Odin (Alex Mason Book 1)

It’s a face paced spy/action novel with lots of reality thrown in. Really enjoyed reading this and looking forward to Alex Mason book 2.

Easy reading and I love books that take you to a different country and give you a good description of the people and the geography. This book ticked all the boxes for me

Good plot that keeps the reader turning the pages. Villains you could grow to hate. Back drops make the story move along at a pace.

Alex Mason''s character keeps me wanting to read the next installment. ODIN gripped me from the offset, I love this character.

Nobody has ever heard of ODIN.ODIN is about as secret as a government agency can get.Because within ODIN there is General Operations, which speaks for itself; ODIN 5i, which deals with intelligence gathering, and then there is ODIN 1i which deals in operations so sensitive not even the CIA can touch them. All three are run with an iron first by The Chief, a giant with a gigantic IQ. His top agent is Alex Mason, hard and cool – he's a law unto himself.But when an ODIN agent based at the US Embassy in Manila, goes missing, and his encrypted laptop disappears with him, the whole ODIN structure is put in peril. Then the agents he was managing start to disappear one by one, and things start to look ugly.So Alex Mason is sent to Manila, and what he finds there is the growing shadow of Chinese imperialism threatening not only America’s presence in the Pacific, but the security of the whole Western World…This is a job for ODINAnd for Alex Mason.Always difficult with two authors, they have to get their own styles and bring them together, sometimes it does not work, and sometimes it's great.These was a struggle to start with, quite slow, lots of "talking" and not enough action, slow and heavy.But what saved this book is the last few chapters where the action and pace was good, with two great characters in Alex Mason and Gallin. The tension built well, the pace was good, and at last it was exciting, took a while.Also I know it's the first in a series and you have to get used to the new characters, so I have ordered the second book, always willing to give an authors a second chance, this case authors.Three Stars.

I enjoyed reading and listening to Alex Mason's first outing, but I cannot honestly say that I couldn't put it down. I am sufficiently interested that I will no doubt read the next in the series - but it will not be first in my list. I am a great fan of Blake Banner's "Dead cold" series, but this book lacked the sparkling dialogue and the chemistry between Stone and Dehan. There may be the beginnings of a partnership between Mason and a Mossad agent - not sure if she will be a recurring character - but the chemistry isn't there yet.So - a competent thriller but a long way to go to compete with the likes of Orphan X or John Rain in the "I must read it as soon as it comes out. " stakes.

Getting into new characters is always a pleasure with David Archer and Blake Banner brings a new dimension which is catchy and ironic humour, I'd finished it before I realised it - must begin the second to see how it fairs

The plot had a number of twists and kept me on my (mental) toes. On to the next tale, looking forward to it.