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From the Editor
Kevin Wignall is the master of the intelligent international thriller. As soon as I open one of Kevin’s bestselling books, I know I am going to be immersed in a highly cinematic world with instantly relatable characters, a chase that will traverse the globe, and a pulse-pounding race to the finish that always leaves me breathless.
Former CIA officer James “Wes” Wesley believes he has already paid the ultimate price for his patriotism, locked up in a French jail. But when he learns that his ex-wife, Rachel, has been killed in a terrorist attack in Spain and the young son Wes hadn’t known existed is missing, Wes is released on compassionate grounds to uncover the truth. Journeying across Europe, he will reopen old wounds and uncover long-buried secrets that will push him to the limit.
I suspect that, like Wignall’s previous book To Die in Vienna, which is reportedly coming to the silver screen starring Jake Gyllenhaal, the characters from The Names of the Dead will also soon delight fans on the big screen.
Kevin Wignall is a British writer, born in Brussels in 1967. He spent many years as an army child in different parts of Europe and went on to study politics and international relations at Lancaster University. He became a full-time writer after the publication of his first book, People Die (2001). His other novels are Among the Dead (2002); Who is Conrad Hirst? (2007), shortlisted for the Edgar Award and the Barry Award; Dark Flag (2010); The Hunter's Prayer (2015, originally titled For the Dogs in the USA), which was made into a film directed by Jonathan Mostow and starring Sam Worthington and Odeya Rush; A Death in Sweden (2016); The Traitor's Story (2016); and A Fragile Thing (2017); and To Die in Vienna (2018).
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyses reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Short and sweet, this high-octane spy thriller surges through the first three quarters before petering out in the final pages.
I throughly enjoyed The Names of the Dead and was expecting a crescendo finish, but things all seemed a bit too easy in the end for our hero, Wes.
And what a great hero he is - cool, stoic and hard. And I enjoyed his relationship with the quirky and dark, Mia. Together they are quite formidable.
I hope there is a second James Wesley novel - I will definitely pick it up. But I would hope it would include a few more twists and turns than this entertaining yet straight-forward effort.
Kevin Wignall always seems to put a lot of thought and creativity into the storylines of his novels and this one is no exception. A great plot, well laid out and very well written and in the way of a good book, had me wanting to just keep reading and not put it down. Whether it eventuates or not, the ending seems to lend itself to the possibility of another story. I certainly hope so.
A story that keeps the reader guessing how it might turn out. An indication about how things can go very badly in a powerful undercover body. Includes a sensitive coverage of a case of severe autism. A good, exciting, thriller story.
A solid story with sensitive treatment of characters who are more than the average . The main character depends heavily on his friends and their contacts,which goes against his past activities.His acceptance of Mia with good humour shows a mature attitude and a big ger heart than his reputation would suggest.
I love this genre of book and it was a great story which required a bit of thinking but nothing too involved. The main two characters were interesting and I wanted to follow their lives past the end of the book.
A quick read, (I wondered if it might have benefited from another fifty or so pages, but decided no, it was just about right), and a most satisfy one. Will there be more of Wes and the incredibly engaging Mia? (Perhaps odd to describe such a character as engaging, but she is)
5.0 out of 5 starsThriller with a philosophical background
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 5 January 2020
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Don't be put off by the first three paragraphs of 'The Names of the Dead' which sound like a dull travelogue. Just keep reading.... Not giving anything away here!
This is a complex and exciting book. It can be read as a straightforward thriller and is totally enjoyable as such. However Kevin Wignall has added bible quotes throughout, supplied by my favourite two characters, Patrice and Mia. To me the bible is a collection of random texts, authorised by a Catholic saint centuries ago and often used to control people. Many of these texts contradict each other, and different faiths pick on different parts of the bible to back up their beliefs. However it is interesting to read these lines of ancient philosophy mixed in with the vengeance taken by Wes. Patrice's back story highlights Wes's actions. Lots to think about if you are so inclined. What should Wes have done?
I totally loved and sympathised with Mia. I hope that Kevin Wignall intends to write about Wes, Mia and Patrice again. And I have always loved the final bible quote in 'The Names of the Dead' which is magical to me. 'Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares'.
This book is a classic good guy trying to clear hi name story. After being released from prison for a crime he was set up for by a fellow CIA agent, he engages in a cat and mouse hunt in Spain and the Balkans. It's nicely written and entertaining to read. The only gripe I had, was that having being rescued by a distinctive woman who was a daughter to a fellow, deceased, inmate. The CIA operatives don't connect the two together very quickly from their hotel bookings and from that trace her car. This would obviously be no good for the story line but is glaringly obvious to the avid detective novel and spy book reader.
4.0 out of 5 starsThe Names of the Dead by Kevin Wignall
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 14 January 2020
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I hadn't encountered this author previously and bought this book as a Kindle First. The story proceeds at a fairly fast pace with Wes, a dishonoured CIA agent seeking revenge against the man who set him up and engineered the murder of his wife. I particularly liked Mia, the strange lady who becomes seriously involved in Wes' s quest for revenge. Not the usual type of female accomplice one finds in this role, but overall, a refreshing and interesting change. I would recommend it as a well written good read.
4.0 out of 5 starsGood storyline and interesting characters
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 5 January 2020
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Nice to read a thriller that has a high functioning autistic character ... or 2. The story is good with several interesting aside descriptions of places. Characters met along the way have just the right amount of depth and description. The book inspired me to want to smell the orange blossom in Spain, to drive more & to read another book by this author. The thriller/criminal element is good - not brilliant as it’s quite predictable but still enjoyable. This was a book I wanted to continue reading and read over about 5 days.
An interesting plot though nothing new. Well written but had a touch too much backstory in the early chapters. Some of these events appeared again in dialogue later. Better this way. Didn't slow the pace much so a good read throughout. Shorter than many in its genre so events often passed quickly. Worked well rather than the long exposition often found in other novels where the pace gets overtaken by the number of words.
Based on this, I expect to read more from the author.