THE STRANGER: A Times Thriller of the Year (Jude Lyon)

Every new spy thriller novelist has to undergo the gold standard Le Carre test. Conway is most unlike Le Carre. His characters tend not to come from Pall Mall clubs, and have not been ruined by public school floggings or the incessant and pointless greasy pole contests inside our major intelligence agencies. He knows perfectly well that neither MI5 or MI6 go around bumping people off but that these unpleasant matters are invariably outsourced to specialists. His protagonists are carefully drawn and teasingly, take scores of pages to do a character striptease. His locations are as fresh as the latest terrorist attack by cleanskins in an urban side street, and his action drives the reader relentlessly from page to page. Together with Mick Herron, Conway is our hand-holder through this extraordinary world which he knows so well, hopefully for the next post Le Carre, generation.

Conway’s long-awaited, latest novel is brilliant and his fans will celebrate his return. It’s completely gripping from the get-go and quickly has the reader hooked.Set initially in the chaos of Syria, it captures all the hypocrisies and shaming compromises that flowed from Britain’s disastrous involvement in the second Iraq war, the homegrown terrorism it stoked, taking this to terrible, breathtaking extreme. Compromise and institutional failure are the overarching themes in an incredibly exciting and horribly believable, epic drama.Conway has become impressive in the light, but subtle ways, in which he creates and drives forward complex stories; his real skill being how the reader is effortlessly turbo-jetted through.Conway is not without humour and, towards the end of the novel’s ‘part one’ (it’s in two parts in the same volume), there’s a scene in a trendy east London restaurant that’s just so well done: absolutely en pointe & hilarious.Cleverly, but accessibly, plotted The Stranger nearly captures all-too-believable portraits of British politics, media obsessions and the almost hapless, and compromised, security services. Conway’s finest novel yet: a real triumph.

I’ve had this on order since last September but now feel like I’ve opened all my Christmas presents too quickly - but I’m holiday so I’m going to read it again. And probably once more.This is just a fantastic read, a classic. Every bit as good as I’d hoped. If you want that rare blend of realism and excitement, this is it. Most of the tripe that I read these days is Walter-Mitty fantasy; whereas The Stranger is scarily close to today’s geopolitical reality.I won’t spoil the plot but it has all that you want in a great novel - it grabs you from the start and pulls you along to the fantastic ending.I’m a self-confessed spy-book junkie but only buy the ‘greats’ (Ambler, Le Carré, Deighton, Seymour, Fleming etc). Conway has made that list.

I wish to thank the author for taking a week of my life (am a slow reader). I thoroughly enjoyed the Stranger - scary, realistic and exciting! By far the best of Conway’s books I have read. The narrative is gripping, rich and to-the-point in describing the landscape and surroundings wherein the events develop rapidly; but not too fast as to confuse the reader. The characters are sufficiently deep and troubled and the race between “villain and hero“ scenarios well-timed. The author is obviously knowledgeable in explosive ordnance disposal, terrorist tactics and detailed procedures in theatres of war. The story has many unexpected and entertaining turns, and a surprising end to it all! I hope that there will be a sequel and more Jude Lyon to come. The Stranger is well-recommended...

A totally believable piece of fiction. Had me embroiled in the storyline and the details from page one.Obviously well researched and told in a way that makes all the characters both heroes and villains totally relatable.