Shadow Brokers: A Nick Borman Novel (A Nick Borman Thriller Book 5) by Robert Lalonde

Mr Lalonde has the honour of being the featured review on my 300th blog post. Wow that is a lot. I'm not sure if we ever get to 400 as I'm concentrating on a lot of other things. A new pasion has crept into my life; Painting. Back to the review. This is the second of Robert Lalonde's books I read and he does have an easy engaging style. I gave this 5 stars.
Click on the picture to take you to Amazon.

It’s been a while since I read the Borman factor; the first book in this series of contemporary thrillers, but I didn’t feel like I missed out on anything. This book stands fine on its own. We are given a quick tour of Nick Borman’s background and the readers mind is concentrated on the plot at hand.

Nick Borman goes above and beyond the call of duty (and law) to keep a senator safe from harm. A senator who made some powerful enemies. It’s a riveting and nail biting ride as we find out who the powerful men that pull the strings are.

The plot was believable and rather up to date; we live in a world were corners are often cut to make money. I missed the humour of the first book, but I suppose our Nick has gotten older, wiser and more skilful, but certainly not too old to kick some biker’s butt.

This book is the fifth in the series, but as they stand alone I can now go back to 2,3 and 4.

The Borman Factor (A Nick Borman Thriller Book 1) by Robert Lalonde

A clear sign that summer is approaching; the increase in transport strikes. Yesterday it was Lufthansa, today it is a national strike in France. Ports blocked, flights cancelled and hardly any trains and busses. I just thank my lucky stars that I live close to my work and can take my scooter past most things blocking the road. I don't think we will be very busy at job as I work at the airport in duty free. The approach of summer has also lead to some quality reading time on the beach. I flew through this book in a few days. It doesn't hold any big surprises but it is a well written fast paced crime thriller. I gave it five stars.

The Borman factor by Robert Lalonde on amazon.com

The Borman factor is set in Toronto Canada, not a city known for its high murder rate. When a journalist is murdered and the police fail to investigate and dismiss the crime as a robbery gone wrong, the journalist’s family call in the help of Nick Borman. Nick usually investigates industrial espionage, but as he knows the victim’s wife he takes the case. He begins to uncover a web of bribes and property deals that leads right to the top of local government.

I like the way the book is written in a series of short chapters. It builds tension and keeps the reader engaged. Robert Lalonde switches from first to third person sometimes in the same chapter. It is unusual but I didn’t mind it and I think it works in a crime novel. I would have liked to have found out a bit more about Nick Borman the person, but I think we might in the next book as this is the first in the series. I felt more empathy with Detective Novak who tries to investigate the case despite pressure from above to drop the case. He seems an interesting guy and I hope he will make an appearance in future books. This is a promising start to a series of crime thrillers. Well written and with scope to explore the main character and his intriguing assistant. There is a hint that his next case might take Nick Borman to Europe and the world of industrial espionage; a prospect that has already wet my appetite for book two.