![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.british-weekly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/book-review.gif\" "\\"book-review\\"")
The highly trained MI6 agent Will Cochrane, code name Spartan, is assigned to work with Sentinel, the only other agent who has passed the same tests. Sentinel manages a network of agents, who are being killed one by one. Everyone\u2019s loyalty is called into question as they work to find the answers. Sentinel has his own way of doing things. Why is someone trying to start a war between America and the Russians? Isn\u2019t the Cold War over?<\/p>\n
The writing and characters are well defined. Sentinel<\/em> is more introspective then you\u2019d expect from a spy novel. Will is a Brit and they\u2019re known for their reserve so the introspection doesn\u2019t delve too deep. The spycraft details Dunn includes in the novel, like dead-letter drops, brush passes as well as other little details, are a nice touch.\u00a0 Dunn also knows his weapons and how to use them. A great gift for any fan of spy and action novels.<\/p>\n \u201cMy starting point for Sentinel<\/em> was envisaging a situation where America and Russia were on the brink of war,\u201d says Dunn. \u201cThough the Cold War ended over two decades ago, Russia is still a vast power. It’s been a sleeping giant, though has been rebuilding itself on a capitalist platform and of course retains a nuclear arsenal capable of destroying all of humanity. Within this concept, I wanted to show how intelligence agencies work during times of severe crisis and in particular how valuable foreign assets can be to obtain time-sensitive intelligence.\u00a0 I always approach my stories from the human angle and that is best personified in the lonely and extremely dangerous work of spies.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLike all thriller writers, first and foremost I’m a storyteller so my imagination and creativity is key,\u201d says Dunn.\u00a0 \u201cI draw from experiences that I and others have had.\u00a0 Moreover, most of Sentinel<\/em> is told from the perspective of my protagonist, MI6 officer Will Cochrane, and when throwing him into situations I constantly ask myself what I would have done when faced with the same situation.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBeing in my mid-forties, I’m ten years ahead of Will Cochrane on a number of different levels,\u201d says Dunn. \u201cI’m getting married, have two young children, and these days spend most of my time writing and spending time with my family. It’s a world away from the man I used to be during my service in MI6. That man was quite similar to Will Cochrane. He’s the hardest character for me to write because it frequently feels like I’m exposing my soul to my readers. Being a private guy, that’s uncomfortable for me to do.\u201d<\/p>\n Dunn says he gets fantastic feedback from female readers who’ve read Sentinel<\/em>. \u201cI don’t write for any particular segment, male or female. Instead I write stories that I’d like to read.\u00a0 Thinking about it, perhaps it’s not so surprising that so many women have loved my books. Unlike stories set in battlefields, the world of intelligence includes people from all walks of life\u2026young, old, female, male.\u00a0 Some of my favorite characters in Sentinel are female spies who have a wealth of experience.\u201d<\/p>\n Dunn\u2019s background as an MI6 operative gives him a thorough understanding of the world of espionage\u2026how to recruit and run agents, direct action, obtaining secret intelligence, conduct operations in hostile territories, weapons and tradecraft. \u201cOn that level, little research was required,\u201d says Dunn. \u201cBut if there are gaps in my knowledge, I won’t bluff. I’ll ensure I do my research properly and talk to the right people.\u201d All of the locations included in Sentinel<\/em> and Spycatcher<\/em> are places he\u2019s been to, many of them as a deep cover operative.<\/p>\n Spycatcher<\/em> was shortlisted in this year’s Barry Awards for Best Thriller.<\/p>\n \u201cI’ve had my own web-site designed by a company,\u201d says Dunn. \u201cIt will go live in a week. My publishers, agent, fianc\u00e9 and others have been trying to drag me, kicking and screaming, into the 21st century.The web site will contain a blog and news section which will keep my readers posted on upcoming events.\u201d<\/p>\n Sentinel: A Spycatcher Novel<\/em> by Matthew Dunn . Hardcover, 320 pages, Publisher: William Morrow (August 7, 2012), Language: English. ISBN: 9780062037923 $25.99.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Rating: 4 Stars \u00a0By Gabrielle Pantera \u00a0\u201cAll of my work has to be vetted by MI6 before publication, so I have to be careful,\u201d says […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11172","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-book-corner"],"aioseo_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\n