I really rather enjoyed this book. Combining mystery, tension and an all action hero in Mallory, it's the kind of story that is right up my street. I read through it in a couple of evenings and from start to finish it kept me thoroughly entertained. If you like action thrillers, then this is definitely one you should be adding to your reading list.

What follows is sequence of exciting twists and turns with Mallory travelling to SA to look for Scott and ending up being chased by a group of ex military men on a mission. This was a solid read, with action spread over three continents, a believable plot and interesting enough characters. I did start liking Mallory less towards the end, where he became more like an American propaganda hero than the traumatized man he started as but that final plot twist at the end was everything I didn't know I wanted and left me screaming! Cold Justice" is an extremely unsettling and exciting book not because of what happens in it but because of who the author is. Ant Middleton has been a staple of British television for a few years now but before that, he led an extremely successful career in some of the most elite military groups in the UK Armed Forces. He's pretty much what most men wish to be. Everything I knew about Ant though, I learnt from watching this Russel Howard interview which was enough to see that he put a lot of himself into Mallory's struggles after getting off duty. As someone who used to work on the trains in Brum I got excited reading about Snow Hill station and then changing at Moor Street then arriving at New Street. Even the 23:10 to London Euston off platform two at New Street was factually correct! Ant Middleton’s previous self-help books have mostly been self-congratulatory exercises in money-making, and now this book is his first foray into novel writing.Cold Justice is Ant Middleton’s debut fiction novel which features a former special forces operator by the name of Mallory who is flooded by his own self guilt. He has anger issues and isn’t a guy to mess with.

It's here: the landmark debut thriller from superstar Ant Middleton, million-selling, number one Sunday Times author of First Man In and The Fear Bubble and star of SAS: Who Dares Wins. Meet Mallory, ex Special Forces soldier, a man with baggage and a temper. He’s seen a lot in his time in the forces and believe you me, it’s traumatic. But now he’s looking for a missing man and the local police aren’t the most helpful… missing adult men don’t seem to be treated as a concern. I didn't have a clue who Ant Middleton was, sorry, so I read this purely because I like to challenge myself to different types of reads.

Games

Drawing on the author's own combat experience, there is a real air of authenticity about the story, especially the scenes that recount the final fatal mission that changes Mallory and Donno's fates forever. There is no doubt that the author knows his stuff - also no doubt that we aren't treated to even half of the real work that goes on behind the scenes of such an operational But it's enough to pique the interest, get the heart rate thumping and to make it clear that the conflict they are facing is not just with the enemy. Although spaced carefully throughout the book, the chapters give a real insight into the man and the tragedy that haunts him. Also what keeps him going and why he is determined to do right by Donno and his mother, even when the stakes are increasingly high. Sceptical initially of Middleton’s foray in to the fictional world, given his prior publications are normally of the self help and mental fitness (very good books, just an FYI), I am pleased to have been proven wrong. As he navigates his way through the tough streets of Joborg, the slippery swaps of Louisiana and home, he uncovers something that could change the future. What I liked the most about this book was that this was not the typical thriller where some tragedy the hero could do nothing to avoid happened and that is used as a reason for him be some masculine fantasy of what a "real man" is supposed to be. Mallory found himself in a position where he had to do an impossibly difficult decision and has to live with the consequences. I wasn't disappointed. The hero of the story, Mallory, ex special forces, is employed to travel to South Africa, to discover the whereabouts of the brother of his comatose army friend who has disappeared. His army training comes in very useful when he gets embroiled in the murky underworld of some wealthy and very dangerous criminals.

I couldn’t put this novel down and finished it in a day, the main character Mallory is brilliant, the action spellbinding, and the bad guys as good as any I’ve experienced in a Fictional novel of this type. This was not my usual read, but I really enjoyed it. The pace was fast and the writing excellent. The descriptions of Johannesburg really brought the city to life. The characters were well written and the main character, Mallory, was strong, kind and interesting, with shoulders big enough to carry off the story.Ant Middleton is an interesting person; he was the frontman for Channel 4’s hit show: ‘SAS: Who dares wins’ and is the author of several bestselling nonfiction books based on his own experiences during his career in the armed forces where he achieved what is known as the ‘Holy Trinity’ of the UK’s Elite Forces, having served in the Special Boat Service, the Royal Marines and 9 Parachute Squadron Royal. This novel caught my eye for two reasons; it is his first attempt at fiction and part of the novel is set in South Africa. It is a game of cat and mouse, a chase to make the links between a code Donno and Scott's sadly now dead father hid and the unscrupulous people who want to use that code for their own gain. Who can Mallory trust? Will he find Scott? What will happen to Donno? And was their father's climbing accident really an accident?