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The pilots are dead. The cockpit door is locked.
`A great read ... gritty and authentic` - Andy McNab
Since 9/11, the door between the pilots and the passengers on an airliner must be locked and impossible to break down.
But what if the pilots are dead?
Tristie Merritt leads a renegade band of ex-soldiers. Their daring scam will take millions from a furious British government and give it to veterans` charities - if MI5 don`t catch up with them first.
But, faced with the ultimate terrorist outrage at 36,000 feet, MI5 and the CIA find that Merritt is their one hope of preventing global disaster.
Praise for BOLT ACTION ‘Hard-driving, fast-paced, and all too probably, BOLT ACTION is a helter-skelter must-read.’ Sam Kiley, author of Desperate Glory ‘BOLT ACTION is a stunningly assured debut, utterly credible in every detail and filled with fascinating characters. It builds to a nail-biting, gut-wrenching climax aboard a transatlantic jetliner that will have readers turning pages in thrilling desperation to find out how this brilliantly compelling plot finally resolves itself. And in Capt. Tristesse Merritt, a beautiful, complicated, utterly feminine fighting soldier, Charters has created the most intriguing female character in contemporary thrillers since Steig Larsson’s Lisbeth Salander.’ Tom Cain ‘Brilliant, utterly unputdownable start to a series of military action adventures. Terrific stuff.’ Sarah Broadhurst in The Bookseller ‘This is Charlie Charters’ first book. All I can say is watch this space. This is a great thriller which is unputdownable! Unusually it is authentic. The military and espionage worlds in which the characters play out this extraordinary counter-terrorist drama are accurately portrayed down to the last detail. So often authors get the details wrong. Not Charters. This is compelling stuff and frighteningly topical and possible. It has all the necessary ingredients - MI5, MI6, the CIA, the White House Situation Room, Al-Queda inspired terrorists, British military heroes, mid-air heart-stopping drama and the intrigue of the Islamabad bazaars. You won’t be able to put this one down.’ Colonel Mike Dewar, former head of Defence Studies at the Army Staff College ‘A fascinating insight into a terrifying world.’ Alison Kerwin, former Chief Sport Feature Writer for The Times and author of Wags at the World Cup ‘BOLT ACTION has all the ingredients of a terrific thriller. It’s exciting, well-plotted and packed with interesting factual information about airport security, hijacks, the military and so forth. But what makes it really stand out is the sympathy Charters feels for his characters. They’re not the one-dimensional cardboard cut-outs you’d associate with this sort of fast-paced genre fiction. Rather, they’re flesh and blood human beings with real frailties and because Charters cares about them, you will too. A really first-rate debut.’ Toby Young, author of How to Lose Friends and Alienate People ‘A seriously entertaining read from an author who delivers action and suspense in equal measure.’ Mike Atherton, former England Cricket Captain ‘Take a pinch of Gerald Seymour’s terse characterisation, add a sprinkle of Frederick Forsyth’s peerless research, flavour with the jaunty cynicism of Robert Harris, and place in a pressure cooker for a few hours. Voila! BOLT ACTION, so hot it fairly sizzles off the page. Charters’ debut novel has the sure touch of a seasoned author. The subtle ways in which he interweaves his storylines, and the confidence with which he carries off his terrifying hijack scenario, ensure you’ll want to devour this in one sitting. And to those of you who pick this up in an airport, remember, it’s only fiction ... so far.’ Boris Starling ‘A terrific debut. Charters is definitely one to watch.’ Harlan Coben