From the bestselling author of the acclaimed DCI Lambert series comes The Controller, a gripping serial killer thriller introducing Sam Lynch and Special Agent Sandra Rose. It is six years since special agent Samuel Lynch left the FBI following the disappearance of his son, Daniel. Lynch believes an underground organisation known as The Railroad is responsible and has never stopped searching. … never stopped searching.
When Special Agent Sandra Rose investigates a house invasion gone wrong, she discovers the assailant has the legendary, and infamous, Railroad tattoo carved onto his back and he claims to know Daniel’s whereabouts.
Rose draws Lynch in to her case, and together they become embroiled in an unparalleled world of violence and evil.
It seems that to see his son again, Lynch will have to confront his greatest fear and face the ultimate test: an encounter with the Railroad’s enigmatic and deadly leader, The Controller.
Praise for Matt Brolly:
‘One word for this – riveting. Fast paced, full of twisty goodness, a well-drawn and intriguing main protagonist and a well-constructed and horrifically addictive storyline.’ Liz Loves Books
‘An extraordinary fast-paced, tense thriller, taking the reader on an suspense filled journey with so many twist and turns it is a stupendous, emotional roller coaster ride!’SplashesIntoBooks
‘An action-filled, totally gripping, page turner!’ Carol Wyer, author of Little Girl Lost
‘Action packed, dramatic and addictive…an unputdownable read.’ Portobello Book Blog
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THE CONTROLLER (A Lynch and Rose Thriller Book 1) by Matt Brolly is a fast-paced, high octane suspense/thriller that I could not put down until the explosive end. A former and current FBI agent work together to bring down an organization that is only spoken about as a legend.
Special Agent Samuel Lynch left the FBI. He was forced out as he spent every minute investigating an underground organization known as The Railroad who he believed kidnapped his son and hundreds of others. Each time he gets close, his lead evaporates, but he will never stop searching until his son, Daniel is found.
Seven years have passed.
Special Agent Sandra Rose is sent to investigate a home invasion were the killer sadistically eliminated an entire family. He is taken into custody, but refuses to talk to anyone but Samuel Lynch. He claims to know were Daniel is being held – alive.
Rose brings Lynch in and together they become entangled in a world where no one can be trusted. As Rose works with her partner within the system, Lynch will allow himself to be taken by The Controller, who is the sadistic and deadly leader of The Railroad. He will do anything to see his son again, but will it be the last thing he ever does?
This book drops you immediately into action that never lets up. The author weaves Lynch and Rose’s backstories throughout without losing momentum. There are gruesome scenes that are graphic, but this is a thriller about an organization of sadists and I never felt the scenes were gratuitous. The Controller was a truly scary psychopath who is still out there. (This is not a secret, so I will be looking for him in future books.) All of the secondary characters kept you guessing if they were good or bad which added to the tension.
I am very interested in following this duo to see how the author handles each going forward. The next thrill ride cannot come soon enough!
Overall, I enjoyed this novel.
A few issues:
1. British spellings in an American novel
The novel takes place in America, with an all-American cast of characters, yet there were times when Brolly uses the British spelling of words. Colour instead of color; fibre, centre, honour, that sort of thing. There were also times when he used words more common in British than American English: grotty or fug, for example, aren’t used much in America. This seems petty, but it can be distracting to American readers. (Especially readers like me, who notice details like this. Sometimes I wish I could turn off my typo-radar!) I read an unedited ARC, though, and I trust that some of this will be corrected for the final version. I’m not “counting off” for this!
2. The sudden sexual relationship between Rose and Lynch
I don’t think this is quite a spoiler, really. It’s (almost) a truth universally (or in this genre, at least!) acknowledged that two investigators of the opposite gender must be sexually attracted to one another.
Here, though, I didn’t buy it. Having sex to relieve their tension makes sense. But there wasn’t enough buildup to this point. I didn’t see a lot of sparks flying. Granted, up until then, they’d been dealing with non-stop violence. But I wanted a bit more awareness of each other’s sexuality before this.
3. A little too much telling
This is a writer thing. There were times when I felt frustrated at being told when I wanted to be showed and experience the characters’ emotions. For example, a lot of Rose’s feelings about her troubled relationships with her younger sister and her mother, dying of dementia, felt like it was told to me. I never felt immersed in Rose’s emotions and her internal conflict between the demands of work and the demands of a sick mother.
Whether a normal thriller reader would feel bothered by this, I don’t know. Writers tend to be hyper-aware of itty-bitty story craft issues that regular people aren’t. But for me, this issue detracted from the story.
Now for the fun part: what I enjoyed!
1. The violence is well-handled.
The seeming-house-invasion-gone-wrong ends with extreme violence and multiple deaths. Many people die in the course of the novel. Toward the end, there are people being hurt. Given the nature of these criminals, this is expected.
Brolly gives just enough detail in describing the crime scenes that we understand the horrible nature of the crime without feeling like voyeurs. He doesn’t resort to sensationalism when showing crimes as they are committed, either. Lynch watches people being hurt, but instead of describing how or what is happening, we get his emotions and reactions. This lets us fill in the blanks for ourselves. Very effective.
2. Lynch is a complicated man.
He’s a courageous, intelligent man who strategizes and acts professionally, even in deadly circumstances. (Even though he’s been ousted from the FBI for years! I guess you can take a man out of the FBI but you can’t take the FBI out of a man.) Even though he is divorced from his wife, he wants to protect her from the Railroad’s violence. He also is surprisingly accepting and protective of her new boyfriend, and acknowledges that the new guy’s presence helps Lynch’s relationship with his ex-wife. Ironic. Definitely not what I expected. (Nicely played, Mr. Brolly!)
Yet there is great darkness in him, too. His drive to find the Railroad and his son has made him obsessive. There are glimpses of guilt, too, as he feels responsible for his son’s abduction. This grief and fear make for a compelling character and it really drives the story. (What parent can’t identify with this compulsion to protect their child?) He is capable of violence, though he takes no pleasure in it.
3. The backstory is woven into the story.
Obviously, there’s backstory: Daniel’s abduction, Lynch’s investigation, his divorce, and the FBI’s refusal to let him investigate. But we receive the necessary information at strategic points throughout the narrative, rather than all in one big wad somewhere at the beginning. We learn what we need to, when we need to. It’s difficult to do this without confusing the reader. My inner writer applauds.
There’s even a delightful hint that Lynch has been through a terrible traumatic experience sometime in the past involving captivity, a killer, and a SWAT team rescue. (Okay, delightful‘s a stretch. It really sounds horrible!) But it intrigued me, and though I didn’t get answers in this book, I hope to get them sometime in the future. Which brings me to my last point:
4. The ending sets up for sequels.
The last chapter–no spoilers, I promise!–hints at more books to come. Consider it a bit like MCU’s end scenes, whetting our appetite for the next big movie. Only here, it’s the next big book, and I didn’t have to sit through all the movie credits to get it! Nice.
My verdict
While there were definitely some distracting issues with the narrative, this is a good start to a series. Lynch and Rose are promising as series characters, and I’m interested in seeing how their relationship develops as they investigate crimes. Will Lynch be reinstated to the FBI? I don’t know. I hope so. 4 stars.
Thanks to #NetGalley, Oblong Books, and Matt Brolly for letting me read an ARC of #TheController in exchange for a honest review. I appreciate it.
This review of The Controller also appears on Goodreads, will be posted on Amazon on the release date, and will be live on my blog on May 17.