Set in an area of the US where Russia can literally be seen from your front yard, this Special Forces soldier has been tasked to retrieve sensitive intel from a Russian source. On what was assumed to be a short, uneventful mission, they are fired upon and their source wounded. So MAN ON FIRE starts the book with considerable action. The narrative is broken with the mission's threat in the first few chapters then it moves into the story's run up to the mission. Then it moves into the "after" part of the attack. It's not the usual linear story but it definitely works. This is the third book in this series. Each one tells a complete story but has an over arcing story so you'd miss this for not reading the first two. With the quality of this book, it's fair to say the first two were great reads also.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. This is part of the Rake Ozenna series of thrillers and it is a good one. The Major is the typical kick-ass soldier found in this type of story but it is still well worth the read. Interesting and fun.

“Man on Fire” is authored by Humphrey Hawksley and is the latest thriller in a series whose protagonist, Rake Ozenna, is an Inuit who happens to be a Major in the Special Forces. I don’t usually read these action thrillers; however NetGalley was gracious enough to send me a copy in exchange for my feedback. So my pithy response: The book is the third in the series by Hawksley and I can read why many critics enjoy the series. You’ve got assassins, you’ve got nasty Russians, you also have a brilliant doctor, and much, much more. Enjoy the read…you’ll likely get hooked on the series.

I can see where this might be the kind of book that gets better towards the end, that it requires a great deal of build up for the pay off. However, unlike the early spy thrillers of Tom Clancy, the prose is not compelling enough to make me want to slog through the set up to get to the "thriller" portion of the novel. Since I missed the original publication date, I did purchase the audiobook, and that may also be part of my issue with this, as the audiobook narrator was unpleasant. I am not sure if I detested Lucas and Rake because of the way they are written or because of the narrator's portrayal. Sadly, I am not interested enough in the story to try again in print. I made it through about 30%, so I feel like I gave the novel a fair opportunity to engage my interest. It did not, but again, I can see where it might be okay for someone else.

This was an interesting book. It is definitely something that adventure lovers will adore. I did find it interesting, witty, and liked the characters and plot.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this story.

I missed book 2 of this series after greatly enjoying book 1. Mr. Hawksley writes about Rake Ozenna and his family and friends realistically, without mythologizing or hammering on poverty and cultural dissolution of their arctic life. That's what I liked about book 1. But I think that Mr. Hawksley is stumped by the difficulty of continuing Rake Ozenna stories in this narrow location. So here, and perhaps in the previous book, he tries to move Rake into the larger geopolitical arena as a counter terrorist agent. There is a lot of competition in this space, and I am not sure Rake can survive. This book was a bit thin for my taste. Good, but perhaps not good enough.

I really like this book it was pretty good easy read definitely recommend
The book grabbed me from the the beginning to the end

This is the 3rd book in the Major Rake Ozenna thriller series, Dive into the tense world of a military thriller. Working on the border of America & Russia, they are trying to gather important intelligence about a new weapon, but things go all wrong. Now the Major must try to get the information that is needed, without getting killed himself. Buckle in for a wild ride!

Russian evildoer and old Kazakh build an EMP nuclear weapon and secretly get it launched. Rake Oxenna, with Alaskan roots, and a nurse from the Diomede islands between the US and Russia have to find out what happened and save the world. Their clues lead them around the US, London and back to Alaska as the race against time and strong forces to prevent the use of the weapon. Well paced and easy to read, a page turner.

So this is kind of one of those political thrillers that could give you nightmares because it’s close enough to sounding like something that could happen in real life. This is book three in the Rake Ozenna series. I will admit that I haven’t read the first two books, so I can feel that missed history. The plot of this story pits Rake Ozenna against his longtime Russian super assassin adversary. With Russia pulling the strings on a plan to unleash a massive EMP attack on Western Europe that will cause society to unravel, and therefore elevate Russia’s position in the world stage. There’s a lot going on in this story, so much so it almost could have been longer and more detailed to round out the fine details. It does have its moments of heart pounding action though, and those kept me on the edge of my seat. Overall, this is an exciting political thriller set in present time, using the political climate of the world today in a most effective way to instill maximum scare factor for the reader. Review posted to Instagram, Litsy, LibraryThing, Amazon, and Goodreads.

Humphrey Hawksley delivers yet another deliciously fun rapid fire story that had me at the edge of my beach chair this summer! I loved it.
NetGalley gave me a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is my first exposure to this author and it definitely will not be my last! This is a well written, action packed story that is sure to keep you turning the pages. Rake Ozenna and Mikki Wekstatt, the two main protagonists, are Eskimos who live on Little Diomede, a tiny Alaskan island just east of the Russian-US border. Having the main characters being Eskimos makes this book (and series) stands out. The story took place in the Bering Strait, focused on these islands and other islands in the area, and the cultural aspects of the native populations. I found it well-paced, with well-developed characters and believable motivations, with an interesting plot and satisfying ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and Canongate Books & Severn House Publishers who provided me with a copy of this book. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Rake Ozena is attempting to get a young lady back from Big Diomede Island to Little Diomede Island. A Russian sharp shooter wounds the young lady upon her arrival at Rake’s boat. It makes no sense because the transfer was government authorized!

This blatant break in protocol has both sides mystified. The young woman dies without awakening and the mystery deepens. What vital information was she carrying? Rake and the U.S. Government want to know!

Little Diomede Island was a former base utilized by the Soviet Union during the cold war. Radioactive residue is found in the old facility that is not readily identifiable. Neither the Russians nor the Americans can figure out what the compound was used for! The usual finger pointing ensues while Rake and his Russian counterpart try to figure out the truth.

What was the purpose of the radio-active material? A new weapon may be one possibility! The two sides work closely together to identify the use of the material. The overall result was a finely written tale of international intrigue and suspense. The conclusion was frightening and enlightening.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in international diplomacy. The policy of “classified information” muddies the waters and spices up the story. Enjoy! 4.5 stars - CE Williams

I have read Man on Fire the third book about Rake Ozenna by Humphrey Hawksley. I found the blurb interesting so I felt I had to try this one out and I regret nothing. Possibly the fact that I once again managed to read a series out of order, I hate when that happens. Now I have to get books one and two, it was that good. The book is all about some new secret weapon that no one really know what it is. I found the characters and setting really interesting and would like more about Rake and Mikki in their home environment. I must thank @canongatebooks , @severnhouseimprint and @netgalley for giving me this ebook.

I have never given much thought to the closeness of some country lines. But the book starts with a boat racing away from Russia. That begins a political thriller that is full of action, twists and turns. A good story...I found it interesting.

Humphrey Hawksley was a new author to me, but reading Man on Fire turned out to be a pleasant surprise. I give him very high marks for geopolitical savvy (he is, after all, a journalist who reports for the BBC); for plausibility in what, after all, is a speculative scenario fraught with global danger, and for achieving a seamless summary of the two previous books in the series (I hadn't read either of them) without slowing the momentum of this book's plot.

It's always good to read an action/adventure story that is sharply intelligent. Hawksley's take on the interplay of nations rang true, and I was intrigued that, as a Brit, he handled the American perspective of his primary characters quite well (except for a few Britishisms -- we don't say "metaled roads" on this side of the pond.)

Oh -- and the nature of the techno-weaponry is particularly terrifying to me, so: Good job!

Thanks to NetGalley and Canongate Books/ Severn House Publishers for an advance readers copy.

I received a free electronic ARC of this intense spy novel from Netgalley, Humphrey Hawksley, and Canongate Books - Severn House Publishers. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this work of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. It is a layered story I can highly recommend to friends and family.

This is a highly detailed, fast-paced tale told very well. It is not a fast read, but rather one to draw out and follow closely, a story with an international field of action and deeply committed agents facing off in a battle of wits with darkly political undertones. Our protagonists range in age from the elderly to children and all are interesting characters with details to bring us, filling out the mystery over time.

I missed the first two books in this series which feature Special Forces officer Rake Ozenna and will go back and read them! Rake gets an assignment to manage a speedboat crossing the Bering Strait from Russia. When gunshots ring out, he finds himself fighting off Russian frogmen and rescuing a badly- wounded woman, who ends up dying from her injuries. Rake is told that the woman had info about a new deadly weapon of destruction. Harry Lucas, who was running the mission, joins forces with Rake to try and get the facts about this weapon and the race is on! Tense and chilling.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley.

The main character, Rake Ozenna, an Inuit who is a Major in the Special Forces, finds himself and his best friend immersed in a serious diplomatic incident between Russia and the US on the border between the two nations. They're supposed to retrieve vital information about a new and revolutionary weapons system but instead they get shot at and end up with a critically injured woman on board their boat in Russian waters. Oops.

I love this book. The main characters are a mite unemotional, it's true, and the events are over the top but Hawksley's command of complex international relations and diplomatic intricacies is riveting. This is an amazing world of brinkmanship where money and violence are used to broker who's top dog on the world's stage. The dreaded weapon is something out of a Bond story but backed up with real science and instead of a comic book villain there's a frighteningly possible alliance behind this deployment. Fueled by monetary profit, geopolitical supremacy and ethnic division this reads like tomorrow's headline. I haven't read the first two books in this series but now I plan to. Hawksley creates a scary world that is a lot of fun to read about--I just hope that it's not really like this behind the scenes.

Thoroughly Entertaining. There is always something truly amazing about picking up a book that can grab your attention in the first few pages, and then keep it all the way to the end. Humphrey Hawksley has done a wonderful job, with not only the characters, but also coming up with a tense and interesting plot.
It should have been a pretty easy assignment for Rake Ozenna and Mikki Wekstatt to meet with a Russian boat for a transfer of a passenger. The fact that this passenger had some very important information about a dangerous weapon. Not something they wanted in the wrong hands. However, not all operations were meant to be easy, and for some reason the Russians made the transfer incredibly difficult, which didn’t make sense since they organised the transfer in the first place. Now Rake needs to work out who is tyring to stop them, and what they want with the weapon. From start to finish this was a well put together and fabulous story. 5/5 Star Rating.