jonathan_von 's review for:

The Broken Room by Peter Clines

4.0

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3.5 Admittedly, Clines tends to rub me the wrong way. But this one pulls it off and shows an impressive sense of genre craft. What begins as a mildly supernatural spy thriller, evolves into an exciting sci-fi action movie. The first half was more compelling to me as it is a very well-told tale of secret agent intrigue. But once the larger-than-life hitmen start showing up, it becomes a full-blown comic book adventure. Also, Hector is a cool lead. The book has openly Latino protagonists and touches on some serious real-world issues of America’s dark war against immigration. It’s a little over-the-top by the end, but lots of action, scenes of spycraft, and colorful characters elevate the material.