Predator

Wilbur Smith’s new novel Predator written in conjunction with Tom Cain is the third book in the Hector Cross universe. Hector Cross, the protagonist of the book is a former SAS fighter who has been embroiled in many military conflicts in the Middle East and Africa. In the third novel. Hector Cross’ main goal is to avenge the death of his wife. He knows that two people are responsible for her death; one was killed in the previous novel; and the other one, Johnny Congo is locked up in a maximum security prison. When Congo escapes while being transferred to another prison, Cross is determined to find him and ultimately make him pay dearly for the death of his wife. As he chases Congo, he becomes ensnared in many confrontations along the way, which ultimately leads to a satisfying climax.

As I haven’t read the previous Hector Cross novels, I was apprehensive about starting Predator. Fortunately, the authors give enough backstory on the characters so that the reader is acquainted with the salient details. The plot is very rich with action and suspense. Likewise, the characters are very well-developed with each of them having their own ambitions. I also liked the fact that the hero of the book is almost like the villain in that both of the characters are extremely vengeful and will go to extremes, which includes brutally torturing people, in order to achieve their respective goals.

Overall, I found Predator to be a highly enjoyable and engrossing read. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys military and crime thrillers as well as adventure novels.