The thing about reading a Claymore Straker novel is that you are guaranteed an action packed, fast paced and gripping up to date political thriller that is just so engrossing you'll be hard pushed to put it down once started.
The author Paul E. Hardisty knows how to engage with his readers and it is always a delight to start a new adventure with Claymore and his maverick ways.
In this the latest outing in the Claymore Straker series - ""Absolution"" - events lead Clay and his former lover, journalist Rania to Egypt where an act of shocking terrorist brutality will reveal not only why those they loved have been sacrificed, but how they were both, indirectly, responsible.
Once again this book commences with a compelling opening prologue, read as a diary extract that is very emotional and I was intensely intrigued by it all. It was a given that I was going to enjoy this highly entertaining book, having devoured the previous stories in the series. Often brutal but rightly so in such a tumultuous environment, this is a superb, well thought out, socially conscious thriller that will appeal to all action thriller readers, male, female, young and old alike!
"Absolution" is the fourth in the series but can still be read as a standalone if you haven't already indulged in the previous books, I highly recommend each and everyone one and I am so pleased to have discovered this talented author and his strong and moral minded character Claymore Straker!
I am pleased I read Absolution. It took me into a world I know nothing about and in many ways, I don't want to.
I have never read a book like this. I am not sure I even liked it much. It was certainly very violent. But - I am pleased I read Absolution. It took me into a world I know nothing about and in many ways, I don't want to.
The story mostly centres around two characters - Claymore Straker an undercover vigilante who has recently fled South Africa after making a controversial statement at Desmond Tutu's Truth and Reconciliation Commission which left him with powerful and dangerous enemies.
Meanwhile, journalist Rania, living in Paris is desperate to find out who has murdered her son and husband, Hamid an acclaimed human rights lawyer. Her intense feelings for Clay are revealed through her diary entries as she starts trying to find out who killed her family and why. Her quest takes her to Egypt where she is immersed in a quagmire of intrigue, violence and horror.
Clay is again forced to flee from his refuge, a remote island of East Africa when the family he has befriended is brutally slain before his eyes and so makes the dangerous and treacherous journey to find Rania.
The novel set in 1997 is at a time when Egypt was gripped by political oppression and corruption and the actual terrorist attack on tourists in Luxor is mirrored here and those behind it are far more connected to Rania and Clay than they could have ever imagined.
Do not be put off if you wouldn't normally read this type of book. It is highly addictive, fast-paced and very well written. Highly recommended.
When I first looked at the book 'Absolution' I thought I was not going to like it at all. It is not a book that I would normally pick to read. However, within the first couple of chapters I was hooked. Absolution is a fantastic book that you can imagine being made into a film. It is very easy to read and keeps you wondering what is going to happen next all the way through. This book has everything you want in a story; romance, drama, action, comedy and more. I have already been recommending this book to my friends and family so that I have people I can discuss it with. I had never heard of the author Paul E. Hardisty before, but I will definitely be looking for more books by him in the future.
Well-told and gripping thriller; great entertainment!
"Absolution" is a fast-paced, tightly plotted thriller - the story of what happens when Rania, a journalist now living in Paris, discovers that her husband and little son have disappeared, and appeals in desperation to her former lover, Claymore Straker. The ensuing search for the missing pair and the unravelling of the tangled web of motives, perpetrators and consequences, all takes place in a single month, in 1997.
I chose to read this book because of its connection to South Africa in the '90s; I had not realised that it was the fourth in a series. However I don't think my ignorance of the earlier books really affected my enjoyment of this one; despite references to the past, the story stands alone pretty well and Straker is a convincing character. And Hardisty obviously knows what he is writing about, with regard to the international background, the terrorism aspects and the violence. (The South African dimension is pretty accurate too.) And the switching from Rania's writing to the action on the ground adds a further perspective (though if I have a criticism it is that I found Rania a little unconvincing.)
I would recommend this book to lovers of Lee Child, Robert Crais etc; ideal for a journey, very gripping but probably more of a "boys' book" than I would usually read. That said, I found I was sufficiently intrigued to want to know more of the back story and have already placed my order!
A well written thriller that has more twists than expected but draws you in as we follow the journey of Straker and Raina.
Raina has changed her life & settled down but her past is still there. Straker was in her past but is still on the run trying to protect himself & those he gets to know. Neither know who is after them or they can trust but somehow they need to find each other to stop them. The book is written from both their points of view and will draw you in to their lives & story. A good thriller that will keep you engaged to the end.
The book as well as being fast paced and full of action, also manages to ask questions over religion and the many types of love.
A cracking action packed novel I couldn’t put down. Explosive from start to finish. An ex lovers husband and child are kidnapped in Paris, while Claymores latest lover and child are killed horribly while he watches.
Given his background you just know it’s not going to end well for those bad guys.
Given an intelligent foe it shows how easily and quickly a normal family’s life can be torn apart by radicalisation.
Therein lays a problem, when good guys do bad things and supposedly bad guys do good things.
The book as well as being fast paced and full of action, also manages to ask questions over religion and the many types of love.
The action moves swiftly through Africa, the Sudan and ends in Egypt. Where people’s openness and willingness to help for no gain surprises Claymore.
A book you won't want to put down set in a world which is all too real, Absolution is the last in a series of four. My only advice is to buy the series and read them in order - not what I'll be doing but I strongly suspect it would improve on something close to perfection in terms of a gripping read.
It isn't often that the phrase 'can't put this book down' is one I'd use. But in this case, I did read as much as I could every night until Absolution was finished. I've never read a Paul E. Hardisty novel before and this isn't my normal genre either. But I was totally engaged with the story of Clay and Rania as they tried to uncover the mystery behind the disappearance of her son and her husband. I have spent some time in Egypt and the Middle East and I found the setting convincing and the intrigue totally believable.
I wish in many ways I’d read the previous three books before this one because although the characterisation is very powerful, I suspect I lack some insights which readers who have enjoyed Paul E. Hardisty’s books before will instinctively know. Much of the plot relies on the integrity of the main characters and their role in a corrupt world.
For me, despite being a thriller, what marks this book out is the contrast between the sensitive and tender Rania and Claymore full of integrity and honour in a dysfunctional and dystopian world. Definitely a 5 star read, whether or not you are already a Claymore Straker fan.
A fast paced thriller, full of action and intrigue. Very enjoyable.
Absolution is the fourth book in the series, and I've not read the other three. Whilst this book can be read without the other three before, I did feel like I'd missed out of character development and as such I didn't really warm to the characters that much.
The book itself is a perfect holiday read, enough action and thrills to keep you entertained. It doesn't feel like the politics bog the story down, it keeps moving at a fast pace.
I enjoyed the way the book was set out, with Rania's story in diary form, although I did get a bit sick of her after a while, but that may be just me.
I especially enjoyed the last few pages which discussed some of the real history of the time. It was very interesting.
A real gripping thriller crime guaranteed to keep you turning the pages.
This is an excellent and well written novel by the Author and is certain not to disappoint fans from a variety of genres
The return of Claymore Straker will delight many of Hardisty's fans, myself being one of them. The story takes the reader to various parts of the world as the story unfolds as people associated with Claymore mysteriously disappear and are murdered.
Rania la Tour, a human rights lawyer and lover joins Claymore as they both try and unearth what's happening and the reasons behind these events. The story is gritty as the couple try to learn who now wants them dead and why and their struggle to find answers.
Brilliant book you won't be disappointed.