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    Ultimatum: A Thriller
    Ultimatum: A Thriller
    Ultimatum: A Thriller
    Ebook371 pages6 hours

    Ultimatum: A Thriller

    By Simon Kernick

    4.5/5

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    About this ebook

    #1 bestselling author Simon Kernick will leave you breathless with his sheer storytelling power in this race-against-time thriller about a terrorist threat in London.

    An explosion blasts through a cafe in Central London. Minutes later, a call from an unknown terror group warns that a far greater attack will be launched in twelve hours’ time.

    William Garrett, nicknamed “Fox,” is awaiting trial for mass murder. He claims he can name the bombers—but only at a price.

    It’s a terrifying race against time for Detective Inspector Mike Bolt and Deputy Commissioner Tina Boyd as they chase their targets across the city in a desperate bid to prevent a major atrocity before it’s too late…

    As shocking revelations are unveiled, you’ll be racing to the last page as fast as the characters in Ultimatum. As #1 New York Times bestselling author Harlan Coben says, “Simon Kernick writes with his foot pressed hard on the pedal. Hang on tight!”
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAtria Books
    Release dateSep 9, 2014
    ISBN9781476706269
    Ultimatum: A Thriller
    Author

    Simon Kernick

    Simon Kernick is a Sunday Times #1 bestselling author and one of the UK’s foremost thriller writers. His twelve novels have been translated into more than twenty languages and have sold more than four million copies worldwide. He lives in London.

    Read more from Simon Kernick

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    • 5/5
      Following on from The Siege, Ultimatum is another cover to cover thriller about domestic terrorism.This time an ex-cop is slipped into the terrorist cell and the novel is intermingled with his first person narration which I found a great touch in bringing depth to the book.Gripping story, excellent execution.
    • 4/5
      After reading, or trying to read, a few not-so-good books in a row, it was a real pleasure to read this intricately plotted, terrific thriller. The story all takes place on a single day on which terrorists set off several small bombs in London and threaten to cause even greater devastation if England doesn't agree to withdraw from Afghanistan. The action switches back and forth between multiple characters and story lines which all tie together. People lie, motives are suspect and the good guys do not always succeed in this book. I have not read any other books by this author, but I understand that the chief protagonists, police officers Tina Boyd and Mike Bolt, have appeared in previous books. My one complaint about this book is that I couldn't stand Boyd. She is a reckless, selfish and thoroughly unprofessional policewoman and I don't know why anyone would put up with her behavior for a second. Fortunately, having multiple characters cut down on the amount of time I had to spend reading about her. This book has really nasty villains, suspense and action. I enjoyed it.I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
    • 4/5
      The story takes place on a single day, in a London that remains in a post-9/11 state of alert. The authorities respond quickly to two separate bombings for which an unknown group calling itself the Islamic Command takes responsibility. Having demonstrated their willingness to destroy, the terrorists issue an ultimatum. The British government must agree to their demands to pull out of all Muslim lands by 8:00 that evening or a much larger bombing attack will occur.

      Enter Tina Boyd, a recurring Kernick character who was recently reinstated at the Met for a second time, though in the downgraded role of Detective Constable. She is the one person imprisoned William James Garrett, known as Fox, is willing to speak to. He claims that he knows who really committed the bombings.

      Ultimatum splinters into multiple directions and threatens to spin out of control, only coming to a tidy conclusion thanks to the skilled storytelling of Simon Kernick. He excels in building momentum and showcasing a perfect sense of timing in a story of a country at the breaking point and at the mercy of criminals. I think If you like a crime thriller with lots of action you will enjoy Ultimatum.
    • 5/5
      Absolutely brilliant story which kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish.
    • 4/5
      Kernick's breakneck pace and sheer readability has one turning the pages so fast that one often doesn't notice the deficiencies that have crept into his writing - his characters are two dimensional and irritating, and he sacrifices depth to plot, credibility to pace. This is not the same writer who made such an impact with his first book The Business of Dying, in which we met the complex and troubled but wonderfully human Dennis Milne. Ultimatum continues from where the previous book, Siege, left off: it is by no means a sequel and can be read as a stand-alone, although it references the terrorist attack on a London hotel in which 70 died and Detective Tina Boyd got into trouble for killing a man to protect the innocent. Tina had been demoted but is still a loose cannon, stuffing up more often then we would prefer: when an IED explodes at a crowded restaurant, Tina lets the bomber get away but salvation comes in the form of The Fox, the terrorist who led the hotel siege. He wants to see her, alleging he can cast light on the current attack. His [rice for information is to be released from prison or at least moved, and her sentence lightened. A new character is Jones, an undercover operative who has infiltrated a suspected terror ring and proved himself by killing: in addition to Albanian thugs, Jones also comes up against right wing military types who ;loathe the direction their country has taken, and are determined to provoke such an outcry against immigrants and Muslims, the Britain changes her policy.The best way to achieve this is by creating a terror attack of such magnitude it will be impossible to ignore, and blaming it on Islamic fundamentalists. While Jones pursues this lead. Boyd is reunited with her former boss Detective Inspector Mike Bolt, and tasked with getting information from the Fox.It all comes together in a very satisfying way but, as is often the case with Kernick, there are large lose ends which might form the basis of a sequel, making this a trilogy, or will be references in subsequent novels before eventually being tackled - as was the case with the child sex ring in [previous books.

    Book preview

    Ultimatum - Simon Kernick

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