Nobody's Hero by M W Craven #NobodysHero @mwcravenuk @LittleBrownUK @BethWright26 #BenKoenig #BookReview

 

The man who can't feel fear is back, in a race against time to find the woman who knows a secret that could take down the world as we know it.

When a shocking murder and abduction on the streets of London leads investigators to him, Ben Koenig has no idea at first why the highest echelons of the CIA would need his help. But then he realises he knows the woman who carried out the killings. Ten years earlier, without being told why, he was tasked with helping her disappear.

Far from being a deranged killer, she is the gatekeeper of a secret that could take down the West, so for years she has been in hiding. Until now.

And if she has resurfaced, the danger may be closer and more terrifying than anyone can imagine.

So Ben Koenig has to find her before it's too late. But Ben suffers from a syndrome which means he can't feel fear. He doesn't always know when he should walk away, or when he's leading others into danger . . 

Nobody's Hero by M W Craven is published in hardback on 10 October 2024 by Constable. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. 

This is the second instalment in the Ben Koenig series. I read and reviewed the first; Fearless back in June last year and was so impressed.  Craven has been a favourite author of mine for a long time, and I can assure you that he can write US based crime fiction just as gripping as his well established Washington Poe series. 

Buckle up and be prepared for a tumultuous ride, this novel is relentless in its pace and the plotting and characterisation is perfectly done. Whilst I really enjoyed the first novel of the series, I was totally knocked out by this one. We learn more about Koenig, he seems a little more approachable, and the touches of humour are incredibly placed. 

The scene is set at the beginning of a book with a man being held by unknown people. He's strapped to a workbench in some sort of a factory. He is not a gangster, or a criminal, he's an ordinary bloke who happens to be a Professor. When he finds out what his captors want from him, he steadfastly refuses to say anything .... to his cost. 

Fast forward two years and we are at Speaker's Corner in Hyde Park. What seems an ordinary day turns into a bloodbath as two people are murdered and another is abducted. This is where Ben Koenig comes in; the events have set off a mysterious protocol and Koenig's name is one of those involved. He claims to know nothing about it, but he does know the woman accused of the murders and abduction. He knows her because many years ago it was his job to ensure that she disappeared. 

And so, we readers are taken on a journey, alongside Koenig, to try to discover just what the protocol is all about, and how it is going to affect the whole world. We meet people along the way who will induce nightmares. The father/daughter contract killers who seem to take pleasure in disposing of their targets in the most ingenious, yet violent of manner.  

There is violence, and lots of it. There are scenes that made me gasp and swear out loud. There are scenes that I will never be able to erase from my mind, yet all are perfectly done, adding to the depth of the story despite the flinching. 

Koenig travels the globe in pursuit of his goal, he seems to be able to think of the most insane ways to defeat those who are out to kill him, theres a scene on a staircase that is totally ingenious, frightening, yet hilarious too. 

When Koenig and the reader finally find out exactly what the protocol is all about, it is shocking. Craven expertly weaves detail of the toxicity of social media, fake news and how misinformation can make a bad thing seem even more terrible. It's clever without preaching and bang up to date. 

This is an action pack, rollercoaster of a read that is totally entertaining. Koenig is unique, like no other character I've ever come across, you are never quite sure just what he's going to do next. 

Oh, and that ending ...............  be prepared.  An amazing read, highly recommended by me. 

Multi-award-winning author M.W. Craven was born in Carlisle but grew up in Newcastle.
He joined the army at sixteen, leaving ten years later to complete a social work degree. 

Seventeen years after taking up a probation officer role in Cumbria, at the rank of assistant chief officer, he became a full-time author. 

He is an instant Sunday Times bestseller and, for his Cumbria-set Washington Poe series, a recipient of the 2019 Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger, the 2022 Ian Fleming Steel Dagger and the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2023. 

The series has now been translated into twenty-seven languages

Instagram: @m.w.craven

X :@mwcravenuk

Facebook: MikeCravenAuthor