NEAR DARK

5 stars out of 5

For whatever reason, I've missed the last couple of

books in the Scot Harvath series - as in did not read. Not long after I started this one, I realized I've missed them like I miss long-lost friends. As Celine Dion sang, "It's all coming back to me now" - and I've vowed not to make the same mistake going forward.

What that boils down to, in book review terms, is that I absolutely loved this one. Maybe it's because I saw a less gung-ho, more circumspect Harvath, still reeling from events that happened in previous books. There was plenty of action, but it didn't seem as rough as usual, and I sensed that Harvath's heart wasn't really in it. Besides that, the author's sometimes lengthy diatribes against some issue or other were noticeable to me in their absence. Quite honestly, all that made this book more interesting to me, but I'll venture a guess that die-hard fans might not be quite as enthusiastic. My husband - also a fan of this series - just started reading this one, and I'll be interested to get his take.

As it begins, Harvath is drowning himself in his sorrows (more accurately, in substantial quantities of alcohol) in Key West when he gets bad news; a  beloved colleague has been tortured and murdered. The news gets even worse: apparently, someone is offering an almost unbelievably high bounty on his own head - to be paid to the first player to achieve success. Over his years working for the Carleton Group, which functions as a more clandestine CIA, Harvath has accumulated no shortage of enemies. But is it possible that the two bad news scenarios are somehow connected? 

Enter beautiful and well-skilled Norwegian agent Solvi Kolstad, also a protogee of Harvath's murdered colleague and an intelligence agent, who is on the warpath to find the man's killer. What's more, she wants to hook up with Harvath and put their heads together (with a hint that a few other body parts might be shared as well somewhere down the line). The trick, you see, will be ferreting out the colleague's murderer (and, depending on who that is, who ordered the hit) while avoiding the bounty hunters who will do almost anything to snuff out Harvath for good. The sometimes bloody trail takes him and Solvi to a few countries and a few narrow escapes and culminates, I must say, in an ending that's satisfying to some characters but not to others.

The conclusion to my review is a non-conclusion; I have no idea from whence my copy came. Most of the books I read I get as advance review copies from publishers via NetGalley, but this one - a hardcover edition - simply showed up in the mail with no accompanying documentation. I have a vague recollection of entering some kind of giveaway - possibly from Bookish First - but thus far I haven't been able to confirm it. So for now, all I can say is whoever you are, I thank you very much. 

Near Dark by Brad Thor (Atria/Emily Bestler Books, July 2020); 349 pp.

USE OF FORCE

5 stars out of 5


Every time the author churns out a new Scot Harvath thriller, I have second thoughts about reading it. That's because settings in hot, dirty, far-off countries where war and strife are facts of daily life really don't have much appeal to me. Then too, I know I'll be subjected to a dose or two - sometimes hefty - of the author's opinions about what the United States ought to be doing about it (with which sometimes I agree but more often don't).

But every single time, all that fades into the background once I start reading - and I've been reading for quite some time (according to Amazon, this is the 17th book featuring Harvath, now a covert counter-terrorism operative who does a lot of work for a private company and its aging owner and Harvath's mentor, Reed Carleton). As this one starts, Harvath has left the love of his life in Boston and is chasing a suspected suicide bomber - which turns out to be three - at the Burning Man Festival.

It is also learned that a man thought to be up to his Bunsen burners in  weapons of mass destruction was on a boat that went down in the Mediterranean Sea. Too bad, so sad, on the surface - but his death raises the question of what he was doing there, where he was headed and what he was planning after he arrived. The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency wants answers to those questions, but they don't have the reach (i.e., permission to run clandestine operations) to get the them. For that, they turn to Harvath; whether or not he's successful - and there's every reason to believe he will be - there won't be any blowback on the CIA.

As if that weren't enough, it seems someone once close to Carleton may now be his worst enemy - out to get the old man along with any or all of his team members. The ensuing pages are stacked with plenty of intrigue, torture, murder and razor-close calls, with all the story lines coming together for a satisfying ending (plus one that's sure to carry over to the next book in the series). For sure I'll be in line to get it!

Use of Force by Brad Thor (Atria/Emily Bestler Books, June 2017); 369 pp.

FOREIGN AGENT

"If there was an Academy Award for evil, ISIS would have taken home an Oscar."

Yep, you can tell from that quote it's another tale of espionage, terrorism and spies from the king of the genre, much of it set in countries where the only green is the caps of U.S. soldiers. Yep, readers will have to withstand the author's strong political viewpoints as always. But since I've gone on record as not being fond of his settings or his viewpoints (I don't like being "preached" at in books, even when I'm in agreement), why do I bother reading his books?

Because, doggone it, they're good. This one's no exception; I had trouble putting it down and polished it off in near record time. The "hero," Scot Harvath, used to be a Navy SEAL and works for an exclusive private intelligence company that's often called in by the CIA and the U.S. President; if clandestine operations go south, no one will ever learn of any "connection" to the U.S. government.

And this time, the President is on the warpath. An American team grabbing a little much-needed R&R in what should have been a safe area near Syria is ambushed, and all investigative fingers point to one particular informant. Then comes another big-time ambush, followed by still another attack much closer to home. Harvath, who's just starting to think about settling in to a relatively normal life, gets the call to head out and get to the bottom of things. Protecting his country trumps all else, so he heads out (if a bit reluctantly). The journey takes him across several borders, putting his life in danger and his considerable skills to the test.

Along the way he meets up with a few interesting characters, both male and female, who just may make appearances in future books. His teammates, such as interrogator extraordinaire Valla (trust me, you don't want to be on the receiving end of his expertise). Once the world is safe for democracy, at least for the moment, the ending hints at a scenario that could change the course of Harvath's life as readers know it.

Now, all the loose ends have been tied up and I've closed my Kindle on this book. Well, all except for one burning question: Who the hell drinks a double Maker's Mark on the rocks through a straw?

Foreign Agent by Brad Thor (Atria/Emily Bestler Books, June 2016); 335 pp.

CODE OF CONDUCT

5 stars out of 5

It's always interesting to see what political hot buttons will set author Brad Thor on a conservative roll in his books featuring counter-terrorism operative Scot Harvath - this is the 15th in the series. Sure enough, expressed mostly through Harvath's musings, he hits a bunch of them here, ranging from the United Nations and CIA to the government's penchant for spying on citizens to the belief that what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander (i.e., if our enemies do it to us, why shouldn't we return the favor?) But agree with his philosophies or not - for me, it's more often not - he sure can write a heck of a story.

Just about ready to head out for a long-awaited, relaxing vacation with his girlfriend (well, as much as the adventure-loving former SEAL is able to relax), Harvath gets called back into action by the private firm for which he's now employed. He loves his work here because the company is able to color outside the lines when necessary; they get jobs done that those who must follow rules and regulations and function within official channels can't (such as torture and murder), and he's exceptionally good at what he does. 

Initially, the job involves a trip to a clinic deep within the Congo, where it appears there's been a cover-up of a mass murder. That leads to the realization that countries of the world - most notably the United States and Israel - are the targets of a terrorism plot involving the spread of a deadly disease. At the center of the plot is a secret committee whose members are beyond reach of the law of the land. Harvath and his team, however, are well acquainted with ways to circumvent such boundaries; still, learning the identity of those plotting to revamp and take over the world, tracking them down and ending the threat of human extinction puts Harvath's nearly super-human skills (as well as some pretty nifty technology) to the test. 

Yes, the whole thing is a little over the top in the believability department, but hey, it probably could happen (and besides, who today doesn't worry at least a little bit about bioterrorism)? If ever that were to come to pass for real, I just hope there'll be somebody like Harvath in our corner!

Code of Conduct by Brad Thor (Atria/Emily Bestler Books, July 2015); 368 pp.

HIDDEN ORDER

As I've mentioned in other book reviews, I am so not a fan of history in any size, shape or form. Museums? You've got my attention for half an hour, max. Books? Fuhgettiboutit! So when I say that Hidden Order not only taught me a few things about history but made it interesting in the process, you can be sure that's a compliment to the author's considerable talents.

This book marks, if I'm not mistaken, the 12th in the series featuring Scot Harvath, a covert counter-terrorism operative and former Navy SEAL. The private firm he now works for has been called in to investigate the sudden disappearance of five candidates under consideration to head the U.S. Federal Reserve Board. When the candidates start to turn up dead, the situation takes a more urgent turn in an effort to prevent all from being slaughtered in horrific fashion. Clearly, someone is sending a message, and solving the case means finding out who's doing it and why.

The chase leads Harvath to match wits with CIA officers and Boston detectives, one of whom proves to be a "match" for Harvath in more ways than one. The action moves along quickly and, for the most part, believably - with only a few instances of super-human efforts - and my suspicion of the whodunit didn't come until fairly close to the end. For the record, yes, I was right, but as the TV commercials say, wait, there's more. 

I was also happy that the "rants" the author is fond of making (and which, in his last couple of novels, were a bit over the top), were kept to a mild roar. It's obvious he wants the public to be aware of the absolute power of the Federal Reserve - which, as he points out, is neither federal nor has any reserves yet has almost total and unchallenged control of U.S. monetary policy. But this time the facts, figures and warnings are worked into the plot on a more subtle basis - I didn't feel as if I were being hit over the head with a two-by-four.

Hidden Order: A Thriller by Brad Thor (Stria/Emily Bestler Books, July 2013); 374 pp.