason to celebrate! Though only the second novel, in what will undoubtedly be a long-running, and hugely successful series, Nobody's Hero is a deeply complex, but brilliant novel.
Our hero, Ben Koenig is continuing to live on his own, travelling around the US, when his assistance is required to find a woman who he previously helped to fake her death. For an unknown reason, she has come out of hiding and has committed several murders, before kidnapping a woman.
Of course, this initial scenario is nothing compared to the upcoming events when the very future of the US is endangered.
The storyline here is very involved and definitely one where you must stay focused - but why would you put this book down?
Grab it, read it and enjoy!

Loved Book 1, Double Loved Book 2

Ben is back and what a character he is, the ‘agent’ who literally, biologically does not feel fear is tasked with finding out….well lets put this in basic terms…..something that could cause a mass event and the people that know about it and the people that are going to trigger it….and it all starts in Speakers Corner with a seemingly unprovoked double murder

I love the characters, good, bad, fair to middling, love the dry acerbic quick wit….the action…the conversations….the settings…the drama…and of course this is all because the writing and the story is so so good

I also enjoy the information given on many subjects, not long and boring but enough to pique your interest and gain a bit of knowledge, sometimes on the rarest of subjects

I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed this book other than to say I REALLY enjoyed every page, every sentence and everything about it