If you enjoy the Jack Reacher series by Lee Child, this action-packed thriller is one to consider.
The Synopsis of The Enemy Within
His past is coming back with a vengeance…
Ex-intelligence agent James Ryker has done many things in the past he’d prefer to forget. The last time he saw Gregor Minko – son of one of Ukraine’s most dangerous and politically influential arms dealers – Gregor was a scared 6-year-old boy in need of protection. But Ryker had to walk away. The boy wasn’t the mission.
Twenty years on Ryker is approached by two strangers in Antibes, France, asking for his help in finding Gregor – now going by the name of Gregor Rebrov. With a back catalogue of ‘crimes against the Russian state’, Gregor has escaped from a gulag in Siberia and is now in the wind.
Fuelled by old demons and painful memories of his own brutal actions in the past, Ryker finds himself once again in the thick of a complicated race against time and who knows how many of the world’s secret services, to find Gregor and get some answers.
As answers turn into more questions, they lead Ryker closer to home… and he can’t shake the feeling that he may be to blame.
More about The Enemy Within
The Enemy Within is Rob Sinclair’s gripping 13th novel and a great addition to the James Ryker series. It weaves together espionage, political intrigue, and personal redemption in a fast-paced thriller that introduces readers to a world of changing allegiances, buried secrets, and ghosts that Ryker would much prefer were firmly left in the past.
James Ryker, a former intelligence operative, has spent years trying to distance himself from the chaos of his past. But when two strangers approach him in Antibes, France, he is pulled back into a dangerous mission.
They ask him to track down Gregor Rebrov, better known as Gregor Minko, who was the young son of a powerful Ukrainian arms dealer.
At the same time, and with a storyline running parallel to Ryker’s, the reader is first introduced to Gregor while he is incarcerated in a Siberian Gulag prison, accused of betraying Russia. However, after a strange turn of events, we read about him escaping during a train journey across the frozen landscape close to Lake Baikal and simply vanishing.
As Ryker sets out on his search, he is forced to relive memories that have long been buried. His investigation takes him across Europe, where he encounters ruthless intelligence agencies, double-crosses, and a global conspiracy far more complex than he anticipated. With each new revelation, Ryker questions not only his mission but his own past decisions—which may have shaped Gregor into the man he has become.
My Thoughts on The Enemy Within
Rob Sinclair weaves several different themes seamlessly throughout the novel, with Ryker’s past returning to haunt him, causing him to go on a journey of self-discovery, reflecting on the consequences of his actions as he tries to track down Gregor. At the same time, throughout the novel, there are shifting alliances that help create an atmosphere of uncertainty as Ryker navigates a world where deception is the norm and trust is a rare commodity.
Sinclair presents a protagonist who is not simply hunting a fugitive but searching for a sense of atonement. Ryker’s encounters force him to reconsider his own moral compass while making him question the true cost of his past missions.
The novel is also steeped in political intrigue, exposing the lengths that intelligence agencies will go to in order to succeed and the manipulative games played by those who wield the most power.
The Enemy Within is a thriller full of suspense and intrigue where the complex narrative seamlessly shifts between past and present. For fans of espionage novels that go beyond, this book offers an emotionally charged and thought-provoking experience that is difficult to put down.
Author Rob Sinclair
A bit about Rob Sinclair
Rob Sinclair is the million-copy bestseller of over twenty thrillers, including the James Ryker series. You can learn more about him via his Facebook page, on Twitter or by signing up for his newsletter.
Have you read any of Rob Sinclair’s other novels? Which ones would you recommend?
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