Just Finished: A Gentleman's Game by Greg Rucka

Greg Rucka may now be best known for his comic book writing of the new Batgirl character, but it is his Queen and Country comics that first brought his name into my awaremess.  The comics detail an extremely accurate look at the British SIS (what we Americans think of as MI6 from James Bond) and one of their top agents, Tara Chase.  Chase is a Minder (the analog for the Double 0 agents) and, like all of Rucka's female characters, is extremely well rounded, complex, and real.  One of the downsides of the Queen and Country comic collection that I have is that some major events in Tara's life fall outside the comic books...that story is told here.

A Gentleman's Game details the British government's reaction to a bombing by a real-world terrorist group (I recently read about them in Time).  This reaction includes complex dealings with the Israeli Mossad and an eventual assassination which forces Chase to go on the run. 

I really enjoyed the excellent job Rucka does switching between voices in the novel.  Whether it is Chase, her boss Paul Crocker, or the young terrorist on his quest to seek revenge on the Western World, the characters feel real.  They are not generic good guy/bad guy architypes and that is refreshing. 

The story is fast paced and exciting.  Again, like the characters, the plot and operations feel real.  Rucka does a good job channeling Tom Clancy and then some. 

If I had any criticism for the story, it is that I do not know how well someone who hasn't read the entire Queen and Country series would catch on.  I knew the characters very well before starting the book and I do not know whether everyone would catch on as quickly.  There are at least two more books that follow Tara Chase and I plan on starting them after I revisit Mr. Clancy again.