This is the second thriller from Mark Abernethy starring Australian spy Alan McQueen. Alan made his debut in the book Golden Serpent, which was one of the best military sort of spy thriller's I'd read in a while, so I'm looking forward to this one. Golden Serpent was a fabulous combination of action, humour, and even a bit of romance (although not of the soppy variety).
From the Blurb of Second Strike:
In the early hours of 13 October 2002, Australian spy Alan McQueen is jolted awake by a phone call and told to head immediately to Bali, where more than 200 people have been killed in a series of bomb blasts.
Opening Lines:
Flores, Indonesia - 12 October, 2002. They sat like surfers waiting for a wave, the four of them dressed in thin black wetsuits facing south-west into the Indian Ocean. Huge blue-black and purple cloud formations loomed above as if declaring an end to the dry season and signalling the start of the monsoons. The swell lapped into Mac's rebreather harness as his eyes scanned the horizon for signs of the target through the salty humidity. Behind him the sounds of bird life and monkeys occasional drifted from the remote southern shores of Flores.