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Samuel Carver does an exceptional job at his chosen career. If you were giving him a performance review, you’d likely rate him highly except in one area, which is his sense of morality. You see, Carver is a hit man. He makes very bad accidents happen to even worse people. He specializes in pulling off complicated hits that put him far from the scene when the death occurs. He does have a few rules for himself – that the person he is going to eliminate is guilty, and that it not be a female or child. After pulling off a spectacular termination, Carver settles in at his retreat in New Zealand. He receives an urgent assignment; and although not mentally or physically ready to go into action again, he travels to France for another job. He is told that he will be killing a powerful man who is financing terrorist activity, and that he will also be halting an action this man had planned to take place in England. Carver plans the hit to the last detail, but it doesn't come off perfectly. There's another group involved, a Russian hit squad. Although the car crash in the tunnel happens, one of the Russians, a woman known as Alix Petrova, is injured and becomes affiliated with Samuel. It isn't until later Carver realizes what he has done – the victims of the car crash are Princess Diana and her boyfriend, Dodi Fayed. And there are British agents coming after him. And the Russians. And a Frenchman who has a personal stake in finding him. Carver's been set up, big time. From that point on, Samuel and Alix are in extreme danger. As they attempt to escape with their lives, they also work together to dissect the events of that fateful day and determine who set them up. In addition to the tension surrounding them in trying to survive, there's also an escalating doubt about whether there is true loyalty between them. Is Alix an ally or a plant who will betray him when the time is ripe? I was quite wrapped up in the book until the car crash in Paris occurred. I'm not a fan of fictionalizing actual history, and I wasn't crazy about the Diana thread. Certainly, Cain built a believable scenario; but it was absolutely not what happened on that fateful day. Fortunately, the author chose to move away from the actual event and change the focus to the adventures of Samuel and Alix. That was a wise choice, as it de-emphasized the Diana thread and managed not to exploit that tragedy. THE ACCIDENT MAN is a fast-paced and unrelenting thriller that has some surprisingly intimate moments. As the book resolves, Carver is tortured to reveal what he knows. It was horrifying to read what was done to him. It was even more horrifying to see the man that he became as a result. It was a riveting read that kept me guessing. With an excellent plot, complex and interesting characters and a setting of international intrigue, THE ACCIDENT MAN is a book for thriller lovers that goes beyond tired formulas.
Reviewed by Maddy Van Hertbruggen, November 2007
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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