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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
Zac Miller is on a flight from London to Singapore, sitting next to a lovely British woman, with whom he has a lovely conversation. The plane has engine trouble and makes an emergency landing in Iran, where there has been a devastating earthquake a few days prior. When Zac, who took some photographs of the mountains with his cell phone, gets up to use the restroom, he is escorted to an interrogation room. As he's leaving the room, all goes black. He wakes up in a cell and is promptly
"interrogated" by the Iranians. This is a summary of the first 50 pages of Warning Light by David Ricciardi.
The book then becomes a question of whether Zac, an analyst, can (1) escape, (2) survive, and (3) get back to London so he can share the intel he gathered. This book is a roller coaster ride. Zac is like MacGuyver. He isn't an agent. He had some training, but he doesn't have the James Bond skills of Mitch Rapp or Pike Logan, or Courtland Gray. What Zac does have is determination. And a survival instinct. He is good at listening to his gut and acting on it.
I never thought that someone being trapped in the mountains without food or water or on a boat in really rough seas could be exciting, but Ricciardi has a gift for description and making suspense out of mother nature. This book is so well-written, in fact, that I read about 100 pages without realizing I'd read that much. I didn't want to put it down and I didn't even check the page numbers as they flew by.
I hope that this is the beginning of a long career for David Ricciardi, because he is a true talent and I look forward to see what he does next.
"interrogated" by the Iranians. This is a summary of the first 50 pages of Warning Light by David Ricciardi.
The book then becomes a question of whether Zac, an analyst, can (1) escape, (2) survive, and (3) get back to London so he can share the intel he gathered. This book is a roller coaster ride. Zac is like MacGuyver. He isn't an agent. He had some training, but he doesn't have the James Bond skills of Mitch Rapp or Pike Logan, or Courtland Gray. What Zac does have is determination. And a survival instinct. He is good at listening to his gut and acting on it.
I never thought that someone being trapped in the mountains without food or water or on a boat in really rough seas could be exciting, but Ricciardi has a gift for description and making suspense out of mother nature. This book is so well-written, in fact, that I read about 100 pages without realizing I'd read that much. I didn't want to put it down and I didn't even check the page numbers as they flew by.
I hope that this is the beginning of a long career for David Ricciardi, because he is a true talent and I look forward to see what he does next.
Very exhilarating. Had me interested on the 3rd page. Did get rather tedious in some places, such as the play by play of the ships at port and on the small vessel across the English Channel. Overall great book. You never read the story of how the hero becomes BA, they usually just are. This story shows us how Jake becomes what he is.
I did like this book but I did struggle a bit to find that strong connection to the characters. This in turn caused me to lose some focus on the story. Yet, it made up I other aspects like intensity and speed. These two factors made this book a fast read. The main character, Zac did well holding the story together. In regards to believability; the storyline was believable. Mr. Ricciardi does write a good book. Although, this book did not resonate with me as strongly as I would have liked, I would try another book from this author.
First book I have read by Mr. Ricciardi. Was well thought out, good character development, but really nothing happens except for the character development.
This read like a prequel and I understand being the first book in a series there is some groundwork to be laid, but the first book should be ACTION PACKED (and this was not). An author can go back later to tell the backstory. I wish he had done so.
This read like a prequel and I understand being the first book in a series there is some groundwork to be laid, but the first book should be ACTION PACKED (and this was not). An author can go back later to tell the backstory. I wish he had done so.
Literary rendition of a Hollywood action and spy film. Entertaining at most. Forgettable at worst.
Received an ARC.
Received an ARC.
With thanks to the author, David Ricciardi, and the publisher, Berkley Books, for the Advanced Reader Copy.
Warning Light is a high paced read about Zac Miller, an analyst (not a field operative) with the CIA. He is tapped for a simple field mission, involving a British commercial air flight and a closed region of Iranian air space, which quickly goes awry. His situation is dire and things move quickly south from there. The reader is privy to some of the behind the scenes machinations of both sides, while other tidbits are kept hidden.
Highly recommended for fans of espionage and spy fiction, such as authors Clive Cussler, Tom Clancy, W.E.B. Griffin, and the like.
Warning Light is a high paced read about Zac Miller, an analyst (not a field operative) with the CIA. He is tapped for a simple field mission, involving a British commercial air flight and a closed region of Iranian air space, which quickly goes awry. His situation is dire and things move quickly south from there. The reader is privy to some of the behind the scenes machinations of both sides, while other tidbits are kept hidden.
Highly recommended for fans of espionage and spy fiction, such as authors Clive Cussler, Tom Clancy, W.E.B. Griffin, and the like.
Warning Light was a great first novel. It may have been lighter on the firefights and heavy action of most thrillers, but it made up for it in the survival and stealth sections. It’s like mixing Bear Grylls with Jason Bourne as long stretches of the novel are devoted to battling the wilderness and the sea lacking food, water, and equipment. Yet the secret agent stuff still manages to be up to snuff. Hopefully this is the start of a new series as I dig the introduction of a survivalist secret agent into the genre.
Solid, but the narration style wore on me. The characters are either super calm, or yelling wildly like the world is going to end. A little much.
My first book by this author. I'm giving this book 5 stars because the writing is really easy to read and the action is fast and non-stop. There are some credulity issues but it's that kind of book so I won't downgrade the rating. The plot is also a little out of the box (for me) as it didn't turn in the direction I thought it would. It ended up being a road-trip kind of plot. The characters were likeable when they needed to be and the villains were cliched but it didn't stop me from liking the book. This is the first book I've read deep into the night and couldn't stop for a very long time.
Summary/spoilers:
Zac Miller is on an British Airways jet on the way to Singapore. He's a desk jockey for the CIA. The plane is forced to emergency land in Iran due to engine trouble. The plane lands near an Iranian nuclear complex and they catch him taking pictures with his phone.
The Iranian security apparatus detains him for torture and extreme questioning while sending a double to take his place on the plane which continues its journey. Miller breaks out after killing several guards. He escapes into the arid landscape and avoids being captured due to the area being inhospitable to both him and the searchers. After several run ins with the Iranians he meets up with some nomads. They shelter him for a few days because he has saved one of their children.
When the nomads go to town to sell their produce he goes with them. The town is on the Persian Gulf and he steals a sailboat and sails to Dubai. He is captured by a rogue Dubai police officer who plans to send him back to Iran but he escapes and contacts his boss. His pick up is compromised and he steals onboard a French container ship going to Marseilles. He avoids being discovered on the ship which eventually goes through the Suez Canal and arrives in Marseilles.
Once in Marseilles he calls his boss but his pick up is compromised again and he gets a friend to drive him all the way across France to Dieppe on the Channel. At Dieppe he steals a sailboard that almost gets sunk several times by merchant ships and finally swims ashore half drowned. He is saved by morning walkers and put into an ICU.
Meanwhile the Iranian security officer who has been trying to capture him all this time flies to England to kidnap him but is thwarted by the police and the CIA. Miller's boss loses his job due to internal CIA political infighting and his enemy is now his new boss who orders him to be a field agent due to his performance.
End spoilers.
There is a lot of violence and the enemy gets killed left and right so some readers might not like it. There is the obligatory romance subplot and the protagonist does have to get injured here and there but not too much for the sake of verisimilitude.
I like the descriptions of the scenery/setting a lot. From the rugged mountains of Iran to the desert of Dubai to the water scenes to France, all of it was very well done and made me feel like I was there. Also the depictions of all the secondary and bit characters wee also well written and life like. In a fast action book you don't want to be bogged down by long winding scenes and everything was put together just right and just enough.
So plot + action + verisimilitude = 5 stars.
I'm currently on the second book and it's more of the same.
Summary/spoilers:
Zac Miller is on an British Airways jet on the way to Singapore. He's a desk jockey for the CIA. The plane is forced to emergency land in Iran due to engine trouble. The plane lands near an Iranian nuclear complex and they catch him taking pictures with his phone.
The Iranian security apparatus detains him for torture and extreme questioning while sending a double to take his place on the plane which continues its journey. Miller breaks out after killing several guards. He escapes into the arid landscape and avoids being captured due to the area being inhospitable to both him and the searchers. After several run ins with the Iranians he meets up with some nomads. They shelter him for a few days because he has saved one of their children.
When the nomads go to town to sell their produce he goes with them. The town is on the Persian Gulf and he steals a sailboat and sails to Dubai. He is captured by a rogue Dubai police officer who plans to send him back to Iran but he escapes and contacts his boss. His pick up is compromised and he steals onboard a French container ship going to Marseilles. He avoids being discovered on the ship which eventually goes through the Suez Canal and arrives in Marseilles.
Once in Marseilles he calls his boss but his pick up is compromised again and he gets a friend to drive him all the way across France to Dieppe on the Channel. At Dieppe he steals a sailboard that almost gets sunk several times by merchant ships and finally swims ashore half drowned. He is saved by morning walkers and put into an ICU.
Meanwhile the Iranian security officer who has been trying to capture him all this time flies to England to kidnap him but is thwarted by the police and the CIA. Miller's boss loses his job due to internal CIA political infighting and his enemy is now his new boss who orders him to be a field agent due to his performance.
End spoilers.
There is a lot of violence and the enemy gets killed left and right so some readers might not like it. There is the obligatory romance subplot and the protagonist does have to get injured here and there but not too much for the sake of verisimilitude.
I like the descriptions of the scenery/setting a lot. From the rugged mountains of Iran to the desert of Dubai to the water scenes to France, all of it was very well done and made me feel like I was there. Also the depictions of all the secondary and bit characters wee also well written and life like. In a fast action book you don't want to be bogged down by long winding scenes and everything was put together just right and just enough.
So plot + action + verisimilitude = 5 stars.
I'm currently on the second book and it's more of the same.