Black Ice
By Brad Thor
Release Date: July 20, 2021
Audiobook Available from WV Reads!
3 Stars - A likable addition to the long running Harvath series. Scott's working his way through a medley of other spies and minor missions while also keeping up with his team and his friends. It wasn't quite like I was unable to put it down, but it's definitely a great, action-packed thriller.
I can't make much comparison to the previous Harvath stories. I read the first quite awhile ago, not really into the level of violence and darkness. Then, sort of never found another I wanted to finish. But these seem to have lightened up a notch or two. There's a lot of filler in these that I think readers either sink their teeth into or get bored with quickly. Scott's got an obviously long history, not all of it positive. He's not quite a hardened killer, though he can certainly get the difficult jobs done. Sylvie's an excellent counterpart for him, also skilled and tough, but I wouldn't say she brings out a softer side to the hero. I do love a girl though who can step up and rescue her man now and then.
Thor's penchant for detail doesn't quite have the crispness of some other wordy thriller writers. Some of the dialouge felt less like two characters talking to each other and more like an info dump for the reader, complete with details and explanations no one reading this genre really needs. We hopped around a lot here with some stories and flashbacks. Actually, this isn't overly long, but there's a lot of side stories, paragraphs of description, etc. And not all of it advances the plot. I had a little trouble following some of the plotlines and different characters. I will say Armand Schultz is a excellent narrator for this series, masterfully handling different voices and a great sense of pacing. Everything felt very authentic, just maybe not engrossing or atmospheric for quite awhile. Anyone feeling a little bored in the first third of the book or so, I would advise to stick with it, things pick up quite a few times. But any reader not feeling it on this series, better off to pick up a different one. Nothing was particularly exceptional or original here, but it was passibly entertaining for during a project or a long drive.
(NS)
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please keep comments respectful and geared towards the review, new arrival post only. The library does reserve the right to remove any negative posts that it deems inappropriate.