Outbreak by Frank Gardner

Deep within the Arctic Circle, three scientists from the UK’s Arctic Research Station trudge through a blizzard in search of shelter. They see a cabin ahead. It appears abandoned. No lights. No snowmobile outside. But as they push open the door, the smell hits them. Rank and foetid: there’s something bad inside.

Then movement. A man lies slumped, his face disfigured by livid pustules. Blood runs from his nostrils; his chest glistens blackly. The team’s medic, Dr Sheila Mackenzie, pushes forward to examine him when the convulsions start. Blood, bile and mucus spray into the air. The doctor knows it’s too late – she’s been contaminated . . .

Within hours, a full-scale operation to contain this contagion is underway. Samples are rushed to the laboratories at Porton Down on high alert. What they discover changes everything. Supported by phone and data intercepts, British Intelligence reaches a terrifying conclusion: that Russia has been developing a new generation of bio-weapons.

Dispatched to investigate, MI6 operative Luke Carlton finds himself on a serpentine trail of lies and deception. From a mysterious factory in Lithuania, via arrest and imprisonment, and ultimately back to Britain, he discovers that they’ve been looking in the wrong place all along . . .

After last week’s powerful and emotive survivor’s tale, Anna, I needed a distinct change of genre and pace. Enter action thriller Outbreak by Frank Gardner. It promises plenty of action, a suitably fraught race against time, and some tense nail-biting moments.

Our hero, MI6 agent Luke Carlton, is still a bit wet around the ears when it comes to working as an operative. He has experience in warzones around the world in the armed forces, but the delicate business of intelligence gathering and acting upon it is a steep learning curve. One of the things I liked about the character is we get to hear his innermost thoughts. You come to appreciate the stresses and strains of existing in a constant state of readiness. Luke doesn’t get much opportunity to think when he is in the field. He has to make decisions based on information that evolves minute by minute. The best thing is that his decisions aren’t always the right ones. At times you see flashes of uncertainty in Luke and I love that. A character that succeeds in everything they do does have a tendency to become stale rather quickly.

The last thriller I read earlier in the year was The Two Lost Mountains by Matthew Reilly, and Outbreak couldn’t be more different. Events certainly aren’t anywhere near as over the top as Reilly’s Hollywood blockbuster-esque explosion-fests which makes for a pleasant change. Don’t get me wrong, I like a death-defying last-minute escape as much as the next person, but Gardner’s writing replaces that with gritty realism and adds a growing tension in a subtler manner. Gardner’s protagonist is far more grounded, more human.

This is the first thriller that I’ve read that exists in a post-pandemic version of our world and it’s interesting to note how the author has incorporated events into the narrative. Just casual nods here and there but you can definitely feel its presence. This makes Outbreak feel more than a little topical and all too familiar. I kept thinking I could easily be hearing elements of this story on the news.

There were moments in that plot where I was also reminded of The Tiptoe Boys by Ken Follett, which in turn reminded me of the eighties classic action movie Who Dares Wins*. Outbreak treads similar ground which I admit I was entirely happy about as The Tiptoe Boys has long been a personal favourite.

I’ve not read any of the other Luke Carlton novels, but based on my enjoyment of Outbreak I need to remedy this oversight immediately. Crisis and Ultimatum need to be added to my ever-expanding list of thrillers I really do need to catch up on. This novel is the sort of superior thriller escapism I love to get caught up in.

Outbreak is published by Transworld and is available now.

My musical recommendation to accompany Outbreak is the soundtrack to SAS: Red Notice by Benji Merrison. It has a classical vibe that manages to be both stirring and tense in all the right places. You know the drill by now – read one, listen to the other and enjoy both.

*Lewis Collins finest hour in my opinion.