I tried to keep reading this book but unfortunately it wasn’t for me. I lost interest pretty early on in the story and by halfway I was already bored. I’m really sorry, I just couldn’t get into it at all.


Very grateful to the publisher for my review copy

As a huge fan of the Ben Bracken series I knew I was going to be in for a treat with book number five, The Watchman, and I was not wrong ladies and gentlemen!

If you have followed this series, you will know that Bracken has been through more than a few adventures in the past, but he has now settled into the life of a family man, albeit with an adventure here and there on the side as part of his role as an advisor for the NCA (National Crime Agency).

This time around, Parker has something quite different in store for Bracken: as he is asked by his old friend William Grosvenor, Minister without Portfolio, to do something off the books for the first time in quite a while - a seemingly quick and easy errand to hop over the Pond to New York and pick up an envelope containing some rather sensitive information, that it would be better remained secret. One last job? An all expenses paid visit to the Big Apple? Why not?

Within minutes of Bracken getting settled into his swanky apartment in New York, he heads to his prearranged meet with CIA operative Luca Jones to collect the envelope, and the bullets start to fly. The pursuit is on, and Bracken and Jones, as possessors of this little envelope, are apparently the prey. What's worse is that there is more than one party after the information contained in the envelope, and they are more than willing to kill to possess it. What exactly is this information, and why do a number of security services, and a bunch of burley mobsters, want to get their mitts on it?

What follows is an explosive road trip full of bloodshed and double dealing, that takes Bracken and Jones, now joined by an unusually ruffled Grosvenor, from New York to Florida and beyond, as they try to keep the envelope and the information it contains out of the wrong hands - information that would rewrite history and implicate some very powerful men in the process. But that's not all, because scenes from a murky undercover past of some of the players in this games-within-games production intrude with enough regularity to give you a hint that something pretty momentous lies at the heart of the mysterious contents of the envelope in question.

I really enjoy the way Parker likes to mix things up in a series that, while mostly comprising gritty, Northern Noir crime yarns, also has the occasional injection of delectable Bond-like plotlines. This instalment definitely follows a more cinematic, international conspiracy thriller theme, harking back more to Bracken's previous trials and tribulations from book two, Morte Point, than to his other adventures, but it also brings in an intriguing twist that is very unusual for both Bracken and Parker, as it is set in America - and what a backdrop it is. This story takes us from swanky highrise apartments and hotel rooms, overlooking New York tourist vistas; to grubby small town, Eastern Seaboard motels populated with tough biker gangs; to the crocodile infested swamps of Florida; all the way to a location ingrained in the American psyche, which I will not reveal here.

This is just as non-stop, pacy as I have come to expect from Parker - once the action starts, it's buckle up and enjoy the ride stuff, with some clever little twists, great characters, an inspired take on an event that has enthralled conspiracy theorists for years, and a first class surprise at the end that made the hair stand up on the back of my neck. Bravo, Mr Parker!

It seems likely that this may be the last adventure for Ben Bracken, which makes me a little sad, but there is so much in these pages that confirms my belief that Rob Parker has blossomed as an author, and has a very long career ahead of him in this writing game. This is a very grown up international conspiracy thriller, sure to please lovers of the genre, and can easily be read as a standalone if you are so inclined - but honestly, this is a series that has many delights, and it is always so much better when you can pick up every nuance and casually dropped reference to what has gone before, so why wouldn't you go all out and read them all? I highly recommend each and every one.

The Watchman is the fifth book in the Ben Bracken series. This is an action packed story from start to finish. Fans of spy novels will definitely love this storyline.

The Watchman starts with Bracken family man out on a Sunday outing until he gets a call for a job. More of a mission than a job as a favor for his mentor, in and out, no issues, and home in no time at all. But nothing is as easy he is told. Non stop adventure begins in New York to Texas with lots of secrets to discover and a twist at the end.

My thanks to NetGalley and publisher Lume Books for the electronic copy.

This is Book #5 in the Ben Bracken series and, I'm very sorry to say, I haven't read previous ones (which I now look forward to seeking out). I thoroughly enjoyed it; really good writing, excellent characters, and believable dialogue - sometimes tinged with humour as the reader becomes absorbed into the interactions between the main characters.

Ben, alias Tom West, obviously has a past but is presently working as an advisor to the National Crime Agency. Now with his partner Carolyn and her children Jake and Gracie, he's enjoying being a family-man. Enjoying a family outing, Ben is contacted by William Grosvenor, his friend who is now Minister Without Portfolio in the Cabinet, reporting directly to the Queen. He has position and power, but he needs Ben to do him a personal favour - go to New York and return with an envelope. Apparently the contents could damage diplomatic relations especially between the UK and USA. There could be lives at stake. Buoyed by the thought of the enormous pay cheque for the job, off he goes to New York. One last assignment can't hurt - can it? He's never been to the city before and the narrative really does give the reader his sense of excitement and wonder of what he finds there. His contact holding the envelope is Luca Jones - a lowly CIA office-based worker. However, Luca's grandfather was in the CIA and he is desperate to find out something of his family history. Meeting together in a bar, this simple transaction goes badly wrong......................

We intermittently have a sub-story concerning "Sinclair", a young and talented member of the British Army, selected to join a UK-USA task force. I did find it a little difficult to follow the narrative between the timelines, but it all became clear in the end.

This is an action-packed, fast-paced read - really absorbing. A simple assignment but one complicated by involvement of the "Mob", the Secret Service, and even the Russians. What's so important about this envelope that William needs to retrieve? Ben is determined to find out!

⭐️ 3.5 ⭐️
(Rounded up to 4 stars).

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and Rob Parker for the eARC, in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

What a highly charged, action-packed read that was!

The Watchman pulled me onboard from the beginning, then proceeded to take me on a fast-paced, explosive, exhilarating journey right until the end.

Featuring a solid cast of characters; Ben Bracken (the main protagonist), makes a likeable, witty, anti-hero. I did guess the twist at the end, but I still thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

I was a little concerned that I wouldn’t be able to get to grips with the back-story and the characters, as I haven’t read any of the other books in the series (this is the fifth), but that wasn’t the case at all; it works perfectly well as a standalone.

Even though it's the fifth story, I didn't feel that I needed to have read the other books to enjoy it. If you like an action-packed story, then the Watchman is certainly for you. I throughly enjoyed this book.

If your favorite genres are mysteries and international intrigue, The Watchman by Rob Parker provides a wonderful blend of both. The author takes you on an action-packed, exciting adventure that begins when Ben Bracken, alias Tom West, takes an urgent assignment to fly from London to New York to pick up an envelope. Although Ben is an experienced Special Ops guy in his past work, he now just wants to spend time becoming a “real” family man. He takes the job because William Grosvenor, a man without a title but close to the queen, has asked him to do it. Arriving in New York, Ben quickly finds his life at risk, and he does not know why. When he meets Luca Jones, an FBI pencil pusher, who delivers an envelope that turns out not to be the true one, they become partners in trying to find the correct envelope while fighting to stay alive. The action takes place in the space of a few days, and the reader is almost gasping as the book reaches its exciting conclusion. The ending brings a delightful twist that the reader probably will not have guessed
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Rob Parker uses a style of storytelling that moves from the past told through the eyes of a young British Special Ops character to the present told by Ben Bracken as he tries to stay alive long enough to figure out what is the mystery from the past and how it involves those living now. The author makes it quite easy for the reader to follow the progression of time from years past and the current time.

For those readers who are not familiar with a British vocabulary, the author has done a credible job of sharing the meaning even as he keeps his characters realistic for their country of origin – Ben uses words that a British citizen would, but Luca Jones is clearly American! The use of British vocabulary certainly does not detract from the action of the book.

I enjoyed the book, and I will be on the lookout for more Rob Parker books in the future!

This review does NOT contain any spoilers.

Summary
Ben Bracken is an ex-military man with a heavy sense of patriotic duty who goes under the alias Tom West. He takes on a seemingly simple job that he has reservations about because an old friend asks him to and well, there’s a lot of money to be made. Within moments of landing in New York City, Bracken experiences trouble and the rest of the book is an action-packed thriller with bullets flying at every corner.

Plot
The plot was easy to understand, but it felt incredibly rushed. I know this is marketed as action-packed, but it feels like the author tried to make almost every scene involve blood and bullets. There was no obvious character development to me, despite the book being 300 pages long, and the characters I did come to know always had mysterious backgrounds that were never fully explained.

It seemed like some things were immediately forgotten right after they were written. For example, in the very beginning of the book it explains that he goes by the alias Tom West for a good reason. However, almost immediately after that, the first person he meets he introduces himself as Ben Bracken. He continues to do that for the remainder of the book with the alias seemingly left behind in the first couple pages.

The first third of the book describes how strongly Ben Bracken loves his family and focuses on the whole reason he is hesitant to take this job is because he doesn’t want to leave them. The extreme emphasis on this point is sweet, but right as the action starts (with the exception of one text he sends after the first shooting scene) he doesn’t mention his wife or kids at all until the end! For a character that was written to have his entire world be surrounded by his domestic life, it is odd to me that he seems to forget about them for most of it.

For the sake of not spoiling anything I won’t say what the big reveal is in the envelope, but I can tell you that I was slightly disappointed with it. It felt like a topic I have read in numerous books before just a new spin on an old classic.

Writing
The writing itself was good, except for the parts when referencing how Americans treat British people. As an American I have no problem with how you portray us: bad, good, rude, gun-loving, anything and everything in between. It just felt extremely unauthentic when writing about exchanges some characters would have. For example, Ben Bracken went into a corner store and asked for some tea in a soda cup and the store owner responded with:
“’Earl Grey, m’lord?’ he says in a mock aristocratic voice”
There are numerous examples of exchanges like that in the book that just felt… strange. There were numerous jabs from American-written characters all about how British people talk and their slang. I’m not saying that doesn’t happen, but I am saying that there were more occurrences than I could count that made it feel over-used.

Additional Points
Despite my harsh criticisms, I can’t say I hated the book. It was a fun read for a spy novel that had your classic action-packed scenes and seemingly invincible protagonist. Ben Bracken really is written as a modern-day James Bond with the addition of a full-fledged family. If I had to rate this book without considering its genre, I would rate it 2/5. However, with the knowledge that it is meant to be a simple read: full of fighting, full of mysterious characters, and shrouded in secrecy I would give it a 3/5.

Overall, I wouldn’t read it again, but I do acknowledge that this isn’t one of the genres I read a lot. If you enjoy a book that is focused on one goal and nothing else, this is the book for you.
I want to thank Netgalley, Rob Parker, and the publisher for this ARC and express that all opinions are my own.

The Watchman is the fifth book in the Ben Bracken series and I'm afraid to say it's my first foray into his world. I was totally absorbed by the story so it certainly won't be my last. I've read a few Jack Reacher books and this is very much a British version. It's told mostly in the first person by Bracken himself. As a result, we get an insight into his thought process in every situation.

The story begins innocuously enough at the Trafford Centre where Ben is having lunch with the family. He receives a text from an old friend to meet in the video cafe. The friend is William Grosvenor, Minister without a Portfolio in the British government. He asks Ben to perform the simple task of picking up an envelope, but you know it won't really be simple... The added complication is that the envelope is in New York and he needs to travel tomorrow.

As expected, the collection doesn't go according to plan. He meets his contact, Luca Jones in a dingy bar. Luca is about to hand over the envelope when a big guy demands the envelope. Ben swiftly dispatches him and all hell breaks loose when the bar is shot up by other members of his team. After evading the bullets, the two make it out of the bar and back to Ben's apartment. They decide to open the envelope and quickly realise that the contents of the envelope have been switched. What follows is their attempts to retrieve the contents and take them back to Grosvenor.

From here, the story moves at breakneck speed as Ben and Luca try to recover the contents of the envelope. It's a big conspiracy involving the British, Russians, CIA, and the secret service, even the president. Oh and there's also the Mob.

I like Ben Bracken's character, you feel like he's always in control and never really in any danger. He's obviously highly trained for combat and he shows all those skills here. The fact that he has a family back home also gives him some grounding. I was a little wary of Luca's character initially, but as the story progressed I grew to like him more and more. As to the plot, I thought the big reveal was a little far-fetched, but I didn't mind as the characters and the pace already had me hooked.

As I stated earlier, this was my introduction to the Ben Bracken series. Even though it's the fifth story, I didn't feel that I needed to have read the other books to enjoy it. If you like an action-packed story, then the Watchman is certainly for you.

Recommended.

My thanks to Lume Books courtesy of NetGalley for a copy of The Watchman in exchange for an honest review.

I received this book from the publishers via Netgalley for a review. A simple job for a friend collect an envelope then come home what could go wrong, plenty. Conspiracy, cover ups? A fast paced thriller a real page turner.

Ben Bracken is surely one of the best anti-heros on the block. There, I've said it, not that it needs any justification as in this fifth outing for the former soldier /ex-prisoner, and now the regular go-to guy when bad things need doing that the top dogs need kept under the radar.

Bracken has a unique back story, which has evolved naturally over previous outings, all the while being integral to moving this very intriguing and always fast-paced series forward. Always a loner, rejected and rejecting contact, The Watchman starts with Bracken as a new, family man, off on one more mission as a favour for his mentor, a job that should be easy - Stateside, in and out, no issues, and home in time to to tuck the kids up. Ah-ha! But of course not... Nothing, of course, should be that straightforward, and here begins a chaotic adventure via New York and Florida to Texas, picking up some erstwhile companions along the way. There is plenty of rough and tumble, the action is fast and the aggression would floor a lesser man - Bracken knows how to use a weapon, though, and doesn't hesitate.

Some excellent scenes play out that just wouldn't work in lesser hands - to avoid spoilers, all I'm going to say here is, watch out for the 'gators! - and the action just doesn't let up... Seriously, the premise of the story is completely breathtaking, and I'm still replaying it in my head. Rob Parker, I suspect, had a lot of fun writing this one and it really has paid off; this was, for me, a "one more chapter" book. But then, I'd expect nothing less from him! In summary, fast-moving, full of surprises, and really does put some new moves on really what should be one of the best-known action series out there.