A review by theirresponsiblereader
The Treadstone Resurrection by Joshua Hood, Robert Ludlum

adventurous fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

  This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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The bullet wound to his shoulder ached like someone was hammering nails through his skin.

Hayes had been here before, wounded, alone, and on the run. Wanting to quit, but unable to, thanks to the mind job the Treadstone docs had done on him. Survival: It was the only thing that mattered.

And revenge the voice reminded him. 
What’s The Treadstone Resurrection About? 
Not too long ago, Adam Hayes left the black-ops program, Treadstone, and invented a new life for himself as a contractor in Washington. It wasn’t an easy thing to do, but for several reasons, it was the thing he had to do. 
But out of the blue, an old friend and colleague sends him an email containing four pictures. The subject line of the email reads “By the time you get this I’ll be dead.” Which, you’ve got to admit, will get your attention. Not only has his friend been killed, but a group of men have tried to kill Hayes twice (and almost succeeded both times). 

It turns out that the men who killed his friend found the email and traveled from Venezuala to Washington to keep Hayes from doing anything with the information. It’s safe to say that they underestimated who they were going up against. It’s not every day that operatives find themselves trying to take out someone like a Treadstone assassin. 

A combination of training, reflexes, and good friends make survival something he can accomplish. But revenge will take allies old and new; a trip to South America and back; and embracing everything he fought so hard to leave behind. 

So, what did I think about The Treadstone Resurrection? 
Okay, it takes very little time to have a pretty good idea what’s going to happen in this book—you know that Hayes is going to get his revenge and stop whatever plot his pal told him about. The questions are: how many and which of his allies will survive, how many bad guys will Hayes take out, and which one will be the hardest to kill?* It’s all about execution at this point. 

* I was surprised by the answers to 1 and 3, by the way. 

And Hood’s execution was pretty good. Without realizing it, I raced through this book in about half the time I’d scheduled for it (and I honestly didn’t realize how quickly I was reading). There’s not a wasted word, the prose is smooth, the action is fast, the pacing is tight, the ammo is plentiful—you just find the pages melting away. 
The characterization is pretty thin—but it’s enough. You get enough of an idea about who Adam Hayes is and what makes him tick to work, but not much more. Ditto for the main bad guys. But that’s not what this book is about—it’s about escapist thrills. And it delivers that. 

Suspend your disbelief (might be easier to just lock your disbelief in a small room somewhere), sit back, and enjoy.