Could leave out Tip of the Iceberg by David Jarvis could I? 😉
A fake photo of an oil rig near to Antarctica appears in the national press giving rise to speculation about the discovery of oil in the region. The cat is truly set among the pigeons with governments, environmental groups and, more importantly for this story, the CEO of Petronello Oil, Charles Yelland , all parties having vested interests in the veracity of the photo. Yelland knows the photo is doctored and he’s due to address his AGM. Oh, and he’s hoping to take over another company & this complicates things. Now you might think this is going to become just another business intrigue story, but you’d be wrong.
What follows is a rollercoaster ride which starts with Yelland’s daughter being kidnapped. The thing is, the kidnappers don’t want money, they want him to confirm the photo as genuine, but why? Enter Mike Kingdom, a wig wearing, motorbike riding, computer hacking whirlwind with connections to the Five Eyes intelligence community. Yelland employs her to recover his only child but is he prepared for the fallout?
The action weaves between the kidnap situation, the machinations of government and others having a vested interest in the outcome. The author creates an utterly believable narrative involving SPADs, PMs, the President of the USA and government officials. I loved that he captures the world of politics with such aplomb & I genuinely laughed out loud at some of the exchanges. There are plenty of unexpected events, edge of the seat moments and an intriguing climax- are you hooked yet?
This is intelligent, thought-provoking stuff with a generous dollop of humour to grease the wheels and very current with its environmental theme. In Mike Kingdom, David Jarvis has created yet another memorable character who I’d love to see in another adventure. This is the second book of his that I have read, and if I enjoyed The Collation Unit, I ADORED The Tip of the Iceberg. It’s a resounding YES from me!
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