The past can have a very nasty way of catching up with you, as James Ryker discovers in his latest adventure The Enemy Within, as he becomes involved with seeking out and destroying a group of arms dealers and smugglers, which rips open a past he thought was well buried.
Rob Sinclair uses past and present day in this fast paced journey into the dark side of life and hatred that is just below the surface at any given time, as Ryker is asked to seek out a man whom he last saw as a child of six years old; Gregor Minko, now known as Gregor Rebrov, a man who has become his fathers’ son in so many ways.
Ryker is none too sure why he has been asked to find Rebrov, but when his former controller and now friend Peter Winter meets him, agreeing to back him, Ryker sets about doing what he does best, seeking out those who do not want to be found.
He does not expect what fast becomes a becomes a very challenging time, to create such internal conflict, as at every turn his past reaches out to confront him. When he does finally discover what it is all about, far more than arms smuggling, he wonders if perhaps his past actions make him responsible for the damaged, angry and violent man who is now Gregor Rebrov.
As London comes under possible attack by a man who blames the SIS and the world of Spies for his parent’s death and his terrible life from that time onward, Ryker is pushed to the limit both emotionally and physically. Is he really to blame, is the question that is uppermost in his mind.
Based on the Russo-Ukranian war and their annexing of Crimea in 2014, Sinclair has used this still ongoing conflict, now melding into the Russo-Ukrainian conflict of current times, to create an all to believable plot using any means possible as weapons to eventually become the ‘winner takes all.’
The Enemy Within needs to be read carefully as Ryker’s past life, mixes with current day reality rapidly at times, often in a situation which involves several differing aspects of crime and subterfuge which without due care can become confusing, but as with adventures in the James Ryker series, this one is gripping until the very last page.

This always has a strong thriller element and enjoyed the action of this book. I was hooked from the first page and thought the stakes were high in this. The characters continued to feel like they were supposed to and enjoyed the overall feel of this. Rob Sinclair has a strong writing style and am excited for more.

If you are looking for a fast-paced action-packed thriller, this is definitely one for you.

James Ryker is a character who is right in the midst of convoluted power, politics, and government departments and is not afraid to blur the lines occasionally. This book sees Ryker coming back into contact with a man he has not seen for 20 years. Ryker had been undercover and working as part of the security for a powerful family.

The author switches back and forth between the present day and the events of the past. The past is done from the perspective of Ryker and Gregor who was a 6-year-old boy at the time. After the death of his parents, Gregor disappeared and has just resurfaced and it is up to Ryker to track him down again.

The author fills in the past for both characters and he tells the story of what Ryker's role was and more about the mission. For Gregor, the author gives us the information of his world after the death of his parents, a horrific upbringing but one that gives him the skills to do what he needs to do.

This is a dark thriller that had me gripped from the very first chapter, the two different timelines and the way he gradually builds up the past as well as the tense situation the present is now bringing. It takes a while before the author releases details of what is happening, a fair bit of time is in the past but this is essential for what is to come. It means you understand more about the character of Gregor, his motivation and the scars he carries.

This is a book that is part of an established series, I have not read all of the books. I wish I had! But the ones I have read have been great, full of action and easy to follow. There is the obvious sense of missing out if you don't read in order, but this book also works very well as a stand-alone as there is enough information given to get to grips with some characters that are established.

This is a fabulous book and if you are looking for something that is a spy thriller that has government agencies and other agencies involved then this is one for you. I would definitely recommend it.

This book has a good pace, an interesting plot and good characters, but the storytelling is bad with all the jumping around in time and places. The action scenes and the tactics of the main character are terrible, but there is still some entertainment value.

A high octane thriller with the volatile situation of Ukraine and Russia as a backdrop. A convoluted mix of characters ricocheting across numerous countries. Any and all difficulties compounded by a secret service mission from 20 years previous , catching up with the family ties to the same criminals leaving agents struggling to reconcile the mistakes of the past . With the impeding catalyst ready to engulf them both agents and criminals struggle to gain the upper hand and an advantage. A larger than life three dimensional character desperately trying to carry out his job as a trained spy with a burning wish to prove to himself and others that time had changed him from a killing machine. The plot as complex as the characters leaving the reader constantly battling to keep pace with the ever evolving action. Many thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Excellent continuation of the James Ryker story.
Ryker is off to deal with his past as he searches for a young man, whom he knew when the guy was a young boy living with his wealthy and corrupt parents that Ryker was working, undercover for,
at the time. Ryker saved him from death and now he needs to find him, as he tries to unravel the plans of a terror attack, that the young man just may hold the answers to.
Great action and riveting characters.
Ryker is as good and explosive as ever and Sinclair does a great job of moving the story along
with the back and forth between then and present day.
No confusing shifts and easy correlation.
Great read.

His past is coming back with a vengeance…. Ex intelligence agent James Ryker has done many things in the past he’d prefer to forget. The last time he saw Gregor Minko son to one of Ukraine’s most dangerous and politically influential arms dealers Gregor was a scared 6-year-old boy in need of protection. But Ryker had to walk away. The boy wasn’t the mission! Good book! This book had good suspense, intriguing, murder, mystery, action packed, a sort of who done it and a few crazy twists and turns! The story was interesting, it wasn't one of my top favorite but still worth reading! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Great to have Ryker back. Lots of action in this entry in the fast-paced series. This time we get a bit of past and present as actions of the past mean Ryker must get to work to find a person he couldn’t rescue 20 years ago. As would be expected, his search is thwarted by other, nefarious bad guys..