My version:
Paperback ARC
Fiction Thriller
Publisher: Atria Publishing
First published: 2018
Bought
He didn’t start this fight, but he’ll finish it.
On his last combat deployment for the Navy Seals, Lieutenant Commander James Reece’s entire team was killed in a catastrophic ambush that also claimed the lives of the aircrew sent in to recue them. But when those dearest to him are murdered on the day of his homecoming, Reece discovers that this was not an act of war by a foreign enemy, but a conspiracy that runs to the highest levels of his own government. They have taken everything from him. Now it’s his turn.
With nothing left to lose, Reece applies lessons learned over a decade of constant warfare toward avenging his family and teammates. In a thriller told with breathless pacing and relentless suspense, Reece ruthlessly targets his enemies in Washington’s upper echelons without regard for the laws of combat or the rule of law.
Of course, the idea of corruption and conspiracy that runs to the highest echelon’s of the Washington elite isn’t, these days, a great surprise. It’s in the news everyday, unless you get your news everyday from Fox (or Denmark’s TV2’s Jesper Steinmetz). It is then probably difficult for a new to the genre thriller writer to set himself apart with his first book. And, as far as I can see, very nearly every ex-Seal, ex-CIA, ex-MI5, ex-SAS, ex-etc, decides to write books as soon as they have done their time, having the background that Jack Carr has, of having been a Seal, or whatever it is, for however many years so ‘knows what he’s on about.’ That isn’t enough any more, is what I’m saying. These days, you also need to be able to write. And luckily for us, Jack Carr can.
It isn’t totally polished as yet, but that’s also good, gives it an edge I reckon. And then, the best motive for Reece doing what he does, or would it be the why? Maybe, isn’t mentioned above or really made too much of inside. Not as much as I would have expected. But then, books that don’t do as I expect, they’re the best. They’re why I read and don’t (sighs of relief all round) write.
The real reason for why he goes on so much of revenge rampage as he does (and why the title is as it is?), is the really interesting part. Is the unique USP that Jack Carr will surely follow up on in subsequent books – the way is left open at the end for subsequent stories (I hope). Reece is a good, strong, well-reasoned, understandable character, nothing seems out of place with hims and he’s probably the kind of character that Matt Hilton imagines he’s writing in the Joe Hunter stories. The whole book is well put together – though I couldn’t really see why the ‘prologue’ portion was there – it’s tense, it’s fast-paced (could be faster) and it’s thoughtful and what I always like with a book, it set me thinking about the character and motivations outside of just reading the book.
I got this book after seeing a recommendation from Ryan at The Real Book Spy. He really does know what he’s on about, does Ryan and if he says buy this book by Jack Carr, you have to. We need more writers of the calibre of Jack Carr, he’s a name we can expect great things of I’m sure of that.
speeshreads.com 