[.ca] Remote Control (ISBN 0385257163)

From Amazon.com:
Don't expect to see Andy McNab's photograph on the cover of his first thriller, Remote Control--the former British Special Air Service agent says both the Colombian drug cartel and the Provisional IRA still have contracts out on him. His two nonfiction books, Bravo Two Zero and Immediate Action, give more detail about his prolific past. Remote Control is the fictional story of an SAS agent named Nick Stone, who is on the case of two Irish terrorists. He follows them across the Atlantic to Washington, D.C., but is suddenly ordered back home on the next available flight. His old mate Kevin Brown, now with the Drug Enforcement Agency, lives near the airport, so Nick decides to drop in. He finds a slaughterhouse: Kev, his wife, and youngest daughter have been battered to death, but daughter Kelly has survived in a special hideout. Prying information from the shocked child, Nick links the killers to either the CIA, the DEA, or his own organization--which means that he and Kelly are virtually on their own. As Nick trundles the spunky youngster from one seedy motel to another, stuffs her with junk food, and teaches her the rudiments of spy craft, he also begins to piece together a picture of why Kevin and his family were killed. There is a connection between a terrorist bomb scare in Gibraltar in 1988, the Colombian drug cartel, and high-level intelligence-agency skullduggery. McNab keeps dropping those shiny nuggets of believability along the trail and winds up holding our attention until the predictable but satisfying end. --Dick Adler

The anti-Tom Clancy:
In a situation where Tom Clancy would waste five pages of techno-weenie jargon explaining exactly how a motion detector works, former SAS sergeant Andy McNab writes a few short sentences on how to beat one. McNab's main character, Nick Stone, describes himself as a 38 year old man with a lot on his mind and not much in it. Nothing ever goes quite as Nick plans and the results are thrilling, often quite funny and sometimes more than a little sad. If you are looking for a book to take along on a trip to read at the airport or on plane, this one would be tops. A fast read that makes killing time enjoyable.

THE VISIT THAT WENT WRONG:
This exciting book about a man called Nick Stone. He is sent on a mission to follow two irish suspects. Everything was going swimmingly untill he went to his friends house... A great book with ups and downs a plenty. An exciting read with plenty of action yet not so much it ruins the book. A great book to read on journeys.

Parental Guidance Recommended:
I read the abridged version of Remote Control and decided to read the unabridged version to see what I had missed. I discovered that I had missed nothing more than a large amount of swearing and plenty of graphic violence. I recommend this book to anyone, but would promote the abridged version as the better option, as the story is not adversely affected by the 'chopping' of several parts.

Only McNab can walk the walk:
Plenty of action/thriller writers can talk the talk, but only Andy McNab can walk the walk. That's why the Colombian drug cartels and the Provisional IRA still have contracts out on him. McNab doesn't have to imagine how these things work - he KNOWS, and he tells his tales in the sure knowledge that his plots and descriptions carry the authenticity that other writers lack. Remote Control follows agent Nick Stone through a storming story of IRA duplicity, murder and drug dealing. Curiously, at the time that I write this review, terrorist funding is hitting the world headlines following the despicable atrocities at the WTC and Pentagon. Andy McNab (with no foreknowledge of these events) points out that many citizens of USA have been funding the IRA for years. It's strangely ironic to be reminded of that now that USA needs the support of the rest of the democratic world. I guess one man's terrorist is another man's hero (?) I notice that other reviewers point to a seeming weakness in the story regarding Nick Stone's relationship with seven year old Kelly, whom he has saved from his parents' murderers. I think that this awkwardness between the two characters is quite intentional, highlighting the emotional difficulties of any special agent who is trained to kill without sentiment. Remote Control is a real page-turner of a book, delivering action that is just this side of out-of-control, and a plot that oozes authenticity. There's no doubt, almost from the outset, who the real villains are, but that doesn't lessen the suspense. How will Nick Stone get himself out of the mess and how will he save the little girl? Particularly since he's on a deniable mission and his British spymasters have disowned him. If you want to read a thriller that tells is as it really is, Remote Control is the book for you.... Five well-earned stars.

Not great, but not bad:
After reading McNab's "Bravo Two Zero" and "Immediate Action," I thought I'd give his fiction a try. Overall this book is entertaining, with more action than recent vintage Clancy novels. The action is often quite intense and, in those moments, it is a real page turner. The technical and tradecraft details are what really make this book. McNab, or course, is all the more believable in these areas due to his personal experiences as relayed in his non-fiction work. He buys a credibility there that Clancy, et al. just can't match. Worth reading for that fact alone. While the story is good and the details better, the writing itself is sometimes clumsy. Maybe this is nitpicking, since the reality is that the writing somehow seems to "fit" the story (you wouldn't want Steinbeck or Hemingway telling the story, would you?). However, I suspect that the writing is simply due to first novel syndrome (I had no complaints about his writing in Bravo Two Zero), and would expect this to improve in future works. Although I only gave the book 3 stars, I'll definitely keep McNab on my "read" list.