The Red Cobra by Rob Sinclair

Carl Logan dedicated nearly twenty years of his life to the Joint Intelligence Agency. Now living in a secret location, under the new identity of James Ryker, he wants nothing more than to be left alone, the chance to start a new life away from chaos, violence, destruction and deceit. It’s not long, however, before Ryker’s short-lived idyll is destroyed when he is tracked down by Peter Winter, his ex-boss at the JIA. Winter brings with him news of the murder of a woman in Spain, Kim Walker, whose fingerprints match those of one of Ryker’s former adversaries who’s been missing presumed dead for years – an infamous female assassin known as the Red Cobra. A cyberattack at the JIA led to the Red Cobra’s profile being compromised, and Winter believes JIA agents may now be at risk too, Ryker included. But Ryker knew the elusive Red Cobra better than anyone, and when he sees the grisly pictures of Kim Walker’s corpse, he has news for Winter – she isn’t the assassin at all …
So just who is the mystery dead woman? And where is the real Red Cobra?
Rob Sinclair is an author from the West Midlands – previously working for a global accounting firm, after promising his wife that he could pen an unputdownable thriller. It clearly worked, as he’s now a full-time writer!

Author Rob Sinclair

Carl Logan previously appeared in the “Enemy” series – three action-packed thrillers that combined intense, high-octane plots with strong characters and clever writing. Here, Carl Logan returns, but under a new name and identity, and seeking a new life away from the danger and escapades that he was constantly involved in previously. Of course, for a man of his past and reputation, it’s no long before danger comes to find him…
The “new identity” concept works really well here – it provides enough of a break from the “Enemy” series that new readers will be able to pick this up, but there are enough ties to Carl Logan’s old life that long time readers will be rewarded too – (although if you haven’t read the “Enemy” series, why on earth not?). It also gives the book a real boost – for me this definitely felt like Rob Sinclair’s strongest book yet, and a large part of that was the introduction of the title character – the Red Cobra is a superbly layered character, dangerous, strong, sexy and human, and I’d definitely like to see more of her somehow going forward. Characterisation is one of Sinclair’s strong points, and Logan/Ryker continues to be an immensely compelling lead – no matter how terrifying and tense his adventures get, it’s always a pleasure for the reader to accompany him.
Setting wise, Spain is depicted very well indeed, serving as an excellent backdrop for the new adventures of this weary, compelling hero. I’m not the biggest reader of Thrillers, but Rob Sinclair’s are always a pleasure – managing to write compelling, urgent plots that keep the reader on the edge of their seats, whilst never compromising character or quality of writing, as I find can often happen in thrillers. Well worth your time –
Carl Logan is dead, long live James Ryker…