Another fast action book about Eva Driscoll. This time she's on the run. I like this type of fast paced book. the reader doesn't get a let up.

Published by Thomas & Mercer on November 14, 2018

Seek and Destroy is the second novel in Alan McDermott’s Eva Driscoll series, which spins off from his Tom Gray series. The novel is self-contained and can be read as a stand-alone, although it assumes a familiarity with a conspiratorial organization called the ESO and with some of the characters, including Gray, who is “a hero to the right wing” but “a terrorist in the eyes of many.”

Eva Driscoll has been secretly pardoned from the prison sentence she earned by investigating the ESO and her brother’s murder. Her team members took new identities and escaped to presumptive safety, but in India, Farooq Naser has just received a “we found you” video. Eva is in Munich with her lover Carl Huff, but a message from Farooq sparks a reunion of Eva’s team in Europe.

Meanwhile, Henry Langton is on an uncharted island leading a group that is charged with eliminating Eva and her team. That’s not going well so he decides to attack Gray in the hope that Gray will contact Eva’s team for help. Then he plans to follow the team members as they lead him to Eva. The plan doesn’t seem particularly plausible but plausibility is never a strong point in thrillers of this nature.

Eliminating Eva isn’t easy because Eva, like most action heroes, is indestructible. In one scene, armed just with a handgun, she takes out eight armed men. Yes, she gets a boo-boo on her cheek, but there’s never a sense that Eva is actually at risk. The same is true when Gray, Eva, and some expendables assault Langston’s island. They easily take out more than twice their number of trained mercenaries and sure, a couple of expendables don’t make it, but the reader will not work up a sweat worrying about the central characters.

Whether Eva qualifies as an action “hero” depends, I suppose, on whether the reader thinks a vengeful killer who assassinates unarmed technicians because they assisted a bad guy is justified in her lawlessness. Not to be outdone, Gray puts some gratuitous bullets in an unarmed character who is bleeding to death because he figures death alone isn’t a sufficient punishment for his misbehavior. I didn’t care much for the self-righteous avenger attitudes of Driscoll and Gray but readers who confuse self-righteous anger with morality might like them.

The novel justifies its title with a good amount of travel and destruction, as Driscoll and her team make their way to Mexico to arm themselves so they can launch an underwater attack on Langston’s island to rescue Gray’s kid, where she is being held hostage. The island invasion is preposterous, but that’s the nature of modern action thrillers. The travel gives the novel the story a certain amount of atmosphere.

McDermott writes fluidly and the novel maintains the kind of pace that action thrillers need. He takes time to give Eva and Gray personalities, even if the personalities are fairly standard and not particularly admirable. The conspirators are playing the long game, infiltrating government and hoping to place one of their own in the American presidency, an overdone premise that has become tiresome. Nothing about Seek and Destroy allows it to rise near the top of the mountain of books just like it. Die-hard action novel fans and followers of the Tom Gray series might want to read it, but other thriller fans can find better books to occupy their time.

RECOMMENDED WITH RESERVATIONS

Complex Espionage thriller! Powerful secret agency with a long reach internationally! Engaging characters! Pulsating plot and action packed! Recipe for a thrilling ride, right? My problem is the back story, which I didn’t know because I had not read any of the numerous books in this series. I can’t fault the author for this, so the 4 stars stay, with this caveat: read the previous books ! I trust that in doing so, one would receive more satisfaction than I did because of my lack of knowledge.

This is a new author for me! I thoroughly enjoyed the writing style and character development! I will read the next installment in the Eve Driscoll series! It’s an exciting storyline and the author ended the book begging for another!

I love Eva Driscoll! The first book in the series was a super fun read, and I was excited to get my hands on this second in the series. Seek and Destroy is fast paced and almost nonstop action. Eva is smart, and Alan McDermott writes her so well. The plot is tight and the story flows nicely. Already looking forward to my next Eva Driscoll thriller!

"Seek and /destroy" eBook was published in 2018 and was written by Alan McDermott (http://www.alanmcdermottbooks.co.uk). Mr. McDermott has published nine novels. This is the second of his "Eva Driscoll Thriller" series. 

I categorize this novel as ‘R’ because it contains scenes of Violence, Mature Language, and Mature Situations. The story is a contemporary thriller. The primary character is Eva Driscoll.

Driscoll and her allies from the first novel have all been granted secret Presidential pardons for their efforts and have each disappeared. Unknown forces suddenly begin attacking those that have been helping Driscoll. Driscoll calls her allies in from hiding to confront this new threat. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the 5 hours I spent reading this 272-page thriller. I read the proceeding novel in the series and liked both. This is readable as a stand alone novel, though reading them in sequence would be preferable. While I really enjoyed this novel, it seemed a little rushed. I like the set of characters that have been created. The cover art is OK. I give this novel a 4.5 (rounded up to a 5) out of 5.

Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/.

My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).

Fast paced, action packed thriller. It was interesting from page 1.
Worth a read.

"She got away once. They can’t let it happen again.

Eva Driscoll is on the run. She has a new identity, and the best part of $20m liberated from the CIA. Henry Langton is dead but his sinister allies are circling, and not even a presidential pardon can help Eva against an organization that operates above the White House."

Thankyou to NetGalley, Amazon Publishing UK and the author, Alan McDermott, for the opportunity to read a digital copy of seek And Destroy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
This book was an enjoyable thriller. It was an easy read with characters that are engaging. There was certainly plenty of action and intrigue, just what you want in a thriller. 3.5 stars from me
Worth a read for fans of the genre.

Not my usual genre but this book had me gripped throughout. Will be looking out for more of the same!

Alan has done it again, what a thrilling read. These books really are good and fast paced, the reader just about has time to breathe before the next onslaught. I love the characters and the way they all work together, this time a couple are lost along the way, which is always sad, but the story is cracking.

I love the fact that a woman is one of the main operatives too, and she’s everything to the storyline.

With Langtons men on her tail and chasing after her some of her team she knows it won’t be long before they catch up with her. She’s on the run again ......

My thanks to the author and Netgalley for the ARC.

Fast-paced, action-packed thriller, exactly what you expect when you pick up a McDermott novel.
I have read a few of the Gray novels but didn’t read the first one in this series, however, I felt the author introduced new readers well enough to past events to not miss out. Having said that I’ll now go and read the first one, very enjoyable!

I absolutely loved the first Eva Driscoll book, so was chuffed to see that the follow-up was available relatively soon. This is another exciting action thriller, bringing back most of the characters from Run and Hide, although could be read as a stand-alone as a fair amount of backstory is filled in. I have not read the Tom Gray series, but plan to catch up with it when I can.

Set months after the events of Run and Hide, the team are living quietly in secret locations around the world. Henry Langton, having faked his death, is living on a remote Pacific Island plotting his revenge. When Farook, Eva’s IT maestro, is tracked down in India, his friend is murdered by the ESO to try and panic him into contacting her. When this fails, they target retired mercenary Tom Gray, and then his friend, MI5 agent Andrew Harvey, kidnapping their daughters in order to get them to give Eva up.

I enjoyed this, but for a story supposedly about Eva Driscoll, who was a fantastic kicka**e character in the first book, I was disappointed that she barely appears for the first 60%, and when she does, mostly it’s just to describe her appearance. This is actually much more a Tom Gray book, with Eva as a minor character, and when she does finally come into play, she is portrayed as selfish and heartless - perhaps not surprising given her background but not want I want from a heroine.

The early parts have far too much detail about Tom and Andrew’s domestic arrangements. I struggled with how incompetent the baddies were, but also that a seasoned MI5 agent could be so gullible. I enjoyed the return of Sonny and Len, but Rees Colbeck and Farook barely feature. I could’ve done without yet another kidnapped child plot line - I try to avoid them but they keep sneaking in. Once the action finally gets going this did end up being a fun read, and the ending leads us nicely into future adventures for Eva & co.
3.5 rounded up for good writing.

My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for a voluntary honest review. Seek and Destroy is available now.

She got away once. They can’t let it happen again. Eva Driscoll is on the run. She has a new identity, and the best part of $20m liberated from the CIA. Henry Langton is dead but his sinister allies are circling, and not even a presidential pardon can help Eva against an organization that operates above the White House. With agents around the globe and no tactic off limits, Langton’s men are calling the shots. When they track down ex-CIA computer expert Farooq Naser and threaten Andrew Harvey and Tom Gray, Eva knows they will come for her next. She needs to run.
This is the second book in the series & I’d recommend reading the first book prior to this one as does set the scene for this book. It’s a well written fast paced story that I read in two sittings, there are edge of the seat moments. The characters are well fleshed. At times I had to suspend belief but it’s fiction so that’s fine. Tom Gray is also featured so I feel as though I now need to go & read the books about him. After reading these two books I’ll definitely read more from the author
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

I've been a big fan of this author since I first got my Kindle in 2011 and discovered the wonderful world of self-published books. He's since got a well deserved publishing deal and has gone from strength to strength continuing with the Tom Gray series that is simply brilliant. This is the second in his new series, featuring some familiar faces from the previous so, to get the very best from it, you could do yourself a favour and read not only book one of this but the whole Tom Gray series first. They are all excellent books so... why not?
After the shenanigans of book one, Run and Hide which I won't go into here, our heroes have new identities and are living off the proceeds they siphoned from the now defunct ESO. They are ticking along quite nicely, if a little flatly; devoid of the excitement that their previous lives gave them. But their new found freedom is shattered when one of them is tracked down and they soon realise that although the head of the snake has been cut off, there is still life in the body. What follows next is a high octane, thrill a minute, action packed ride that had our heroes team up with Tom Gray as they fight for not only their lives, but those of their loved ones too.
Oh My! I started this book on a day when I had nothing important to do as I knew that once I immersed myself into Tom and Eva's world I would be powerless to tear myself away. I wasn't wrong and read start to finish pretty much in one, only stopping to eat and, well, you know!
As with all this author's books this is extremely well researched and plotted. His attention to detail never ceases to amaze me, as does his reflection of often quite scary things happening in the real world in parallel with those going on in his books. Part of why I enjoy his books so much is the credibility of what he delivers; hence the scary feeling they often give me.
It's action packed all the way through, with even the slower paced scenes adding tension and emotion to the proceedings, and this book is a bit more emotional than some of the others due to the nature of some of the things that happen and who they happen to. Sorry to be vague but, you know, spoilers! Needless to say that our heroes go through quite a bit on their journey and they rely on their smarts, skills, connections and training to try to save the day once again. As I got to the end, I was excited to see how it all panned out but also a bit sad and scared cos once it was over, I knew I would be leaving the characters once again, at least for a while. With how the book ended you know that there is more is to come, not a cliffhanger as such, just a door to continue the story, one that I will be waiting with baited breath to get my hands on as soon as I can.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Having enjoyed the first novel in the Eva Driscoll series, Run and HIde, I was excited to begin reading Seek and Destroy. At first, I was more than a little tentative about whether it would be as gripping as book one, but I should've known that McDermott can be trusted to produce a story with a plethora of heart-in-your-mouth moments. As always, there is non-stop action, and I really didn't want it to conclude. McDermott is one of the best thriller writers currently out there.

Fast-paced, with characters that are well developed and a solid, rollicking plot which holds some stunning shocks. This is an exemplary political conspiracy thriller which, if you can suspend your disbelief somewhat, you will likely appreciate and find it as compelling, addictive and a one-sitting read as I did. In my opinion, you will want to read the first book before this one as it details how the characters got to the stage they're at and explains some of Driscoll's behaviour. Seek and Destroy is a full-on and very enjoyable read.

Many thanks to Thomas & Mercer for an ARC. I was not required to post a review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Book Review: Seek and Destroy (Eva Driscoll #2) by Alan McDermott

A fairly well-written shoot-'em-up series.

In this installment, Eva Driscoll, the ex-CIA assassin and her formidable band of rogues of varying skill sets, haphazardly assembled - Tom Gray, Farooq Naser, Carl Huff, Rees Colback, Sonny Baines, Len Smart, Andrew Harvey shall have avenged Driscoll's murdered brother, with a presidential pardon to boot, and are now scattered around the globe with secret identities and enough money for retirement in the shadows of Hyderabad, Munich, Gran Canaria and Milan.

In outsmarting shadowy billionaire conspirators acronymed ESO, puppet masters and the "real power behind the governments of the world", Driscoll and associates managed to eliminate ESO's leader's son - which subsequently led to the demise of the leader, Henry Langton, dead by heart attack.

Now all safe and sound. Free and clear.

Or so they thought.

"WE FOUND YOU". One of them, Farooq, the digital magician, gets traced after a friend is murdered. Then one after the other, all get tracked, leading to the abduction of Harvey's children.

All all hell breaks loose - to retrieve the children - to seek and destroy. But who? Who masterminded the snatch? The ESO? Langton alive?!

The hunted gives chase to the hunters in hi-tech surveillance, shoot-'em-up transitions across continents, culminating in an island in French Polynesia, with some vividly portrayed attack action scenes reminiscent of Ian Fleming and the best of them.

The author is showing promise as international conspiracy thriller writer.

Review based on an advance reading copy provided by NetGalley, Amazon Publishing U.K. and Thomas & Mercer.

Eva Driscoll’s story follows on from where the last book left off, and once again we are plunged into a shadowy world of espionage, where governments are not the most powerful organisations on the planet.

Eva’s world crossed with Tom Gray‘s (McDermott’s debut novel series character) in her first outing, and does so even more so in this story. In fact, I’d probably have to go back to check, but I’m not sure that Tom Gray doesn’t get more page time than Eva. But that’s not to the detriment of the story when you have two such great protagonists. And deadly too. And with that combination who or what can stand in their way? But the stakes are high, with young children’s lives hanging in the balance, so nothing is guaranteed.

Seek and Destroy is another excellent, fast-paced thriller from Alan McDermott, who reminds us that in a world as dangerous as Eva Driscoll’s, nobody is safe. Or guaranteed to make it home.

As a fan of the Tom grey series I was expecting a rollicking big gun classified tale and that exactly what I got. With the addition of actual Tom grey this time (the first novel feature him other than a cameo) and the book was all the better for it.

As with the previous novels the book is heavy on action without compromising the story. The Eva character is developing well and her motivation is clear throughout the book.

The story is fast paced, within a page you are whisked from Italy to London to the middle of an unidentified island. The dialogue is tight and true, weapons descriptions have been well researched and the kill count is high.

All in all another well written book from Alan. It delivers exactly what I expected and hoped for!

Fantastic!! Just absolutely loved this book and cannot wait for more by Alan McDermott. Fabulous novel!

SEEK. & DESTROY. ..by Alan McDermott
A disc was delivered to Farooq showing that his friend Samar had been killed, he was the only one that knew were he was living. Now a message "we found you" came on the screen. Eva was with Carl in Munich,a good place to hide from the ESO. Now receiving a special ringtone,giving her a message, time was of the essence, and they needed to leave quickly. What ID to use that President Russell had given them. Farooq was not a fighter,almost in a panic without Eva to protect him.She sent out messages, to reassemble the team
Who had broken the rules, and what would be sacrificed to regain it. A. powerful plot with many.characters, was it one of them. The author has keep readers in suspense to the end. Given ARC by Net Galley and Thomas Mercer for my voluntary review and my honest opinion.

I really wish I’d read the first book in the series before starting this one. The characters weren’t as “fleshed out” as I would have liked (but I’ll take the blame for that). Action and more action piled on top keep the story moving as the evil EOS comes back to life to haunt our protagonist and her crew. Plot development is well-paced as the story unfolds leaving the reader anxious for the next installment.