James Swallow’s excellent Marc Dane series continues to excite and entertain with its fifth instalment, Rogue, which sees the tenacious ex-MI6 operative caught up in a plot which threatens the survival of the Rubicon Group and its founder, Solomon Ekko. When a figure from his past emerges from the shadows to cause havoc, Dane and partner Lucy Keyes set out to uncover who it is and where they came from, stirring up old secrets along the way. As the mystery unravels it reveals attacks on Rubicon from within and without, uncovering yet more secrets and bearing the unmistakable hallmarks of the Combine.
Following on quite closely from Shadow, this continues character arcs, subplots and themes from last time with Lucy recovering from injury and Solomon still dogged by the internal politics of the Rubicon Group. As with the other books in the series it follows the classic spy thriller structure, from the instantly gripping cold open (a lone woman being stalked by a team of trained operatives) to the usual globetrotting adventure that follows as the Rubicon team race from location to location tracking enemies and trying – with varying degrees of success – to foil their plots. This time Swallow takes us to Norway, Portugal, Cyprus, France, even Mozambique as Dane and co. try to spring the traps they find themselves in and get to the bottom of what the Combine’s endgame is.
While the series as a whole doesn’t really need reading in order, with each story fully able to stand on its own, after five books this feels like something of a turning point, collecting together threads from previous novels and closing some off, while spinning others off in new directions. At times it feels almost like a summary – and a welcome one at that – of Dane’s journey up to this point, as he’s forced to revisit his pain and the changes he’s had to make in order to survive, taking him back psychologically to his betrayal at the hands of MI6 even while revealing some of the truths behind the history of the Rubicon Group. It has all the pace, action and excitement you’d expect from the series and the genre, but behind that it rewards the long-term reader with a satisfying degree of interconnectivity.
Once again it also feels remarkably timely, as Swallow consistently manages to hang these stories on themes which feel relevant and contemporary. This time he tackles questions of subjective truth in a world in which “the days of reasoned doubt and rational challenge were long gone”, and where those in power have the ability to control the dialogue on a global scale. It makes for another intriguing backdrop, demonstrating once again how Dane and Keyes thrive when their backs are to the wall – and that really is the case this time, as it proves to be perhaps the darkest of the series to date. All told it’s another tremendously enjoyable story, one that will please fans of the series and whet their appetite for yet more to come.
Thanks to James Swallow, Bonnier Zaffre and Netgalley for an advance copy of Rogue in exchange for this honest review.
Check out my reviews of the other books in the Marc Dane series.
