I've been meaning to write this review for over a week now, after finishing the book, but with everything else in the way (namely work and Double Agent) I haven't had a chance to. But now I do, so read on for my review of Overkill by James Barrington.

Wow. That was my first impression after I'd read the book, it was awesome. I read the sequel to this book, Pandemic, a few months ago while on holiday and thoroughly enjoyed it. So seeing it on Amazon dirt cheap I decided to snap it up and see if it was as good as the second one. And boy was it, brilliant writing, decent character development and an excellent plot. This really does keep you hanging on till the very end.

Honestly, this book is superb. Right up there with my other favourite authors instantly. Barrington really knows what he's writing about, the writing transports you into the shoes of the main protagonist and the action is visceral and tense. Definitely a must read. Now if only he'd write a few more books like this.

The Man Who Was Thursday is one of those books, like The Borribles or The Name of the Rose, that you're vaguely aware of, you think might be cool, but you end up never getting around to reading because there just doesn't seem to be A Way In. It's not like you'll have your feet up in front of Emmerdale and something makes you go 'Ah, that reminds me - I've always wanted to read The Man Who Was Thursday. I'll order it off Amazon now.'

Which is a shame, because it's a very special book.Like PG Wodehouse or Elmore Leonard, GK Chesterton just has a wonderful, fun way with a sentence. He's the kind of guy who could write six paragraphs about European farm subsidies and make you come away wanting to dance the tango in your living room. But the action here is far from dull. TMWWT* is about a clever young man who infiltrates a secret society of deadly anarchists - each named after a day of the week. Can our hero keep his head, his identity and his life in the face of Europe's most grotesque and sinister murderers?

All of which is amazing. But it's not really what TMWWT is about. The ruse leads the hero through a maze-like plot which is pretty much entirely composed of twists. You'll be on the edge of your seat as he tracks down each member of the gang and tackles their unique brand of evil head-on. But somewhere around the middle of this short novel, you spot a pattern. A very large pattern that makes the plot as stylised as the dialogue. A plot which is insane, infuriating and brilliant, and which will have you smiling like a Cheshire Cat as you turn each page. If I gave it away here I'd be the world's biggest bastard, but it's fair to say that it's unique in the world of literature. To put it bluntly, Chesterton has written a book about the pursuit of God.

There's something enticingly movie-like about the novel, what with all the chases around London, special effects (including a memorable elephant), sword fights, dreamscape countryside and constant mortal peril. But like all that's good about Chesterton, it also has a devil-may-care, winsome, romantic streak a mile wide. If it was going to be a film, it should have been directed by Hitchcock, starring a Princess Bride-era Cary Elwes, and Orson Welles. And it would be a classic.

So go on - order The Man Who Was Thursday off Amazon right now!

*It's somehow very appropriate that this looks like TMNT. Go figure...