My name is nobody by Mathew Richardson.
Solomon Vine was the best of his generation, a spy on a fast track to the top. But when a prisoner is shot in unexplained circumstances, and on his watch, only suspension and exile beckon. Three months later, in Istanbul, MI6's Head of Station is violently abducted from his home. With the Service in lockdown, uncertain of who can be trusted, thoughts turn to the missing man's oldest friend: Solomon Vine. Officially suspended, Vine can operate outside the chain of command to uncover the truth. But his investigation soon reveals that the disappearance heralds something much darker. And that there's much more at stake than the life of a single spy . . .
This was a good read with likeable characters. Little slow in places but soon picked up. 4*.

This was an espionage thriller in the style of John Le Carre which might appeal to fans of this genre. The mystery seemed to be to find the mole in the security service and our hero Solomon Vine was in a race against time to find him before a terror attack took place. However I guessed fairly early on who the person was so there was little to hold my attention despite all of Solomon’s investigations and deductions.
There were flashbacks in the earlier section which I found to be a distraction from the main plot line.
I usually enjoy a spy story and race through them quickly but it was clear early on that this book was not going to grip me in the normal way.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great multilayered and twisted tale for those who love spies and espionage stories. The author brings his experience of the Intelligence Agencies and politics into this cracking tale of deception, betrayal, riddles, and double agents. Solomon Vine is a rising star in MI6, destined for the higher ranks. Then it all goes to hell in a handcart when a suspect he is interrogating ends up dead. It is not clear who carried out the deed or why. The upshot of this has Vine suspended, he finds himself shunned and thrust into the wilderness. Sometime later, Vine's friend and colleague, Gabriel Wilde, Head of Station in Instanbul is abducted. The Chair of the Joint Intelligence Committee in Parliament, Cosmo Newton, meets Vine and asks him to discreetly look into what happened in a covert, off the books operation. Vine, operating under the radar, finds himself in a world interwoven with spooks and politics, conspiracies, duplicity, secrets, where the truth is nebulous and absolutely nobody can be trusted.

Gabriel Wilde sends Vine a copy of The Odyssey with a cryptic riddle. As Vine struggles to get to the bottom of the riddle, and other messages, he finds himself in Cheltenham, Oxbridge and London frantically trying to prevent a forthcoming tragedy being planned. Cosmo Newton is murdered for the secrets he knew and Vine knows that he is being set up. Richardson expertly connects the disparate strands in the narrative, to give us a authentic, thrilling, fast paced story of non stop suspense, twists and tension. It is intense and well plotted, without the over reliance on IT that is associated with the modern day security services. Soloman has to rely on his own wits and intelligence, as in classic spy novels, to unravel the nightmare threatening the nation. However, the issues reflect those of our contemporary society and world. A fantastic read if you enjoy espionage and spies. Many thanks to Penguin Michael Joseph for an ARC.

This is quite a fast moving spy thriller, in the Le Carre style. The author seems to have a good knowledge of MI6 and the corridors of power that give these organisations their work. The characters are well drawn and observed.
There are some classical references and the story progresses rapidly to it's outcome.
I enjoyed reading it.

I enjoyed this. A well written and well plotted spook thriller that was written by an author that truly understands and has a deep knowledge of the field and genre.

Compelling and thrilling.

A good debut novel. It's a little rough around the edges but keeps the reader gripped throughout.

Oooh I do love a good spy thriller, and a behind the scenes look at the secret world of espionage, so was more than a little tempted to read My Name Is Nobody, having heard debut author Matthew Richardson talk about the book at a recent crime fiction event. Tapping in perfectly to this popular genre, inhabited by such heavyweights as John Le Carre, Charles Cumming, and Mick Herron, how did this spy thriller measure up? Hailing from Cheltenham, the home of world renowned government listening post GCHQ, and currently working within the hallowed walls of Westminster, the home of British democracy, or skulduggery, depending on your viewpoint, Matthew Richardson brings his knowledge of both locations to the fore. Set aside the mysterious shadowy worlds of MI5 and MI6, and an obvious appreciation of spy tradecraft, Richardson serves up a twisting, and duplicitous tale of counter-bluff, and dishonesty worthy of his contemporaries. Beginning with violent events during an interrogation of a suspected terrorist in Istanbul, and the abduction of MI6’s Head of Station in its aftermath, disgraced agent Solomon Vine, begins his own unsanctioned investigation into these startling events, inviting a whole heap of trouble…
Overall, I found this a well-plotted and multi-layered spy thriller, resplendent with detail on the workings of some of Britain’s most secret inner sanctums, and a never less than accurate and atmospheric portrayal of Richardson’s chosen locations. This applied to the echoing chambers of Westminster itself in the pulsing heart of London, the dreaming spires of Oxford, the rolling countryside of Gloucestershire and the excruciating blandness of Cheltenham rail station and its environs. The action moves quickly and seamlessly between these locations, as Vine endeavours to uncover a major conspiracy, where the old adage applies of trust no one, be this in Vine’s investigation or as we discover in a series of flashbacks, those closest to him. Indeed, my prevailing thought throughout was that I felt unable to trust anybody, and more than a few characters may not appear to be all they seem. I’ll say no more than that on the plot.
Although the plot of My Name Is Nobody was incredibly well structured, with its attention to the workings of Britain’s security services, and some nice old school spy tricks, I was a little less convinced by the characterisation, and a slight over-reliance on repetition in the plot. I don’t know how convinced I felt by the main players as they were a wee bit cardboard cut-out, and some of the personal upheavals in Vine’s life were too well signposted, and a little predictable for this reader, but I think the strength of plotting, storytelling and location counterbalances these small hiccups. A good old fashioned spy thriller with a good contemporary feel. Recommended.

I tried to get into this book and read a quarter of it but sadly it just didn't hold my interest.

Actually 4.5 stars.
Once I had got my head around who was who - I got a bit confused with people initially - I pretty much raced through this book.
We first meet agent Solomon Vine during an interrogation. His prisoner boasts that he knows something that will guarantee his freedom and, soon enough, the phone call comes confirming this. Unfortunately, Vine makes some bad decisions and when the prisoner is shot there is no evidence, only speculation as to what happened so Vine is suspended and pretty much sent into exile.
Fast forward a couple of months and Vine's ex-colleague, old friend and Head of Station at MI6, Gabriel Wilde, is abducted and Vine is tasked to try to get to the truth around what happened months earlier as the two appear connected as well as finding his colleague. Working "outside the law" as he is still on suspension, can he get to the truth before further tragedy can strike?
I am not as familiar with the spy thriller genre in books although I did love the TV drama Spooks so I am at least familiar with some of the set-up and goings on in this world. I think this may be why I initially struggled a bit with the book. I did have to re-read a couple of bits (not as easy with a Kindle as it was with a paperback) to get a few things straight and I did make a few notes early on but, once I had it all sorted in my head, it did all make sense and went on to flow nicely for me.
One of the things I was really impressed with in this book was the flow of all the interconnected parts of the story. Nothing felt forced at all, even with the twists and turns and shocks that I experienced along the way. Any incongruity I did encounter was eventually explained to my satisfaction as layer upon layer was peeled off and rebuilt on during the rather thrilling ride the book took me on.
Characterisation was also very good. In keeping with the genre, we obviously had secrets, lies and some delightful duplicity along the way so it was rather hard to work out who was telling the truth half the time and consequently, who to really root for at times.
The action moved at quite a pace throughout and flowed seamless through variously well described locations. I was especially impressed with all the techniques employed by several of the characters to move secretly. My interest was also well piqued by the move away from the more current IT world and digital techniques, back into the old fashioned ones employed before the digital age took off.
And the end, well, no spoilers here but I have to say that it did quite blow me away. Maybe more so than some more hard core spy thriller readers but I was very impressed nevertheless.
All in all, another very good debut novel - yep, 2017 is following 2016's lead in cracking debut authors breaking through - which left me very satisfied at its conclusion. I am quite interested in whether this will be the start of a new series or if it will remain stand alone. Either way, I am very interested in seeing what the author has in store for his next book.

My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

I really liked the character who is central to this story, Solomon Vine. Much of th story is told through his perspective in this slow burning espionage thriller.

I found the jumps in time a little confusing at first, however the story eventually unfolds as the novel progresses.

Red herrings; there are a few.

Yes there is an interesting twist to end the tale.

My thanks go to Netgalley and Penguin UK (Michael Joseph for a copy in exchange for this review.

Superb.

“I know a secret”. Those few words start to turn the world of Solomon Vine, MI6 operative, upside down. They are spoken by a terrorist to Vine and Istanbul Head of Station, Gabriel Wilde, under interrogation. The terrorist is then shot and a little later Wilde disappears under very suspicious circumstances. Vine is hung out to dry but as a suspended officer her is the only person expert enough to operate outside the system to determine what is really going on. The fun starts here and is non-stop.

This book had everything. The twists and turns came thick and fast; locations moved rapidly; characters developed as friend (or were they then foe?). The story writing skills of the author were magnificent. The plot moved swiftly from one scenario to another, hardly leaving the reader time to breathe. The characters were real and I cared about them – a sure sign that this is writing at its very best. No wonder the author was quickly signed up to a book deal which was thoroughly deserved.

As a self-confessed lover of all things le Carré I tend to shy away from similar novels, knowing full well that the chance of disappointment is too high to even contemplate. However, I do still search for the Holy Grail and on this occasion found it. I was so pleased I didn’t listen to that tiny voice which suggested I should pass this one by. What a mistake that would have been?

Richardson is able to take his reader equally well through the colleges of Oxbridge as well as into MI6’s spy corridors. This novel therefore shares all the qualities of a great John le Carré thriller combined with a top-notch C P Snow but does so with fewer characters which only enhances the experience in my opinion. The only minor criticism I have is that the dates jumping around were on occasions a little confusing but they were well signalled and didn’t detract for the massive enjoyment to merit a deduction of a star. So, a well-deserved 5 stars and a note to self to greedily grab the next one by this author.

mr zorg

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

This is a debut novel that reminds me of books by John Le Carre and Charles Cummings, it is that good! The main protagonists are Soloman Vine, a code breaker, and his best friend, Gabriel Wilde, both employed by the secret services to keep us all safe.
When Gabriel disappears from his post in Istanbul, it appears that there is a mole in the secret services, and the hunt is on to find said mole and prevent any harm befalling field agents and other departments in British Intelligence.
This is a locked room mystery disguised as a brilliant spy novel. It is very fast paced and leaves you breathless with the expectation of the chase. Slightly stereotypical in that it is full of Cambridge grads, posh accents, clubs and Westminster chums, yet strangely, very down to earth. Very topical in that we are dealing with Middle Eastern terrorists , illegal arms and operations in Syria.
So who is the traitor? I did guess the identity, but that was only because there are always two ways of reading sentences! I shall say no more. This book deserves many plaudits and I hope this will be the first of many more in this series? . I have posted this review on Goodreads today.

I received a copy of the book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank the author, Matthew Richardson, and the publisher, Penguin UK - Michael Joseph, for the opportunity.

My Name is Nobody was an interesting read, with some elements of mystery as well as seeing the story through the eyes of a spy who lacked the protections that generally come with the role. However, while the plot was compelling and it was well written, I felt like there was a lack of character development, to the point that I ended up not enjoying the book solely because I didn't know the characters well enough to care about everything else or have any form of emotional investment/attachment. However, this is not a genre I usually read and hence my opinion of the book is likely strongly influenced by that.

Loved the title and the plot was good, however even though it was well written I just could not really get into it.

There's certainly lots of tradecraft here and authentic inside knowledge but as a book this is over-written ('the jaw wounded with amusement', 'the flash of the alert light, a throb of red that upsets the blankness of the room') and ends up getting quite silly by the denouement. Moments of tension are spoilt by over-playing and repetition, turning them into comedy: 'word 4. He carefully counted along to the fourth word to make sure there was no possible chance of a mistake': with four words? four! And just to make sure, the text then spells them out:'take(1), care(2), of(3), Rose(4)'! If it was word 34 or even 24 then sure, but this is just absurd in anyone over the age of about 7.

Sorry, not for me but this may do well in the airport thriller market.

Completely excellent spy thriller, highly addictive, great characters, twisty story that keeps you thoroughly engaged throughout. Makes me want to read I Am Pilgrim again although I do think actually this was more cohesive and felt utterly authentic.

One would hope this is the start of a series - I was very into Solomon Vine as a main protagonist and with how this one ended I'm really keen to see what might happen for him. Those are the best books!

Full review nearer to the publication date.

The title grabs you and the pages just kept turning. I loved it.