This is book 8 in ‘A Lambeth Group Thriller series by author Gordon Bickerstaff. The books are stand-alone while incorporating a team of secret government operatives tasked with bringing down global criminals and terrorists.

I did not know the characters going in but the author did a masterful job driving the story forward while giving the reader enough depth to relate to the characters and their interpersonal relationships.

This is not a book for the faint-of-heart. A band of ruthless Russians using a biotech company, KabanTech, as a front, employ a network of scientists as well as an ambassador to work on a secret serum. No hesitates to torture and kill, some willing to kidnap agents to serve in secret gladiatorial games.

Zoe Tampsin is called in late by The Lambeth Group to salvage the mission that has gone desperately wrong. After a hit is setup to look like a murder/suicide, one of Zoe’s prodigies, Toni Bornadetti, goes missing. The bad guys have a big head start on Zoe. They aren’t even sure what the enemy is working on. A bioweapon? Anthrax? A plague?

There is plenty of action and conspiracy covering several layers that keeps the reader constantly thinking and on the edge of their seat. Very entertaining and creative. 5 stars.

Allen M Werner is the author of the epic fantasy series The Crystal Crux. Betrayal, Blue Grotto, Cold Knight, Shimmer.