A Thrilling Thriller Jack Valentine is a self-doubting, semi-super hero of sorts in the Jim Rockford (Rockford Files) genre. Middle-aged Valetine is a likeable and unwilling secret agent--a cross between Sam Spade's earthiness and James Bond suave. He is also very intuitive (a good quality for his profession)and unlike Mr. Bond who spends his enroaching middle-aged years shaking martinis and womanizing while he dodges bullets, Jack Valentine is preoccupied with his boat and art collection while he sails the wild Irish north sea and takes out the bad guys. The Sirius Crossing is full of exciting, unexpected twists and logical, if somewhat bizarre conclusions. Most importantly, it is a really good story. I will read it again. And again.
Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award winner Jack Valentine is a British agent who accepts the mission to locate the body of an American agent in Ireland, killed in 1974, and remove whatever papers are on it. He is joined by an old friend of his, Liam Mellows, wanted as a possible informer by the IRA. Both getting the papers off the dead body and keeping a step ahead of Liam's pursuers is beginning to get more and more of an impossible task. This winner of the newly formed CWA Steel Dagger Award for thriller writing is actually a dull, dreary and dreadfully slow read. There are moments of sheer terror. However, the concentration is on realistic characterizations with great depth. The author succeeds in that regard. The characters lack true empathy which leads to apathy. The bottom line is that as a thriller THE SIRIUS CROSSING simply doesn't thrill.
