The accident man

Ever wonder what would happen if you threw Ian Fleming's James Bond, Dan Brown's Robert Langdon, and Steig Larsson's Mikael Blomkvist under one cover? Read Tom Cain's “The Accident Man” and you'll find out.

Tom Cain takes us on Samuel Carver's journey on one last hit that turns out to be Princess Diana. With the factual event as the backdrop, we're free to let the conspiracy theories run wild. Enter corrupt British spies, the Russian mafia, some greedy Frenchmen, etc. This book was, at times, predictable, at times, unexpected, altogether entertaining. The sexual tension between Alix and Carver is believable and the way that Cain depicts Carver's vulnerability is a welcome addition to the standard tough-guy spy character. And while I can certainly say that I enjoyed this one and that I would sometime entertain reading the subsequent Samuel Carver novels, I can't say that I was completely blown away.

The second half of the book definitely read much easier than the first half...such is the case in a novel with a number of characters.

I must also admit that this novel made me want to do a little research. I know shamefully little about the fall of Communism in the Soviet Union and eastern Europe and the subsequent formation of Russia and the Baltic states. While my wife knows a good deal about Diana's death, I do not and realized that I should at least understand the basics.

So, as a good friend (@Dave Brown) said in a recent post about this one, “It's a good story that makes us think, what more could you ask for in a summer read?”

~J.