The story is another high-octane tale involving ex-navy SEAL Sean Kilkenny. It was originally published ten years ago and is set way back in the days before he was married, when his true love, Kelsey, is still alive. I read and reviewed THE SECRET CARDINAL last year and in that book Kilkenny is a very different person. In QUANTUM he is vibrant, enthusiastic and very much alive - with his love at his side. Knowing that she will die at some point between the two books puts an interesting angle on this story: Kilkenny and Newton are a very likeable young couple and being able to see into their future is most sobering.

Anyway, in this novel, Kilkenny is still working for his father, Nolan. Their company is funding the development of an exciting new scientific discovery but somebody steals the secret before they have had the chance to publish. More is at stake than merely another new patent, however, as the importance of the discovery is great and the potential impact upon the globe is enormous. People are being murdered around Kilkenny and the race is on for him to find out who is behind everything and put a stop to it, before it is too late.

An interesting undercurrent is added to the story by the beginning few chapters, when an unknown, gifted, young scientist is brutally murdered and his body disposed of. The unknown young man's memory lingers on throughout the story - along with the significance of the work he was doing. His body and notebooks are then discovered by accident and his work seems to provide the missing link for the stolen current-day work.

QUANTUM is an easy to read, edge-of-seat thriller that will have you hooked. It is far too easy to read the book far too quickly and you'll find yourself lost, racing along beside Kilkenny as he solves the clues and tracks the perpetrators down.

Simply Fabulous!

Amanda C M Gillies, Scotland
April 2010

More European crime fiction reviews can be found on the Reviews page.