Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

I’ve enjoyed lots of Peter May books but the current slew of re releases of books from a long time ago have taken a bit of a toll, this latest is a violent but very slow burning take set in South East Asia.

Not really what I want to read started to skim through the overly descriptive storyline.

It took me a while to read but I’m glad I didn’t. I really like Peter May books and this was another great read and different.

I just couldn’t finish this one. Having really enjoyed Peter May’s series set in the Outer Hebrides, the fascinating Entry Island and page turning Runaway. All of which I would highly recommend. This one is an older book that has been republished and it although it has been re-edited it still felt dated and almost as if it had been written by a different author. It all felt a bit clunky. The research about the Khmer Rouge was well applied to the plot and this element of the story was believable. Harder to swallow is the troubled Soldier with many more than nine lives and his comrades who are prepared to join him on his suicidal mission. Then there’s the estranged daughter willing to travel half way across the world, to one of the most dangerous places on the planet to find a mysterious father she thought long dead. If you like a bit of action and adventure then this book might be for you. In fact if it was a film, I imagine my husband would watch it. But as a book I’m afraid it just didn’t work for me.

Peter May is one of my favourite authors and he never disappoints me.
It is well written and researched and is set in war torn Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge.
A fast paced thriller that draws you in with a well written cast of characters, at times it can be harrowing but still you keep turning the pages.
I would certainly recommend this book.

Originally released in 1992 this reissue is a compelling read. Set against the brutal canvas of south-east Asia in the 1970s which back then was then known as Kampuchea under the control of the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot.Well-written and easy to read. Extremely well-researched. Not for the faint-hearted. Recommended.

Hi,

My next review is as follows:-

"The Noble Path” written by Peter May and published in Paperback and Kindle by by Riverrun:Reprint edition on 31st October 2019 544 pages ISBN-13: 978-1787477957

The book was one that once started was almost impossible to put down and I read it very quickly as it was a real page turner. Peter May has published many books apart from this stand alone but there is a freshness to his writing which makes it truly exceptional and I was totally absorbed until the final page.

The Noble Path is Peter May's explosive standalone thriller set in Cambodia and Thailand amid the bloody reign of the Khmer Rouge
THE EVIL WRATH
Cambodia, 1978. Amid the Khmer Rouge's crazed genocide, soldier-of-fortune Jack Elliott is given the impossible task of rescuing a family from the regime.
THE PAINFUL TRUTH
Eighteen-year-old orphan and budding journalist Lisa Robinson has received the impossible news that her father is, in fact, alive. His name - Jack Elliott.
THE NOBLE PATH
As Jack tracks the hostages and Lisa traces her heritage, each is intent on reuniting a family. Yet to succeed, so must run a dangerous gauntlet of bullets and betrayal.
This multi-faceted story includes the main one of Jack Elliott and his close companions going into enemy territory of Cambodia in a hope of locating a missing family.

Separately, Jack’s estranged daughter Lisa who only had a brief glimpse of her father during her mother’s funeral and is determined to locate him and rebuild a relationship with him. How can she do this when she knows so little about her father. She puts her reporter skills to the test and after discovering a suitcase in the attic of her mothers house full of newspaper clippings of her father’s exploits she goes to a library and in these pre-internet days searches the references in the library of all of her fathers days as a mercenary in the middle East. She has inherited some money and decides that she needs to travel to Bangkok to take up the search.
I really enjoyed this very gripping book which had such an unusual plot, or should I say plots as there were so many different elements going on but it all turned out right in the end. Extremely well recommended.
(Advance copy from the publisher in exchange for a fair review).

As eighteen-year-old Lisa Robinson watched on at her mother’s funeral, her realization that she had no one made her angry. Her father had died many years before; how dare her mother leave her like this! Her friend David tried to comfort her as she noted a strange man on the outskirts of the people, watching in the rain. Who was he? She’d never seen him before…

It was 1978 and Jack Elliott was headed into Cambodia to rescue a family – Ny, her brother Hau and their mother Sereg had been trapped in refugee camps for years after their father and husband had escaped without them. Now he wanted them with him and would pay Jack handsomely for his trouble. With Mike Slattery and Billy McCue – old soldiers like himself – by his side, they headed into the impossible. Would they even get out alive, let alone find the refugees? Danger on every level, betrayal and money – a deadly combination.

The Noble Path by Peter May was a long read at 544 pages, but I enjoyed it very much. Re-released by May after its original publication in 1992, he describes a little about how the book came about, his light editing before this publication and the reasoning behind one particular character. I found that interesting before the story even started. Intrigue, the horrors of the Khmer Rouge’s rule, the narcissism of those in charge – a fascinating story that’s a big leap from May’s usual work. Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

The Noble Path is a stand-alone novel by award-winning Scottish journalist, screenwriter and author, Peter May. First published in 1992, this edition has been recently edited (removing much of the gratuitous sex, the author notes in his forward) and reissued.

It’s late 1978 and mercenary, Jack Elliot has agreed to extract a wealthy Cambodian refugee’s family from Khmer Rouge-held Democratic Kampuchea. But there are a few complications that may affect his chances of success. While his wife, Serey and his daughter Ny are forced to till the fields, and are subject to the whims of their guards, Ang Yuon’s twelve-year-old son, Hau has become part of the Khmer Rouge militia. Jack Elliot is forced to rely on Thai suppliers for the weapons he will need to complete his mission.

He calls on a reliable mate from his Vietnam days, but Mick Slattery hasn’t yet revealed that cancer will be cutting short his life. Mick has recruited American ex-soldier Billy McCue, whose motivation is monetary: enough to take his Thai wife and young son back home is what will keep him focussed on this job. The only possible border crossing point is thick with Khmer Rouge units and all this against a background of unconfirmed mass genocide.

Eighteen-year-old Lisa Robinson has just buried her mother when she uncovers information about the father she believed long dead. A tenacious journalism student, Lisa learns her father, John Alexander Elliot, is in Thailand, and she’s determined to track him down. And Jack does not realise that on his last mission, taking out an IRA bomber (or two), he was identified and has a price on his head.

Will everyone come out of this unscathed? In this adventure romp, May easily evokes his setting: the heat and humidity of Thailand and Cambodia are palpable. There’s plenty of action, and there’s a high body count, but the characters are initially not well developed, only gaining some depth in the final chapters. This fairly early May novel shows promise but lacks that special quality that is characteristic of his later work.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Quercus riverrun books

It took me a while to read this book. The second half was definitely easier than the first half. All in all I am glad i finished it, but i did have to push myself through it.

THE EVIL WRATH; Cambodia, 1978: Amid the Khmer Rouge's crazed genocide, soldier-of-fortune Jack Elliott is given the impossible task of rescuing a family from the regime.
THE PAINFUL TRUTH; Eighteen-year-old orphan and budding journalist Lisa Robinson has received the impossible news that her father is, in fact, alive. His name is Jack Elliott.
THE NOBLE PATH; As Jack tracks the hostages and Lisa traces her heritage, each intent on reuniting a family. Yet to succeed, they each must run a dangerous gauntlet of bullets and betrayal.

Peter May is one of my favorite writers. I have read all of his books. I have enjoyed his Lewis Trilogy, Yan/Campbell and Enzo Macleod series and have read many of his standalone novels.The Noble Path was his first novel and is a reissue from 1992. It was a hard book to read as May allows you to feel the inhumane and brutal treatment of the Khmer Rouge genocide. It is well researched even though he was not allowed to enter the area. He interviewed many and found out the raw truth. It is packed with interesting characters and lots of action and adventure. I would highly recommend this book and highly recommend that you check out May's other books. I would like to thank Quercus Books and NetGalley for allowing me to receive an ARC for an honest review.

Peter May's books are always ones I look forward to, yet this one, because it is so different to his thrillers wasn't one that I particularly enjoyed. It's very well researched and covers a period of history that isn't often written about by british authors. I found it harrowing and rather depressing (which is probably why I didn't enjoy it as much as his other books). There are two good storylines which run together, both centred on the main character Jack Elliott, an ex Army Officer turned mercenary who has been hired to rescue a family trapped in Cambodia. In addition his daughter, having been told when she was young that he was dead, has discovered he's alive and is trying to find him.
I'm rather pleased that this was actually Peter May's first book, which he has rewritten as I definitely prefer his later novels.

“The Noble Path” by Peter May is the reissue of a novel written nearly thirty years ago, and it is just as compelling today as it was then. The primary setting is war torn Cambodia, 1978, under the Khmer Rouge. The three main story lines are complex and tragic with compelling and interesting characters. A woman searches for the absent father, long thought to be dead. A family is abandoned in the midst of war and chaos; years later the father who escaped seeks to be reunited with them. A mercenary conducts the search, a black ops specialist, a gun for hire, paid assassin; he does it for the money. He is the fixer who weaves in and out of the other stories.
The characters tell the same stories but from different perspectives. This provides an overall look at the action, and allows readers to observe how characters deal with the multitude of complex situations in which they find themselves. Raw emotions run just under the surface, resentment, bitterness, revenge, vindication, compassion, resolve to survive, understanding, and forgiveness.
May’s writing has exceptional depth and detail. This story is current, and compelling, and the descriptive language is without equal. The food, the geography, and the people make the story come alive for readers.
“The Noble Path” is about people, their hopes, dreams, disappointments, and tragedies. I was given a review copy by Peter May, Quercus Books, and Riverrun Books. It is thought provoking, tragically realistic, and violent. It is not for sensitive readers, but it does make readers think about life, death and war. Many talk about the innocent victims of war, but perhaps the real victims are the ones who survive it.

EXCERPT: Four hundred miles away in a small, darkened room on the top floor of a building off the Falls Road in Belfast, Elliott's face was drawn from a large beige envelope. The face was older than in the wedding photographs, and had by now acquired its distinctive scar. The photograph was placed in the centre of a bare wooden table. There were three men seated around it. The man who had taken the print from the envelope turned it through ninety degrees in order that the others could see it clearly.

'John Alexander Elliott,' he spoke with a thick Belfast brogue. 'Ex-British army. Now freelancing. He killed McAlliskey. And O'Neill.' He paused. 'We want him dead.'

ABOUT THIS BOOK: THE EVIL WRATH
Cambodia, 1978: Amid the Khmer Rouge's crazed genocide, soldier-of-fortune Jack Elliott is given the impossible task of rescuing a family from the regime.
THE PAINFUL TRUTH
Eighteen-year-old orphan and budding journalist Lisa Robinson has received the impossible news that her father is, in fact, alive. His name is Jack Elliott.
THE NOBLE PATH
As Jack tracks the hostages and Lisa traces her heritage, each intent on reuniting a family. Yet to succeed, they each must run a dangerous gauntlet of bullets and betrayal.

MY THOUGHTS: Not my normal genre but, to be honest, if Peter May wrote the telephone directory, I would probably read it.

Although this book is set in the 1970s, there are so many issues that are still current today.

WAR: There is always one being fought somewhere in the world, in which the civilians, the innocents, bear the brunt.

REFUGEES: A problem that has become worse over the years, not better. Yet who can blame these people who have already suffered so much, for wanting a better life.

HUMAN TRAFFICKING: There are always people looking to make money out of selling people dreams, then using them for their own ends.

This novel is not Peter May's normal fare. And I must say that I prefer his Lewis trilogy, and the Enzo series, but The Noble Path is compelling reading. I vaguely remember newscasts covering the Cambodian war...but I was of an age where I was far more interested in the weekend's agenda. Yes, I was shallow. I was aware on a peripheral basis, but if it didn't affect me directly......for which I now unreservedly apologise.

The Noble Path contains graphic violence, but nothing that is gratuitous, in fact, it has probably been toned down. I cannot, and do not want to, imagine the atrocities, the cruelties, that occurred every minute of every day.

I did not enjoy The Noble Path, but at the same time I loved it. I loved the little kindnesses, the humanity of the characters. There were times that I gasped in horror, times that I wept with sorrow, and times that my heart swelled at some small deed.

This is a story of lost innocence on many levels, of human resilience, of the power of the love of a mother, and the search of a daughter for her father. It is a novel of the horrors and inhumanity of war. It is a novel of love, death and survival. It is a novel of hope.


My favourite quote: The dead couldn't hurt you. But they filled your mind, touching your soul, a reminder that you too were only flesh and blood and would one day return to the earth. Dust to dust.

#TheNoblePath #NetGalley
😳😢😯😍

THE AUTHOR: Peter May is a Scottish television screenwriter, novelist, and crime writer. He is the recipient of writing awards in Europe and America. The Blackhouse won the U.S. Barry Award for Crime Novel of the Year and the national literature award in France, the CEZAM Prix Litteraire.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Quercus Books via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Noble Path by Peter May for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system, please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon and my webpage

I read and thoroughly enjoyed Peter May's China Series, this one however I battled with.

There is a fair amount of jumping around at the start which is a bit confusing, I think that could have been more cohesive.

It is a story of mercenaries sent to rescue family members from Cambodia in the 1970's, set amongst the turmoil cause by the Khmer Rouge. Jack Elliot, an ex-British officer leads his team of two on the rescue mission. It is nothing you haven't read or seen before.

Meanwhile in London, Lisa just having attended her mother's funeral discovers that her father is not in fact dead and is none other than Jack Elliot. Lisa decides to find him and follows his tracks. I found her behaviour for an 18 year old to rather out of character and that of her boyfriend.

This is a reprint of what I think must have been one of his earliest novels and it shows, his later novels are exponentially better.
Thank you #Netgalley for the ARC of #TheNoblePath in exchange for my honest review

4.5 ⭐
I have never read anything by Peter May and I'm so glad that I have discovered him now! I will definitely read more of his books in the future. I find the writing style very easy and descriptive and this book captured my attention from the beginning to the end!

This book was originally published in 1992 and is set against the brutal canvas of south-east Asia in the 1970s. Peter May traveled to Thailand and did extensive research by reading a lot of books dealing with the history of the region. This definitely shows in how vivid his descriptions are of what was happening during those difficult years.

"There is a seventeenth-century proverb which says, ‘When war begins hell opens.’ In this once lovely country in the heart of Indochina, hell opened when the war ended."

Jack Elliot is an ex British soldier who spend five years in a military prison. He is now working as a freelance mercenary. He is hired by a rich Cambodian who managed to escape to America but had to leave his wife and children behind. His mission is to find and rescue the family. He recruits two people to help him but will this be an impossible mission for them? Can everyone they work with be trusted? Will they survive?

In London a young girl is burying her mother and to her shock discovers her father is not dead like she though but very much alive. He is of cause none other then Jack Elliot. In her quest to find him she travels to Thailand but disaster strikes. Will she survive this ordeal?

In the authors own words this book is a fast paced "human adventure" that will have you on the edge of your seat! Highly recomend!
Thank you to #netgalley and @QuercusBooks for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

It's the first book I read by Peter May and had quite expectations having read raving reviews of his books.
To be honest I'm in two mind because if I appreciated the realistic descriptions of the situation in Cambodia I found the plot a bit predictable and the characters mono-dimensional.
It was an entertaining read but I think it didn't age well and I want to try some of his thriller.
I assume it was not my cup of tea but it's me not the book.
Many thanks to Quercus Books and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I have been meaning to try Peter May's books for a long time now... In fact, I have a physical copy of Entry Island waiting on my shelves, but somehow I haven't been able to find time to read it yet. I was stoked when I received the email that my request for The Noble Path was approved a few months back, and after multiple fellow bloggers recommending his work, I fully expected to enjoy my time with this story. And I most definitely never would have guessed I would end up DNFing it instead!

First of all I have to say that this is most likely a case of 'it's not you, it's me', especially since it has such a high rating on Goodreads and overall positive reviews. I've tried really hard to warm up to the story, giving it a second, third and fourth chance and even reading other books in between to see if a change of scenery would help me finally connect to The Noble Path afterwards. But no such luck, and after days of struggling and seeing myself starting to skimread just to try and turn those pages, I knew it was time to just throw in the towel and let this story be. I hardly ever DNF a story and I still feel mighty guilty about this, but it has become painfully clear that The Noble Path just isn't the right story for me and I might just not have been the right target group to begin with.

I still think that the historical background and setting of The Noble Path is absolutely fascinating. 1978 is a turbulent, dark and bloody time for Cambodia, with the Khmer Rouge reign and devastating genocide. A very disturbing and heartbreaking backdrop for this story, and I do believe the author does a great job with his descriptions of both the Cambodian and Thai setting and the events related to that era in history. It shows a lot of work has gone into research of this period, and I can really appreciate that. That said, I'm just not sure if I'm the right target group for this story. The Noble Path has that Rambo/Die Hard typical action movie vibe with an overload of action, violence and bloody scenes; especially once Elliott is in Asia it almost feels like you reading about a  Rambo II spin-off... Not necessarily a bad thing, but not exactly my cup of tea and it made me struggle to connect to the story.

The Noble Path has quite a few different POVs, and it can be a challenge (especially in the beginning) juggling them as well as trying to connect them to get a full picture of what is going on. I wasn't really a fan of how the different characters were described, and I once again felt like the wrong target group as the story seemed written for the typical white male audience with its sometimes sexist comments, excessive violence and graphic scenes. I by no means have a weak stomach and don't mind things getting bloody,dark and violent, but the tone in The Noble Path really put me off. Once again, this is a personal reaction and I'm by no means saying this is a bad read, but it did prevent me from actually reaching that final page. I'm really sad my first encounter with Peter May's work ended on this negative note, but I still have hope for his other books... Although I confess that I'm going to take a little break for now.

I only wish this wasn't a standalone novel. I thought the character was right out of the "James Bond" era - much grittier and more exciting - but no less exciting. Early on, I saw Daniel Craig in the main role and really want to see his character go on.

The Noble Path is one of Peter May's earlier books which he has revisited and refreshed and is now being republished.

It is set in Cambodia in 1978 and the particularly brutal regime that was running that country is still in power. Jack Elliott is a mercenary who is tasked with finding a rich man's wife & children and bringing them out.

The story is full on with a lot of action scenes. The author also describes some of the issues the population faced during this time period.

From my point of view whilst this was an enjoyable book it just lacked a little something when compared to the author's later works although it is still better than a lot of other books and I would still recommend it