The Carrier    by Mattias Berg Order:  USA  Can MacLehose Press, 2020 (2020) Hardcover    Reviewed by Hilary Williamson Mattias Berg's The Carrier is a most unusual sort of spy thriller. Its lead is Erasmus Levine, carrier of the US nuclear briefcase. He travels with the US President, accompanied by a team of operatives, whose very existence is a secret. The story moves (confusingly) back and forth in time, to reveal Levine's recruitment, training and ongoing involvement with a cabal (led by Alpha) planning to steal the briefcase. We watch Levine succeed in escaping the team surrounding the president and joining up with Alpha in a network of tunnels and bunkers beneath Stockholm, Sweden. The question - for both the idealistic Erasmus and the reader - becomes whether or not he has been manipulated and brainwashed. Is the end game really to eliminate the world's nuclear arsenals or to bring on apocalypse? Unfortunately, though the concept behind this story intrigued me, I found it very hard to follow, with characters who failed to hold my interest. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Mystery books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews