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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
I won an advanced reading copy through a Goodreads giveaway.
The story is incredible, almost unbelievable, but since it's main character is part of the CIA, it doesn't take long to set aside disbelief and enjoy the rollercoaster ride of this suspenseful thriller. What appears to be a very simple and straight forward work assignment becomes complicated quite quickly. The main character is superhuman and has an amazing amount of resolve to continue on his mission in a never ending stream of bad luck and near fatal incidents. Yet he somehow always catches a break and makes it out alive, just barely.
The detailed technical writing throughout the book was impressive. The author clearly drew from personal experiences with hiking, sailing, and law enforcement, among other things. A fast paced read for anyone who enjoys a good guys vs bad guys chase across several countries.
The story is incredible, almost unbelievable, but since it's main character is part of the CIA, it doesn't take long to set aside disbelief and enjoy the rollercoaster ride of this suspenseful thriller. What appears to be a very simple and straight forward work assignment becomes complicated quite quickly. The main character is superhuman and has an amazing amount of resolve to continue on his mission in a never ending stream of bad luck and near fatal incidents. Yet he somehow always catches a break and makes it out alive, just barely.
The detailed technical writing throughout the book was impressive. The author clearly drew from personal experiences with hiking, sailing, and law enforcement, among other things. A fast paced read for anyone who enjoys a good guys vs bad guys chase across several countries.
Overall a good spy story, somewhat implausible, seems like it should be an action movie. Set up to be a series.
adventurous
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
WARNING LIGHT is a multiple point-of-view, thrill ride through Iran, Dubai, and France and England. The short chapters and tight pacing will keep you on the edge of your seat ‘till the last page.
The main character is CIA analyst, Zac. Typically a desk boy, he convinces his boss to let him take on an easy mission. Of course it goes south when the plane has issues and lands in Iran. Zac is captured and questioned, escapes, and from that point on the never-ending chase ensues. It may seem a bit unbelievable, but this is fiction and if you’ve read The Gray Man series, Zac has the same indestructible characteristics as Gentry.
Ricciardi’s other POVs add depth to Zac’s story. Celia, Christine, Ted, and the villains give us a glimpse into the political cogs fueling Zac’s predicament. There are some excellent twists and turns and vivid scenery. As I flew through the pages, I kept wishing we would get more from Celia and Christine.
WARNING LIGHT was a great read and with an ending like that, there is hope that this is the beginning to another epic, espionage thriller series.
*I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Review posted at Reading Between the Wines Book Club.
The main character is CIA analyst, Zac. Typically a desk boy, he convinces his boss to let him take on an easy mission. Of course it goes south when the plane has issues and lands in Iran. Zac is captured and questioned, escapes, and from that point on the never-ending chase ensues. It may seem a bit unbelievable, but this is fiction and if you’ve read The Gray Man series, Zac has the same indestructible characteristics as Gentry.
Ricciardi’s other POVs add depth to Zac’s story. Celia, Christine, Ted, and the villains give us a glimpse into the political cogs fueling Zac’s predicament. There are some excellent twists and turns and vivid scenery. As I flew through the pages, I kept wishing we would get more from Celia and Christine.
WARNING LIGHT was a great read and with an ending like that, there is hope that this is the beginning to another epic, espionage thriller series.
*I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Review posted at Reading Between the Wines Book Club.
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Zac lands in Iran, Zac is detained, Zac escapes. The end!
Full disclosure. I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway.
Warning Light was a very enjoyable read. David Ricciardi takes the tried and true thriller genre, and is able to make it his own.
At times the odds seem impossibly stacked against Zac Miller. With him just squeaking through with the smallest of margins.
This is definitely not a novel that will give you the specs on each piece of arsenal that is used. Or the flow charts on how all of the nations spy networks are linked. But it was a really fun read, and from the start it never slowed down until the satisfying ending. Sometimes you just need that book that’s a fun ride, and Warning Light did that for me.
I can’t wait to see where this series will go and how it will evolve.
Warning Light was a very enjoyable read. David Ricciardi takes the tried and true thriller genre, and is able to make it his own.
At times the odds seem impossibly stacked against Zac Miller. With him just squeaking through with the smallest of margins.
This is definitely not a novel that will give you the specs on each piece of arsenal that is used. Or the flow charts on how all of the nations spy networks are linked. But it was a really fun read, and from the start it never slowed down until the satisfying ending. Sometimes you just need that book that’s a fun ride, and Warning Light did that for me.
I can’t wait to see where this series will go and how it will evolve.
Zac Miller volunteered for Project Snapshot because he thought it would be easy. Relatively, anyway. The plan was to get a plane access into a restricted area so Zac could take a couple of pictures, all the while surrounded (and protected) by the rest of the plan's civilian passengers. But the plan goes awry almost instantly.
Now Zac, a data analyst with no field training to speak of, is a suspected spy trapped in Iran. What's more, the very people who want him for questioning have made certain that his own people have doubts about him as well, making him the focus of two additional investigations in two more countries.
Warning Light is fantastic fun! It's a spy origin story and the first in what I'm sure will be a great new series.
So, as mentioned, Zac is a data analyst. His involvement in the mission in question has been from behind a desk only but the agent who was supposed to head out in the field is pulled at the very last minute out of fear he'll be recognized. And timing is key because the area in question has recently been hit by an earthquake that's left massive damage and, coincidentally, the perfect opportunity to take a peek into an area the CIA believes could house nuclear weapons.
So Zac volunteers. Because he's sure it'll be in and out, no problem.
But of course this is a thriller and in and out would mean no plot!
I'll admit there's some amount of predictability in Ricciardi's debut. It is a spy thriller so if our spy is killed right off the bat there again wouldn't be much of a story. So it's expected that Zac will find ways out of tight spots. And though he's not exactly field trained, he does have a (forgive me) certain set of skills that helps him out along the way.
But in spite of the expectation that Zac will come out fairly unscathed, the tension throughout is spot on and the pacing is excellent. The best part, which I also saw coming, is that this is (again as mentioned) an origin story. Zac Miller's first mission in what'll surely be a long string of them (I hope). We get to learn a fair amount about him, his training, and a little of his background, but there's tons to mine for future novels.
It's appropriate that Lee Child blurbed the book - Zac may not be as experienced or even as suave as Reacher, but fans of that series are absolutely going to love David Ricciardi and Zac Miller!
Now Zac, a data analyst with no field training to speak of, is a suspected spy trapped in Iran. What's more, the very people who want him for questioning have made certain that his own people have doubts about him as well, making him the focus of two additional investigations in two more countries.
Warning Light is fantastic fun! It's a spy origin story and the first in what I'm sure will be a great new series.
So, as mentioned, Zac is a data analyst. His involvement in the mission in question has been from behind a desk only but the agent who was supposed to head out in the field is pulled at the very last minute out of fear he'll be recognized. And timing is key because the area in question has recently been hit by an earthquake that's left massive damage and, coincidentally, the perfect opportunity to take a peek into an area the CIA believes could house nuclear weapons.
So Zac volunteers. Because he's sure it'll be in and out, no problem.
But of course this is a thriller and in and out would mean no plot!
I'll admit there's some amount of predictability in Ricciardi's debut. It is a spy thriller so if our spy is killed right off the bat there again wouldn't be much of a story. So it's expected that Zac will find ways out of tight spots. And though he's not exactly field trained, he does have a (forgive me) certain set of skills that helps him out along the way.
But in spite of the expectation that Zac will come out fairly unscathed, the tension throughout is spot on and the pacing is excellent. The best part, which I also saw coming, is that this is (again as mentioned) an origin story. Zac Miller's first mission in what'll surely be a long string of them (I hope). We get to learn a fair amount about him, his training, and a little of his background, but there's tons to mine for future novels.
It's appropriate that Lee Child blurbed the book - Zac may not be as experienced or even as suave as Reacher, but fans of that series are absolutely going to love David Ricciardi and Zac Miller!
3.5 Stars
From the initial opening scene...a passenger jet in trouble...this debut was non-stop action with many, many thrills along the way. Zac Miller, an American on board the possibly doomed British airliner, soon comes to find his troubles are just beginning. This is a somewhat hard book to review because I don't want to give away any of the plot details and the happenings in this story could go on and on. I'll keep it simple. Zac is a character I really liked and who very much reminded me of a nouveau Jason Bourne. Add in political intrigue, terrorists, foreign lands, and treacherous terrains and you have just an inkling of the plot. To say Zac is put to the test physically and mentally is really such an understatement. The guy seemed to have 15 lives. I found the short, cliffhanger chapters worked perfectly to keep the pace flying and the linear narrative (no flashbacks!) ensured the forward momentum of the story.
Something I feel I must mention is the fact that I had to suspend my disbelief ALOT throughout this story but up until about the 80% mark it didn't bother me. At that point something shifted and it seemed like scenes were really dragging out and felt repetitive. I went from feeling entertained to not caring too much about another near death situation. It seemed I'd reached the end of my ability to suspend disbelief and I ended up skimming to the end. The last 20% just missed the mark for me. I'm still curious as to the future direction of the series and will be curious to see what the author has in store for these characters . I predict this will be a popular debut thriller in 2018
From the initial opening scene...a passenger jet in trouble...this debut was non-stop action with many, many thrills along the way. Zac Miller, an American on board the possibly doomed British airliner, soon comes to find his troubles are just beginning. This is a somewhat hard book to review because I don't want to give away any of the plot details and the happenings in this story could go on and on. I'll keep it simple. Zac is a character I really liked and who very much reminded me of a nouveau Jason Bourne. Add in political intrigue, terrorists, foreign lands, and treacherous terrains and you have just an inkling of the plot. To say Zac is put to the test physically and mentally is really such an understatement. The guy seemed to have 15 lives. I found the short, cliffhanger chapters worked perfectly to keep the pace flying and the linear narrative (no flashbacks!) ensured the forward momentum of the story.
Something I feel I must mention is the fact that I had to suspend my disbelief ALOT throughout this story but up until about the 80% mark it didn't bother me. At that point something shifted and it seemed like scenes were really dragging out and felt repetitive. I went from feeling entertained to not caring too much about another near death situation. It seemed I'd reached the end of my ability to suspend disbelief and I ended up skimming to the end. The last 20% just missed the mark for me. I'm still curious as to the future direction of the series and will be curious to see what the author has in store for these characters . I predict this will be a popular debut thriller in 2018
3.5 Stars
From the initial opening scene...a passenger jet in trouble...this debut was non-stop action with many, many thrills along the way. Zac Miller, an American on board the possibly doomed British airliner, soon comes to find his troubles are just beginning. This is a somewhat hard book to review because I don't want to give away any of the plot details and the happenings in this story could go on and on. I'll keep it simple. Zac is a character I really liked and who very much reminded me of a nouveau Jason Bourne. Add in political intrigue, terrorists, foreign lands, and treacherous terrains and you have just an inkling of the plot. To say Zac is put to the test physically and mentally is really such an understatement. The guy seemed to have 15 lives. I found the short, cliffhanger chapters worked perfectly to keep the pace flying and the linear narrative (no flashbacks!) ensured the forward momentum of the story.
Something I feel I must mention is the fact that I had to suspend my disbelief ALOT throughout this story but up until about the 80% mark it didn't bother me. At that point something shifted and it seemed like scenes were really dragging out and felt repetitive. I went from feeling entertained to not caring too much about another near death situation. It seemed I'd reached the end of my ability to suspend disbelief and I ended up skimming to the end. The last 20% just missed the mark for me. I'm still curious as to the future direction of the series and will be curious to see what the author has in store for these characters . I predict this will be a popular debut thriller in 2018
From the initial opening scene...a passenger jet in trouble...this debut was non-stop action with many, many thrills along the way. Zac Miller, an American on board the possibly doomed British airliner, soon comes to find his troubles are just beginning. This is a somewhat hard book to review because I don't want to give away any of the plot details and the happenings in this story could go on and on. I'll keep it simple. Zac is a character I really liked and who very much reminded me of a nouveau Jason Bourne. Add in political intrigue, terrorists, foreign lands, and treacherous terrains and you have just an inkling of the plot. To say Zac is put to the test physically and mentally is really such an understatement. The guy seemed to have 15 lives. I found the short, cliffhanger chapters worked perfectly to keep the pace flying and the linear narrative (no flashbacks!) ensured the forward momentum of the story.
Something I feel I must mention is the fact that I had to suspend my disbelief ALOT throughout this story but up until about the 80% mark it didn't bother me. At that point something shifted and it seemed like scenes were really dragging out and felt repetitive. I went from feeling entertained to not caring too much about another near death situation. It seemed I'd reached the end of my ability to suspend disbelief and I ended up skimming to the end. The last 20% just missed the mark for me. I'm still curious as to the future direction of the series and will be curious to see what the author has in store for these characters . I predict this will be a popular debut thriller in 2018