In Andrew Grant's debut novel, EVEN, he introduces
David Trevellyan, a black operative in Her Majesty's Royal
Navy. Alone in New York, David stumbles upon a crime scene
and is soon the number one suspect in a murder. Abandoned
by his country, David finds himself pursued by the NYPD,
the FBI and someone far more dangerous with even better
resources. His only connection to the life he led is Tanya,
a lawyer for the Consulate, who risks her career and life
to help him find the truth and clear his name.
Grant's writing is uneven and often strained. However, the
pacing -- especially in the first half of the book -- is
swift and keeps your attention. The narrative slows through
the middle of the novel, but picks up pace and intensity
near the end. Depictions of graphic torture may be
difficult for some to read and do little to advance the
plot. Grant, brother of thriller writer Lee Child,
shows promise in this first book and I would be willing to
read future installments in the David Trevellyan series.
David Trevellyan is a Royal Navy intelligence operative
who usually works undercover, sometimes with the approval
of his masters—and sometimes not. On a seemingly normal
evening, he takes a lonely late-night walk between a
restaurant and his New York City hotel. A familiar huddled
shape in the mouth of an alley catches his eye—a homeless
man has been shot to death. Trevellyan steps forward…and a
cop car arrives. A split second too late, Trevellyan
realizes he’s been set up.
But Trevellyan isn’t
worried. He’s a hard man from the shadowy world of Royal
Navy Intelligence. He’s been in and out of trouble a
thousand times before. But the NYPD quickly hands the
problem to the FBI. Trevellyan is sucked deeper into the
system. And the British Consulate tells him: You’re on
your own now, mate. With no idea who’s a friend and
who’s a foe, he penetrates deep into a huge international
conspiracy. The price of failure will be death, and the
reward for success will be redemption, both for himself
and the huddled corpse from the alley. The motivation will
be his cherished life-long belief: You don’t get mad—you
get EVEN. If Jack Reacher had a younger brother,
he’d be David Trevellyan. Lee Child does have a younger
brother, and his name is Andrew Grant. A remarkable debut,
Even delivers on its own—a tight, fast-paced,
modern thriller fueled by adrenaline and revenge.
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