A Gentleman's Game: A Queen & Country Novel

Better known for his "Atticus Kodiak" novels, Greg Rucka has started a new series about Tara Chase, a female British Secret Service agent, known as a "Minder" in the trade world of spy craft. Chase is just as tough and sexual as James Bond, but much more realistic with flaws that show up under extreme stress, not mention backstabbing by the British bureaucrats. The first book in this new series is A Gentleman's Game and has Tara Chase still recovering from lost of an old friend and lover. When a terrorist attack on the London underground train system results in the deaths of over three hundred people, the British government decides to strike back in retaliation at the Moslems who planned this death and destruction. Chase is sent in to Yemen to assassinate the spiritual leader (Dr. Faud) of the Moslem terrorist group who instigated the attack. Faud's meeting with one of the main terrorist leaders, plus a Saudi prince, who funds many of the terrorist attacks. Chase is also working with the Israeli Mossad as a favor and has agreed to take out the two main people, if the opportunity presents itself. The mission proves to be a success from the British point of view, but to complete it, Chase had to kill Dr. Faud and the Saudi prince when they were praying in a Moslem mosque. The outrage from Saudi Arabia is intense and turns into a political embarrassment for the British government. To appease the Saudis, the British agree to turn over Chase to them so that she can be tried and executed. Chase's boss, Paul Crocker, has a bloody fit at what his government is doing and decides to save Chase by ordering her run. This leads her to Israel and the chance to win back the favor of the British government by killing the Moslem terrorist who escaped during the first mission and by taking out a camp of eighty Moslem terrorists. Chase turns to the first person she trusts, Tom Wallace, and together they attempt to do the impossible. Though I sometimes got confused with all the long Moslem names, A Gentleman's Game had razor-sharp suspense and crackling action that held me to the end with utter fascination. When Chase is thrown to the wolves by her own government, you feel her hurt and sense of betrayal, and then you loudly clap your hands with glee when her boss and the other agents in her department assist her in getting out of London. Tara Chase also proves to be a most interesting character that instantly demands your complete attention. She loves to drink, to have sex, and to be on the high wire of a mission. She reminded me somewhat of Adam Hall's British secret agent, Quiller. I liked her and was rooting for her throughout the book In fact, I enjoyed the novel so much that I immediately started its sequel, Private Wars, right after I finished it and read another hundred pages in just a few short hours. This is a very compelling series that is sure to bring its author, Greg Rucka, more of the fame he so richly deserves. It would also make

A Gentleman's Game provides a strong overview of England's security forces, and combines fantastic action sequences with intelligent discourse on the moral ramifications of the action. The story centers around a terrorist attack in London and the reverberations that stem from that attack. The CIA and Mossad agents on display are all presented fairly, and add a measure of reality to England's response against the Jihad responsible, and the Saudi Arabian prince who's fronting the cash. A very strong book.

A Gentleman's Game has to be one of the best novels ive read on the spy genre. Being a Queen and Country fan i was somewhat reticent to read this novel, after some consideration and trusting blindly in Rucka's craft I decided to give it a chance and let me tell you: it was worthy. Ive read some reviews here and there and ive found two things: the ones who praise this work are totally on the spot and the ones who dismissed it (too Le Carre, Clancy-like) should get stuffed. Now, I wont bother you with synopsis or insight on this masterpiece, Ill just say that whether you are a Q & C fan or not you should buy this book and read it, trust me is well worth your money.

Greg Rucka has been making a name for himself in the suspense genre for several years with his series of novels involving the enigmatic Atticus Kodiak. Rucka, however, is arguably best known to readers of sequential art collections (that would be comic books to you, fan boy!). He has been toiling mightily in that area for some years now, working on such A-list characters as Superman, Batman, Grendel, Wolverine and Wonder Woman. He has made what is arguably his greatest contribution to that genre with his own creation, a series of graphic novels titled QUEEN & COUNTRY, which involve the inner workings of a branch of a British intelligence agency. It is from the latter that A GENTLEMAN'S GAME, Rucka's latest novel, is drawn. The focus of A GENTLEMAN'S GAME is Tara Chace, Minder One for The Division of Operations. She is, in less polite terms, an assassin, who is very good at what she does, which is to take out the bad guys --- the terrorists, who have the destruction of Great Britain on their minds and in their hearts. Chace does her job well and finds herself being offered up as a sacrificial lamb by the very agency, and country, to which she has sworn loyalty. Rucka deftly guides his reader through a complex plot, where agents are considered to be expendable commodities. One of the more fascinating characters here, as in the QUEEN & COUNTRY books, is Paul Crocker, Director of Operations and Chace's superior officer. Crocker is a political animal who somehow maintains a balancing act between protecting the interests of Great Britain and those of his agents, even while one goal is at odds with the other. While one may occasionally differ with Rucka's worldview, he has a canny vision with respect to the manner in which the world ultimately works. While Rucka is quick to give credit to others when it comes to his insight, he is ultimately the channel through which this vision is communicated, and in such a riveting manner. A GENTLEMAN'S GAME can only increase the width and depth of Rucka's readership. For those unfamiliar with his novels, there are the Atticus Kodiak books (among others) to explore. For those unfamiliar with his sequential art stories, QUEEN AND COUNTRY graphic novels await. And if you've been fortunate enough to read all of Rucka's work to date, you have the pleasure of anticipating his next novel. Recommended. --- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

Greg Rucka writes another winning thriller here. This one is based on his award-winning comic book series Queen and Country and occurs in the series continuity. No background in the comics is needed, however. The book alone is sufficient to start the reader on the wild roller coaster ride that is the life of Rucka's protagonist, Tara Chace. You can get the plot summary from the book descriptions above. What a reader should know is that this is fast-paced, page turning writing that depends on characters and not plot to drive the action. The action unfolds from multiple points of view, and includes not only Chace and her boss, but also, notably, the POV of one of the terrorists involved in the terror cell with which Chace must match wits and do battle. While Rucka's pacing is fast, he does not cheat on the motivations of his characters. The action is earned, not forced, the complications of plot are realistic and plausible, without resort to deus ex machina interventions. The effects of violence, betrayal, and secrets are realistically demonstrated in characters' actions and thoughts. No one involved is a cookie cutter hero or villain and the ending, like the action, is far from cinematic Hollywood fare. Rucka is a fiction writer at the top of his game, and he writes the best espionage thrillers bar none, whether his medium is comics or novels. My only regret is that the notable success of this novel will likely delay the return of Rucka's other great protagonist Atticus Kodiak. Go and buy this book.