Run for Home by Dan Latus

British counter-intelligence officer Harry Gibson finds the murdered bodies of three of his colleagues in their safe house in Prague. He has to get out before he becomes the fourth victim. He has no idea why he’s being hunted. But he does know this – Jackson and Murphy are the killers. It is not the Russians who are behind him but his own people.

He seeks sanctuary in UK and the two goons follow. But there are many unanswered questions and the only way Harry would find out the truth is by going back to Prague. Back to the city where it all started.

Run for Home by Dan Latus was a disappointing read for me. I am on a read first-in-the-series and keep-up-with-new-releases spree and that is how I found this book on the KU catalog. I admit I did not read the blurb – I usually don’t if it is an author I have read before or a publisher I follow.

The story begins with a man doubting if he’s being followed. As he returns to his flat, he finds three people dead. They are his colleagues and someone is out there, wanting to kill this man too. Harry Gibson’s identity is not revealed for the first few chapters. There was an instance where he gave his name to the hotel receptionist as Mr. Gibson. Since ‘Gibson’ was on the run at the time, I thought he gave a fake name. Then comes a time when he says “Call me Harry.’ Again, a spy on the run saying ‘Call me Harry’ sounded unbelievable. Turns out, Harry Gibson is his real name.

The chase continues until Harry escapes to UK and then returns to Prague. During his escape, he remembers Lisa – someone back home who’s waiting for him to return. One might be under the assumption that Lisa might be a lover or a wife. But turns out, Lisa is neither! As the chase continues and the perps are always a step behind Harry, they make a plan. A fool-proof plan that might bring Harry Gibson in the open.

Harry Gibson wonders if the issue between Ukraine and Russia is the reason for the murder of his colleagues. Unit 89, of which Harry was a part is eliminated. They were all spies. So, did someone defect or turn into a double agent? (The issue between Ukraine and Russia here is something to do with the gas pipeline. This book was initially published in 2014 so there is no reference to the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war.)

Turns out, Harry was wrong. Well, it has something to do with the rest of Europe desperately wanting gas from Russia. But the reason for murders seemed a little farfetched. I mean, who would give away counter-intelligence details in return for gas?

The chase was not all that edge-of-the-seat kind and the ending was just eh. As the story began, I thought this would be a gripping and action-packed spy thriller but I felt so let down halfway through. There was hardly any story here and apart from a thrilling start, the rest of it was a drag. This book was not for me, perhaps.

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