Fate is a funny thing. Serendipity too. I’m not sure if either of these things have anything to do with how I came upon this book, or if it was just pure coincidence. But almost one year after reading the sensational 17: Last Man Standing on a trip to Asia, I was standing in Kinokuniya in Singapore looking for nothing in particular when bam! My eyes stopped on this jacket cover and instantly I knew.
I didn’t want to believe it, alas I was mistaken. But yes, it was a sequel! Which had me promptly presenting my card at the register to part with enough SGD that, after currency conversion, would actually cost me more than the retail price of this book at home. Worth it? Absolutely.
A case of more of the same. Which is no problem, because the same is good. The same testosterone-fulled, fast action, lots of guns, some biffo, puzzles and scary bad guys with both new and returning characters. Sticking to the formula set in 17, it has all the makings of a good series.
My only reservation, how much damage can one body really take? 17 took a beating in the first one and the ante is upped substantially this time to almost beyond Hollywood levels.
Still, is there anything better than absorbing an assassin/spy thriller solo in the noise of an Asian city? (Indeed, there is. But I still love to feel like a mysterious lone stranger in a foreign land.)
Will we get a 19? Bring it on.
Recommend. 👍🏻