Published: October 29, 2024
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Series: Trasker #2
Genre: Thriller
Pages: 311 (Kindle)
My Rating: 3.5 Stars
Synopsis:
The trail of missing coders leads a spy into an international underworld of treachery, double agents, and digital espionage in a propulsive thriller by a Wall Street Journal bestselling author.
Retired intelligence operative Brad Trasker heads security at a remote aerospace facility when there’s a major breach. A photo of their top-secret AI-designed hydrogen engine has surfaced online. Trasker’s investigation into who did it soon leads to a start-up in Bangkok, where its three software developers have disappeared, along with nearly a million dollars in investment money.
Following their tracks, Trasker hits a dead end. The start-up’s HQ is a padlocked crime scene. No one—not the cagey locals, the mobbed-up gangs, or the Royal Thai Police—is keen on answering Trasker’s questions. But their message is get out of Bangkok or die.
Hunted by assassins, Trasker is drawn into the same complex high-tech underworld of cryptocurrency, digital espionage, and betrayal that swallowed up the runaway coders. As the line between ally and enemy blurs, and the stakes become life and death, Trasker must navigate the dangerous intersection of modern intelligence and old-school spy games to survive.
In an effort to catch up on Andrew Mayne’s published books, I decided to pick up Death Stake. This is the second book in the Trasker series and even though the first book wasn’t my favorite, I wanted to read it before picking up Mr. Whisper, the first in a new crossover series. I felt like I would be missing context if I began that without being up-to-date on Trasker’s goings on.
This book follows Brad Trasker, former intelligence agent and current head of private security for an aerospace company. This time around, Brad is chasing down leads on the owners of a startup that his boss funded who disappeared with several hundred thousand dollars. The book is set primarily in Thailand where he must track down the young men who ran off with all this money. Unsurprisingly, when he arrives at their shared apartment, there is evidence that the men were murdered which brings on even more questions. Who wanted them dead? What happened to the money? Did any of them escape?
This series reads like a Republican dad’s favorite book. Brad Trasker is competent, tough, and experienced in the ways of subterfuge and dealing death. Though he’s no longer a government operative, he retains the same overall vibe but it’s now turned towards protecting the assets of the highly intelligent founder of the aerospace company, Kylie Conner. Brad seems to be almost trying to play the role of the solid and reliable father figure that he felt he didn’t quite manage to do with his deceased son. Either way, what I expected to be an edge of my seat thriller turned out to be a little on the boring side. This was on par with the first book, Night Owl, which gives some exciting action scenes, Brad exuding excessive competence, and some near international incidents.
This remains a great series if you’re looking for a fun spy thriller with not much depth and plenty of tv worthy action. I had a good time reading it, even if it isn’t my favorite of Andrew Mayne’s many series.
Powder & Page 
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