Review: Spycatcher by Matthew Dunn

MI6 agent William Cochrane is Britain's most deadly operative. Now he is tasked with taking down Megiddo, believed to be a general in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. Will thinks he has the perfect plan, but soon learns that his prey is more dangerous than any he has hunted before.

I typically enjoy fast action, suspense thrillers. I am usually able to set realism aside, and enjoy a good shootem' up story. But the action in Spycatcher is so far removed from reality that it was just not an enjoyable read. The main character, Will Cochrane, was able to endure so many injuries and still function that there was no suspense. It was a given that he would walk away from whatever the bad guy could dish out.

The characters were mostly one dimensional stereotypes. Few had any development at all. It seemed like they were pulled from various spy movies and just thrown into the plot with little planning. The dialogue did not flow well and I admit I found myself skimming quite a bit just to get through this one.

This one just did not work for me. It seems people either loved this one or hated it. You will just have to decide for yourself.


Matthew Dunn spent five years in the British Secret Intelligence Service as an operative. He worked on several missions across the world, some under deep cover. His skills included agent running and debriefing, weapons training, surveillance, unarmed combat and many more.

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher for review.

Rating: 2/5
Spycatcher by Matthew Dunn
Harper Collins Publishers
Publication Date: August 9, 2011