“Claymore Straker is a fugitive with a price on his head. Wanted by the CIA for acts of terrorism he did not commit, his best friend has just been murdered and Rania, the woman he loves, has disappeared. Betrayed by those closest to him, he must flee the sanctuary of his safe house in Cornwall and track her down. As his pursuers close in, Clay follows Rania to Istanbul and then to Cyprus, where he is drawn into a violent struggle between the Russian mafia, Greek Cypriot extremists, and Turkish developers cashing in on the tourism boom. As the island of love descends into chaos, and the horrific truth is unveiled, Clay must call on every ounce of skill and endurance to save Rania and put an end to the unimaginable destruction being wrought in the name of profit.

Gripping, exhilarating and, above all, frighteningly realistic, The Evolution of Fear is a startling, eye-opening read that demands the question: How much is truth, and how much is fiction?”

I am thrilled to be the next stop on the blog tour for The Evolution of Fear by Paul E. Hardisty.  This is the second book featuring Claymore Straker; the first being The Abrupt Physics of Dying which was short listed for the CWA John Creasy [New Blood] Dagger in 2015.  The third book, Reconciliation of the Dead, will be published by Orenda Books in 2017.

I’m embarrassed to admit that I haven’t read The Abrupt Physics of Dying (what a super title!) but I will be adding it to my ever growing, ever teetering TBR pile.  So this was my first introduction to the dynamic Claymore Straker.  He is a hero and a half, going above and beyond the call of duty for the people he cares about and trying darn hard to survive in the process. Not an easy thing to do when there is a price on your head.

Clay is in hiding.  That is until gunmen turn up at his remote Cornish hideaway and he has to fight for his life.  Turning to the one person he trusts he discovers that there is a price on his head, which leaves him only one option, to run.  He takes the opportunity to contact Rania, the woman he loves.  But she’s not there and no one has seen her.  Not only is Claymore running for his own life, he’s running to save Rania’s life too…

There is so much happening in this book that I think the phrase ‘action packed’ was coined especially for it!  And what an international journey you go on.  The settings are described so clearly you can picture them in your mind.  Paul E. Hardisty paints a very vivid picture which I, for one, appreciated.  Hardisty is clearly a very intelligent and knowledgeable man who knows his subject matter inside out.  For me though, I loved the use of different languages the most.

A great fast paced, gripping read.  I think Lee Child hits the nail on the head with his quote on the cover “A solid, meaty thriller – Hardisty is a fine writer and  Straker is a great lead character”.  I couldn’t agree more.

Four out of five stars.

Thanks to Karen at Orenda Books for my copy of The Evolution of Fear in exchange for an honest review.

The Evolution by Paul E. Hardisty is published in the UK by Orenda Books on 5th May 2016 and is available in paperback, eBook and audio formats | amazon.co.uk | amazon.com | Waterstones

About the Author: Canadian by birth, Paul has spent 25 years working all over the world as an engineer, hydrologist and environmental scientist. He has rough-necked on oil rigs in Texas, explored for gold in the Arctic, and rehabilitated village water wells in the wilds of Africa. He survived a bomb blast in a café in Sana’a in 1993 and was one of the last westerners out of Yemen before the outbreak of the 1994 civil war. The Abrupt Physics of Dying, his first novel, received great critical acclaim, and was short-listed for the CWA Creasy New Blood Dagger award. The Evolution of Fear, his second novel, will be released early this year. Paul is a university professor and Director of Australia’s national water, land and ecosystems research program. He is a pilot, a sailor, a keen outdoorsman, and conservation volunteer. Paul lives in Western Australia.