Review: The Escape Artist by Brad Meltzer

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.

Review: No Fortunate Son by Brad Taylor

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 Rage
What'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

Review: The Catch by Taylor Stevens

First things first, I'm on the fence with this novel and the rating. I'm torn between giving it 3-stars or 4-stars. On one hand, traversing the the dangerous underworld of Africa's maritime scene with danger around every corner was quite invigorating. Yet... I found some parts to be extremely boring and slow.

I was blown away by Vanessa Michael Munroe after winning and reading The Doll. The Doll was my introduction to this badass chick who learns languages with ease, can transform any object into a weapon, and is the go to for any extraction that needs to be off the books. Yes! I'm a fan of Munroe... The Catch just didn't do it for me 100% of the time.

While working as an interpreter for a small security company, Munroe finds her self coaxed into journeying with the crew on a ship. Before long, she discovers the ship is transporting illegal guns and cargo. Before she can even approach her boss Leo, the ship is hijacked by "pirates". Discovering the true treasure is the captain of the ship, Munroe hauls him off to safety in hopes of finding out what it is the "pirates" are after.

First of all, Taylor Stevens still manages to pull readers into Munroe's story by providing a sentimental element. After Munroe's last extraction, she is on a personal journey to rid her life of all the tragedy that seems to follow her. This introduces readers to another side of Munroe outside of the G.I. Jane that she is.

What bothered me about The Catch was that there were moments it was just plain old boring. In my opinion, The Doll was engaging and thrilling from start to finish. There were slow parts when Munroe was digging for information that I thought was tough to stay interested in. I begged for the action I reveled in before. I feel that the action and thrills were few and far between in The Catch.

Long story short, I enjoyed The Catch and although it has its ups and downs in terms of plot progression, I can't express enough how awesome Taylor Stevens writing is. Munroe is a great character and I enjoy following her story. I just hope the next catch doesn't give me reason to throw it overboard at times.  ***

Copy provided by Crown Publishing via Netgalley

Review: Days of Rage by Brad Taylor

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

Review: Polaris Protocol by Brad Taylor

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

Review: The Warrior by Ty Patterson

The Warrior by Ty Patterson instantly grips readers with the rape and assault on African women witnessed by Major Zeb Carter. Zeb is a private military contractor who's job is to visit a few villages in North and South Kivu to get information on who's capturing mines and selling the minerals to people in the states. His investigation places his sights on someone who needs to pay for these heinous acts and Zeb is ready for him to pay up. The Warrior is a fast paced debut thriller by Ty Patterson that follows the usual pattern. What makes these types of novels distinct are always their main character. Zeb is an interesting, mysterious guy that intrigues me. There's no doubt he's skilled at his job working for the Agency, I only wish I knew more about him. Where does he come from? What's his motivation? I'm hoping in future novels by this author, he will address the need for more depth in his character. Because no thriller is complete without any sorts of thrills or action, there is more than enough here to keep readers on the edge of their seats. In between these moments are a little choppy, but I found that it was easy enough to follow. Overall, The Warrior is an engrossing, quick read that fans of thrillers won't want to miss. I look forward to reading more by this author. Hopefully Major Zebediah Carter will be his leading character in future novels.  ***

Review: House of the Hunted by Mark Mills

Won through a Goodreads Giveaway House of the Hunted is the first novel I've read by Mark Mills. While sleeping one night Tom's past comes back to haunt him with a vengence. He's tried to put to rest the man he used to be and the constant memories of his one love. The man who's paid to kill him is proof that he can no longer hide as he's sure there will be more looking for him. What he's most concerned with is who in his circle has sold him out. House of the Hunted takes place in the south of France during 1935, 16 years later from when we initially meet Tom who was a spy at the time. Traipsing from one party to another it seems, Tom is no longer a cold-blooded killer but sure knowes when to call on those skills when necessary. What I liked most about Mark Mills writing is how descriptive it is. Most thrillers are really shy on details. I felt that I lived Le Rayol with Tom and his friends. It almost felt like these people partied a little too much but when in France... There is an underlying romance that gives readers a whole nother layer to Tom's character. He's an emotionally damaged man after word that his first love Irina has been executed. Her ghost lingers in a haunting way that it allows readers to feel sorry for Tom. It is this attention to character development that makes Mills a master of his craft. It is why literary snobs that still love suspense flock to titles such as this. I'm no literary snob, but I do have gripes. Although I appreciate detail and character development as much as the next person, I couldn't help but feel like there was not enough of the espionage, or thriller feel. The moments of action were brief and over in a blink. I know this is not supposed to be some David Morrell novel where Tom's automatically turned into Rambo but I did expect a lot more of this person the book sleeve suggests Tom once was. I'm certain that because House of the Hunted is geared towards a more literary audience it's trying to make a point. What I found to be a recurring theme was that we never quite know the people we surround ourselves with or even love. I very much so enjoyed reading House of the Hunted and look forward to reading others I may have missed by this author.  ***

Review: King and Maxwell by David Baldacci

I have wanted to read a novel by David Baldacci for longer than I can remember. He writes in the genre that I love and can't get enough of. Action-packed, espionage, unstoppable villains, and gripping plots are what I expect from writers such as Baldacci. Thankfully he doesn't disappoint with the latest in his Sean King and Michelle Maxwell series. King and Maxwell begins with a soldier, Sam Wingo, carrying a 4800 pounds of cargo across the desert of the Middle East. Wingo does not know what's in the cargo, but does know that it is precious, important, and a matter of life or death. Anything that comes with a kill-switch must be pretty important right? Instead of the mission going off as planned, a man named Tim Simons, claiming to be CIA, high-jacks the cargo by convincing Wingo plans have changed. Oh how plans have changed and Wingo is suddenly without recourse in a country that has no shortage of enemies. Enter Sean King and Michelle Maxwell, driving along on a rainy night, are interrupted during a back and forth by a teenage boy running across the street yeidling a gun. Before King can stop the recovering Maxwell from fleeing the car, she dashs out in search of the teenager ignoring the pain in her body that tells her to stop running. She's been in recovery from a knife in the back wound and is still not 100%, although she pretends to be for King's sake. Eventually Maxwell catches up to the boy and introduces herself as one half of the Private Investigating team that is King and Maxwell. Because of Maxwell's own childhood issues, she's drawn to Tyler Wingo once the circumstances of his running away come to light. Tyler has reason to believe that his father is alive although the military says that he isn't. He enlists the help of Maxwell. King is most relunctant to take on the case because there are too many red flags suggesting they should back off. Red flags that tote guns and will kill mercilessly. Eventually, the four characters involved uncover an ingenious plot of revenge. King and Maxwell is one of those books where if you blink, you may just miss something. Baldacci keeps his foot on the gas the entire time. The pages are laced with action sequences, witty banter, and non-stop intrigue. I very much like novels that read like an action movie. But that too can get draining for someone who's in search of some higher meaning or great literary masterpiece. That's not what this type of book is about! Look elsewhere if you want to be bored to death! Although I very much like reading books that don't describe tree bark for a whole chapter, I do expext a little more depth to the characters than was given. I'm not lost on the fact that this is not the first in a series, but is the first of the series I've read. My problem wasn't with our starring duo King and Maxwell, who are actually pretty well fleshed out. My gripe is with the people they encounter. Tyler and Sam Wingo are the average run of the mill teenager and soldier for hire. They had no real depth to them to keep me rooting for them one way or another. Although the bad guys plan is something I'd never have guessed, his reasons revenge were vague to me. I wish Baldacci had expanded a little more on that aspect. As mentioned earlier, this is my first adventure with David Baldacci, but certainly won't be my last. He's a best-selling author for obvious reasons. King and Maxwell will certainly appeal to fans of action thrillers as well as die-hard Baldacci fans. I look forward to reading more by Baldacci. **** Copy provided by Netgalley

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.  ****

Review: Havana Queen by James Bruno

I really hate giving 2-stars to the books I have high hopes for. The first indication is that it isn’t worth anyone’s time and that it’s poorly written. In this case, Havana Queen by James Bruno, is neither. It’s surely worth someone’s time and it definitely isn’t poorly written. Ackwardly written is more like it.

Havana Queen takes place in Cuba. The deteriorating health of the infamous Fidel Castro has put revolution efforts into high gear. There seems not to be a day that goes by that doesn’t have some attack on the Cuban people who want freedom, or the Cuban regime that wants the Communist government to go on business as usual. Rations and subsidies are at a low and the country is basically ready to implode. In walks their Havana queen Larissa Montilla is could possibly keep the sinking ship afloat. Her adversary is Nick Castillo.

Nick Castillo is the Cuban/American sleeper the government needs to infiltrate Cubas impenetrable inner sanctum. He’s tasked with finding out as much possible on the recent attacks on Americans and the reasons behind them. Nick is also to flush out any spies giving secrets to the Cubans. An epic battle of wits ensues between Nick and Larissa. 

James Bruno has been on my radar to read for some time. His background in military intelligence lends credibility to Havana Queen. The keen insight into Cuba’s culture and landscape will leave readers interested in finding out more information about this country. Bruno paints a very vivid picture of a country stuck between the old regime and a need for change. 

Usually when there’s a high body count in any book I'm game to plant myself in my chair and let the wild ride commence. In this case, the deaths didn’t mean anything to me because of the plethora of characters. I barely knew Nick Castillo, or even Larissa Montillo, so it was hard to be angry with someone or to pick a side. The sheer number of spies, counterspies, bad guys turned worse, or good guys turned bad suddenly got cloudy in Havana Queen. I admit that all these intricate moving parts made for some confused and frustrating reading.

Political thrillers are usually my go to when in need of a fun novel but Havana Queennever quite delivers for me. I don’t think this will be the last novel I read by Bruno since his writing is actually pretty good. The structure of this novel takes getting used to but overall, he’s got some chops. Havana Queen is sure to excite fans of espionage and political thrillers. It just sort of missed it’s mark with me.  **

Review: Downfall by Jeff Abbott

Downfall is the latest in the Sam Capra series by Jeff Abbott. It begins a few months later from the end of The Last Minute with Sam Capra still balancing his life as a spy/bar owner.  He's fighting Mila at every turn to be a normal person that comes home to his young son every night and isn't constantly being in life or death situations. He's fallen into a sort-of routine until a young woman whispers "help" across the bar to him. That one instance changes the course of his quiet existance to a person who's in a target for a very powerful man.

Diana begins this novel with finding that her mother may in fact be hiding something from her when she finds three cell phones in her purse. Diana's mother, Janice, claims to be going on a retreat where phones are banished so Diana is automatically suspicious. After some amateur sluething, Diana finds info that Janice would rather her not know. This information puts Diana at risk. In an effort to save her self, Diana goes to Sam Capra's bar to find Felix, her mother's friend, but instead causes Capra to unleash the big guns and do his whole...um... spy thing.

I actually enjoy the Capra character. I have read all the previous Abbott novels written in this series Such as Adrenaline and The Last Minute so I knew what to expect from this thriller. What I expected was action. Lots and lots of action. Abbott does a good job at maintaining the pace throughout this novel. There's barely time to for Capra to breath it seems. The characters from The Round Table, the secret organization that Capra is with, maintain their storylines from previous novels. I appreciate that Abbott gives snippets of information about regarding their past so that it is easy to read these as standalones. Also it gives people a refresher coarse on what they may have forgotten from previous novels.

One other element to this novel I enjoyed was that many of the assassins from the opposing group The Network were just as human and well developed as Sam Capra.  They all share a commonality that bordered on getting old because of how often it was mentioned, but still manages to make them worthy of sympathy. All except their leader seem less heartless. Although they have put themselves in their current predicament, I still felt bad for these people.

Overall, Downfall is an interesting thriller that supplies more than enough thrills. Capra is still doing his parkour thing and his son is still his main motivation... from afar. I look forward to book 4 in the Sam Capra series. I will definitely be reading other Abbott novels. It's safe to assume I'm a fan at this point. And if I learned nothing at all from this novel except one this it is to never make deals with the devil. If the deal is too good to be true, it probably isn't true.  ***

Review of The Shanghai Factor by Charles McCarry

The Shanghai Factor by Charles McCarry is the first novel I've read by this author. He needs no introduction given his plethora of other books on the subject of espionage so I'll begin with stating I enjoyed reading this book a lot. Our nameless hero is narrating the story as he travels between China and America on the mission of getting intelligence about CEO Chen Qi. CEO Chen Qi is believed to be the front man for the Chinese Intelligence known simply as Guonbu. We follow our spy as he becomes emersed into a world where danger is at every turn and no one can be trusted.

The Shanghai Factor reads at a very quick pace and is easy to follow. It's a slow burn, much like espionage is described as being in this book. Our hero doesn't go dashing across lanes of traffic or zip lining off telephone poles. He's your average, intelligent guy that gets a whole lot of action from women of questionable backgrounds. If you're interested in a Jason Bourne, this is not the book for you.

Character development is done well considering this is a narrative. In the interest of pacing and good storytelling, there were no unnecessary characters thrown into the fray just to be killed off. The actions in this novel are purposeful and deliberate. Every person is well described even though our hero is unable to tell  most of their background. He describes their actions, their looks, as a way to evoke what that person may be thinking or feeling.

In closing, I'd like to reinterate that I really enjoyed this book. It's filled with mystery and intrigue the entire time. The sense that there is no one who can be trusted is always lingering like the elephant in the room. The Shanghai Factor is suited best for lovers of spy novels and fans of Charles McCarry. ****