Sentinel, a Thriller
Set in a modern-day "cold war" Sentinel takes place in Russia and eastern Europe as CIA/MI6 agents rush to find who is killing their double agents -- a man who wants to start the nuclear war to end all wars. I am not a big fan of nuclear war novels, but found myself drawn into the single life of Will and his mission. A compassionate, yet well-trained MI6 agent, Will seeks out his captured friend to help resolve the impending war. Filled with travels throughout Europe and Russia, Sentinel is a good read for a long winter night. My one complaint with the author was his bouncing back and forth between metric and US scales, most particularly MPH/KPH. Being set in Eastern Europe and Russia, I would stick with the metric conversion. All in all, I recommend it if you don't mind a lot of killing and some visual gore.
Rated of 5
by LiteraryLinda Wyoming
Sentinel and His Surprise
Yes, there is a surprise ending which I never expected. I must admit I had trouble getting "into" this book. It probably had to do with being so busy that I read only a few minutes at a time. Once I was free of commitment, I began to like the book and ended up enjoying it. Reading spy thrillers is my forte; hence, my surprise at having trouble getting into it. Will Cochrane is quite a spy and I enjoyed his abilities. He seems to be well-trained in his various skills, yet he does have some warmness, though not much. He is such a harsh and evil-seeming man whose harsh methods could only be honed to efficiency by his hard work and his loyalty to his country. I think anyone who enjoys spy thrillers will enjoy this book. Thanks for the opportunity to read it.
Rated of 5
by Mary O. (Boston, MA)
Page turner
Will Cochrane is a memorable Cold War character and you feel like you know him as you are ensconced in the book. A typical British spy thriller that makes you want to read it in one sitting. A perfect summer beach read!!
Rated of 5
by Catharine L. (Petoskey,
not a page turner
I really tried to like it because I enjoy spy/political thrillers (authors Olen Steinhauer, Alan Furst), but this left me cold. The main character, Will Cochran, has no personality. He and the other characters seemed one dimensional. The story itself was interesting - rogue Russian agent setting off a nuclear bomb that would be blamed on the U.S. and war would result. But the buildup was not exciting - 18 pages describing the tracking of a defecting U.S. sailor - boring. Detailed descriptions of weapons - boring. I would rather have a complex storyline with interesting characters.
Rated of 5
by Paula W. (Winfield, IL)
Not my cup of vodka
Before I read Sentinel, I read Spycatcher. I liked the first---but I think reading the second adventure was too much for me--too many spies, too many twists, too many difficult Russian names, too many descriptions of esoteric weapons (there was even a glossary!), too many locations and rapid transit between them. In the 1st of the series, I cared about the hero and the other "cast" members. But in this one, I got lost in the complicated spy-plot and place names and the multitudes of people. I must admit, I like spy novels---but this one was, for me, over the top.
Rated of 5
by Joyce K. (Conway, Arkansas)
Sentinel
I selected this book because I thought it would be a good diversion from what I usually read. It had the prerequisite American,Russian, and British players with the idea that the United States and Russia are on the brink of war and only one man can stop the crisis. The problem is that this story never grabbed me. There were the customary beatings and torture and double cross but it never really held my interest. I felt the characters were flat. Perhaps a lead character in spy novels is not suppose to have warmth, but I would have settled for depth. I thought much of it was predictable, not necessarily plausible. I was looking for more of the thrills of "24" or Jack Higgins or even Robert Ludlum. This book did not deliver that kind of suspense or intrigue.
Rated of 5
by Judith P. (Rosebud, Missouri)
Not enought character development
This is one of my favorite genre of book. This author has not created a main character that the reader care about or wants to know what is happening next. There is a lot of technical detail but very little of the human element.Perhaps the authors share too much in common with his main character. Deal well with situations but not in touch with people.
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by Mark B. (Jackson, MI)
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by Catharine L. (Petoskey,
