This was not what I was expecting. I have only ever read one other spy book in my life. So, I kept putting this book down in the beginning but was so glad I picked it up and completed it.
It is an action-packed book and will certainly keep you on your toes. Nadia is a very interesting character. She has to complete 10 dangerous missions for her and her sister to be free. Now that she's at the last mission, does she have what it takes?

One thing I know that is if this book was made into a movie, it would be fantastic. There was a lot of action and I found myself reading fast because I want to know what happens next! ( )

Bound to work for Kadinsky (a Russian crime boss) for five years, Nadia (the main protagonist) has just one last mission to complete, which will free both herself and her sister, however it isn’t going to be an easy mission and Nadia will find herself trapped in a web of scuba diving and espionage!

I have to admit that it was the title of the book that grabbed my interest first. I had no idea what it meant until i read the book and now I do! 66 Metres is a really good thriller, fast paced with many twists that surprised me and enough intrigue that left me anticipating what was going to happen next. I’m anxious to read his next book in the series and I’m hoping to see a movie possibility also. ( )

The first in a spy thriller trilogy featuring protagonist Nadia Laksheva, this book is a rollercoaster ride of twists and turns. It is fast-paced and unpredictable, and will be a hit amongst fans of authors like Blake Banner, Mark Dawson, and Caroline Mitchell.

Unusually, a large portion of Nadia’s story takes place underwater, where the energy and descriptive writing makes you feel like you are right there with her. It was no surprise to find out that the author himself is an experienced scuba diver. Perfectly paced with a gritty and likeable main character, this is a gripping thriller which will have you immediately wanting to read the second book in the series. ( )

JF Kirwin has created an amazing thriller that keeps you in suspense all the way through. This book is masterfully written and it’s easy to get lost in the pages. The characters are created with care, for example, Nadia is a character with a lot of depth. She isn’t inherently good, not always working to do the right thing but still manages the human aspect that makes her likeable. The sense that these are real people carries a lot of the story.

The book itself is fast-paced. The opening line really says it all and it holds true throughout the book. This is a great setup for a solid series, the tone perfect for the genre. What I find interesting in this book is that it doesn’t read like a regular thriller, it reads like the starting journey of the character, which is exactly what it is. I’m really excited to read the next book in the series and see where Nadia ends up next. ( )

British author J.F. Kirwan, now living outside of Paris, has written academic articles about preventing disasters in nuclear power plants, oil rigs, and aircraft (his work experience has been in air traffic and nuclear power safety), four text books on human error, and nine novels – including his NADIA LAKSHEVA SPY THRILLER SERIES, of 66 METRES is Book 1. He also writes under the nom de plume Brian Kirwan, publishing two series - The CHILDREN OF THE EYE series of two books, and the four book series EDEN PARADOX. He is trained in psychology and is a scuba diver and traveler as well as a productive author. Of note, ’66 metres is the depth at which air starts to become toxic to divers.’

One of Kirwan’s many skills is his ability to magnetize the readers attention with the opening lines of his books, and that most assuredly is the case in 66 METRES – ‘The only thing worth killing for is family. Her father’s words to her, the day they’d come for him. She’d been fourteen when two men in combat fatigues and balaclavas burst into the kitchen where she and her father were enjoying breakfast. The armed commandos hadn’t seen his pistol lying beneath a folded newspaper. While her father struggled with the men, his eyes flicked between her and the weapon. She could have darted for it, threatened them, helped him. But she hesitated. The moment slipped past. They threw a black hood over his head, cuffed him, and dragged him away…to be interrogated, tortured, executed and buried in the woods. A single thought haunted her ever since. Had he known they would come?’ And so we meet the title character, Nadia, and the saga opens.

The provided synopsis of the book’s tale serves the novel well: ‘Everyone said she had her father’s eyes. A killer’s eyes. Nadia knew that on the bitterly cold streets of Moscow, she could never escape her past – but in just a few days, she would finally be free. Bound to work for Kadinsky for five years, she has just one last mission to complete. Yet when she is instructed to capture The Rose, a military weapon shrouded in secrecy, Nadia finds herself trapped in a deadly game of global espionage. And the only man she can trust is the one sent to spy on her…’

Kirwan stands tall among thriller authors, clearly one of the gifted ones, and this opening novel seduces the reader into following this exceptional series through to the end. First class novel – and a highly recommended one! ( )