Redemption follows Ryan Drake, a `Shepherd' employed by the CIA to rescue lost agents. He's given the task of breaking into a Russian prison and rescuing a prisoner known only by her code name `Maras'. I kind of expected this to be just another jail break story, but actually the rescue happens quite early on. It's only when Drake returns to America that things really get going. Soon he's forced to go on the run with Maras and most of the story is about the two of them trying to avoid capture long enough to figure out what's going on. The storyline twists and turns, with plenty of surprise turns and unexpected revelations. Just when you think you've got it all figured out the book throws another curve ball at you, but it never feels convoluted or hard to follow. Drake is your typical driven agent with a dark past but he's given enough personality and back story to keep him interesting, while Maras starts out as a real mystery and stays that way right to the end (no doubt we'll learn more about her in future books). Overall a really great thriller that captured my interest right away and held it to the last page. Can't wait for the next one!

A high-otane and fast paced tale of derring-do set in the world of elite investigation and black-ops that had me hooked throughout. The hero of the piece is Ryan Drake, a wonderful amalgamation of thriller favourites, Geordie Sharp, Nick Stone and ‘Spider’ Shepherd but with a slightly softer centre as he finds himself at the whim of his immediate superiors and with an additional threat to his nearest and dearest. Tasked with liberating a former CIA agent, Maras, from a harsh prison in the snowy wastes of Siberia, Drake and his team come to realise that this mission is not all that it first appears to be and forces Drake on the run with Maras as the depth of this conspiracy becomes clear. One of the strongest aspects of this book is Jordan’s grasp of characterisation as Drake is a compelling and empathetic protagonist with a strong moral sense but who seeks to retain his professionalism as a soldier. Maras, named after the goddess of war, also proves to be an intriguing and exceptionally well-drawn character and is probably the finest kick-derriere heroine of the thriller genre I have read. She is incredibly driven, consumed with a thirst for revenge and not above using her feminine wiles to manipulate Drake to achieve this. Likewise, the characterisation of members of Drake’s disparate team and his oily superiors is equally balanced and I particularly liked Drake’s nemesis Dietrich who Drake reluctantly adds to his team and the way their rocky history comes to light. The plot moves quickly through a series of unforgiving terrains as Drake and Maras go on the run for reasons that I will not reveal as this would totally spoil this read but needless to say Jordan’s depiction of these locations is utterly authentic and I particularly enjoyed the Siberian section getting a real sense of the isolated and brutal confines of a frankly despicable place of incarceration. Jordan has said that having undergone a military bootcamp in the past, igniting his passion for military hardware and history, that he has undertaken much research in the US and Europe becoming something of an arms expert and this is self-evident throughout the plot. There is a meticulous attention to weaponry and military procedures throughout, which is not only informative but reveals much of this secret world of military warfare. Overall a very creditable debut and bodes well for a long running series featuring this new action-hero on the block and perfect for readers looking for something to supplement the works of other established writers in the military thriller genre…