SGAG Logo

ALEX KING

king_alex_bk_asset king_alex_bk_untouch king_alex_bk_lastman king_alex_bk_enemy king_alex_bk_lar king_alex_bk_rogue king_alex_bk_r king_alex_nv_a king_alex_bk_dietrying king_alex_bk_hk king_alex_bk_tcm king_alex_bk_tcc king_alex_bk_sb king_alex_bk_fts king_alex_bk_dmw king_alex_bk_sovpower king_alex_bk_kingmaker king_alex_bk_tf king_alex_bk_bo king_alex_bk_sogf
 
Full Name: Alex King
Nationality: British
Organization: MI5
Occupation Agent

Creator: A. P. Bateman
Time Span: 2015 - 2024

ABOUT THE SERIES

Alex King is an agent with MI-6.

And an agent with MI-5.

When we first meet him, he is in his early 40's, a highly thought of and well seasoned operative for the Secret Intelligence Service, at least by some. There are others who think him too old for the kind of field work that he is given and that for someone of his age to still be operational, doing what he is asked to do, there might be something psychologically unstable.

His specialty is taking out targets that need eliminating and he has shown over the years he was capable of doing so from a long distance or from up close. As the man in charge of Special Operations has reason to remark, King is one of his three top agents and the one who has performed "the highest percentage of successful operations". Even though he is starting to get up there in age, he remains "among the fittest" and "passes all the regular mental agility tests". Mind you, that leader is on the pro-King side. Those with opposing viewpoints state "the man must be completely deranged!"

But an action he took in northern Iraq for sound reasons has come to bite him and there are some who, for their own reasons, decide he should be made a scapegoat.

Not to worry, though. As the series progresses, while MI6 might say goodbye, MI5 is more than willing to pick up a highly trained operative and while they might not have quite the need for someone with his deadly abilities quite so often, they certainly can see the use of having his expertise around when needing to stop other assassins from plying their trade against British subjects.

Of course no good deed goes unpunished and as administrations change those in authority change and gratitude is just a word in the dictionary, not an emotion felt in the high offices so King will again find himself where he so often has been: very much needed and very little wanted. Good thing the man has thick skin.

Having a major part in King's life as his story unfolds is Caroline Darby, a fellow MI6 agent when King was working for them. Their meeting was not exactly harmonious and she distaste for King's ability to kill without remorse when needed is well expressed. Over a short time, though their relationship will improve, largely as she discovers just how brutal the opposition can be.

Good Line:
- Alex King "never go used to it ... the impotence of being unarmed and staring down the wrong end of a gun".

BOOKS

Number of Books:19
First Appearance:2015
Last Appearance:2024

1 The Contract Man The Contract Man
Written by A. P. Bateman
Copyright: 2015

Alex King is in Northern Iraq taking care of things from a mission some of his bosses think he had botched. Meanwhile, in Indonesia the government is under threat from its own military and that worries a consortium of oil men who think they might be able to fool MI-6 into taking care of the problem for them.
buy from Amazon

2 Lies and Retribution Lies and Retribution
Written by A. P. Bateman
Copyright: 2016

Alex King has retired from MI-6 but that just makes him available when a deputy director of MI-5 needs his help finding what happened to several of his agents. One problem, though, is that the task needing done is very much illegal and some of MI-5's own agents will be trying to catch him.
buy from Amazon

3 Shadows of Good Friday Shadows of Good Friday
Written by A. P. Bateman
Copyright: 2017

This is a prequel taking place two decades before when Alex King was still new to MI-6. An IRA splinter cell is operating on British soil making use of British criminals. MI-6 should not step onto MI-5 turf but they do.
buy from Amazon

4 The Five The Five
Written by A. P. Bateman
Copyright: 2018

A terrorist group has a very vocal target base - the world's richest. They give the elite an option; give away their wealth or die by an assassin's bullet. After five have been killed, a list of the next set of intended victims is released. Now working for MI-5, Alex King is handed the case because of his experience at the firing end of a sniper rifle but as he starts to look into things, someone starts to look at taking him out.
buy from Amazon

5 Reaper Reaper
Written by A. P. Bateman
Copyright: 2018

The most heartless woman Alex King has ever gone up against has somehow escaped capture and wants revenge against him. To get it, she kidnaps the woman King loves the most but then makes him an offer - take on the Russian mob for her or see his love killed.
buy from Amazon

6 Stormbound Stormbound
Written by A. P. Bateman
Copyright: 2018

An MI-6 agent is dead. MI-5 decides to look into it and they pick Alex King to be the investigator. The case will take him to Lapland to meet with a Russian defector but two other things are headed to the same hotel - a group of mercenaries ordered to kill them all and the worst Arctic storm on record.
buy from Amazon

7 Breakout Breakout
Written by A. P. Bateman
Copyright: 2019

Former KGB General Zukovsky has been involved in a large number of horrific activities in his previous quest to destroy the West. MI-5 had him but the CIA snatched him. Now Alex King is ordered to find a way to get him back but that will mean doing something bad enough to get the Agency to toss him into the same secret facility. And then getting out again.
buy from Amazon

8 From The Shadows From The Shadows
Written by A. P. Bateman
Copyright: 2019

The CIA is very angry at MI-5. It seems willing to kill to get even which means that Alex King must find the members of the team the Agency is after and mount a counter-offensive. It would seem, though, that the real force behind the assaults is not the Agency but one very powerful and angry man.
buy from Amazon

9 Rogue Rogue
Written by A. P. Bateman
Copyright: 2019

Alex King is extremely annoyed when his current mission is shut down due to political pressure and he wants to find out why, especially since he lost a team member. His goal gets more difficult to reach when an assassin is put on his trail.
buy from Amazon

10 The Asset The Asset
Written by A. P. Bateman
Copyright: 2019

Going on a rogue mission has cost Alex King his career. He wants to leave the clandestine work behind him but that would mean not knowing what happened to his closest friend. For that reason, he is taking on an impossible job on infiltrating the Albanian and Russian mobs. On his own.
buy from Amazon

11 Last Man Standing Last Man Standing
Written by A. P. Bateman
Copyright: 2020

When an old enemy comes for revenge, he does so with the intent of destroying Alex King's personal life. That in turns means that King is willing to do anything to get revenge.
buy from Amazon

12 Hunter Killer Hunter Killer
Written by A. P. Bateman
Copyright: 2021

Alex King had completed the mission to smuggle a Russian bio-weapons expert onto a British submarine, all while taking fire. Unfortunately, what had not been planned was the scientist being infected with the biological agent she had been smuggling with her. Then the submarine disappeared. And that was just the start of King's new mission.
buy from Amazon

13 The Congo Contract The Congo Contract
Written by A. P. Bateman
Copyright: 2021

In a prequel taking place 20 years ago, a delegation of OPEC officials and intel officers are taken hostage in Angola and moved into the Congo. Young Alex King, suffering from a failed mission against the IRA, is picked to lead the team to find and extract the hostages. A difficult task will prove to be next to impossible.
buy from Amazon

14 Dead Man Walking Dead Man Walking
Written by A. P. Bateman
Copyright: 2022

At the same time someone is attacking those close to Alex King, trying to draw him out, MI5 is being cyber-attacked. GCHQ has traced the source of those attacks to someone in the British government and it becomes likely that the same person or persons is the one after King.
buy from Amazon

15 Sovereign Power Sovereign Power
Written by A. P. Bateman
Copyright: 2022

"When the hunt for the female assassin who killed his sister proves futile, King returns to MI5 where he is propositioned by a secretive organization headed by a familiar face. King takes on both the Russian intelligence services and organized crime to halt them bypassing sanctions and flooding the UK market with forged sovereigns cast from seized Nazi gold in a bid to sink Britain's economy."
buy from Amazon

16 Kingmaker Kingmaker
Written by A. P. Bateman
Copyright: 2023

"King battles with his conscience and ruthless enemies as he deposes an African dictator and installs a new leader. But is he the best man for the job, and can King make a difference in a region known only for corruption and killing?"
buy from Amazon

17 Untouchable Untouchable
Written by A. P. Bateman
Copyright: 2023

"Their symbol is an iron fist. Each finger represented by a country with an agenda. Five countries forming a new axis of evil that plots against the West and democracy. An organisation that nobody knew existed until luck intervened.
MI5 has a new director and its special operations wing has been disbanded. King and the team are scattered around the globe. British intelligence has been compromised, data breached and AI interfaced cyber-warfare a reality. They seem untouchable but so were King and the team, and now they have their sights on a ruthless enemy and won't stop until the job is done."
buy from Amazon

18 The Enemy The Enemy
Written by A. P. Bateman
Copyright: 2023

"The enemy is everywhere. Lurking in the shadows, hacking networks and striking at the heart of freedom and democracy. They have infiltrated government and have changed the course of political agenda. MI5 have suffered at the hands of this enemy. Good people lost, lives changed forever. One man is the link to the so-called Iron Fist. A network of spies and saboteurs working for five countries in a new axis of evil, and King and the team won't stop until they find him."
buy from Amazon

19 Die Trying Die Trying
Written by A. P. Bateman
Copyright: 2024

"An unprecedented flow of heroin has entered Europe and police and law enforcement agencies have no idea from where. Local criminals have been drafted in to push the product with no charge to the end user. Free heroin to all. But who is responsible and what is their agenda?"
buy from Amazon

NOVELLAS AND SHORT STORIES

Number of Stories:1
First Appearance:2019
Last Appearance:2019

1 Atonement Atonement
Written by A. P. Bateman
Copyright: 2019

A ride in a taxi triggers memories of an old mission, one that he had failed at but might now have a change to make right while bringing down a mass murderer.
buy from Amazon

MY COMMENTS

I had enjoyed quite a bit the other series the author had given me and mentioned that I would not have minded a couple more books about the fellow but since the author had decided to shift his attention to Alex King, I reckon I should just be quiet now about that. King is a hoot and a half. I do not mean he is funny because he is definitely not for chuckling. He is for kicking rear ends especially when they need kicking.

The writing is terrific. The characters are entertaining and interesting, especially King, and the plots are varied enough to avoid repetition. Here's to hoping for more of King in the future.

GRADE

My Grade: A-

YOUR OPINIONS

Be the first to leave your own comments about this series.

Tell us what you think of the series. Give your grade and comments.

Your Grade:
Your Comments:

To give your opinion, you must be logged in.

Sign In

Register
Disclaimer
SpyGuysAndGals is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, and links with the Buy from Amazon button are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.