Rating: 
Summary: Not great, but not bad
Review: After reading McNab's "Bravo Two Zero" and "Immediate Action," I thought I'd give his fiction a try. Overall this book is entertaining, with more action than recent vintage Clancy novels. The action is often quite intense and, in those moments, it is a real page turner. The technical and tradecraft details are what really make this book. McNab, or course, is all the more believable in these areas due to his personal experiences as relayed in his non-fiction work. He buys a credibility there that Clancy, et al. just can't match. Worth reading for that fact alone. While the story is good and the details better, the writing itself is sometimes clumsy. Maybe this is nitpicking, since the reality is that the writing somehow seems to "fit" the story (you wouldn't want Steinbeck or Hemingway telling the story, would you?). However, I suspect that the writing is simply due to first novel syndrome (I had no complaints about his writing in Bravo Two Zero), and would expect this to improve in future works. Although I only gave the book 3 stars, I'll definitely keep McNab on my "read" list.
Rating: 
Summary: A great start to what Promises to be a great set of books
Review: After reading Bravo Two Zero and Immediate Action I decided to take a read of Remote Control, being the first fiction book Andy McNab has written I was unsure what to expect. After reading the first few pages I was hooked, it got my interest right away. Andy McNab maintains his successful down to earth writing style, he is descriptive but to the point, its rare you find yourself bored by a flood of inconsequential technical details. The character, Nick Stone, is like McNab an ex SAS soldier. He now lives his life doing deniable operations for the British intelligence agency. The rest you just got to read to find out. It's this book that opens the door to what I hope will be a very interesting and somewhat educating series of books. McNab's down to earth sense of things shows in the way he writes the book, Nick Stone is no super hero, he can't take out a whole regiment of soldiers with a few grenades and an Uzi. This is the kind of book I have been waiting for, a book written by a guy who knows what he is talking about, he knows his characters limits and he doesn't breach these, I only hope this is maintained through the series. I particulary like the obvious advertising placed in the book, it must be nice to be offered such a large sum of money to mention a product in your book, nice one Mr McNab! I give this book 5 Stars.
Rating: 
Summary: Tradecraft and action!
Review: Andy McNab's Nick-the-SAS-guy character makes an impact with Remote Control. It's obviously an earlier Nick, and written by an obviously less-experienced Andy McNab, but it's chock-full of tradecraft and suspense. I started reading this series with Crisis Four, the second most recent book, and decided that I enjoyed it enough to go back in time.
Rating:
Summary: Not great, but not bad
Review: After reading McNab's "Bravo Two Zero" and "Immediate Action," I thought I'd give his fiction a try. Overall this book is entertaining, with more action than recent vintage Clancy novels. The action is often quite intense and, in those moments, it is a real page turner. The technical and tradecraft details are what really make this book. McNab, or course, is all the more believable in these areas due to his personal experiences as relayed in his non-fiction work. He buys a credibility there that Clancy, et al. just can't match. Worth reading for that fact alone. While the story is good and the details better, the writing itself is sometimes clumsy. Maybe this is nitpicking, since the reality is that the writing somehow seems to "fit" the story (you wouldn't want Steinbeck or Hemingway telling the story, would you?). However, I suspect that the writing is simply due to first novel syndrome (I had no complaints about his writing in Bravo Two Zero), and would expect this to improve in future works. Although I only gave the book 3 stars, I'll definitely keep McNab on my "read" list.
Rating:
Summary: A Damn Good Read
Review: REMOTE CONTROL is an exciting, bullet flying, rib cracking, guts spewing story about an ex-SAS man, Nick Stone, who gets caught up in the vicious murder of an old friend and his family. Rescuing the only surviving member of the massacre a seven-year-old shell shocked little girl called Kelly, Nick goes on the run, and finds out that even friends are potential enemies in a world of IRA deals, drug cartels and messy TransAtlantic politics. This is a knuckle bitingly good book and I spent the whole of an evening reading it from cover to cover. Andy McNab is as good a writer of fiction as he is of fact. I liked his hero because it showed the man to be human and not just a killing machine as SAS soldiers are often portrayed in many novels. I hope that McNab thinks of writing a sequel to REMOTE CONTROL as Nick Stone and Kelly make quite a formidable team. A big thumbs up for this cracker of a first novel.
Rating: 
Summary: A Fugitive's Manual
Review: With all due respect to Andy, I think he should stick with writing true crime/non-fiction books as he did before ("Immediate Action" and "Bravo Two Zero"; both great, especially the latter one). There is a good thing, though, that comes out of this book. I learned how to go into hiding, how to evade the enemy, how to conduct survaillance, how to lose people in the crowds, how to lie when checking into hotels, how to ditch cars and never use credit cards while on the run. Not to mention how to make home-made bombs using kitchen cleaners. It's a good guide on what to do while hiding from government agencies or 'other organizations'. "A Fugitive's Manual". Otherwise, as a fiction novel, it's not all that good. But I still appreciate the tips!
Rating:
Summary: Gripping plot
Review: I heard of Andy McNab through the letters pages of the excellent espionage comic "Queen and Country" by Greg Rucka. McNab came highly recommended from Rucka, a writer I hold in high regard, so I thought I'd give him a chance. To say the least, I was floored. "Remote Control" is as good a spy thriller as you're bound to find these days. It mixes excellent "working field knowledge" with high suspense. Moreso, you get the feeling that, as highly trained as Nick Stone is, he is still as vulnerable as you or me - not some invincible Bond-type figure. It makes the violence in the book all the more riveting when you take this into consideration. About the only flaw I found in the book is some minor points of characterization with the young girl, Kelly. Without giving away the plot, I will say that her reactions to her entire situation were a little too calm and understanding, especially considering her age. I doubt a real child of 8 or 9 would be able to keep a cool emotional head as she does throughout the majority of this book. That said, the end of this book, and how Kelly is involved, is absolutely stunning. A wonderful read! I look forward to reading more of McNab's work.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent. Enjoyable and exciting
Review: this is the first of his i've read, and i was suitably impressed. Nick Stone strikes me somewhat as a more realist, more modern James Bond, an ex-SAS man, he now works for the "deniable operations" unit of the British secret service. The book is well written, and easy to read. the pace is fast, the plot is exciting and never lets up. the action is constant, and the ending is full of surprises. Stone is a likeable "hero", and seems very human. His relationship with Kelly, the young girl he is trying to save, is touching and at times very sad. The book has a fierce realism, borne from the fact that McNab has been there, done that. I would reccomend it.
Rating:
Summary: top-notch thriller
Review: After reading a fair number of thrillers, you can tell when someone is writing from knowledge and experience without even knowing anything about the author. Andy McNab has learned much from being in the SAS, and it shows-- Stone is one of the most cunning and believable characters in thriller fiction. I got the same feeling of excitement reading this book as I did when I first read Alistair McLean's early novels. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Great Adventure Reading
Review: This guy seems like the real thing. The special thing about this series is the hero's relationship to the little girl in his care.
While much of the action seems fantastic, it never crosses over to unbelievability.
Obviously, the author has been there and done it.
Escapist reading of the highest order. First of the series.
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