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A review by arnrockwell
The Medina Device by T.J. Champitto
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
3.5
ARC received via book tour in exchange for an honest review
The Medina Device tells the story of Cameron Lyle, his bother Michael and their friend Trip. Together they call themselves the Huntman's Club. As modern Robin Hoods, they steal millions of dollars from corrupt corporations and donate the majority of it to charity. While this is a noble goal, it is still illegal and attracted the attention of FBI agent Rand Kershaw, whose made it his goal to learn their identities and arrest them.
The trio are met by a mysterious man named Rook, a representative of a secret organization called the Knights of Medina, who blackmails them into performing their most risky and dangerous job so far: to steal a mysterious artifact, the same one that was unearthed in the book's prologue. The device was supposed to be delivered to the Knights of Medina, but was instead sold to the CIA. The Huntsman's Club must intercept the boat the device is on before it reaches its destination. They succeed and arrive at their rendezvous to receive payment, only to ambushed by the CIA.
That is when the book really kicks into high gear. Well, the book already moves pretty quick, but the pace gets even faster from that point on. It's a pretty short book, only 268 pages, so the story beats occur pretty much in rapid succession.
The CIA agent who leads the attack on the Huntsman's Club is not a good man. The book does a good job of making you hate him with every fibre of your being. An bonefide asshole.
Toward the ends of the book is a very, very mild sci-fi twist. It came out of left field, though it did help to tie things up at the end. However, in doing so it also created a bit of loophole. Try not to think about it too much.
The book did do an okay job of making the characters relatable, about as good a sit could do with the breakneck pace. Cam, Mike and Trip come across as a tight-knit group of budding who want to leave their mark on the world. Cam also has his wife and two daughters to think about, Trip recently got engaged to his girlfriend. Even the FBI agent, Rand, has a story we follow throughout the book that gives a little bit of depth to his character.
I respect the author for being willing to put his character through the ringer. There are multiple characters that get injured or even die over the course of the book.
The end of the book is just a little too abrupt. I felt like it could've used a little bit more... something. Not sure where or how, but it felt like it was lacking. Too sudden.
In the end, considering this book is outside of my typical reading material, I did enjoy it. A solid 3-star book. I recommend this book if thrillers are your thing or you're just looking a nice, quick read.
The Medina Device tells the story of Cameron Lyle, his bother Michael and their friend Trip. Together they call themselves the Huntman's Club. As modern Robin Hoods, they steal millions of dollars from corrupt corporations and donate the majority of it to charity. While this is a noble goal, it is still illegal and attracted the attention of FBI agent Rand Kershaw, whose made it his goal to learn their identities and arrest them.
The trio are met by a mysterious man named Rook, a representative of a secret organization called the Knights of Medina, who blackmails them into performing their most risky and dangerous job so far: to steal a mysterious artifact, the same one that was unearthed in the book's prologue. The device was supposed to be delivered to the Knights of Medina, but was instead sold to the CIA. The Huntsman's Club must intercept the boat the device is on before it reaches its destination. They succeed and arrive at their rendezvous to receive payment, only to ambushed by the CIA.
That is when the book really kicks into high gear. Well, the book already moves pretty quick, but the pace gets even faster from that point on. It's a pretty short book, only 268 pages, so the story beats occur pretty much in rapid succession.
The CIA agent who leads the attack on the Huntsman's Club is not a good man. The book does a good job of making you hate him with every fibre of your being. An bonefide asshole.
Toward the ends of the book is a very, very mild sci-fi twist. It came out of left field, though it did help to tie things up at the end. However, in doing so it also created a bit of loophole. Try not to think about it too much.
The book did do an okay job of making the characters relatable, about as good a sit could do with the breakneck pace. Cam, Mike and Trip come across as a tight-knit group of budding who want to leave their mark on the world. Cam also has his wife and two daughters to think about, Trip recently got engaged to his girlfriend. Even the FBI agent, Rand, has a story we follow throughout the book that gives a little bit of depth to his character.
I respect the author for being willing to put his character through the ringer. There are multiple characters that get injured or even die over the course of the book.
The end of the book is just a little too abrupt. I felt like it could've used a little bit more... something. Not sure where or how, but it felt like it was lacking. Too sudden.
In the end, considering this book is outside of my typical reading material, I did enjoy it. A solid 3-star book. I recommend this book if thrillers are your thing or you're just looking a nice, quick read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence and Torture