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kian_03's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
zare_i's review
4.0
Very interesting thriller about what happens when right hand does not know what left hand is doing. Ben Forsberg, freelance corporate consultant working on PMC contracts, gets himself in whole lot of trouble after an unknown (but highly rated and feared) assassin is found shot dead with Ben's calling card on him.[return][return]Soon he is hunted by one clandestine agency after another - all thinking him to be a mastermind behind a possible massive terrorist attack and all working without knowing for one another or considering others (on the basis of classified and "reliable" data) to be enemies.[return][return]Very good view of what can happen when everything is compartmentalized and everything lies in the hand of the few - as they say "Quis custodiet ipso custodes" - and what is worse than having those few running their own agendas (most notably profits).[return][return]Recommended.
whalemilk's review
3.0
This book is like a bag of chips: easy to completely burn through in one sitting, but doesn't have any substance. I had a lot of fun with this book, and is the only book I've actually read within the return window for the library, which is a good sign for a thriller, but walking away from the book, there were very few things I actually remembered from it. Nothing actually stuck with me, maybe except for the ending, and that's it.
It's a good book to read over a weekend if you have literally nothing else to read.
It's a good book to read over a weekend if you have literally nothing else to read.
davidwright's review
2.0
Good straight no-frills pure action page-turner, very like his first hardcover, Panic!, which I gave a star in Booklist. Swift, utterly forgettable.
blood_rose_books's review
4.0
Jeff Abbott takes the reader on a rollercoaster ride, where anything can happen when two people are thrown together by fate, design, plan or maybe all of them put together.
Two men who are living very different lives and have chosen different paths, however, one act is going to send them onto a collision course of interaction. Ben Forsberg is a successful corporate security consultant, who is mourning the accidental death of his wife on their honeymoon and a man only known now as Pilgrim does the dirty work that even the CIA won't touch. They are thrown together in a hail storm of bullets and either is unsure of who they can trust they become leery partners. They set out to figure out who framed them or if the other is just part of some other elaborate plan. As the body count continues to rise each man will have to confront aspects of their past, present and future especially not everyone and everything is what it seems, they really do not have any where to turn for help, they just need to try to survive.
This is the second book that I have read by Abbott, and it did not disappoint, I like that Abbott tends to do things on the darker and grittier side of things, he does not sugar coat much. Abbott seems to have a way of writing an action adventure/thriller that it becomes so much more than just gun fights. He is able to weave a tale with interacting plot lines that you are forever guessing how things are going to end and who is going to betray who next. Additionally, I find that Abbott never over does the action or gun fighting scenes. While in the action adventure genre there are always going to be scenarios where the real aspect is questionable, I find that Abbott does not flirt with the line too much, but there are some scenes, where you question whether that could really happen or not.
I loved Pilgrim in this book, I was completely fascinated with every part of his character. He was hard and soft all at the same time, and although he gave up his family, he was still dedicated to his country, his second chance and doing what he believes is the good work for the USA. Pilgrim is given the jobs that the government does not want to be connected to. Pilgrim's main flaw is that he is loyal to a fault and does not question what is asked of him and this is where he gets taken advantage of. The more I read about Pilgrim present and past, the more I liked him and wanted to know more. Along with the plot/premise of this novel, he is a major draw for me.
I did not really care for Ben Forestburg; I felt he was real in his lack of wanting to believe that this was truly happening to him and that there really must be a mistake. I just found that his character is fairly whiny (which I believe is what Abbott wanted him to be). Ben is definitely a sharp contrast to Pilgrim, which may be why he was not my favorite character. However, it was interesting to see how Ben changed throughout the novel, once acceptance sets in and by hanging out with Pilgrim. I found it interesting that Ben began to ask himself, "What Would Pilgrim Do?"
I applaud Abbott for never taking the easy way out and allowing all of his characters to be invincible. He allows them to get hurt mentally, physically, and you are never sure who is going to make it out in the end. I think by never truly knowing which characters are going to survive, it adds to the overall suspense of the book because each scene, could be a character's last.
This book does have chapters by different characters, and a multi-storyline that intertwine with each other which allows the reader to try and put everything together before the author takes you there. However, if you are not a fan of novels that have quite a few characters that could be considered main as there are several chapters by then, then this book is not for you.
I'm becoming at very big fan of Abbott, his books are able to keep me on the edge of my seat, wanting more and not wanting to put it down. I know by picking up an Abbott book the story is going to move at a fast pace. He is able to create very in-depth character(s), which is an aspect that is often lost in the action adventure genre. I'm looking forward to picking up my next Abbott read.
Enjoy!!!!
Note: There are some scenes within the book that depict torture.
Two men who are living very different lives and have chosen different paths, however, one act is going to send them onto a collision course of interaction. Ben Forsberg is a successful corporate security consultant, who is mourning the accidental death of his wife on their honeymoon and a man only known now as Pilgrim does the dirty work that even the CIA won't touch. They are thrown together in a hail storm of bullets and either is unsure of who they can trust they become leery partners. They set out to figure out who framed them or if the other is just part of some other elaborate plan. As the body count continues to rise each man will have to confront aspects of their past, present and future especially not everyone and everything is what it seems, they really do not have any where to turn for help, they just need to try to survive.
This is the second book that I have read by Abbott, and it did not disappoint, I like that Abbott tends to do things on the darker and grittier side of things, he does not sugar coat much. Abbott seems to have a way of writing an action adventure/thriller that it becomes so much more than just gun fights. He is able to weave a tale with interacting plot lines that you are forever guessing how things are going to end and who is going to betray who next. Additionally, I find that Abbott never over does the action or gun fighting scenes. While in the action adventure genre there are always going to be scenarios where the real aspect is questionable, I find that Abbott does not flirt with the line too much, but there are some scenes, where you question whether that could really happen or not.
I loved Pilgrim in this book, I was completely fascinated with every part of his character. He was hard and soft all at the same time, and although he gave up his family, he was still dedicated to his country, his second chance and doing what he believes is the good work for the USA. Pilgrim is given the jobs that the government does not want to be connected to. Pilgrim's main flaw is that he is loyal to a fault and does not question what is asked of him and this is where he gets taken advantage of. The more I read about Pilgrim present and past, the more I liked him and wanted to know more. Along with the plot/premise of this novel, he is a major draw for me.
I did not really care for Ben Forestburg; I felt he was real in his lack of wanting to believe that this was truly happening to him and that there really must be a mistake. I just found that his character is fairly whiny (which I believe is what Abbott wanted him to be). Ben is definitely a sharp contrast to Pilgrim, which may be why he was not my favorite character. However, it was interesting to see how Ben changed throughout the novel, once acceptance sets in and by hanging out with Pilgrim. I found it interesting that Ben began to ask himself, "What Would Pilgrim Do?"
I applaud Abbott for never taking the easy way out and allowing all of his characters to be invincible. He allows them to get hurt mentally, physically, and you are never sure who is going to make it out in the end. I think by never truly knowing which characters are going to survive, it adds to the overall suspense of the book because each scene, could be a character's last.
This book does have chapters by different characters, and a multi-storyline that intertwine with each other which allows the reader to try and put everything together before the author takes you there. However, if you are not a fan of novels that have quite a few characters that could be considered main as there are several chapters by then, then this book is not for you.
I'm becoming at very big fan of Abbott, his books are able to keep me on the edge of my seat, wanting more and not wanting to put it down. I know by picking up an Abbott book the story is going to move at a fast pace. He is able to create very in-depth character(s), which is an aspect that is often lost in the action adventure genre. I'm looking forward to picking up my next Abbott read.
Enjoy!!!!
Note: There are some scenes within the book that depict torture.
jedrek's review
2.0
This just isn't a really good book. Some interesting characters, interesting start, but then it just goes downhill. The last half, I powered through just to finish it.
brookesophie22's review against another edition
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
rfwads's review
2.0
An interesting book however quite long and boring. Could have been summed up in about 200 pages instead of 400.
ericwelch's review against another edition
2.0
Frenetic chase scenes, some requiring total suspension of belief, bewildering accumulation of characters with Bondian skills and luck, a good book to listen to while doing chores because you can easily concentrate on something else and then come back to the chase without having missed a whole lot. Think Bullitt but with an amateur instead of Steve McQueen. Will undoubtedly be made into a movie with Tom Cruise. Fasten your seatbelts.