297. Free Country by Jeremy Duns

Free Country by Jeremy Duns (Canada) - (US)
Paul Dark Trilogy, #2


Pages: 324
Ages: 18+
Finished: Dec. 29, 2010
First Published: Oct. 19 2010
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Genre: Spy thriller, historical fiction
Rating: 5/5


First sentence:

"Sir Colin Templeton was the most courageous, patriotic and decent public servant I have had the privilege of knowing."

Acquired: Received a review copy from Simon & Schuster Canada.

Reason for Reading: Next in the series.

Jeremy Duns follow up to Free Agent is just as brilliant! Double Agent Dark is on a mission to find out who is trying to assassinate him and to keep his cover at the same time. Set in the late 1960s, things turn very nasty when he discovers an international plot involving several countries and finds himself on the run again with no one he can trust.

The book did take me a bit to get into; the year wait between books did affect my memory but brief references and flashbacks to further events surrounding those already having taken place in book one quickly bring details and characters back to mind. Fast-paced with lots of action as one expects from a spy novel. Paul Dark is one determined man with one slight problem, those who get close to him usually end up dead. Paul's ambiguous, unlikeable character from book one is further developed and we see what makes him tick. And while he is still brutal on the job, it is much easier to like this character now that we have his full background and have been inside his head long enough to feel like we understand him. The book mainly takes place in Italy (Rome, the Vatican and across the countryside) with a short side trip to the island of Sardinia. With amazing twists and reveals coming at you when least expected Free Country will keep you on the edge of your seat. Duns has the gift to find his way around an intense shocker and there is an increased polish to his writing making Free Country an even better read than Free Agent. I can not wait for the last book in the trilogy!