Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

When you’re dead, you’re dead, right? Well not so for Pascual. But it was supposed to be, he left that life behind.

Fast paced, pay attention to keep up. You will learn a great deal about the ins and outs of finance, legal and illegal.

Take this journey with Pascual and try not to get killed.

This is a "thrill in every chapter" book. Pascual is a reformed terrorist living under an assumed name and hiding from his former co-conspirators. After 20 years, he has assumed the safety of his family and himself is not in question. His family knows nothing about his former life, so he is doubly troubled when he is contacted by a group seeking his help with a planned money heist, or else. The dilemna he must face will set off a chain of events that keep the pages flying and Pascual racing from one bad guy to the next, just trying to stay alive.

I had not read any Dominic Martell titles but if this book is any example, I've been missing out on some very good reading. I'll be sharing with my reading circle and adding more to my TBR list.

This book was a little challenging for me to get through. I ended up having to go back to reread portions of it so I could keep it all straight in order to follow the story line.

This is Book one in the Pascual Series. Pascual Rose used to be a terrorist. However, he put that life behind him and is living a happy life. When the life of his wife and child are put in danger, he will have to use every tool in his toolbox to save them. Can he uncover who is behind the scheme before it all blows up?

Pascual Rose has been declared dead for over 30 years. He was removed from his undercover duty and given a new name and identity. He has lived with the horrors that he has seen and done . However, he is grateful that he has been able to live under the radar. One day he is approached by a female and male, who have told him that they have been able to hack his computer as well as his phone. They also have figured out that he is Pascual Rose. The two individuals explain that they have a job for him, and that one million euros will be paid to him upon completion of various tasks. He is amazed that they found him, and cannot believe that they have basically taken over his computer and cellphone. They have told Pascual that if he doesn’t do the job, they know where his wife and son are staying. He feels he has no choice. Pascual must go to various countries to open up business accounts. Why is he having to open up all these business accounts? What are these two going to do with the accounts, after they are open? Why did they choose him? How did they find out he was alive? Pascual doesn’t trust these two, so he calls on some of his own old resources. Which country do these two pledge allegiance to? There are so many unanswered questions, and these two seem to enjoy keeping him in the dark. Will he find out what they are really doing, before it’s too late? Will Pascual survive this job? If you enjoy intrigue, spying and cryptocurrency, you will enjoy this book. The plot is very well engineered. The descriptions of scenes and countries, show that quite a bit of research was accomplished to write this book. The character development was spot on. The reader could almost feel as if they were in the actual scene. I came to a point where I was really disliking the two antagonists very much, and hoping for their demise. I was actually cheering on the protagonist. The ending was a surprise too. I would like to see more from this author.

What a book! This fast-paced thriller kept me on the edge throughout! Well-developed characters, plenty of twists, and just plain good writing. I loved it! Thanks to Netgalley for advance reader copy.

I really enjoyed this book. Character development was good. The plot was very interesting. Not a lot of typos.

Pascual Rose could be called a terrorist. But he never pulled a trigger, lit a fuse, or pushed a button. His talent was setting it all up for others to do the dirty work. He was most active in the post-cold war years. His last assignment led to the deaths of a German couple. Since then, he has gone to ground in an attempt at atoning for his former life while stayting one step ahead of German investigators. Off the electronic grid, he now lives as Pascual March. His ‘wife’ (they never married. That would've put him on the grid) is a flamenco artist of note and they have a son who is a university student in the Netherlands studying what appears to be party science.
The fact that Pascual is so fully ‘off the grid’, he is a perfect foil for blackmail. A criminal underground with some seriously long arms has found him. Threatening him with the safety of his wife and son, they force him to set up a string of shell companies and shadow accounts in the Caribbean, around the Med, and western Europe. Sounds like a money laundering scheme on a large scale.
But Pascual isn’t some flunky. Planning and finding answers kept him alive back in the day. If he can back trace the electronic infiltration into his life, maybe he can find out who has a hold on him and, more importantly, what they are up to. With the help of a family friend, a young street tough from Tangiers, a computer security expert from Barcelona, and an investment lawyer from Madrid, Pascual searches for answers while doing this syndicate’s bidding.
He manages to determine the target, but still isn’t sure who is pulling the strings. Pascual realizes once he has established the last shell company that starts the laundering process, he is no longer necessary. Word gets to his wife and son to get to their secure, last ditch hiding spot in northern Spain. A few days of safety is just the lull before the eventual storm.
It appears that Martell had penned a trilogy about the repentant spy’s search for absolution in the 90’s. Fast forward to the mid 2010’s finds Martell asking himself what might’ve become of Pascual. Kill Chain is the beginning of the answer. Enough loose ends prevail to suggest that perhaps another trilogy is in the works. On one level, this re-engagement of an old spy sort of parallels Olen Steinhauer’s Milo Weaver – a once highly active ‘Tourist’ called back into the game. This book is based primarily in Barcelona so it’s treading territory less familiar to most political/mystery readers. And if one is looking for a primer about money laundering, this might be a reasonable start. Not to mention that I was glad I was reading this on my Kindle because I was checking word definitions in most every chapter – Martell audacious vocabulary takes us on quite the roller coaster.

This book has a very unusual plot, making it quite different from the usual thriller.. The main character is forced into a series of actions that put himself and his family in grave danger. He struggles to be a good man, but many forces are working on him. The people who appear along the way to help him are unique and interesting on their own. I not only enjoyed a mystery, I got a quick lesson in cryptocurrency. I also got to visit many places in the world as the actions take place.. The style of writing makes for easy reading. The descriptions are brief but do the job. The author does a great job of portraying his character's anguish as he tries to do the right thing. The book was not real compelling, but I stayed the course. I do have to rate it extremely high on imagination.

Plenty of action and danger in this thriller. You never know what is coming next so keeps you guessing.

I was issued this book in return for an honest review by NetGalley.

A good book. Took me back to the days of reading Ludlum. A bit of a Cold War spy thriller updated to the 21st century. Not so much animosity between the countries but using modern technology to cause issues.

The hero, Pascual, had been involved back in the good? old days. He had seemingly put all that behind him and was living a tranquil, peaceful life. Suddenly, against his wishes, he is pulled back into the turmoils. From there, many twists and turns.

I hadn't read what I would call a "spy thriller" in quite a bit of time, and this was enjoyable.

When a retired agent specializing in logistics gets contacted 20 years later in retirement in Spain, his first thoughts are why. He gets pulled into a complex money laundering scheme, a battle between 3 or four intelligence agencies, and various state and mob groups. Even though he’s a digital naif, he has friends who aren’t, and this moves into the most modern view of how to track people, money and cryptocurrencies. This creates suspense, drama, and the classic story of a father protecting his family. But of course there are double and triple crosses to contend with. A very interesting novel and one worth reading.

I enjoyed this book! It was fast paced and kept my attention throughout the chaos! I rate this book a 4.1! I would like a Part 2!

A Terrorist Comes Out of Retirement

For twenty years, Pascual Rose has been out of the game. Under his new identity he’s earning a living as a freelance translator living with his wife, Sara, and his teenage son in a provincial Catalan town. One quiet night he receives a text asking him to meet two strangers on the terrace of his home. Pascual knows this means trouble.

The strangers have a proposition for him, help them carry out a major money laundering operation and he’ll receive a million euros, fail to accept their offer and his wife and son will suffer. Although he no longer has his contacts, and he’s a little rusty, Pascual is smart. He starts the job taking advantage of the skills of others, but who can he trust as he sets up his shell companies taking advantage of places where the laws are set up to allow investors and businesses to shield large amounts of money.

This is a fast paced thriller with lots of action. The book is full of characters who Pascual uses to accomplish his mission in various countries as well as being pursued by security forces. Sometimes I thought there were too many characters, but as Pascual moves from country it’s necessary for him to have a variety of contacts.

I found the information on money laundering and the legal requirements of various countries very interesting. However, the detail and the fact that much of the book is done through dialogue slowed the story a bit. However, if you enjoy a fast paced thriller this is an interesting one.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.

Kill Chain is a fast-paced thriller that takes you to new places and ideas. The author keeps your interest, and in the last third, he had me mesmerized. I liked the lead character, Pascual, and appreciated the different forces he has to deal with. Saying too much would mean I might include spoilers, and the one thing I did not like would definitely be a spoiler. But congratulations to the author (and his research) for a job well done. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This book is about a former spy who is asked to help money launder a huge amount of money. He tries to keep not only himself but his family safe. The story takes places in many areas of the world and tells of his dangerous mission.

Set mostly in Spain, KILL CHAIN is a thrilling tale of international intrigue, money laundering at the highest levels, and the perfect patsy. Pascual March has been lying low for some twenty years. Facing threats to his wife and son, he is forced to steal his own former identity, Pascual Rose. Convoluted? To be sure!

Dominic Martell has written a novel both for and of the 21st century. It is current enough to mention the death of Jamal Khashoggi at the hand of the Saudi prince. After reading this book, you may find yourself wondering which world power is friend or enemy to others. Is any government to be trusted?

KILL CHAIN is masterfully written, action packed, and stands on its own despite earlier works starring this same main character. If anything, I now want to read the earlier books by Martell detailing the exploits of Pascual March.

I received a copy of this book for review from Netgalley.

This intriguing crime drama, Kill Chain, has such a strong continental feel that it's hard to believe that the author, Dominic Martell, was born and raised in the USA. I loved the start of the book where the main character Pascual Rose, once a young firebrand terrorist from Barcelona and now, 20 years later, a plodding freelance translator just trying to stay under the radar, is trapped into fronting for cyber criminals intent on committing the crime of the century. It's a slick setup and explained impeccably well by 2 agents that seek to have Pascual Rose take all the risk with the payoff being the safety of his family and a million Euros.

Of course nothing in life is simple and soon there's multiple interest groups, official & criminal, attempting to control or kill poor Pascual. His many attempts to thwart his controllers and keep his friends and family safe add up to a compelling narrative that I highly recommend. This is a really well put together and exciting novel.

Martell wrote several books about Pascual Rose back in the 1990s when the character was in the midst of his youthful indiscretions. I've not read them but they should be well worth investigating. Martell is a heck of a good storyteller.

Somehow I missed Dominic Martell's earlier books about Pascual Rose. It was my good fortune to get an advance reader's copy of this sequel. After this introduction, I'm going back to read everything else I can find by this author.

Martell is a solid writer who produced an intelligent espionage story with some satisfying twists. Pascual is a reformed terrorist who for 20 years has been living a quietly as a translator in Barcelona. His peaceful life is detonated by a visit from mysterious Russians or perhaps Israelis or maybe Americans who are skilled in tradecraft and make him an offer he can't refuse --not if he values the lives of his wife and son.

Pascual becomes a pawn in a scheme involving secret bank accounts, wire transfers and multiple identities. Martell gets the geopolitics right, and delivers quite a primer on money laundering and cryptocurrency as he unspools the tense plot.

The suspense is keen: Where did all that money really come from? How many more nation-states or criminal syndicates will be dragged in as Pascual tries to come out ahead (or at least alive)? But it's the relationships I will remember, of Pascual with his wife and son, and his family with the numerous friends who take on enormous risks to assist them.

I really can't recommend this book highly enough. Thanks to NetGalley and Meryl Moss Media/Dunn Books for an ARC.