sezola's review
5.0
A thrilling read
What an awesome book. I very much enjoyed Alec's journey throughout. There were bits of real danger and points where I genuinely feared for his life. I really felt like I was in Berlin throughout this book. I'd definitely recommend this to those who love thrillers.
What an awesome book. I very much enjoyed Alec's journey throughout. There were bits of real danger and points where I genuinely feared for his life. I really felt like I was in Berlin throughout this book. I'd definitely recommend this to those who love thrillers.
tabatha_shipley's review
3.0
What I Did Like:
-The action scenes were well written. The energy spikes up and the danger increases, which is great. I loved the way those came together.
-I didn’t have it all figured out. That’s always nice in a mystery story. I want to be surprised and this book delivered on that.
-The main character isn’t your typical run-of-the-mill, get-everything-right super agent. I loved that he read more normal than I’m used to seeing in this type of book.
Who Should Read This One:
-Fans of high action spy thrillers!
My Rating: 3 Stars
If you’re a fan of spy thrillers you’ll enjoy this one with a slightly more average spy hero.
For Full Review: https://tabathashipleybooks.com/2022/03/18/2022-book-review-a-young-mans-game/
-The action scenes were well written. The energy spikes up and the danger increases, which is great. I loved the way those came together.
-I didn’t have it all figured out. That’s always nice in a mystery story. I want to be surprised and this book delivered on that.
-The main character isn’t your typical run-of-the-mill, get-everything-right super agent. I loved that he read more normal than I’m used to seeing in this type of book.
Who Should Read This One:
-Fans of high action spy thrillers!
My Rating: 3 Stars
If you’re a fan of spy thrillers you’ll enjoy this one with a slightly more average spy hero.
For Full Review: https://tabathashipleybooks.com/2022/03/18/2022-book-review-a-young-mans-game/
dawnhosmer's review
5.0
A Young Man's Game is a well written, enjoyable spy novel. Even though it is outside of my normal genre, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and read it quickly. It had everything a reader could want - action, drama, kidnapping, assassins, a flawed main character, and, yes, even romance.
The main character, Alec Foster, is relatable and likeable despite his flaws. Alec struggles with aging and all that comes with it - loss of agility, romances, friends, quick thinking. I loved reading how he internally worked through some of these issues to tackle the problems he faced.
This was also a story of healing and redemption. Alec had lost so much through the years, including himself in a bottle. He had a great character arc in that he came to terms with the mistakes he had made, the things that happened in his past and took steps towards healing and making things right. An underlying theme in the book was the importance of second (and sometimes third or fourth) chances.
The only problem I had with the book is tracking the street names and places since it was based in a location I've never visited with names that were complicated for me to pronounce. Other than that, this was a highly enjoyable read.
I look forward to reading more from author Paul Blake.
The main character, Alec Foster, is relatable and likeable despite his flaws. Alec struggles with aging and all that comes with it - loss of agility, romances, friends, quick thinking. I loved reading how he internally worked through some of these issues to tackle the problems he faced.
This was also a story of healing and redemption. Alec had lost so much through the years, including himself in a bottle. He had a great character arc in that he came to terms with the mistakes he had made, the things that happened in his past and took steps towards healing and making things right. An underlying theme in the book was the importance of second (and sometimes third or fourth) chances.
The only problem I had with the book is tracking the street names and places since it was based in a location I've never visited with names that were complicated for me to pronounce. Other than that, this was a highly enjoyable read.
I look forward to reading more from author Paul Blake.
jameskemp's review
4.0
A Young Man's Game by Paul Blake is an excellent debut novel with loads of twists and turns as Alec Foster uncovers a plot to assassinate the British PM in Berlin and avoids being picked up by the Berlin police, the Russian SVR and the would-be assassins. It's further complicated by the revelation of a traitor inside MI6 in the Embassy.
Alec is a relic of the cold war, a former field officer, who has been promoted away from what he lived for to a desk job. Personal tragedies have turned him into an alcoholic. So he's out of practice, and very much out of shape when tipped into the maelstrom by the murder of an SVR officer he's meeting.
The brush with death, and the avoidance of being picked up through Berlin, gives Alex time to think, and A Young Man's Game is as much a story of Alex's redemption as it is a modern day espionage thriller. Having cut himself off after losing people he loved Alec realises that he needs people. He revisits old friends from his days as Stefan, the field officer.
A Young Man's Game is set in 2017 Berlin, some of which I recognise from a recent holiday in Berlin. You can follow the action street by street (if you open a map while you are reading you can see the looping and circuitous routes Alec takes to avoid being followed). It's not the clean tourist version of Berlin, there's an underside, and you can really put yourself there in the same as with the classic cold war spy thriller.
The story is properly littered with some red herrings, and also some surprising twists. It's an easy read, and a compelling one. I finished it really quickly, and read the last hundred pages while the TV was on because I wanted to know how it finished. I also want to know whether or not Alec was going to survive it, and whether or not his redemption would last intact. No spoilers though, you need to go read it yourself if you want to know...
Alec is a relic of the cold war, a former field officer, who has been promoted away from what he lived for to a desk job. Personal tragedies have turned him into an alcoholic. So he's out of practice, and very much out of shape when tipped into the maelstrom by the murder of an SVR officer he's meeting.
The brush with death, and the avoidance of being picked up through Berlin, gives Alex time to think, and A Young Man's Game is as much a story of Alex's redemption as it is a modern day espionage thriller. Having cut himself off after losing people he loved Alec realises that he needs people. He revisits old friends from his days as Stefan, the field officer.
A Young Man's Game is set in 2017 Berlin, some of which I recognise from a recent holiday in Berlin. You can follow the action street by street (if you open a map while you are reading you can see the looping and circuitous routes Alec takes to avoid being followed). It's not the clean tourist version of Berlin, there's an underside, and you can really put yourself there in the same as with the classic cold war spy thriller.
The story is properly littered with some red herrings, and also some surprising twists. It's an easy read, and a compelling one. I finished it really quickly, and read the last hundred pages while the TV was on because I wanted to know how it finished. I also want to know whether or not Alec was going to survive it, and whether or not his redemption would last intact. No spoilers though, you need to go read it yourself if you want to know...
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