I really enjoyed this novel. I know a lot of readers were really unhappy with the ending. I admit, the pope election was a little unbelievable, but thI really enjoyed this novel. I know a lot of readers were really unhappy with the ending. I admit, the pope election was a little unbelievable, but that didn’t bother me too much. I always enjoy the ones that have some kind of Vatican involvement…Rome is a beautiful city with fabulous art. Silva’s descriptions bring me back there. As always, a good thriller from an excellent author....more
5/5 Stars I decided to jump ahead to the most recent Brad Thor novel (now 2nd most recent) because he’s coming to my local bookstore on his latest book5/5 Stars I decided to jump ahead to the most recent Brad Thor novel (now 2nd most recent) because he’s coming to my local bookstore on his latest book tour, and boy am I glad I did! I am usually a read-them-in-order kinda girl, but had heard a lot of good buzz about Spymaster so jumped ahead and read it. I’m not sure when Thor’s stories made the leap into 5-star territory, but this one certainly delivers. This definitely an action-packed thriller. A good, well-developed supporting cast helps propel the story forward. And the plot is a very believable plot involving the Russians. Oh, and did I mention that the ending is heart stopping???? I’m glad I didn’t read this last year when I first picked it up because I would have had to wait an entire year to get a resolution. At some point I will go back and finish the in between books, to find out how Scot Harvath got to this current situation, but for now, I will be going straight to Backlash as soon as I pick it up....more
This is the debut thriller that was really hard to put down. Zac Miller is a CIA analyst who goes in to the field in what should have been a "simple" This is the debut thriller that was really hard to put down. Zac Miller is a CIA analyst who goes in to the field in what should have been a "simple" mission. Instead, everything goes wrong that could go wrong and then some. There were a lot of action sequences that were really well written. Zac is a compelling character. I ended up giving this 3 stars (7 of 10) because there were some unbelievable sequences. But overall it was a great debut and I look forward to reading more by the author....more
5 Stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I decided to jump ahead and read the (almost) latest novel in the Gabriel Allon series and am I glad I did! This series has always 5 Stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I decided to jump ahead and read the (almost) latest novel in the Gabriel Allon series and am I glad I did! This series has always been a consistently good series for me, but this one was just that next step up. This was a spy novel in ever sense of the John Le Carre word. A mole has infiltrated the highest levels of a Western Intelligence Agency. Is it the U.K.? Is it the US? I’m not going to tell... What I will say is this was very well done. There were no cartoonish, 2-dimensional characters. Well thought out plot with a bit of a surprise ending. Meaning it’s not what I expected, but perhaps should have. Daniel Silva is a master. Now I need to go back and catch up on everything I’ve missed in the intervening books. Do I feel like I’ve missed stuff? Yes, because I’ve started the series but I’m not caught up. Could this be read now if you haven’t read any of the others? Absolutely! This one stands alone quite well....more
5/5 Stars Another action-packed thriller from Mark Greaney. I absolutely love The Gray Man. In this novel, he is working on his own, not on contract fr5/5 Stars Another action-packed thriller from Mark Greaney. I absolutely love The Gray Man. In this novel, he is working on his own, not on contract from the CIA. It involves revolves around the opposition forces to the war in Syria. Court is brought in to "rescue" someone and (naturally) it turns all wrong. Not only does it go sideways, but he is ultimately convinced to help "rescue" an infant from Damascus. There are some funny scenes with Court trying to come to grips with a baby. Fortunately, we quickly get back to the action. I enjoy the continued strengthening of Court's character and moral code. It's one of the things that makes him different from some of the other action heroes. I was slightly disappointed that the other recurring characters weren't in this book (Matt, Suzanne, Zach and even Zoya). I'm looking forward to the next book where these characters return....more
3.5/5 stars I’m sad to say this was not one of my more favorites in the series. Mark Greaney is an excellent writer and has a gifted way of describing 3.5/5 stars I’m sad to say this was not one of my more favorites in the series. Mark Greaney is an excellent writer and has a gifted way of describing action, but I had a really hard time getting invested in this story. For me, there were too many instances of “really?” I admit there were some good nuggets of background on The Gray Man and there was more development of his character, but I just did enjoy this as much as the first two. On to the next one....more
3.5 stars (7/10) A nice debut thriller. I really enjoyed this. The characters kept pulling me along and kept me invested in the story. There were point3.5 stars (7/10) A nice debut thriller. I really enjoyed this. The characters kept pulling me along and kept me invested in the story. There were points where I could feel Vivian's desperation as she tried to save her kids. I would say the first 3/4 of this book were excellent. It fell down for me at the end. I'm not sure I buy the ending. But overall a solid debut. I would definitely read the next book by this author....more
5 STARS Update: 2/9/2020 After reading the series from start to finish, this one makes so much more sense. It's so much more enjoyable after meeting eac5 STARS Update: 2/9/2020 After reading the series from start to finish, this one makes so much more sense. It's so much more enjoyable after meeting each of the members of Mitch's "misfit team" and how he's worked for/against them previously. I still really love this one and would read it again and again. I stand by my original review in that you can read this as a stand-alone, but it is so much richer if you've read the entire series.
Finally getting around to reading this! What a great book! It was a non-stop thrill ride. Mitch and his merry band of men (and women). I have not read all the other books in this series, but did not feel like it was necessary. I will, however go back and read them to get the back story on Mitch's encounters with each one. I highly recommend this book for all fans of Ben Coes, Brad Taylor and Brad Thor....more
This was a fantastic debut thriller with a new protagonist, Thea Paris. Thea is a Kidnap and Recovery Specialist suffering from Type 1 Diabetes. Thea This was a fantastic debut thriller with a new protagonist, Thea Paris. Thea is a Kidnap and Recovery Specialist suffering from Type 1 Diabetes. Thea is tough, strong and just a bit sassy. The author does an excellent job blending Thea's driving need to rescue her kidnapped father while hiding her diabetes from co-workers. Without getting all spoilery, while you know (or think you know) who the bad guys are there are still some surprising reveals at the end of the book. It had really good pacing and lots of action that kept me on the edge of my seat. I also thought the character development was great and can see lots of growth for Thea as the series continues. I am really looking forward to the next installment in April!...more