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Summary
Summary
Tara Chace may be the most dangerous woman alive. She can seduce you into believing she's the woman of your dreams--or kill you with the icy efficiency of an executioner. As the new head of Special Operations for British Intelligence, she no longer has to court death in the field--she wants to. Throw away the old rules, the old school, the old-boy network. The world of international espionage is about to learn the hard way that spying is no longer merely… A GENTLEMAN'S GAME Greg Rucka's electrifying thrillers have pushed the boundaries of suspense fiction to where few have dared to go. Now, in A Gentleman's Game, one of the genre's most fearless writers brings readers of international espionage his most fearless heroine yet: a no-holds-barred woman who's as lethal as an assassin's bullet. When an unthinkable act of terror devastates London, nothing will stop Tara Chace from hunting down those responsible. Her job is simple: stop the terrorists before they strike a second time. To succeed, she'll do anything and everything it takes. She'll have to kill again. Only this time the personal stakes will be higher than ever before. For the terrorist counterstrike will require that Tara allow herself to be used as bait by the government she serves. This time she's turning her very life into a weapon that can be used only once. But as she and her former mentor race toward destiny at a remote terrorist training camp in Saudi Arabia, Tara begins to question just who's pulling the trigger--and who's the real enemy. In this new kind of war, betrayal can take any form...including one's duty to queen and country. Based on the graphic novel series that won the coveted Eisner Award, A Gentleman's Game is an electrifyingly realistic, headline-stealing thriller with an unforgettable protagonist--one who redefines every rule she doesn't shatter.
Author Notes
Greg Rucka is the author of four previous novels - "Keeper", which was nominated for the Shamus Award, "Finder", "Smoker", and "Shooting at Midnight". He resides with his wife and son in Portland, Oregon.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Inspired by his Eisner Award-winning Queen & Country graphic novel series, the author of the adrenaline-charged Atticus Kodiac thrillers (Critical Space) offers up this British cloak-and-dagger hardcover introducing Tara Chase, an intrepid, relentless female assassin. In a coolly orchestrated terrorist raid chillingly reminiscent of September 11, a well-trained trio of al Qaeda-linked fanatics bomb London subway trains at three major stations, killing 372. In retaliation, Minder One (the head assassin of Her Majesty's Secret Intelligent Service) Tara Chase is given the assignment of killing Dr. Faud bin Abdullah al-Shimmari, a Saudi Arabian religious leader. She can't undertake an operation inside Faud's high-security Saudi homeland, but when the Mossad gets involved on a mission of its own, the hit is scheduled to take place on Yemeni soil. In a bit of bad luck, Chase completes her primary mission with a daring hit on Faud inside the Great Mosque, but ignites international outrage when she blows away a Saudi prince, too. As a result, her queen and countrymen betray her, and she is forced to flee with one final chance to avoid being sacrificed as a pawn in a worldwide political chess game. Though a trifle muddled by bureaucratese, the novel's superb pacing, offbeat characters, wry plot twists and damning insight into oily schizoid Middle Eastern diplomacy add up to an engrossing read. Agent, David Hale Smith at DHS Literary Inc. (Oct. 5) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus Review
Thriller about sending a woman to do a man's job, only to find she's better at it than most men. Having made his name with the Atticus Kodiak series (Shooting at Midnight, 1999, etc.), Rucka has been trying his hand in the comics genre, with the ongoing espionage series Queen and Country. Since he's primarily a novelist, though, it made sense that eventually the star of that series, Tara Chace, would get a starring role in her own novel. The result is a solid piece of work that doesn't immediately betray its box-and-word-balloon origins but never quite rises to the challenge of the novel form. Chace is a "Minder" with the Special Ops division of the British Secret Intelligence Service and is as handy with a garrote or sniper rifle as she is adroit at picking up and discarding one-night stands. The crisis that puts her into action here is a wide, deadly, and expertly timed assault on London's Underground. Intel quickly points to a certain Dr. Faud bin Abdullah al Shimmari, a notorious Islamic extremist, and word comes down from the lofty perches of the realm that Faud is to be taken out. Although his opening exposition is rather clumsy, Rucka's prose starts to hum as he makes it clear that even in a full-blooded actioner like this one, agents can't just go winging off on missions, but that there are other considerations, and things have consequences. A complex negotiation fires up between SIS, CIA, and Mossad, all wanting a piece of Faud, and a negotiated mission is put together that sends Chace to Yemen. Complications ensue (of course), collateral damage occurs, punishment is demanded. Although A Gentleman's Game has flashes of insight and makes a valiant stab at creating a truly independent and libidinous heroine in Chace ("This was her pleasure, more than booze or sex or smokes . . . when she knew the stakes and felt the adrenaline"), too much of the story is familiar territory. Better-than-average writing can't overcome a tired plot. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
This is a little tricky, so pay attention. This novel is based on Rucka's comic-book series, Queen & Country, which was in turn inspired by (or perhaps directly based on) a 25-year-old British television series called The Sandbaggers. The comic-book series chronicles the adventures of Tara Chace, a Special Intelligence Service agent (otherwise known as a minder or a sandbagger) who takes on dangerous missions for the British government. In the novel, she is tasked with the assassination of the mastermind behind a series of terrorist attacks that took the lives of more than 300 British citizens. The relationships between some of Rucka's characters mirror the relationships between similar characters in the TV series, and there are even scenes in the novel that are very much like scenes in episodes of the series. Also like the series, the novel is as much about the political machinations behind a mission as it is about the mission itself, and Rucka does an excellent job of building the tension and suspense. It's a story about people whose lives are controlled--and often sacrificed--by government officials whose decisions are always politically motivated. There are echoes of le Carre here, to be sure, although the tone is less cerebral. Those who know The Sandbaggers will be intrigued, but the novel will also interest anyone with a taste for classic British espionage. A sequel would be most welcome. --David Pitt Copyright 2004 Booklist
Library Journal Review
When terrorists attack her country, Tara Chace-head of special operations for British intelligence-uses herself as bait to catch the killers. Too bad she gets double-crossed. Rucka won an Eisner Award for the graphic novels on which this is based and went one step further by optioning film rights to Fox. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.