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A review by risreads
The Watchman by Rob Parker
3.0
This review does NOT contain any spoilers.
Summary
Ben Bracken is an ex-military man with a heavy sense of patriotic duty who goes under the alias Tom West. He takes on a seemingly simple job that he has reservations about because an old friend asks him to and well, there’s a lot of money to be made. Within moments of landing in New York City, Bracken experiences trouble and the rest of the book is an action-packed thriller with bullets flying at every corner.
Plot
The plot was easy to understand, but it felt incredibly rushed. I know this is marketed as action-packed, but it feels like the author tried to make almost every scene involve blood and bullets. There was no obvious character development to me, despite the book being nearly 300 pages long, and the characters I did come to know always had mysterious backgrounds that were never fully explained.
It seemed like some things were immediately forgotten right after they were written. For example, in the very beginning of the book it explains that he goes by the alias Tom West for a good reason. However, almost immediately after that, the first person he meets he introduces himself as Ben Bracken. He continues to do that for the remainder of the book with the alias seemingly left behind in the first couple pages.
The first third of the book describes how strongly Ben Bracken loves his family and focuses on the whole reason he is hesitant to take this job is because he doesn’t want to leave them. The extreme emphasis on this point is sweet, but right as the action starts (with the exception of one text he sends after the first shooting scene) he doesn’t mention his wife or kids at all until the end! For a character that was written to have his entire world be surrounded by his domestic life, it is odd to me that he seems to forget about them for most of it.
For the sake of not spoiling anything I won’t say what the big reveal is in the envelope, but I can tell you that I was slightly disappointed with it. It felt like a topic I have read in numerous books before just a new spin on an old classic.
Writing
The writing itself was good, except for the parts when referencing how Americans treat British people. As an American I have no problem with how you portray us: bad, good, rude, gun-loving, anything and everything in between. It just felt extremely unauthentic when writing about exchanges some characters would have. For example, Ben Bracken went into a corner store and asked for some tea in a soda cup and the store owner responded with:
“’Earl Grey, m’lord?’ he says in a mock aristocratic voice”
There are numerous examples of exchanges like that in the book that just felt… strange. There were numerous jabs from American-written characters all about how British people talk and their slang. I’m not saying that doesn’t happen, but I am saying that there were more occurrences than I could count that made it feel over-used.
Additional Points
Despite my harsh criticisms, I can’t say I hated the book. It was a fun read for a spy novel that had your classic action-packed scenes and seemingly invincible protagonist. Ben Bracken really is written as a modern-day James Bond with the addition of a full-fledged family. If I had to rate this book without considering its genre, I would rate it 2/5. However, with the knowledge that it is meant to be a simple read: full of fighting, full of mysterious characters, and shrouded in secrecy I would give it a 3/5.
Overall, I wouldn’t read it again, but I do acknowledge that this isn’t one of the genres I read a lot. If you enjoy a book that is focused on one goal and nothing else, this is the book for you.
I want to thank Netgalley, Rob Parker, and the publisher for this ARC and express that all opinions are my own.
Summary
Ben Bracken is an ex-military man with a heavy sense of patriotic duty who goes under the alias Tom West. He takes on a seemingly simple job that he has reservations about because an old friend asks him to and well, there’s a lot of money to be made. Within moments of landing in New York City, Bracken experiences trouble and the rest of the book is an action-packed thriller with bullets flying at every corner.
Plot
The plot was easy to understand, but it felt incredibly rushed. I know this is marketed as action-packed, but it feels like the author tried to make almost every scene involve blood and bullets. There was no obvious character development to me, despite the book being nearly 300 pages long, and the characters I did come to know always had mysterious backgrounds that were never fully explained.
It seemed like some things were immediately forgotten right after they were written. For example, in the very beginning of the book it explains that he goes by the alias Tom West for a good reason. However, almost immediately after that, the first person he meets he introduces himself as Ben Bracken. He continues to do that for the remainder of the book with the alias seemingly left behind in the first couple pages.
The first third of the book describes how strongly Ben Bracken loves his family and focuses on the whole reason he is hesitant to take this job is because he doesn’t want to leave them. The extreme emphasis on this point is sweet, but right as the action starts (with the exception of one text he sends after the first shooting scene) he doesn’t mention his wife or kids at all until the end! For a character that was written to have his entire world be surrounded by his domestic life, it is odd to me that he seems to forget about them for most of it.
For the sake of not spoiling anything I won’t say what the big reveal is in the envelope, but I can tell you that I was slightly disappointed with it. It felt like a topic I have read in numerous books before just a new spin on an old classic.
Writing
The writing itself was good, except for the parts when referencing how Americans treat British people. As an American I have no problem with how you portray us: bad, good, rude, gun-loving, anything and everything in between. It just felt extremely unauthentic when writing about exchanges some characters would have. For example, Ben Bracken went into a corner store and asked for some tea in a soda cup and the store owner responded with:
“’Earl Grey, m’lord?’ he says in a mock aristocratic voice”
There are numerous examples of exchanges like that in the book that just felt… strange. There were numerous jabs from American-written characters all about how British people talk and their slang. I’m not saying that doesn’t happen, but I am saying that there were more occurrences than I could count that made it feel over-used.
Additional Points
Despite my harsh criticisms, I can’t say I hated the book. It was a fun read for a spy novel that had your classic action-packed scenes and seemingly invincible protagonist. Ben Bracken really is written as a modern-day James Bond with the addition of a full-fledged family. If I had to rate this book without considering its genre, I would rate it 2/5. However, with the knowledge that it is meant to be a simple read: full of fighting, full of mysterious characters, and shrouded in secrecy I would give it a 3/5.
Overall, I wouldn’t read it again, but I do acknowledge that this isn’t one of the genres I read a lot. If you enjoy a book that is focused on one goal and nothing else, this is the book for you.
I want to thank Netgalley, Rob Parker, and the publisher for this ARC and express that all opinions are my own.