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Charlie Charters
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Bolt Action Kindle Edition

by Charlie Charters (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 38 ratings
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The pilots are dead and the cockpit door is locked in this “gritty and authentic” terror plot thriller (Andy McNab).

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 doesn’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.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    404 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Open Road Media Sci-Fi & Fantasy
  5. Publication date
    July 1, 2014
  6. File size
    2387 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00L5M8WM0
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Open Road Media Sci-Fi & Fantasy (July 1, 2014)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 1, 2014
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2387 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 404 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 38 ratings

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Charlie Charters

Charlie Charters

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Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
4 out of 5
38 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Rick Rickman
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic read, very hard to put down.
Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2015
Verified Purchase
Charlie Charters has written a thriller that keeps one turning the pages, it is one of the best first novels by an author I have read and I cannot wait to read a sequel.
2 people found this helpful
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Rob Kennedy
4.0 out of 5 stars Well done!
Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2014
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I couldn't put this down. In light of the MH370 disappearance this was even more gripping. Great technical detail. Fast-paced.
3 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Book
Reviewed in the United States on February 13, 2015
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Main characters in this book are well-drawn and are the selling point of these books. They are worth a rear.
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Reading Girl
5.0 out of 5 stars Good story!
Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2014
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Slow starting but the last half is very exciting. I was glad I bought it and read it. Wish he would write more books.
One person found this helpful
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George K. Gillespie
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2015
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No complaints. Would definitely read a sequel.
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Jennifer Cameron-Smith
4.0 out of 5 stars `The forces of revenge have been unleashed.'
Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2011
The heroes in this novel are a bunch of former British special forces soldiers, trying to cope with life outside now that the Army doesn't want them any longer. Former Special Forces captain, Tristie Merritt has her own issues - both with the past and with the army. She recruits six ex-Army misfits: Ferret, Piglet, Shoe, Button, Weasel and Whiffler, to form a unit known as Ward 13. Ward 13's mission is to get the Ministry of Defence to donate £315 million to a number of Armed Forces charities. Yes, Tristie Merritt has a plan and just how Ward 13 achieves this, and the consequences, make exciting reading.

One of the consequences is that three members of Ward 13 are on an international flight between Manchester and New York when the pilots are killed as part of a terrorist plot. Bill Lamayette, the CIA's man in Islamabad has worked hard to get information about this plot. And, with the help of a certain rat, he gets critical information.

`We're supposed to call this guy Rattus norvegicus. But that's such a lame handle for a dude to have, so let's name this fellow ... not Billy Bob, but Billy Ray. Like Billy Ray Cyrus. Same nice shiny teeth. Lovely thick brown hair... See how Billy Ray's standing up on his back legs. Can't wait to meet his first holy man. First ever terrorist ringleader...'

Unfortunately, no-one listens to Bill Lamayette in time to stop the plane taking off. And once the plane has taken off and the pilots have been killed, it looks like the plane is doomed. The door between the cockpit and the passengers is impenetrable, and while the plane flies on autopilot for most of the journey it can't stay in the air forever and it's unlikely to be allowed to enter US airspace. And, in the meantime the contents of released recorded messages are inflaming the situation around the world.

`It's quite a day when you make people safer by evacuating them into Afghanistan.'

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. While the tension builds throughout the story, it is relieved at times by judicious use of humour. The story is both engrossing and exciting, and I'm pleased that my read was largely uninterrupted. It took me a little while to get into the rhythm of Charlie Charters's writing, but once I did I was hooked. This debut novel is not just an entertaining thriller: it raises a number of issues about both the nature of and response to terrorism, and the treatment of soldiers.

Note: I was offered, and accepted, a copy of this book for review purposes. I'm glad that I did.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith
3 people found this helpful
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Chad
2.0 out of 5 stars Slow to start
Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2019
This book was a challenge. I almost gave up on it, but when I got to the half way point, things FINALLY started coming together and turned into a half decent book.
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Mr. R. L. Chisholm
1.0 out of 5 stars Poorly written shallow trash
Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2011
This is one of the worst books I have read. Slow paced, shallow and lifeless.

There is little character building and most of the so called story is reminiscing.

Author jumps from present to past in the space of a paragraph making it difficult to read.

This is one author I am trying to figure out how he got a book deal. If you want entertainment purchase a John Le Carre, Clive Cussler or some other authors books.
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Top reviews from other countries

Clare Kenny
5.0 out of 5 stars A real nail-biter. In fact, exhausting...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 15, 2010
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I started reading this book with some trepidation, being a slightly obsessive fan of the genre's more espionage-based relation, perfected by John Le Carre and at which Graham Greene also had a pretty good attempt in his time. However, after recent forays into Charles Cumming and Henry Porter, I felt prepared to tackle a more action-packed thriller, even if Andy McNab's plaudit on the front did put me off slightly. Sorry - female prejudice and all that. However...wow. Thanks to, or despite, jet lag, I did an all-nighter and was literally unable to put the book down. It is intelligent, fast-paced, very relevant, and the author's sharp and off-beat sense of humour pokes through at refreshing intervals. I did however wonder what Pakistan Airlines had to say about being centre stage.

I loved the fact there were two strong and very diverse (but actually not that different) female characters in Tristie Merritt and Sheila "Noppy" Davane - both have longevity and I think there is definitely room to develop them further, especially Tristie Merritt although she really doesn't need to get naked to remain interesting, but hey, I'm a girl!

In short, this is a fantastic read. It will definitely be on the Christmas gift list and I would recommend it as a thoroughly satisfying, if slightly exhausting, experience.
One person found this helpful
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Michael Watson
4.0 out of 5 stars More than the blurb suggests
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 1, 2010
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This is a debut novel and very good it is, too. It is an action thriller which is let down slightly by the amount of non-action detail there is in between. This is only a minor criticism for the author has created some excellent characters, most notably the first (and only?) female member of the SRR; now an ex-SRR leading a renegade team of like-minded souls calling themselves Ward 13. Their aim is to get the government of the day to provide a great deal more money for the well-being of the serving military and their families as well as for the wounded returning home.

Their well conceived plan is carried out perfectly but, as they start the last part of their escape, they could not have reckoned with certain elements of Pakistan's military extremists planning to let the Americans shoot down a supposedly high-jacked Pakistan Air Lines Boeing 777 killing hundreds of Muslims, not to mention the members of Ward 13 also on board.

The premise is a good one and in Tristie Merritt we have an all action hero(ine) who, with her two team members, has to deal with the in-flight problem. The book reads well, especially the dialogue between Merritt and a senior member of MI5, Sheila `Noppy' Devane. I hope that we come across these two again, as this contest of wills forms a good part of the book, entertaining for the reader and, it feels right, too.

There is plenty of action in the book and not just on board the aircraft. Global terrorism appears to centre round one or two hot spots and Pakistan is certainly one of them, hence some great characters appear in situ, most notably CIA maverick Bill Lamayette with his small team of able assistants, expelling the notion that all Pakistanis are potential terrorists. I think I liked this part of the book even more so than the main story line. Shall we see him again?

It makes a change for the anti-terrorist protagonists to be British, beating the Americans at their own game - in a book, that is. With the likes of Vince Flynn's Mitch Rapp cleaning up the world, I was beginning to think there was nothing left for us Brits to do but host parties in the Embassies and generally wring our hands in exasperation. But fear not, Davane is a sort of Smiley and Merritt a sort of Rapp (though, by all accounts, much better looking) and, thankfully, the author pulls it off for the benefit of the reader. As I said, I sincerely hope there is more to come.

If only a percentage of the cost of this book had gone to `Help The Heroes', I would have been well made up, as we say. Maybe next time, eh?

If you want a good book to read which is topical, well written and filled with entertaining characters no matter which side they are on, go out and buy this book. The author deserves it.
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B W Gilbert
3.0 out of 5 stars Bolt Action, book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 3, 2016
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OK, but more suitable for readers younger than myself
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Helen
5.0 out of 5 stars Winner
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 22, 2012
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I heartily recommend this first novel from Charlie Charters. It engrossed me the whole journey from Manchester to Newark ( you can only find out why by reading it)!! His attention to detail and enthralling plot which crossed the world at breakneck speed was a great vehicle for a new heroine and her team of associates.
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goldie 159
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 29, 2013
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A very exiting book, well written and hard to put down book which I really enjoyed and would rate this author as very good
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