Quick Takes: Ben Coes and Tom Wood
Its been awhile since I've posted any thoughts on books I've read, so I thought I would write up a couple of brief reports.
-Coup d'Etat by Ben Coes is the 2nd novel in the Dewey Andreas series (the 3rd came out last summer, and the 4th is due out this summer). This one involved two main plot elements: a potential nuclear war between India and Pakistan, and a revenge element left over from the 1st novel. I have to admit I wished the entire novel had been based around the war plot element, though doing so might have limited the amount of page time given to Dewey. There was nothing wrong with the revenge element, I just wish they had been integrated a little more. The war element was downright scary, as Coes made me believe as if that sort of thing could easily happen in the real world. This "real world believability" has been the primary thing that has driven me to read more thrillers the last 18 months. Overall, I thought this was an enjoyable read, and a stronger novel than the first book in the series. I'm not sure I would put Dewey's character on the same level as Mitch Rapp, Gabriel Allen, or Pike Logan..at least not yet. But there was definite growth in this novel, and I have hopes that will continue in the next book in the series.
-Bad Luck In Berlin by Tom Wood is a digital-only novella that takes place between books 1 and 2 in the Victor series (I haven't found an official name for the series, and since the main dude is named Victor, I call it the Victor series). Tom Wood wrote one of my favorite books of 2010, The Killer (I'm guessing his publishers must have asked him to change his pen name). I was glad to see this novella, as it has been 3 years since the first book was published here in the US. I believe book 2 was published on time in the UK in 2011, but we here in the US had to wait an extra 2 years (the 2nd book, The Enemy, was published this month). As I mentioned, this novella bridges the story between books 1 and books 2, and serves as a good refresher for Victor's character. If you have not read The Killer, you can easily start with this one. Victor is a hired killer, an assassin. The thing that stands out for me in Tom's books, besides the great pacing, is the author's attention to detail. He goes the extra mile to sprinkle in technical details that other authors skip (and no, I don't mean mentioning the name brand of the watch the character is wearing, or the maker of the bullets or the gun, which is popular in some series). Maybe its the computer programmer/geek in me, but the deeper look into Victor's actions really works for me. And while this story is a novella, it is longer than most Kindle novellas I've read, so it feels more like a fully-fleshed out story. Bad Luck In Berlin served to remind me how much I enjoy Tom Wood's writing, and made me excited that the long awaited book 2 is finally here.
New Thriller Releases: Week of May 7, 2013
Below is this week's list of new thriller releases...
-A Delicate Truth: A Novel by John le Carre
-The Enemy by Tom Wood (FINALLY! Been waiting for this for 2 years..his first novel was under the name Tom Hinshelwood here in the US, and was excellent).
-Dead Lions by Mick Herron
-Fear by Jeff Abbott
-Free Fall (The John Ceepak Mysteries) by Chris Grabenstein (the first 3 books in this series are on sale for $0.99. not sure when I will get to them, but think I will pick them up for that price)
-In Broad Daylight by Seth Harwood
-The Innocence Game by Michael Harvey
-The Leveling by Dan Mayland
-Minotaur: A Jim Chapel Story by David Wellington
-The Outsider by Chris Culver
-Screwed: A Novel by Eoin Colfer
-Shattered Trident by Larry Bond
-Silken Prey by John Sandford
-The Stranger: A Novel by Camilla Lackberg
-Time to Kill: A Sniper Novel (Kyle Swanson Sniper Novels) by Jack Coughlin
E-Book Deal: Bloodland by Alan Glynn ($3.99)
This one sounded good enough for me to buy...Bloodland by Alan Glynn is on sale in the Kindle store for $3.99 here.
New Thriller Releases: Week of April 23, 2013 (Plus More)
Below is this week's list of new thriller releases...I'll also include some new releases (that sound good to me) from earlier in the month, too.
-The Hit by David Baldacci
-The Famous and the Dead (Charlie Hood) by T. Jefferson Parker
-The Carrion Birds by Urban Waite
-A Man Without Breath (BERNIE GUNTHER) by Philip Kerr
-You by Austin Grossman (this one sounds like something readers of this blog would like...)
-Code White by Scott Britz-Cunningham
-The God Patent by Ransom Stephens
Quick Take: Patient Zero by Jonathan Maberry
Patient Zero by Jonathan Maberry is the first book in the Joe Ledger series. I had avoided this one for awhile, as I had the impression it was "just another zombie novel"...I have as much interest in reading a zombie novel as I do in reading about quilting. In other words: none. But, I've seen lots of positive comments on Patient Zero, and with my recent trend of reading thrillers, I thought I would give this one a try.
Being a "Quick Take" this will be brief...but I wanted to mention the book here because I thought it was absolutely FANTASTIC! (yeah, I used capital letters there on purpose..to indicate how much I liked Patient Zero..PZ). Joe Ledger is one likeable dude...I seem to have an affinity for 1st person narratives recently. Especially in the thriller genre. And Joe is right up there with Brad Taylor's Pike Logan as my favorite new "thriller lead". It turns out that while the story does seem to be a bit of a zombie novel at first glance, once the details are explained, it is something quite different (and way more 'real-world scary'). In addition to Joe, PZ has a nice supporting cast, especially Church, Grace, and some of Joe's team. I know this is basically just a shout-out, yelling at you to "go read this!" without going into a bunch of details why...but that's all I have time for at the moment.
So..go read this! While it was not released in 2013, it will make my list of favorite books I've read in 2013.
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