The scope of this novel is so ambitious that I'm genuinely impressed that it is a debut. The Break Line is a little bit 007 and a little bit The Hot Zone. I'm at odds in reviewing because I did find Max McLean and his merry band of misfits like Roberts, Juliet and even Ezra to be very entertaining. The shady blacker than black shadow outfit that he belongs to is predictable but serviceable. I guess what fell flat for me were the almost soap opera moments- the woman who got away and her story arc, the mad scientist reveal, and several one shot surprise lucky kills that are straight out of a movie. There are a lot of moments that I feel test my suspension of belief a bit too far, which shouldn't be the case in a pseudo scientific thriller. The true horror for me comes from believable situations. I did still enjoy this book though, I think the pacing was very good for a first outing. As first attempts go it's solid and I'm excited to see what may come from this author in the future.

I can think of many ways to describe this thriller other than Jack Reacher on speed. Boy this was fast and furious. What kind of thriller has crazy science, biological hazards, danger0us diseases and people sent to try and kill you? There’s just some of the less crazy aspects to this book. Suspend your disbelief from the start I think is the best advice and strap on your hard hat as this is one very bumpy ride.
A thrilling one yes but despite the fast action, it had the strange effect of reading quite slow in parts. There’s a great deal of violence and gory violence at that which wasn’t really necessary or overly graphic in my mind. Then there’s the horror aspects.......Not sure what to make of those to be honest.

Sierra Leone is where most of the action takes place and to say the city or the region doesn’t come off well is an understatement! Grim, gory but the assassin in the book does his homework before being sent there. Doesn’t really do him much good in the end as it’s not a country or a people who can be relied upon it would seem.

It’s a crazy world out there!

This was heavy going but mainly enjoyable, at least until it developed into pseudoscience towards the end.

If you like fast paced action thrillers with a little violence and gore thrown in then this is for you. Max McLean is a British state assassin who technically does not exist and sent on missions to kept us all safe from all sorts of enemies. His next mission is to West Africa but decides to do his homework before leaving and it all kicks off. The author gives us thrilling action from the very beginning and does not stop until everything is resolved, or is it. He also adds a few twists to increase the tension and ends up with an extremely entertaining book. Recommended.

This is a really good thriller. There is plenty of action and a lot of suspense. I really liked the style of writing. The descriptions of the scenery and every event really added to the story. It made me feel immersed in the story. I would definitely recommend this book and I hope there are more.

This is a paint-by-numbers tough-guy, super killer, under the radar. It tends to the Sci-Fi with its depictions of sort-of-android supermen, not to mention the mad-scientist dad. Hand on heart, I read the whole thing and found it of no merit whatsoever. I don't like to write like this about a debut work, and I'm sorry. I won't be reviewing it beyond this paragraph.

It is scary, very scary, to think that anything that happens in this book could be close to true.
I am scared.

This is an extraordinarily hard book to review without spoilers. I will say it's a great thriller, it's Reacher with a bit more depth. There's a hint of apocalyptic breakdown of society. There's a lot of violence (I glaze over a bit at long descriptions of gunsand fights to be honest). I'm still reeling at the end and I can't even discuss it!! So yes read it, then find someone else who's read it to go "wow". Totally unbelievable (hopefully!) but hey who doesn't love a bit of fantasy thriller action??

Really tough and smart (sometimes smarter than me) spy story; a problematic killer for the state .. a legal sane psychopath, as he called .. gets sent on a suicide mission to a dark place in Sierra Leone, encountering a south Londoner who he can trust. Innocent bystanders get used up but things get more and more strange as Max gets taken in by strange researched in depths ... clearly based on Joseph Conrad 's Heart of Darkness .. even the target is called the same, Kurtz, we feel a tough ambient as people are killed and make decisions to kill. Are they murderers or killing for good cause? Intriguing if sometimes atmospheric but confusing, very satisfying after all that. central character is a likeable survivalist.

This is a story of state sponsored assassination by a public official whose career is murder. It raises questions for the reader about morality and the probity of government. It is well written with an unexpected but satisfactory ending. It deals with a murky world which many readers will dislike.

Thank you for letting me read this book. It was a powerful read, one that I couldn't do in a single setting but was glad I persevered. Like a thriller, suspense novel. Good read. Stayed with me a while afterwards

James Brabazon’s debut novel The Break Line is a novel not for the faint hearted, it is strong meat indeed. I found it compelling reading in the genre of Andy McNab’s, Stephen Leather’s and Chris Ryan’s military thrillers. However, that’s where the similarity ends as this novel pulls no punches. We are introduced to Max McLean pseudo civilian, assassin and sniper. The sort of guy you wouldn’t want to be top of his hit list. I’m not going to describe the story as I don’t want to spoil anyone’s enjoyment. I will say it should come with a health warning, I doubt if you will be able to put it down and there will be some very grim passages to absorb. As I write this (feeling rather jaded) I confess to burning the midnight oil until daybreak, as I was so enthralled and needed to know the conclusion to the story. My recommendation; buy it but do not start reading until you have a few free hours ahead of you!