Danny Black is the son of a soldier shot in the head, and survived, in Northern Ireland on the same day that Danny was born. His mother was also shot but had died. He joins the SAS on the recommendation of his fathers best friend and he leads the life of a soldier protecting the country.

Then he gets sent to Syria to protect a MI6 agent trying to open up connections with the rebel forces fighting the government. From the beginning nothing goes right and Danny's world is turned upside down. All that he thought was true turns out to be smoke an mirrors and his future, if he survives the mission, will never be the same.

This had promise, but somehow it missed the mark for me. It didn't flow smoothly, some of the characters were just totally weird and unbelievable. It was barely enjoyable.

This was my first Chris Ryan book and it did not disappoint. I had previously read a couple of Damien Lewis books that I thoroughly enjoyed to wanted to carry on with the genre.

Masters of War is a great introduction to the Danny Black series; it really helps you sink your teeth into the character. You get a good understanding of his emotionally complex personal life and understand his frustrating family situation.

Alongside the obvious enemies of the story we also have a character with a personal vendetta against Danny who you want to hate and to watch out for. The book is full action, twists and accurate military related details. We are also introduced to a handful of other characters that will be included in future books. Clara is definitely one to watch out for.

I would fully recommend this book; it’s a great gateway book into the genre, although it isn’t for the faint of heart as it is brutal and gory at times. I do appreciate that for the most part the rape scenes are alluded to rather than heavily detailed, although some may have been more detailed than necessary. They weren’t bad enough to be a deal-breaker for me but may be something for readers with certain triggers of trauma to be wary of.

In Paris, an elderly man is assassinated as he takes his morning walk. Danny discovers a world where death is dispensed by the highest bidder and individuals will betray anybody if the price is right.

This was the first (ex SAS soldier) Chris Ryan book that I had read. I suspected before I started that it would be like an Andy McNab thriller. And I wasn’t far wrong. It was fast paced and it manages to grip you right from the first page. The main difference I found between Ryan and McNab was Ryan increased the amount of crude graphic violence. Ryan’s villains was also nastier and he ramped up weapon details and military tactics too. I never thought I would say this, but McNab was more of a literary read. In fact, at times Masters of War reads like a video game in book form. But saying that , I suspect there is a large dose of an uncomfortable truth in this tale. I'm sure governments must use ‘private military contractors’ aka mercenaries to do their off the record jobs?

The title of the book itself refers to the politicians and high ranking officials who send soldiers into battle and let them take all the risks. SAS soldier Danny Black leads a small team accompanying an MI6 agent in in war-torn Syria. The depiction of the daily atrocities is uncomfortable, and very detailed. The mission (or so it seems) it to contact the rebel forces. As we learn the real reason for Black being there, things quickly turn pear-shaped.

My one criticism is that some of the characterisation is a little lazy. Upper class MI6 operatives have generic posh names: Oliver Carrington and Hugo Buckingham. Is MI6 really only staffed by students of Harrow or Eton? And who refer to people as ‘old sport’? But to be fair Ryan manages to portray a well rounded, strong female character, Médecins Sans Frontières doctor, Clara Macleod. He also tries to flesh out most characters, so you care about them when they inevitably die.

All in all, if you want a gory, action-packed thriller with lots of surprises then you can’t go wrong with this. A decent novel from author who has first-hand experience of the reality of war. Who knows the corrupt greed of those looking to profit from it.