Judd is a former almost-Navel SEAL, now working a standard nine to five office job, slowly wading through the days in a daze of white-collar tedium.

He's haunted by an unfortunate mishap which nearly cost his training officer his life when he pumped his instructor full of led during a drill. His instructor, menacingly named 'The Cleaver', won't leave Judd alone, and the two make for an interesting dynamic, a kind of friend/enemy push-pull.

Needing an outlet, Judd clocks up the kilometers on his bike, a habit which keeps him sane. He's also met someone online, an attractive cyclist based in Scotland named Cat who eventually convinces Judd to visit her in her homeland.

Leaving his life behind Judd falls into a modern day honey-trap.

The Cyclist is a damn fine book. The characters are well rounded and the linear plot, straightforward and as sharp as a knife blade. To use a somewhat corny term the book is 'all thriller, no filler'.

My rating: 5/5.

All that glitters is not gold, as our main character finds out. Failure, frustration, trust, distrust, fantasies, and a love of cycling begin this fast-reading novel. There's a slow buildup to a crescendo in the Scottish countryside as off-kilter characters contend with a horrific serial killer in scenes that include comic-book style battles, tortures, and viciousness.

Like always Anthony Neil Smith delivers a quick easy read that keeps you turning pages. Smith always comes up with characters that make you connect with even though in real like you may not. Just short of five stars, wish the ending would have been a little different.

I found the book very slow to read. The concept of the story sounded good but i felt the whole thing dragged on to much for me to really enjoy

The great thing about being a member of netgalley is the opportunity it offers to the avid reader to explore genres and authors that would have otherwise have passed him by. Equally it gives new authors the chance to reach out to a much greater audience when hopefully their books will receive a warm welcome. I thought The Cyclist was an excellent example of an exciting story that kept me captivated from first page to last and all in one sitting! Not bad for an author whose writing I had only just met...so what's it about?

Judd almost became a navy seal, his friend and mentor Burt "cleaver" worries about him following an incident with live ammo during a field training exercise..."Whatever made him think he was a SEAL material, God only knew".... Judd in his own mind is a washed out failure spending his time cycling and surfing the net in the hope?..........Cat is the answer to his dreams an online companion who finds him funny outgoing and personable, the fact that she lives in Glasgow and he in Minnesota is but a small problem. Judd makes the decision to take out his meagre life savings and make the long journey to Scotland hopeful and confident that Catrina is the love of his life. What follows is an exciting thrill a minute tour de force as Judd tries to comprehend the complex Cat as they journey and cycle north of Inverness in the harsh yet beautiful Scottish countryside. To disclose more would spoil the delights and gruesome pleasures that await you dear reader of my review! I will only add that "Cleaver" shows the meaning of true friendship, and Cat will need to explain to an infatuated Judd just what her relationship with Alistair is?

Many thanks to the good people of netgalley for sending me a gratis copy of The Cyclist in exchange for an honest review and that is what I have written. Highly Recommended.