Mole hunt by Paul Collins

Ford St, 2011. ISBN 9781921665264.
This book is hard to categorise. Part science fiction, part thriller, part action adventure, barely does it justice. Maximus Black is thoroughly unpleasant, totally self centred and prepared to do whatever is necessary to achieve his ends. This includes wholesale murder and manipulation. Maximus is a star cadet for RIM, a law enforcement come spy agency with tentacles across the galaxy. The only problem is that he is also a mole in RIM and is there to achieve his own ends. One day a message is received at the agency that there is a mole in the agency. As he is the mole Maximus Black takes swift and decisive action against Anneke Longshadow the author of the message. Thus begins an exciting cat and mouse game of move and counter move as Anneke seeks to uncover the mole and Maximus tries everything he can to remain undetected. The violence escalates as each thwarts the other.  There is plenty of technical detail to keep the science fiction fans happy and it still manages to stay on the right side of believable as the story unfolds. Neither of the main characters is particularly likeable, their creed being the end justifies the means.
It is an exciting fast paced story and I am sure that it will have many readers looking forward to the sequel to find out more about Maximus and his evil schemes.
David Rayner