8797999's review against another edition
4.0
An enjoyable read, a lot going on and some of it very implausible and hard to believe but its fiction so...
I did prefer the Arlo Baines books to this but this was a fun read. I would read the next book in the series to see what happens next for John and Piper.
3.5 rounded up.
I did prefer the Arlo Baines books to this but this was a fun read. I would read the next book in the series to see what happens next for John and Piper.
3.5 rounded up.
beckylej's review against another edition
3.0
Jon and his partner, Piper, have been planning a big takedown. They're contractors working on commission for the DEA, which means the bigger the bust the bigger the payday. Word on the street is that a big shipment will be coming through Dallas and Jon and Piper know where and when. But in the midst of the job two unexpected twists arise. The first is a woman named Eva Ramirez. Jon and Piper soon learn that Eva was to be a witness in a case in West Texas before she went missing. The government wants her, the cartels want her, and Dallas PD wants her as well. The second twist is the arrival of another group of contractors and these guys not only want the bust for themselves, they're willing to play dirty. By the time backup arrives the drugs and the rival contractors are gone, there are two dead bodies, Eva and Piper are missing, and Jon and Piper are on the hook for the murders.
I will give this to Harry Hunsicker, he knows how to put together a real page turner!
Throughout it all I did find that there were a lot of elements of The Contractors that were over the top. The bad guys are really bad, the good guys are pretty quirky, and the storyline itself is straight out of a Hollywood blockbuster. But it's kind of ok. First off this really is the sort of plot that you want to see on the big screen. Lots of special effects and explosions, that sort of stuff, and Hunsicker does a great job of putting the reader right in the midst of the action. Second, the story moves along at such a great pace that by the time you really start to consider how slick Sinclair is, how stereotypical the corrupt law enforcement folks are, and how cheesy Piper comes across (she came across cheesy to me, sorry) you're onto the next big action twist and you just don't care. Or at least I didn't.
The Contractors is fun. That's it. It's fun. I liked Jon Cantrell. And yeah, I kind of liked Piper as well. I REALLY loved the Texas setting as a whole. All caps, REALLY. I've driven these highways, I know these areas, my family is from there. It really brought The Contractors to another level for me as far as enjoyment. So yeah, you might think the book is a bit cliche, and yes it is somewhat predictable, but The Contractors is undoubtedly highly entertaining and pretty great escapist, action fiction (exactly what I needed this week).
I will give this to Harry Hunsicker, he knows how to put together a real page turner!
Throughout it all I did find that there were a lot of elements of The Contractors that were over the top. The bad guys are really bad, the good guys are pretty quirky, and the storyline itself is straight out of a Hollywood blockbuster. But it's kind of ok. First off this really is the sort of plot that you want to see on the big screen. Lots of special effects and explosions, that sort of stuff, and Hunsicker does a great job of putting the reader right in the midst of the action. Second, the story moves along at such a great pace that by the time you really start to consider how slick Sinclair is, how stereotypical the corrupt law enforcement folks are, and how cheesy Piper comes across (she came across cheesy to me, sorry) you're onto the next big action twist and you just don't care. Or at least I didn't.
The Contractors is fun. That's it. It's fun. I liked Jon Cantrell. And yeah, I kind of liked Piper as well. I REALLY loved the Texas setting as a whole. All caps, REALLY. I've driven these highways, I know these areas, my family is from there. It really brought The Contractors to another level for me as far as enjoyment. So yeah, you might think the book is a bit cliche, and yes it is somewhat predictable, but The Contractors is undoubtedly highly entertaining and pretty great escapist, action fiction (exactly what I needed this week).
vkemp's review
3.0
Jon Cantrell, ex-cop, now works for Blue Dagger, a contractor for the DEA. Apparently, Blackwater was so successful in Iraq, other federal agencies are using sub-contractors. On the very mean streets of Dallas, Jon and Piper, his significant other, are on the hunt for a major drug shipment. Unknown to Jon and Piper, a missing federal witness was kidnapped in Mexico and is being shipped north to Dallas as well. When the drugs show up, so do several hit squads and Jon and Piper have to hit the road, along with the witness, to escape. No one is as they appear and betrayals follow deceptions follow double-crossings. Interested to see where Jon and Piper head next.
ssindc's review
3.0
I couldn't resist a novel featuring private military contractors (or PMC's), but, while I hate to disappoint, that's not this book. That's not to suggest this isn't a fast, fun, surprisingly interesting read, but it has little if anything to do with the politics, policy, economics, or mechanics of outsourcing (of law enforcement, violence, or governance). But, again, that didn't make it any less entertaining. So, let me start again.
The basics include a mind-numbing-ly high body count, unlimited quantities of mayhem, violence, vice (all the basic food groups: drugs, alcohol, prostitution, theft, lying, oh, and have I mentioned violence frequently enough?).... If I had to distill a spoiler into a three-word phrase, it would have to be either trust no one or everyone is rotten. But forget the title. All of the contractors, the feds (DEA, FBI, Secret Service, Senate, Justice Department), local law enforcement (police, sheriffs, deputies, etc.), and the civilian population you meet in this book are either rotten, dishonest, deceitful, damaged, stupid, or, well, dead. Oh, and many fit into multiple categories. Also, remember that you have no privacy (in your car, on your phone, in your financial dealings, in your travels, etc.) - the government can find you wherever you are, no matter what you're doing - and as intrusive as you think surveillance may be, it's worse (or so Hunsicker would have you believe)....
Despite all of this, the book works, and, frankly, works surprisingly well. I was skeptical when I started, but I struggled to put it down through 500 full-sized pages of mayhem, misery, and misconduct.
What's disorienting is that - periodically, Hunsicker displays a startlingly adept hand at lyrical prose, often when he sets the scene in a new chapter. But don't worry, it won't distract from the story line, the momentum, or the suspense (and, did I mention the violence?)....
The basics include a mind-numbing-ly high body count, unlimited quantities of mayhem, violence, vice (all the basic food groups: drugs, alcohol, prostitution, theft, lying, oh, and have I mentioned violence frequently enough?).... If I had to distill a spoiler into a three-word phrase, it would have to be either trust no one or everyone is rotten. But forget the title. All of the contractors, the feds (DEA, FBI, Secret Service, Senate, Justice Department), local law enforcement (police, sheriffs, deputies, etc.), and the civilian population you meet in this book are either rotten, dishonest, deceitful, damaged, stupid, or, well, dead. Oh, and many fit into multiple categories. Also, remember that you have no privacy (in your car, on your phone, in your financial dealings, in your travels, etc.) - the government can find you wherever you are, no matter what you're doing - and as intrusive as you think surveillance may be, it's worse (or so Hunsicker would have you believe)....
Despite all of this, the book works, and, frankly, works surprisingly well. I was skeptical when I started, but I struggled to put it down through 500 full-sized pages of mayhem, misery, and misconduct.
What's disorienting is that - periodically, Hunsicker displays a startlingly adept hand at lyrical prose, often when he sets the scene in a new chapter. But don't worry, it won't distract from the story line, the momentum, or the suspense (and, did I mention the violence?)....
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