I will be recommending this book far and wide. Thrilling, intelligent, compassionate, gritty, realistic and vastly entertaining, Firefly is one of the best examples of international-espionage fiction I've come across.

Henry Porter has created a memorable story of an ex-spy, Paul Sampson, recruited to find a young Syrian refugee, Naji, who is making his way along the European migrant route, bound for Germany. Problem is, Sampson is not the only one pursuing Naji, and the other hunters are sinister and ruthless. Naji, however, is scarily intelligent, and has street smarts to match.

I loved the geopolitical accuracy of Firefly, and my favorite bits involved the arrogance and incompetence of the various intelligence services, and their willingness to use and discard human assets with no regard for the effect on them.

I cast back in memory, thinking that I haven't read a story with this much suspense along with this much heart since, when -- the latest John Le Carre novel? And sure enough, I see in the publishers' blurb that they are suggesting that Porter may eventually inherit Le Carre's readership.

If I have one tiny quibble, it's that the few female characters were not quite as fully drawn as the males. But it's not something that bothered me as I was reading; it's only that I thought so much about Firefly after I was done with the book -- and that's a good thing.

The digital ARC I was given through NetGalley had quite a few formatting problems, but I assume they will be fixed by publication date.

Thank you to Net Galley and Grove Atlantic/Mysterious Press for providing an advanced digital copy of Firefly by Henry Porter. This thriller is a fast moving book with plenty of twists and turns. This book is perfect for those who love spy thrillers - Henry Porter does not disappoint.

Luc Samson is one of the most exciting characters I have read in a while. Henry Porter does an excellent job of rewriting spy history by creating a character that is better than James Bond. I look forward to more books from Mr. Porter and hope that this book is turned into a movie.

This was a great book. With lots of twist and turns. You were always rooting for "firefly" to get to safety. The sad thing is this is a work of fiction but in real life some of this is actually happening.

A well written thriller, this book is set in the Balkans in the midst of the Syrian refugee crisis. The details of the locations and the migrant experience feel credible. The plot moves well, although there a few too many coincidences, the characters are well-drawn and reasonably complex, and the action scenes are compelling.

I would recommend this for fans of European thrillers.

Wasn't expecting much and while I wasn't disappointed with this story I wasn't completely impressed. Overall glad I did read it.

Henry Porter has crafted a highly engaging and unusual story about a young boy, Naji, a refugee from Syria, his trek from Greece towards central Europe and the IS terrorists who are hunting him. The other key character is a Lebanese/British ex-MI6 agent who has been recruited by his former employers to find the boy. The story is taut, a hunt combined with a chase by Samson to save the boy. Along the way there are numerous colorful characters who add a lot of flavor to the story.

Porter's writing style is excellent, a combination of detailed and engaging description of the environment in which Naji is traveling, and good character development of the key players. My only criticism is that the story went on a bit too long for me, with too many scrapes and some repetition of circumstances. For those who enjoy stories of suspense and foreign intrigue, it is a good read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a preview copy.

A tense international thriller involving issues in today's world: ISIS, terrorism, the refugee crisis in Europe, intelligence agencies collaborating, and more. This is a very complex story with lots of action and I really enjoyed it. I won't try to give you a synopsis since you can read that other places - I'll just tell you my impressions. I fell in love with Naji who has seen way too much for a child to deal with and was still facing so much more. My heart broke for him. I also loved the character and dedication of Paul Samson who always seemed to "do the right thing" and showed true concern for the people he was trying to find. The psychologist, Anastasia, was also a favorite - she showed such caring and empathy yet kept a wonderful disposition throughout. Of course I hated the ISIS characters, but also the Peter Numan and his assistant who had dated Samson (I really disliked this lady!).

There were many times in the narrative that I was scared for Naji - he really had some good luck in places - maybe to balance out all the tremendous grief he had suffered. I was on the edge of my seat and couldn't flip the pages fast enough to find out what happened. If you like espionage and thrillers you will certainly enjoy this book. Great work Henry Porter!

Thanks to Henry Porter and Grove Atlantic through Netgalley for an advance copy.

Absolutely riveting, suspenseful from start to finish. This masterful novel brings to life the horrors of the struggle in the Middle East, from the perspective of a young boy attempting to save his family,who were forced to endure unspeakable abuse in migrant refugee camps. Tightly plotted and filled with vivid prose, the story will she'd much light on the complex world of anti-terrorist efforts and what it is like for the millions displaced by this endless turmoil. A triumph.

Firefly is a complex novel with action occurring simultaneously on several levels.

On one level it's an exciting journey story about a thirteen year-old boy making his way alone, on foot, through Europe. In the first paragraph, Nadj almost drowns when an overloaded rubber boat, filled with Syrian refugees, goes down. He manages to not only save himself, he also rescues a baby girl. Once on the beach, he slips away from the grateful parents and the acclaim of the crowd. Nadj is anxious to avoid the spotlight, well aware that his life is still in danger from the ruthless men who are following him.

Those men are from ISIS and another level of the novel is about the search for them and the effort to stop a terrorist plot that threatens Europe. Samson, a British ex-spy, leads the search to find Nadj and the men who are pursuing him. On that level a thrilling espionage adventure develops in parallel to the boy's journey.
On yet another level, Firefly is an insightful portrayal of the precarious lives of refugees, the camps they reside in, the trauma so many have experienced and the numerous dangers they face, such as pedophiles, and human traffickers.

This is my first Henry Porter novel. I will look for more.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. This was not my usual reading choice but nevertheless I enjoyed the story.

Firefly is a standalone thriller. There is violence. I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, but it exceeded what I thought I might encounter. Though there are parts of the story that are hard to believe, overall it paints a picture of what the migrant refugees in Europe face and what happens when some of them aren't as "innocent" as they claim to be. Overall, this is a book worth reading.

I loved this thrilling book, an educated and well written book that did not insult my intelligence or make me suspend belief or reality.

Firefly is the first thriller I've read by Henry Porter. I was impressed with the timeliness of the theme, the Syrian civil war and the desperation of the immigrants to leave that country, which made me feel as if I was reading a news story. The intelligence agency of Britain is asking one of its former agents to come back on board to help with this very specific problem. Paul Samson is ex-MI6, himself a refugee in his past and speaks fluent Arabic. There is a young immigrant last traced to a Greek island who has vital information regarding a rebel group of militants. This thirteen year old boy is trying to make his way to Europe to establish political asylum for his family still in Syria. In his escape he became aware of plans this militant group has for terrorist activities. The British intelligence forces want the boy found and escorted safely to them, the militants want the boy found and killed before he reveals their plans. In steps Paul Samson.

Throughout this book I was much more interested in Firefly (Naji) than I was in the supposed lead character, Paul Samson. I don't know if Samson is a recurring character in Henry Porter novels but he didn't do much for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic, Mysterious Press for a digital galley of this novel.

A race against time thriller - Firefly has information that will lead to the death of a vicious terrorist, and is being chased by both those who want to kill him and those who want to save him. A young boy on his own in an unforgiving country, this book won't let you put it down.

Luck Samson is an ex-MI6 agent who is approached by his former employers to find a thirteen year old refugee who has information on an ISIS cell. Naji is a Syrian refugee who left a camp in Greece and is attempting to reach Germany. He has a genius IQ, can speak several languages and is proficient in the use and repair of electronics. When he was forced to work for ISIS, he took the opportunity to secretly download their information to his phone. After meeting with Anastasia, a psychologist at the Greek camp, she contacts the authorities, who initiate the hunt for Naji, giving him the code name Firefly. There are also members of the ISIS cell hunting him.

The boy’s trek is one of endurance and determination. Naji hopes that if he can reach Germany he will also find a way to bring his family to safety. There are a number of close encounters with the terrorists and it seems that Samson is always just one step behind him.

Henry Porter’s novel takes the reader into the refugee camps for a glimpse of the hardships faced by those seeking asylum. The shortages and overwhelming number of people are evident when Samson seeks Anastasia’s help. There is also a strong sense of urgency through the story as the terrorists begin to close in on Naji, desperate to retrieve his phone. Naji’s journey is an amazing one that will keep the readers fully engaged from his opening rescue at sea to the final confrontations.

I would like to thank Mysterious Press and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my review.

Firefly is a contemporary tale of a teenager who is trying to get to Germany from the Middle east. If the journey alone isn't hard enough, he is being hounded by members of ISIS. An exceptional story about a terrific son.

After a long absence, the awarding winning author returns with a serious contendant for the Cwa Steel Dagger. As in past novels, the topic is timely.. The Syrian Civil War and its refugees are the main theme here. Both protagonist, the child refugee and the man who tries to find and protect him are superbly drawn. Strongly recommended.

This action-packed spy thriller could have been ripped straight from the the headlines. A 13-year old boy is making his way from a refugee camp, but he is not your average refugee. He has information so valuable that he's been given the codename "Firefly." Fans of spy thrillers are bound to love this one.

I really enjoyed this book. I think it will be a big hit when it is published. Very well written and character development