I love Andy McNab books and have not been disappointed with this one. If you're after a highly literary, snobby prize winning novel then it probably isn't for you. But if, like me, you sometimes like a book you can just get lost in this is for you. Good characters, action, suspense, thrills and spills...it's like Die Hard in paper form.

Regular readers of Andy McNab will recognise the main character, Nick Stone, es SAS and general all round hardman, desperate to hold down a normal relationship, but finding it incredibly hard, especially when his girlfriend disappears to remotest Africa on a peace-keeping mission. Cue much action with Nick trying to get to her and get her to safety, away from the rebels and civil war threatening the region.

I don't like Andy McNab novels for their prose, imagery and flowery style (although I'm not adverse to this in other writers either). When I settle down with a McNab, it's usually so that I can escape to a fantasy world and get lost in it. They're easy to read, realistic (to me at least, although having never been SAS I obviously can't attest to this, but as Mr McNab has been there, done that and got several t-shirts I'm willing to believe his portrayal of that lifestyle!) and generally gripping.

A great buy from Green Metropolis at £3.75, it's one that I'll be keeping on my bookshelf and reaching for again in a few years time when I've forgotten all the details and want some easy reading and light relief.