The Names of the Dead by Kevin Wignall

‘They didn’t even need to discuss it.’

James ‘Wes’ Wesley is a former CIA agent. He was part of an anti-terrorism operation that went awry: the wrong helicopter was shot down.  Abandoned by the CIA, Wes has been locked up in a French prison for three years.  Isolated from friends and family, Wes is devastated to learn that his ex-wife Rachel was killed in a terrorist attack in Spain.  Wes also learns that he and Rachel had a son, Ethan, who is also missing.  What he doesn’t know is why Rachel was in Spain, and why she’d not told him about their son.

Wes is released from prison on compassionate grounds and sets out to try to find out who killed Rachel and why.  But nothing is straightforward: some of his former colleagues would rather see him dead.

Wes joins forces with Mia, the daughter of a fellow inmate who’d recently died.  Together they try to stay ahead of those pursuing Wes while trying to find Ethan and to uncover the truth about why Rachel was killed.

Wes’s search for answers takes him into the past.  Dangerous territory where he can’t be sure who he can trust.

This is the first of Mr Wignall’s novels I’ve read, and I’m keen to read more.  The story moves at a rapid pace, travelling through several different European locations. Mia is an enigmatic character who complements Wes well on his quest.  And the ending?  I really wanted to know what would happen next.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith