Brad Meltzer's The Escape Artist has been on my to-read list for quite some time. I've enjoyed reading his Culper Ring series and expected this title to be a thrilling, high energy read with a nugget of American history that makes the reader wonder what other conspiracies our government could be hiding. The Escape Artist did not disappoint.
The secret's out that after reading the last 2? or 3? Brad Taylor books, I'm kinda hooked. When I need a book that I can quickly escape into, and get lost in I turn to books like this with bad-ass characters who you wouldn't want to be caught with a knife in their gunfight with. Yes Pike Logan is da man. He traipse the globe with his team of other bad-asses named the Taskforce. They are a super secret group that only the top guys in Washington know about. Their missions are usually to save those who have no idea what type of danger their really in. One huge glaring difference in No Fortunate Son is that Pike doesn't have his team. After the actions he took in his last adventure (Days of RageWhat's the current situation? I'm glad you asked. A slew of Irish terrorists kidnap children of men in power such as the Vice President's son, and the Secretary of Defense... so on and so forth. And this is where things get interesting and falter a little bit.Taylor ropes in his readers with action that doesn't cease but when I look back, I see a lot of holes that I just didn't come together in the end. One major idea is that potentially the US doesn't care if a bunch of nobodies die so it makes more sense to take someone a lot closer to home. That was fine and dandy. But eventually, there's talk that something the kidnapped may know that can be used a potential leverage. That never really comes into fruition. I don't know... but I never really felt these plot twists were used to their full potential or seen through.Besides my little plot gripes I will continue to read more Brad Taylor novels and follow Pike Logan to the ends of the Earth because I know he will save me from any bad guy there. He's still haunted by the deaths of his wife and daughter enough to make him an interesting character that is worth liking in all his bad-assery. Overall, fans of this series won't be disappointed and potential fans of this series, be warned that one crazy thrill-ride will ensue upon opening No Fortunate Son. ***Copy Provided by Penguin Group Dutton via Netgalley
Another great read by Brad Taylor. Days of Rage is similar to other books in the Taylor's Pike Logan series where the action is almost non-stop. Days of Rage begins with the summer Olympic games in Munich, Germany, 1972, where a group of Israeli athletes were killed in a horrific terrorist attack. This event sets the stage for many of the characters and their motivations throughout the plot. Skip to present day where Pike and his team Taskforce, are brought on to finish the job of surveillance against a serious threat to national security.Initially the quest to find a thumbdrive and its contents moves the story forward. There is sensitive information on this thumbdrive that the Oversight Council is afraid of getting into the wrong hands. Since Pike's team is best suited to thwart terrorists efforts they are called in to clean up the mess. Plus, Pike is more than willing to honor his two fallen comrades by finding out if in fact their deaths were an accident or something worse.It is not long into the mission when Pike and the Taskforce realize that they are being watched and the death of the comrades may not have been the accident it appeared to be. This makes Pike a very angry man... that is until Jennifer is able to reel him in. She seems to be the only reason why he hasn't blown a fuse yet. It's because of Jennifer that he teams up with another team who may (or may not) want the same thing they do.Days of Rage is a multilayered plot that causes the readers to question everyone at play. There's the Russians who are hellbent on getting revenge on America, the Israeli's who want to avenge their fallen athletes and find the truth as to who was to blame for the Munich massacre, and the American's who may have hidden agendas. There is just so much going on. At times it's exhilarating but also exhausting. What was particularly interesting in this addition to the Pike Logan series is that it seemed to be more about female power. There's one woman, Shoshanna, who seems like a real badass. Who couldn't love an empath? I almost liked her more than Jennifer, although her acrobatic prowess is a pretty awesome ability. Ultimately, Days of Rage is a great read. Lovers of espionage and political thrillers. Taylor uses a true event as the catalyst for a literary thrillride in the dangerous world of counter-terrorist efforts. Although this is only the second novel I've read in this series, it will not be the last. ****Copy provided by Penguin Group via Netgalley
I won The Ascendant a while ago through a Goodreads Giveaway and had been meaning to read it for so long. I have finished and loved every page of this novel. Drew Chapman is quite a writer and for The Ascendant to be a debut, not one page reads as one.Garret Reilly is a numbers whiz. He sees patterns in numbers, people, life, everything. His ability to make sense of what seems totally random is the reason the government wants him on their team. Reilly, working as a bond analyst, notices that billions of dollars worth of U.S. Treasury bonds are being sold. The flooding of this money will cause economic ruin making the U.S. dollar virtually worthless. After discovering this anomaly, Reilly's life is turned upside-down. He's whisked away by the government because they believe he may be able to win a silent war against China. No one is supposed to know about this war and it all seems to be happening underground. China is slowly chipping away at the U.S. economy and that is where Reilly steps in to head a secret group named Ascendant.The Ascendant leaves no room for the reader to ever get bored. Sometimes with financial thrillers there's a tendency to become mundane while all the financial mumbo-jumbo gets dumbed down for people like me who can't make heads or tails of any of it. Chapman does not do that with this novel. He keeps The Ascendant moving forward at such an alarming rate, I can't even describe.Although the novel moves forward well, Chapman does not allow character development to be sacrificed. Every character seems real and full of depth. Especially Garrett Reilly. From the beginning it's clear he has a chip on his shoulder. As the novel progresses, there is real growth and development on his part. There is another storyline, which readers aren't quite sure how it's related to Reilly's story, that was just as paramount. Hu Mei is leading a revolt against the Chinese government, demanding rights for the people and a true reformation of China. Hu Mei is quite badass. Above all, I don't think I have anything bad to say about The Ascendant. I loved it and I wish I'd read it sooner. Since it's clear Reilly's story isn't over, I look forward to the next installment featuring Garrett Reilly. Drew Chapman, I am officially a fan! ****Copy provided by Simon & Schuster via a Goodreads Giveaway
Where do I begin with this review? I guess from the beginning.
Forty Acres is the debut political thriller by Dwayne Alexander Smith composed of a plot I never saw coming. Off the high of winning a civil rights case, Martin Grey is ready to live the good life. The latest verdict is set to bring the small civil rights practice he shares with his good friend Glen, into the limelight and some serious cash flow.
Seemingly out of the blue, Martin is approached by Damon Darell, who happens to also be opposing counsel in the trial that has made his career. Damon encourages Martin to spend some time with him as he introduces him to a group of other successful black men.
This is where the plot to Forty Acres becomes interesting... and I admit...a little uncomfortable. Damon and his group of cronies are members to a secret society headed by Dr Kasim. Their intent is to reinstate slavery but only for white people. They insistForty Acres is their way of honoring their ancestors.
Maybe it's all the "black noise" I hear in my ears or whatever but this was wildly insane to me. I couldn't get past my discomfort for a long time. It made reading the first half a bit of a struggle for me. I don't want to give anything away but I'm sure some of their points can leave room for much discussion.
Once Martin is drawn into their sick fantasy, it becomes frighteningly clear that he does not agree with their beliefs which my also place him in harms way. There's no way a secret such as Forty Acres can be revealed without ensuring it's secret is safe, by all means necessary.
Smith's Forty Acres is a riveting story of a man who's faced with determining what his beliefs mean to him and if he's willing to risk his life for them. Martin is such an awesome character that deserved so much more development, but because this is a thriller, thin characters are to be expected. There were many moments I thought that the plot was predictable and then Smith would take it in a whole different direction.
The one huge gripe I had with Forty Acres is the end and the countdown. That's a cheap tool used in movies and not a book. Sorry!!! Just had to call it out.
Ultimately, Forty Acres by Dwayne ALexander Smith was quite a read. It forces readers to question their own morals and what they'd live or die for. I won't forget this novel and am even now questioning the absurdity of the thinking in some characters. Thanks Dwanye Alexander Smith for such a thought-provoking read. Fans of political thrillers will have to read this stunning debut. The point isn't that this novel is not likely or possible, it's the fact that someone out their wishes it is. ****
Copy provided by Simon & Schuster via Netgalley
have been interested in reading a Brad Taylor novel for some time now. I've received tons of recommendations and friends urging me to start his Pike Logan series. After reading Polaris Protocol I can see why it was essential to get my hands on this thrilling series.
After being initially being declined by Netgalley to read Polaris Protocol, I was certain my hopes of fulfilling this need to become acquainted with Pike Logan was DOA. With a heavy heart, I reluctantly opened a second email saying my request had been approved. I did a little jig and then sent the copy to my Kindle before the Penguin Group could change their minds.
Polaris Protocol begins with some serious GPS failures that appears to be something more than just a software/hardware mating problem. Then military is trying to keep its implications on the hush since losing a drone anywhere in Iran would be catastrophic. Skip to present day where there's more evidence that something's wrong with the North American GPS system. Is it something due to human error that can be resolved or something more sinister at bay?
On to Pike Logan and his team. What a bad-a$$! Pike and his team are handling a mission in Turkmenistan when Jennifer receives word from her brother that while on assignment, his life is in jeopardy. Jennifer is frantic and needs to bail on the current mission since she knows that her brothers voice-mail, although brief, means that he is in need of her assistance. Somehow he's gotten his self caught between two opposing Mexican drug cartels while investigating on their turf.
Eventually Pike's whole team goes out to save the precious cargo. Jennifer is in trouble and so if he brother. Let the dead bodies begin to pile up!
In a nutshell: I loved this book. Polaris Protocol moves at lightening speed, is multi-layered, and easy to follow. Brad Taylor manages to bring every scene to life. Every kick to the throat and punch in the eye was descriptive. I almost felt as if I was reading a movie. Thank you Mr. Taylor.
There are bad guys galore so in the beginning, it was a little hard to remember who was a part of what opposing gang. They were both equally menacing. Eventually, those rough patches get smoothed out as the novel progresses. Ultimately, I was just hoping nobody got their hands on the Polaris Protocol program. This program is designed to cripple North America's GPS with no trace. I have only recently become privy to how much we rely on this system. Its timing is embedded in the United States architecture in a way that is scary. Breaking into GPS could cause massive levels of damage to the very things we use daily. Imagine your bank account being wiped out. Yeah! It's like that.
The other thing that stood out for me with this novel is that Pike is a well drawn character. With Polaris Protocol being well into an already well established series, its easy for the feature character to get lost in the fray. I didn't feel that this happened at all to Pike. His struggles with managing his team as well keeping his love life with Jennifer balanced was real. It provides a level of depth to a man that seems best at being a bad-a$$. I lack the vocabulary necessary to explain just how cool Pike is and for that I apologize.
Ultimately fans of Brad Taylor's won't want to miss Polaris Protocol. If you're a fan of espionage, secret military operations, and just plain ol' bad-a$$ery please check this novel out. This is my first dance with Logan and his special team but it will definitely not be my last. ****
Copy provided by Penguin Group via Netgalley
