An excellent introduction to a new action/thriller hero. I was only aware of Swallow's SFF fiction before reading this, but I was very pleased that he's just as good in the contemporary world of spies and conspiracy as he is the the far future.

Gripping, well-told and well-written, I very much enjoyed this, and am eager to get caught up with the rest of the series. (I've bought each of the book since.) A must read for all fans of thriller/action fiction.

“Nomad” was published in 2016 and was written by James Swallow. Mr. Swallow has been a prolific author with many publications to his credit. This is the first in his “Rubicon” series.

I categorize this novel as ‘R’ because it contains scenes of Violence, Mature Language and Mature Situations. The story is set mostly in the UK and Europe, though with a little in the US. The primary character is Marc Nash, formerly of the Royal Navy and now a member of MI6.

He and his team are making a raid on a suspected terrorist ship in the harbor at Dunkirk. Nash is part of the support crew stationed in a nearby truck to guide the real shooters as they make the approach to the ship. In moments the mission blows apart, literally and figuratively. The entire team is dead, including Nash’s lover Samantha Green, and he barely escapes with his life.

Nash is being pursued and must find his way discretely back to England. But when he gets back to MI6 he is the primary target in the investigation into what happened to team “Nomad”. He must clear his name or he will be buried forever.

Rubicon is an organization run by a billionaire with a strike force of its own. Rubicon hears of Nash and needs to find out what he knows. They tell Nash that they are the good guys, but he has serious doubts. Soon he and Rubicon agent Lucy Keyes are struggling for their lives and are in desperate pursuit of terrorists that are determined to take their war to America.

I thought this was an enjoyable 13+ hour read. This was a typical intelligence/spy story, but I did enjoy it. There was plenty of action and a good plot. The cover art was nice, but really didn’t give much insite to the story other than it dealt with the Middle East. I give this novel a 4 out of 5.

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Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy reading this book and gave up half way through!