Review: High Treason John Gilstrap

*Won Through a Goodreads Giveaway* John Gilstrap has been on my radar for a long time because fellow readers have suggested that since I like high octane espionage thrillers, he should not be overlooked. Suffice it to say, these recommendations were true to form and I am more than thankful to whatever system found me suitable for winning this giveaway of John Gilstrap's High Treason. High Treason is the 5th book in the Jonathan Grave series. Jonathan Grave and his team are who you send when someone is taken hostage and their return is of the highest importance. Grave is a former Special Forces officer and specialist in security turned Hostage rescue specialist. His team does whatever it takes to return their PC(precious cargo) to saftety. Enter his latest assignment. Because of the sensitivity of the situation, Grave and his team are called in to find the FLOTUS. The FBI director Irene Rivers, an old friend and sometimes employer, inducts them into the search for the First Lady. Because, news of her kidnapping could destabilize the already weak economy and also cause some other secrets to be found out, this situation must be neutralized ASAP. Hesitantly, Grave agrees to find the FLOTUS. High Treason barely allows the readers time to blink let alone allow it's characters breathe before they are on to the next situation. This approach is precisely why I love the brain-candy that are thrillers. The focus on action helps to mask the fact that there is a very thin storyline accompanied by even thinner characters. I don't mean that as a diss, sincerely. It's why movies of this same formula make less than stellar actors A-listers. It sells and I'm buying. In some cases I feel like I haven't missed anything when starting a series anywhere except at the beginning. Reading No Mercy, at least, would have seemed benefitting because I have a lot of questions still. Why is our hero so rich? Who is this man? Where did he come from? Why's he so great at giving speeches? I mean, these speeches entice people who have never handled guns to find the inner ability to thwart mercenaries and thugs. I mean, who is this badass that is Jonathan Grave. Ultimately, I did enjoy reading High Treason by John Gilstrap and plan on reading more. There's plenty of action, suspense, guns, and reasons for conspiracy theorists to always have new material. This political thriller should not be missed by fans of this series. Now I wonder who's out there making sure the secrets at the highest level of government stay just that, secret.  ****