I must admit that I had anticipated enjoying this book immensely after reading the synopsis, but regrettably, it did not resonate with me. I found it challenging to establish a connection with the narrative. However, on a more positive note, the fictional setting is quite well-developed, and the chapters are concise, which does contribute to a relatively swift reading experience.

Well heck. I can see why folks have been so convinced that Kazichia must be a real place. When it comes to scene setting, and world building, it seems that Lex Noteboom is one heck of a talented fella. I'll extend that a touch and say that this talent also includes creating a thriller which is packed with intrigue, multi-dimensional characters and a story that had me completely invested whilst simultaneously worried about all of our futures.

This is billed as a technothriller, and I can see that, for reasons that become very, very clear the further along the book you read. But this is also a political thriller. A story about family dynamics. A story that, in many ways, feels as though it could have been ripped from the headlines, hence the feeling that what we are reading could well be true. It's a story of a mercenary, and a mother, a father and a so-called rebel leader. And it is about a person who is everything and nothing all at the same time, the eponymous Man With a Thousand Faces.

The book starts in attention grabbing fashion. An intruder waiting on the appearance of an as yet unidentified woman. It is one of those scenes that has you on the edge of your seat, poised, tense and waiting to see what might happen. The possibilities are endless, the absolute unknown of it all making my brain churn through all of them at breakneck speed. The waiting feels almost torturous, even as the calm of the intruder bleeds from the page and it sets us up perfectly for the unpredictability, and perhaps insecurity, of what will follow. Just as you are poised to expect the worst, there is a real change of pace and the reasons for the intruder's presence are slowly, carefully, and perfectly revealed.

We are about to be told a story, one that will have the pulses pumping at many stages throughout, be it through the tension that feeds the story like a virtual heartbeat, or the anger that will undoubtedly be felt as many injustices play out on the page. Following on from the unpredictable opener, we meet Michelle Lechkova, her husband, Daniel, and daughter, Alexa. They are about to jet off on holiday when their lives are irrevocably changed. The death of Daniel's twin brother sees them return to the land of his birth, Kazichia, where he is expected to step into his brother's shoes - as the President of the country. And it is from here that things take a real turn for the worst, at least in Michelle's eyes. With an impending Russian backed coup, and a resistance movement from the oppressed native communities, peace in Kazichia has never been more fragile. So much of what I read had echoes of the current political situation, with Russia insinuating its will on countries that border its own, and a divisive intervention from the US to try and counter the Russian advantage, with the Lechkov's stuck in the middle of it all.

Lex Noteboom has a real talent for creating characters, From Michelle's fears to Daniel's almost obsessive determination to find a solution that will keep his family safe whilst also fulfilling his duty as the expected heir apparent to the presidency, I may not have always liked the characters, but I feel like I understood their motivations, and they way in which the acted fascinated me. Then there was Nairi, the leader of the Jada, a native tribal community who live in the mountains of Kazichia. Our introduction is somewhat shocking, but also something that really sparked by interest as the reasons for her position are not entirely clear. It is one of those mysteries that feeds through the novel, bringing us back to the intruder from the opening chapter, and the reasons for their actions. Those links bring about some of perhaps the most poignant moments in the book and, stangely, the person I should have felt the least empathy for is where I felt the strongest connection in terms of the various protagonists in the book whose points of view steer the narrative.

Now this is a story which almost borders on dystopian fiction, were it not for the fact that much of happens is already within the bounds of possibility. Does the book reflect the future of modern warfare. That battles will be fought, and won, through the use of a virtual magic trick. LEx Noteboom explores the art of the possible when it comes to technological advances, Artificial Intelligence and the deep fake culture we are seeing growing exponentially online for use in scams of one variety or another, and brings it together in worryingly realistic style. Even as what Daniel was planning started to become clear, I could feel myself tensing in a way that I'm not sure even the most grotesque serial killer thriller could have achieved as what was being proposed is backed by absolute plausibility, and if that's not a reason for concern, I'm not sure what is.

When you boil this right down, this is a story of people doing what they feel to be right in order to protect those they love, or to at the very least avenge them. It is underpinned by tension, plausibility and what iffery of the finest nature, and supplemented by a backdrop of a country that feels too real to be a work of fiction, and characters who I felt completely absorbed by. It's a book that took me a little by surprise, but ina. good way. Perhaps not quite what I was expecting, and I'll admit I'm not sure quite what that was, but one which had me rapt from the start. I was swept along by the pace, enraged by the injustices, energised by the action and felt all the emotions you would hope to feel from this kind of book. I cannot wait to see what comes next from the author as he is definitely one to watch. Most definitely recommended and, for the terror of the plausibility alone, I'll give it one of my red hot read badge. A very lucky find. Thank you Capital Crime and Orion!

Wow, what an action-packed thriller: political coups, rebel forces, interference from big countries and horrifyingly plausible deepfake scenarios.

I didn't know what to expect with this book, as it is slightly different from other thrillers that I have read but I really enjoyed it and it blew me away that this is a debut. The writing engaged me right from the very start and I couldn't put it down.
At times I was on the edge of my seat with my heart in my mouth and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it, or talking about it, since I read it. I can't wait to read more by this author