Insiders Book 3: The Afghan Trap

Insiders Book 3: The Afghan Trap, by Jean-Claude Bartoll & Renaud Garetta, Cinebook

Insiders tends to be the poor sister in Cinebook’s translated line of European thriller graphic novels. It’s had its moments, but tended to have to have too many ideas and then go off at too many tangents before we can reconcile them.

With The Afghan Trap that happens again, with characters and situations introduced but never fully realised, even so the series is becoming more coherent with a more linear style adventure taking place this time round, one that works in a two act form.

The first sees lead character undercover agent Najah - having been kidnapped at the end of the Missiles for Islamabad book - being taken into the dubious borders between Pakistan and Afghanistan . It is from the point of her rescue that writer Bartoll takes up his investigative journalist mantle, but for once he educates rationally; making it part of his story, and so by this process he begins to enthuse the supporting cast with character and life, Najah too and not beyond time.

The second part finds Najah back in France as the criminal cartel she’s been infiltrating discuss the economical problems of smuggling heroin worldwide and then having to offload their profits into ever new offshore accounts. Bond-thriller style, and a little too cut and pasted story wise, the presumed-guys attack the castle where the bad guys are based, but Najah leads the big boss out to safety for what looks to be a final game of cat and mouse in the concluding book of the series, Takeover Bid on the Kremlin.

For more about Insiders visit Cinebook.

Sponsored by Target Media.