Released: 22nd July 2021
Genre: Spy, Contemporary, Thriller
Number of Pages: 483
At the start of the 2020s, Adam Hamdy’s Black 13 crafted a new, more intense direction for the spy genre. The author has wasted no time putting together a follow-up with equally impressive results.
Some time after taking down a far-right terrorist operation, Scott Pierce and his team (Leila, Kyle and Brigitte) are hired by a wealthy businessman to investigate a deadly bio-weapon that can kill an entire room of people in an instant. The globe-trotting operation spans Egypt and China, before eventually arriving in America on the frontline of a vicious drug war. As the team improvises, stumbles across setbacks and grapples with their personal moral codes, we’re treated to another unrelenting thrill-ride. This unfolds through short chapters across three well-defined parts.
The tactical espionage action is what you’d expect with some futuristic technology bolted on, but a new dimension is added with Ziad Malek. Many chapters take place from his perspective and he’s a very tortured character. After being broken out of prison in the opening, his misguided quest for revenge takes him to some sinister places. Hamdy ensures that every bit of stress, fear and heartbreak is conveyed and this goes beyond the central plot. Many of the characters are involved in awful practices, but they still have those they care about around them. The action rises and falls organically with enough time for grieving and greater reflection.
That’s not to say the tension among the main characters is diminished; far from it, they continue to be put through some dire situations. Kyle and Brigitte are put in serious danger at one point and the ensuing twist complicates wider events. Red Wolves doesn’t hold back from the grim nature of its setting and context. The elusive toxin is the most blatant example; every fight scene has real weight behind it as only one touch is needed to assassinate. The stakes remain high all the way through.
Recommended?
YES: Just like the original, Red Wolves is an expertly crafted spy thriller that continues the genre’s push into unconventional territory. In many ways it feels more personal with the theme of family running strong, even with all the sadistic deeds being committed. I’m looking forward to seeing what Scott Pierce and company get up to next.
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