Scan barcode
sandin954's review
3.0
An entertaining entry in the series, though not one of the best, with a plausibly ripped from the headlines type plot and the usual excellent narration by George Guidall on the audio version.
macole22's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
sarahannkateri's review
4.0
Lots of characters to remember if you, like me, haven't read the whole series, but I like a good spy book.
zipperhead's review against another edition
5.0
Another great John Wells story. The story did move along very nicely and set up the next book.
pathwalker's review against another edition
3.0
The sections with John Wells were interesting and why I read these books; but there were long sections of political maneuvering that I just don't find entertaining.
creeker868's review against another edition
3.0
John Wells former Ranger and CIA operative must untangle a plot that might put Russia in control of the White House.
ryno23's review against another edition
4.0
Who would have thought a decade ago we would be talking about Russian meddling in U.S. politics? And who would have thought that we would still be talking about this more than two years after this book was written?
But that is not all that this story is about. The FBI tries to force a terrorist sting by plotting a Muslim attack in Dallas. But the weapons that were supposed to be fake and unloaded weren't and nearly 400 people were killed. The Islamic State took credit, but the action is much bigger than that.
John Wells thinks he's going to Dallas to investigate, but he's sent to Columbia for information about Russian meddling. Meanwhile, a U.S. senator running for president is running on an anti-Muslim agenda. A former solider with PTSD decides to react and builds to a dangerous level as he is influenced by a young lady with a mysterious past. Wells narrows down the list of suspects of these solo attacks and reacts.
There are a LOT of twists and turns which get a little messy in the storytelling. I prefer the Muslim-convert Wells who worked in the Middle East in the early books. But as one ages, he attempts to settle down, only to be drawn back in. I understand.
I was going to complain about the narrator of the audio book, mainly in his conversations between a Russian and an Arab -- their accents run together. The same thing happened between an Arab and a Latino. But he is highly decorated, so what do I know. I did think he would be very good doing Westerns.
But that is not all that this story is about. The FBI tries to force a terrorist sting by plotting a Muslim attack in Dallas. But the weapons that were supposed to be fake and unloaded weren't and nearly 400 people were killed. The Islamic State took credit, but the action is much bigger than that.
John Wells thinks he's going to Dallas to investigate, but he's sent to Columbia for information about Russian meddling. Meanwhile, a U.S. senator running for president is running on an anti-Muslim agenda. A former solider with PTSD decides to react and builds to a dangerous level as he is influenced by a young lady with a mysterious past. Wells narrows down the list of suspects of these solo attacks and reacts.
There are a LOT of twists and turns which get a little messy in the storytelling. I prefer the Muslim-convert Wells who worked in the Middle East in the early books. But as one ages, he attempts to settle down, only to be drawn back in. I understand.
I was going to complain about the narrator of the audio book, mainly in his conversations between a Russian and an Arab -- their accents run together. The same thing happened between an Arab and a Latino. But he is highly decorated, so what do I know. I did think he would be very good doing Westerns.
cluelesspoe's review against another edition
3.0
Good read. There are things I would have preferred to have been handled differently, such as plot lines being revealed and we get to see how they are discovered. Different strokes, I suppose - but quite entertaining nonetheless. This book could be made more easily into a 30 minute TV series episode than a feature film in my humble opinion.
roastedsalted's review
4.0
I really liked this series but then found out that the author is a weird pseudo-science Covid denier. Now I know that most good military books are written by right wing weirdos* but once i can’t erase the author’s politics from my mind the books begin to suffer.
*see “American assassin” series, RIP
*see “American assassin” series, RIP