No earth movements occur during this thriller, but plenty of travels and explosions do. LANDSLIDE is a code word meaning everything has gone wrong and we need help fast. Mason Hackett, a merchant banker in London, is shocked when he sees the face of a friend on a newsflash. A journalist has been kidnapped in the Ukraine-Russia border region.

The former US Marine Mason Hackett has tried to put conflict behind him, but life catches up fast. He believed his mate Kevin Gomez was dead, and spent years ridding himself of post- Iraq veteran blues and guilt. The missing journalist looks very like Gomez but is called Henry Delgado.

To fill in some background, we get the inevitable CIA operative warning Mason to stay out of trouble. The cheeky banker has already withdrawn tons of money from his bank, which no bank would give me in one go but I guess Barclays has understandings with his firm. He’s foiled a personal attack and warned his ex-girlfriend to stay with family. He’s not very good at keeping his mouth shut, though. Before long he realises just how bad he is, because he didn’t get that kind of training. He doesn’t care, he’s off to central Europe to pay a ransom, or whatever.

Much time is spent on the tribulations of illegal border crossings. I wanted the story to get to Ukraine faster, because that was where the action was going to be, and that’s the news of the day, not Romania or Paris. This tale is set after Russia’s invasion of Crimea but before the wholesale invasion of Ukraine. In the final third of the book, we arrive in a separatist region in eastern Ukraine which is virtually uninhabitable due to constant running conflict and smuggling. Anyone here is at war or highly suspect. Now we get the real story and real characters. I recommend reading this to understand the prelude to the war.

Mason has to face uncomfortable truths. International arms dealers profit from starting and sustaining wars, and they can only do this by moving money around through merchant banks. Both Russian and American espionage is involved, and Ukraine is grimly persisting in the middle. As LANDSLIDE is the first in a series called Mason Hackett it’s no surprise if he survives, but don’t get too attached to anyone else. There are deaths, gory injuries and torture. Just saying. The author Adam Sikes appears to know weaponry and tactics well, but he provides two female characters - the ex who leaves early, and a caricature Russian villain who has about two lines. Some more women in the second book would be appreciated.