“Five million reasons why Ben Koenig had to disappear. Only one to bring him back . . .

Ben Koenig is a ghost. He doesn’t exist any more.

Six years ago it was Koenig who headed up the US Marshal’s elite Special Ops group. They were the elite unit who hunted the bad guys – the really bad guys. They did this so no one else had to.

Until the day Koenig disappeared. He told no one why and he left no forwarding address. For six years he became a grey man. Invisible. He drifted from town to town, state to state. He was untraceable. It was as if he had never been.

But now Koenig’s face is on every television screen in the country. Someone from his past is trying to find him and they don’t care how they do it. In the burning heat of the Chihuahuan Desert lies a town called Gauntlet, and there are people in there who have a secret they’ll do anything to protect. They’ve killed before and they will kill again.

Only this time they’ve made a mistake. They’ve dismissed Koenig as just another drifter – but they’re wrong. Because Koenig has a condition, a unique disorder that makes it impossible for him to experience fear. And now they’re about to find out what a truly fearless man is capable of. Because Koenig’s coming for them. And hell’s coming with him . . .”

Hello and welcome to damppebbles. Today I am delighted to share my review of Fearless by M.W. Craven. Fearless was published by Constable on 29th June 2023 and is available in hardcover, audio and digital formats with the paperback to follow. I chose to read and review a free eARC of Fearless but that has in no way influenced my review.

Ben Koenig disappeared six years ago without a trace. He became a ghost. No one knew where he was or his reasons for disappearing so completely. But now someone wants to find him and they’re doing a very good job of making sure his face is on every television screen across the US. So when Koenig is asked by an ex-colleague and close friend to find his missing daughter, Koenig can’t refuse. The search for Martha leads the ex-US Marshal and head of the Special Ops team to Gauntlet, Texas. On arrival Koenig discovers more going on in the Texan town than he ever bargained for. Gauntlet has many secrets, secrets those with power will do anything to protect. But this time, they’ve crossed the wrong man. Because Ben Koenig is a force of nature who, thanks to a traumatic head injury, doesn’t feel an ounce of fear. It’s time for Koenig to show Gauntlet, TX exactly what he’s made of…

I am a huge fan of M.W. Craven’s books. Craven is one of the most exciting crime writers out there at the moment and Fearless (along with his other two series – Avison Fluke and, of course, the sublime Tilly and Poe) proves that without a shadow of a doubt. I have to admit, I was a little nervous about a new series from this author. Particularly a more action thriller-y one because, in my eyes, you can’t beat a police procedural/detective novel. I can’t help it. I like the cop trope! But there was no need to worry with M.W. Craven at the helm. Craven’s writing is superb. The characters are always believable, to the point where the reader feels fully invested in them. His plots are high energy, full-on thrill rides that just don’t stop, and his settings are always vivid and come alive on the page.

Fearless introduces us to Ben Koenig. A US Marshal who headed up the Special Ops Team until six years ago when he disappeared without a trace. He’s a fascinating, highly intelligent, character who takes risks others would baulk at. Following a head injury Koenig now has a condition which makes him literally ‘fearless’, he cannot feel fear. I found this ‘fearless’ aspect of Koenig’s personality very intriguing. Clearly he doesn’t have a death wish and won’t throw himself in front of a firing squad but there’s a freedom there to push the character further than other tough guys in action hero novels. I became swept up in his story, desperate to see where he would go and what he would do next.

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. Fearless is a gripping, thrilling read featuring a well-drawn lead character who I am excited to see more of. He’s wonderfully complex, multi-layered, and strangely addictive! The action flows from page to page meaning that once you pick this book up, you won’t be putting it down for a while. Make sure you have no plans for the rest of the day! There’s a cracking mystery to the story as well which was beautifully plotted and well thought out, exactly as I have come to expect from this author. Alongside Koenig there is a small cast of supporting characters who all felt like they added something to the narrative. I particularly liked Jen, an ex-colleague of Koenig’s. There is no love lost between the pair of the them and the interactions between these two characters became something I really looked forward to. The author’s trademark humour was present throughout the book adding a touch of light to a very dark story. All in all, a thrilling, highly compelling first book in an exciting new series from a favourite author of mine. You really can’t go wrong with a M.W. Craven novel and I’m excited to see where the author takes Koenig next. Highly recommended.

I chose to read and review a free eARC of Fearless. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

Fearless by M.W. Craven was published in the UK by Constable on 29th June 2023 and is available in hardcover, audio and digital formats with the paperback to follow (please note, the following links are affiliate links which means I receive a small percentage of the purchase price at no extra cost to you): | amazon.co.uk | Waterstones | Foyles | bookshop.org | Goodreads | damppebbles bookshop.org shop | damppebbles amazon.co.uk shop | damppebbles amazon.com shop |

Multi-award winning author M. W. Craven was born in Carlisle but grew up in Newcastle.

He joined the army at sixteen, leaving ten years later to complete a social work degree. Seventeen years after taking up a probation officer role in Cumbria, at the rank of assistant chief officer, he became a full-time author.

​The Puppet Show, the first book in his Cumbria-set Washington Poe series, was published by Little, Brown in 2018 and went on to win the Crime Writers’ Association Gold Dagger in 2019. Black Summer, the second in the series, was longlisted for the 2020 Gold Dagger. Most recently, the fourth in the series, Dead Ground, won the CWA Gold Dagger 2022.

In summer 2022, it was announced that Craven would be penning a new series starring Ben Koenig, beginning with Fearless, which was subsequently released in June 2023.