The Shadow Network #TonyKent #TheShadowNetwork

Published by Elliott & Thompson @eandtbooks

530 pages ISBN 9781783967148

Publication date 6 June 2024

The Shadow Network is the fifth book in the Series featuring Joe Dempsey and Michael Devlin. Click on the link to read my thoughts on book 4 in the series No Way to Die.

I was sent a signed paperback copy to enable me to take part in this Blog Tour. I would like to thank Anne at Random Things Tours @RandomTTours for the invitation to participate and of course the Author and the Publisher.

My review

The holiday season is in full swing and the more casual reader will be looking for a book or two to read on the plane and around the pool. The airport bookshop will have big displays of ‘airport thrillers’ by the US big hitters, but here we have a homegrown heavyweight in our corner. No cries of ‘I coulda been a contender’ like Terry Malloy (On the Waterfront) not only does he take them on, he pounds them into, at least a bruising and bloody stalemate or even technical knockout. However just as a dog isn’t just for Christmas, you don’t have to be on holiday to enjoy this high octane, violent and edgy thriller that is written with all the conviction needed to pull it off with aplomb. So, if you like your heroes tough, rugged and nigh on indestructible then read on because The Shadow Network is a book you will love.

Get a good grip of that cocktail because the action bursts forth at the very beginning, with a mass shooting in a main square in The Hague. Initially thought to be a terrorist atrocity, it later transpires to be a disguised hit on a man and two lawyers who were coming to meet him. However, the hit has been only partially successful.

At the same time there is a peaceful juxtaposition in the UK, where it is a beautiful late spring day and Michael Devlin and Sarah Truman’s twin boys are going to be christened. Surrounded by a small circle of friends including Joe Dempsey who is going to be Godfather. This is an interesting choice as Dempsey is the head of a select UN security agency and man who is often in the firing line, literally, with his life in danger. Still today is a day to relax and enjoy, life is good. That is until they get the message that one of the lawyers in The Hague is Will Duffy a great friend of Michael’s. Celebration cut short, Dempsey pulls strings and he and Devlin rush to the scene.

The man the lawyers were meeting, Konrad Frankowski, holds important information connected to a war crimes case and now he is on the run. The assassins are from an organisation run by a man known only as The Monk and are on his trail, but can Dempsey and Devlin find Frankowski first? Dempsey is to discover there is more at stake than first thought, it is imperative that they get there first.

This is exactly what the reader wants and expects from the genre; all out action, relentless at times, bloodshed, fights and violence, frantic chases and plenty of ‘boy’s toys’ at their disposal. It’s not all testosterone driven anger though, as there is genuine depth to the plot and characters.

The plot is quite perceptive when you strip away the all the action. The Monk is the head of a network built over a century that works to penetrate and influence whilst remaining out of sight as The Shadow Network. Conspiracy theorists love the idea of mysterious controlling cabals but there is already evidence of influence in elections and where does soft diplomacy end and undue influence begin. Why fight bloody, costly wars if you can infiltrate to get what you want. These ideas are introduced subtly, and I must say convincingly within the story, even if it is not happening now (which it probably is) then it is a prescient warning.

The series at heart is a ‘buddy’ set up, with Dempsey and Devlin an unusual pairing of the all-action agent and the barrister (albeit one who can handle himself). There is also the secondary professional relationship between Dempsey and Eden Grace (his de facto number two). These interactions provide the glue that holds everything together. Of the supporting characters Frankowski is one of those characters where reader empathy will swing back and forth as the story progresses.

Thematically the story is about family, be it through blood, marriage or adoption and the kind of lifelong friendship that binds just as tight as family. Dempsey and Devlin are as good as brothers and to Dempsey his team is his family. In quieter moments we learn of Dempsey’s sacrifice, how having a wife and family would put them in danger or a risk of being widowed and orphaned. Then later in almost mirror image we see these thoughts from the perspective of Eden Grace. These thoughts are well timed within the story and will make the reader ponder the sacrifices others make to keep us safe.

The pacing is rapid, at times it’s like the author is discharging an M16, but even he must change magazines occasionally and the respite is welcome with some thoughtful scenes introduced and the tension built up the scenes in the US.

The UN (United Nations) and the ICC (International Criminal Court) are portrayed as we would want them to be rather than the shambolic institutions they have become. This allows the CIA to take the role of the necessary evil we would rather not exist but know must if only it can be controlled. Let’s hope there are some real-life Joe Dempseys out there.

Intelligent action thrillers don’t come much better than this, The Shadow Network packs a message and quite a punch.

The Shadow Network can be purchased via the publisher’s website here

The author

Tony Kent is a criminal barrister, founder director of Chiltern Kills festival, and bestselling author of the Dempsey / Devlin series. First published in 2018 with Killer Intent – a Zoe Ball Book Club pick for ITV – Tony has since published a further four books in the series, including the Richard and Judy Book Club legal thriller Marked For Death. Tony’s novels call upon his experiences as one of the most in-demand criminal defence barristers in the country, with a particular specialisation in allegations of organised crime. This role has brought him into frequent and close professional contact with Scotland Yard, the National Crime Agency, MI5, Interpol and even the FBI, all of which allows him to bring a striking level of authenticity to his work.

Source: Publisher’s website

Don’t forget to check out the other great reviews on this blog tour: