Any action movie needs its setting, a place where its hero can overcome all odds and save the day. In Die Hard, the hero is in a skyscraper controlled by his foes. In Predator, they must journey through a hostile jungle. The Wingman series is set in a post-WWIII America.

The success of the Harry Potter books can be largely attributed to one fact (if we assume they are well written and intricately plotted as a given): they appeal to adults as well as children. In many ways the Harry Potter books are similar to the original Star Wars movies.

A new player is in town though, and after only three novels, he has established himself as Michael Crichton on steroids. They are pulp action in a modern setting, action movies inscribed on the written page. They are the novels of Matthew Reilly...