Review: The Directive by Matthew Quirk (3.5/5)

The blistering follow up to THE 500 has Mike Ford attempting a high stakes heist of the Federal Reserve

What if the only way to go straight is to break the law?

Michael Ford has finally escaped his chequered past to lead the respectable life he's always dreamed of, preparing to settle down with his fiancée Annie. But the quiet is shattered when his brother, Jack, comes back into his life.

Jack is a world-class con man who has finally overplayed his hand. He's in way over his head in a conspiracy to steal a billion-dollar secret from the heart of the financial system. And in an effort to help his brother, Mike soon finds himself trapped by the dangerous men in charge - and responsible for pulling off the heist himself.

With Annie's safety on the line, Mike tries to figure out who's behind the job - and realises the only way to keep the honest life is to return to his criminal past. But will he get in too deep to save Annie's life?

I read this despite having not read the first in the series THE 500. After finishing it this could be read as a standalone but I felt perhaps I may have enjoyed it more had I read the first one, which I'm definitely planning on doing in the near future. Quirk is definitely an author to watch and I really enjoyed this book. Quirk tells the reader enough about The 500 to have you wondering what happened and leaving you eager to read it.

I especially liked the character of Mike Ford. The book opens with him leaving a bridal shop to go to a card hustling game where he eventually gets the better of the scam to the tune of a couple of hundred dollars. We learn that he's engaged to Annie and that her father isn't Mike's biggest fan. Whilst Mike is at his brother's house with plans to ask him to be his best man his brother is visited by men with guns who threaten Mike and his brother, Jack. Mike then finds himself caught up in Jack's mess and the story really gets going here.

For me I enjoy a book with lots of fast paced action and a fantastic plot and this definitely had that. It's a thrilling read with a bit of a difference to what's out there at the minute which made a nice change for me. I felt that certain characters were a bit weak eg Annie but the rest were pretty strong.

The only thing I perhaps didn't like was the reasoning behind parts of the plot, specifically near the end however the book as a whole was fantastic and definitely kept me guessing throughout. I didn't know much about the author prior to reading but whilst reading the book got the idea that he was someone who knows what he's talking about, and after reading a short bio it's clear that he does. A very enjoyable, and quick read that I definitely recommend.

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