While we are obviously supposed to root for the success of the couple, halfway through she snogs a man who is such a cliche of arseholery (name of Hugo, Goldman Sachs banker, slick back hair etc etc) that she is clearly a dick. He has, in addition, used his considerable knowledge of security – being the BBC’s Security Correspondent – to produce a great, page-turning debut novel. Very much in the vein of McNab and Ryan and while Mr Gardner may not be as expert on weapons and tactics he does the bigger picture stuff very well.

Again, I understand that Gardner is trying hard to keep things within the bounds of the plausible, and ex-SBS officer Carlton fits that mold to a tee.Awarded an OBE in 2005 for services to journalism, Frank Gardner was profiled in the BBC's television series, Who Do You Think You Are? When action hero-by-numbers Luke meets a soldier ex-colleague and they exchange the type of lame homoerotic repartee beloved of the military. Readers who want a high level of realism and a modern story should find this really suits their tastes. Then, best of all, as you turn the final page after the inevitable full-cast acceptance/affirmation/validation of our hero, you are offered the first chapter in the next book. As a somewhat newbie to this sort of book, it felt like James Bond meets Alex Rider with a healthy dash of grown-up thrown in.

Often this is done by making Carlton ask questions, or suffer an apparent loss of memory so that someone has to explain things to him. Honestly, if she had said ‘Babes’ one more time in a way that no real woman outside of The Only Way Is Essex actually would I would have screamed. Its a shame therefore, that such details are wasted on a plot that never feels entirely credible, lead characters who are either bland, misconceived or one dimensional and some very questionable decisions regarding both pacing of the story and individual dramatic developments. It does seem to go on a bit longer than needs be but it is so action packed and enjoyable that you don't mind too much.

Combining insider knowledge up-to-the-minute hardware fly on the wall insights with heart-in-mouth excitement CRISIS boasts an irresistible visceral frisson of authenticity: smart fast-paced and furiously entertaining here is a thriller for the 21st century. In his quest for authenticity the author neglected to make the characters believable as actual human beings which makes it difficult to care about the outcome. After many years as an SBS commando, Luke Carlton needed a change of pace and a short-term contract with SIS seemed like the perfect fit. I really did enjoy the main character Luke, we didn't really get to uncover a hell of a lot about him.