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rellimreads's review against another edition
4.0
Sons of Valor isn’t out until June 8th and I’m pretty sure listening to the Tier One series for the 5th time in as many years is a bit much… so I decided to dig into Andrews & Wilson’s backlist. I found Beijing Red written under their (not at all a secret) pseudonym, Alex Ryan. Bonus – it’s currently included in the Audible Plus plan. Yay!
I will admit I did give this a bit of the side eye because I wasn’t sure how I felt about a plot involving a bio-terrorism threat originating in China. While this 2016 book may seem creepily foretelling of 2020 – the similarities were superficial and I was able to truly enjoy this fast pace and engaging book.
Nick, a retired SEAL working for an NGO finds himself in the middle of a race to discover the origin of a mysterious illness and thwart the people responsible. He teams up with Dr. Dazhong “Dash” Chen in what turns out to also be part political thriller. As with other books from this writing duo, female characters turn out to be intelligent, capable, and valued members of the investigation. Dash, in particular, is an equally important and respected addition to the group fighting for answers.
I loved the action scenes and that while I managed to guess a few times where things were going – it wasn’t predictable. I’m looking forward to jumping into book 2, Hong Kong Black. (also in Audible Plus)
Narration:
MacLeod Andrews narration style compliments the story and writing well. He gives all the characters distinct voices and consistent accents. I was totally immersed in the story and finished it in two days.
I will admit I did give this a bit of the side eye because I wasn’t sure how I felt about a plot involving a bio-terrorism threat originating in China. While this 2016 book may seem creepily foretelling of 2020 – the similarities were superficial and I was able to truly enjoy this fast pace and engaging book.
Nick, a retired SEAL working for an NGO finds himself in the middle of a race to discover the origin of a mysterious illness and thwart the people responsible. He teams up with Dr. Dazhong “Dash” Chen in what turns out to also be part political thriller. As with other books from this writing duo, female characters turn out to be intelligent, capable, and valued members of the investigation. Dash, in particular, is an equally important and respected addition to the group fighting for answers.
I loved the action scenes and that while I managed to guess a few times where things were going – it wasn’t predictable. I’m looking forward to jumping into book 2, Hong Kong Black. (also in Audible Plus)
Narration:
MacLeod Andrews narration style compliments the story and writing well. He gives all the characters distinct voices and consistent accents. I was totally immersed in the story and finished it in two days.
binstonbirchill's review against another edition
5.0
I received this book for free through goodreads giveaways.
A very well written thriller (without too much unnecessary action/chase scenes) that touches on several different genres, conspiracy, terrorism, geopolitical, military etc... Looking forward to more from these authors. No need to give too much away in the review, just read it.
A very well written thriller (without too much unnecessary action/chase scenes) that touches on several different genres, conspiracy, terrorism, geopolitical, military etc... Looking forward to more from these authors. No need to give too much away in the review, just read it.
usbsticky's review against another edition
2.0
2 stars = "it was ok" by GR's rating system.
The writing was ok if a little bland. The main reason why I couldn't get into it were the unrealistic Chinese characters in the book. I just couldn't take them seriously, seemed like caricatures than real people. This is another one of those books which I had to force myself to continue, rather than get led along by the writing in the book.
I got this book as a free ARC.
The writing was ok if a little bland. The main reason why I couldn't get into it were the unrealistic Chinese characters in the book. I just couldn't take them seriously, seemed like caricatures than real people. This is another one of those books which I had to force myself to continue, rather than get led along by the writing in the book.
I got this book as a free ARC.
sailaranel's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
mrselaineskinner's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
aspygirlsmom_1995's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
caroline_carnivorous's review against another edition
3.0
Reading this during the covid-19 pandemic feels really weird. It was pretty interesting though!
I wasn't a big fan of how much this is like your American action movie, especially the protagonist. I'd rather have Dr. Dazhong Chen as the protagonist, I liked her a lot better! While she is a great character, it just annoyed me that like in those American movies, she would of course be a love interest as well as a partner. It was so obvious from what Nick Foley thinks of her as he meets her.
The ending was just too easy, I definitely think that could have been stretched out and made a little more complicated.
While I did enjoy it, it's not really the type of book I'd usually read (or movie I'd see, this book seemed very movie-like). If you're looking for a fairly short, casual read, but full of action, I'd check this out.
I wasn't a big fan of how much this is like your American action movie, especially the protagonist. I'd rather have Dr. Dazhong Chen as the protagonist, I liked her a lot better! While she is a great character, it just annoyed me that like in those American movies, she would of course be a love interest as well as a partner. It was so obvious from what Nick Foley thinks of her as he meets her.
The ending was just too easy, I definitely think that could have been stretched out and made a little more complicated.
While I did enjoy it, it's not really the type of book I'd usually read (or movie I'd see, this book seemed very movie-like). If you're looking for a fairly short, casual read, but full of action, I'd check this out.
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