Adrian Magson (https://www.adrianmagson.com) is the author of more than 25 novels. A Hostile State was published in 2021 and is the fifth novel in his Marc Portman thriller series. It is the 89th book I completed reading in 2023.

Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own! Due to scenes of violence, I categorize this novel as R.

Marc Portman is a deep cover specialist. His latest mission has taken him to Lebanon. When Portman is ambushed shortly after his arrival in Lebanon, he knows that he is in dire circumstances. The only way the opposition could have found out about his last-minute trip was from a leak within the CIA.

Someone with considerable resources is after him. He discovers before long that the Russians have put a contract out on him. Not knowing who he can trust, Portman finds himself alone, struggling to survive. Not only must he deal with armed adversaries on the street, but with politics within the CIA and State Department as well.

I enjoyed the 7 hours I spent reading this 309-page thriller. I had the opportunity to read three other novels by Magson. Those are Close Quarters, Dark Asset, and The Bid. They all have been consistently good reads. I give this novel a rating of 4.3 (rounded to 4) out of 5.

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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.

The mission is simple … get in, get the memory stick and get out. Marc Portman, code name “Watchman,” is called in at the last minute on this op, but little preparation had been needed. Good thing he picked up a gun after he landed, as it is now coming in handy. Marc knows something is wrong when the first shot at him comes too close for comfort. He can’t see the shooter, but he knows he’s higher than Marc. This isn’t Marc’s first rodeo, and he has the tactical experience to know what to do.

After taking out this shooter and another who is waiting close to his vehicle, Marc learns that his contact is not coming with the memory stick. He’s told by his CIA handler to meet a contact person in town, and she will get him out of the country. The meet-up goes well, but getting out of the country is a little trickier. Marc and this MI6 Field Operative are attacked again. As a matter of fact, from the time they leave Lebanon, fly to Cyprus, then Germany and on to Paris, it seems that whoever is after Marc, knows his every move and exactly where he is going. He’s attacked at each destination, but prevails by taking his assailants out. Can Marc return home safely and can they find the person responsible for these attacks?

A HOSTILE STATE is Adrian Magson’s fifth book in his Marc Portman thriller series. Marc is a “contract” operative who is used by the CIA and other intelligence groups for hostage rescue and other dangerous missions around the world. An alphabet soup of government organizations are involved: US, Russian and British. Marc is quite resilient and a very resourceful character. The supporting characters, other than the bad guys, are a mixed bag of government officials, some with questionable motives. The storyline is filled with secrecy, intrigue, espionage and intelligence-led operations that lead to an unusual conclusion for this strong main character. Marc’s identity may have been compromised … will we see more adventures from him? I certainly hope so, as I’ve always loved Mr. Magson’s character’s thrilling escapades in all his novels. Don’t miss this one!

This book is really exciting and once started almost impossible to put down. Do not read on a bus or you are very likely to miss your stop and be late for work!

Marc Portman, who works as a freelance close protection specialist and contractor for Government Agencies such as MI6 and the French Foreign Legion has just completed a successful operation in Somalia for the CIA and is rehired by them to go to the Lebanon for another mission.

Here he has to collect some data on a UBS drive and then leave the country, unfortunately, he is ambushed by unknown attackers who want to kill him. As no one except the CIA knew he was in the country he suspects that there has been a leak at their HQ back in the US. Portman contacts his CIA controller and advises him and he in turn is amazed that such a turn of events should have happened. The Controller reports to his senior management but he is surprised by their reaction

This very exciting and hard to put down thriller rushes on to its final dramatic conclusion. I have had the privilege of reading for review purposes many of the author's earlier Marc Portman stories including THE WATCHMAN, and his NO KISS FOR THE DEVIL in his Riley Gavin series and two of his Lucas Rocco stories set in provincial France during the early 1960s: DEATH ON THE MARAIS and DEATH ON THE RIVE NORD.

Adrian Magson is a very experienced author with a large number of books published under his name and other pen-names. When you open one of his books you know that you can count on a really interesting plot and well rounded characters, that has been thoroughly and painstakingly researched. That there is a real sense of action and a very dramatic page turning suspense almost to the last sentence.

I look forward to reading many more gripping adventures of Marc Portman and in fact any new books by this very exciting author. Very strongly recommended.

It's a few years since I have read an Adrian Magson novel, and I had almost forgotten just how entertaining this author can be. This is another instalment in the "Watchman" series featuring Marc Portman, a rather shadowy counter-espionage agent for hire, working clandestinely for both the USA and UK intelligence agencies. The settings move from the middle East to France and elsewhere, but it seems there is a traitor at large who anticipates the Watchman's every destination and clandestinely organises an ever increasing band of hitmen to "remove" him. Cumulatively, it's a bit improbable that they always fail, but there is no lack of excitement or bodies, with the technical detail as authentic and realistic as always. The author has done his homework and knows his stuff,. Page turningly entertaining. .

There is no such thing as too many great spy action thrillers. I am constantly searching for unexplored territory of well-written action espionage thrillers, and that search led me to A Hostile State by Adrian Magson. As soon as I flipped to the first page, I knew I would love it when the very first chapter hooked me in with the protagonist, Marc Portman code-named Watchman, maneuvering under sniper fire while equipped with a Kahr semi-automatic pistol. The action takes off without wasting momentum and the plot fires away with the high-octane action.
Without giving away too much, A Hostile State puts Marc Portman, a contractor for the CIA, under the spotlight where his cover is blown by a secretive Russian group that aims to take revenge against its recent espionage failures by putting a bullseye on Portman who happens to be one of the most effective CIA assets. Then begins a long trail of blood and bullets with Portman chased from Lebanon to Paris by assassins who will stop at nothing to kill Portman. The plot thickens when the pattern can only be accredited to a leak in the CIA that is feeding Portman’s location to the assassins. The fast-paced and nail-biting aura of the narrative where Portman is constantly surveilled and targeted by killers, aided by a few friendlies, makes for an extremely compelling and energetic read. This sets up a fantastic stage for Marc Portman to show why he truly should be feared by his adversaries, as he parries and counters the assassins sent after him in brutal hand-to-hand combat and explosive shootouts.
With such a propelling story, it needs to have breakneck action sequences, and the author delivers on this promise. There is absolutely no shortage of bullets and gunfire as Marc showcases his lethal talents with pistols, rifles, and even a crossbow on a globetrotting hunting ground. With accurate weapons descriptions in the sequences detailing Marc’s tactical acumen, the reading experience is everything an action thriller fan could ask for. Even without a weapon, Marc puts his fists to good use with detailed descriptions of hand-to-hand combat with a focus on practicality and speed.
With A Hostile State being the 5th novel in the Marc Portman series, I was surprised by the ease of which I slipped into the narrative. The right amount of backstory is provided for readers to get into this book and enjoy it immensely. The characters are developed over the narrative with grounded personalities and foundations that made it easy to visualize and resonate with them fairly quickly, especially Marc Portman. While his profession is utterly violent, he comes across as the kind of guy you would root for without any hesitation. A straight shooter who will get the job done while exhibiting a strong moral compass. I immediately gelled with Marc Portman and his down-to-earth but intriguing personality, cultivated to preserve his anonymity. The strong focus on his POV as a first person POV, only shifting to a handful of other characters to progress the parallel storyline of the CIA leak, was done superbly to kept the momentum rolling. There was always something happening in the narrative that was extremely vital to the bigger picture.
Even before I had finished this thriller, I knew I was going to read the previous Marc Portman books. With such crisp and captivating writing, intriguing characters, fantastic action, and authentic narrative, I am sold on A Hostile State being a must-read for action thriller fans who are on the search for a new exciting thriller series to dive into. It is no piece of cake to allow readers to jump in headfirst in the latest thriller in a series without having read the previous books, but Adrian Magson pulls it off!

Free ARC from Net Galley

I HATE series, but this one I like much

Portman ambushed on arrival is always good, but in Lebanon, with his controller unavailable?

Boom, boom!!

Another great read

Adrian Magson is one of my favourite current writers of action spy novels.

His series about former MI5 agent Harry Tate is superb, as are the two hard-to-get novels in his Gonzales & Vaslik series, The Bid and The Locker. Running alongside these series are his books about Marc Portman, a freelance professional shadow, or watcher, who provides protection to British and American agents in potentially hostile situations. He works in the background, stays off the record and often the people he is guarding have no idea he is there. As with Magson’s other books, these are good, old-styled spy novels with up-to-date plots, exciting shoot-outs and betrayals.

A Hostile State is the fifth book in the series and finds Portman in Lebanon on a last-minute assignment. A straightforward collect-and-go job, with Portman providing protection to a CIA source who needs to be extracted. Things quickly go bad, when the source does not show up and Portman is ambushed in a surprise attack. It soon becomes very clear that someone had advance warning of Portman’s arrival and wants him dead. With his controller back in Langley hamstrung by internal politics, Portman goes on the run. Fearing that there is a leak at the heart of the CIA, Portman realises that he has to play by his own rules to survive.

This is a very enjoyable spy thriller that starts violently and keeps up a brisk pace for most of its length. Portman’s race through Lebanon, aided by a middle-aged, female British agent, is nicely concocted, credible and very exciting, and is probably the highlight of the book for me. The action on the ground is nicely contrasted with the internal intrigue back in Washington, and Magson is as adept at the backroom scenes as he is with describing a gunfight.

A highlight of the book is Magson’s crafting of two very strong female characters, who aid Portman in his quest to survive. Isobel Hunt, the unobtrusive undercover British agent in Lebanon, is a very believable and well fleshed out character, who defies the usual female stereotypes to be found in spy fiction, while Lindsay Citera, part of Portman’s CIA communications support staff, is also a well wrought character. Lindsay has been in earlier Portman novels, but plays a larger role in this book and is an enjoyable addition to the book. She possibly verges on being too cute at times, but Magson nicely avoids the usual clichés with her.

In all, it is a very entertaining spy yarn. It probably does not have the myriad of surprising twists that is expected of modern thrillers, but it still works quite well. For me it is not quite as good as the Harry Tate novels, but it is still in the top echelon of espionage novels.

Thanks to Severn House and NetGalley for an electronic copy of the book to review.

A Hostile State is another winner for Adrian Magson. I have enjoyed his novels and this is no exception. There is plenty of action, never over-written, full of tension. The drama at CIA Headquarters is intriguing and beyond the usual office politics. I read the novel straight through as it kept my interest. What's next for Marc?
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.