Book # 11 in the Warriors series
Once again Mr. Patterson has provided for his die hard thriller fans another suspenseful action story hard to put down.
The plot has the twins Beth and Meghan in the hands of kidnappers and Zeb and his team on the tails of those who dared to do this act against a member of the family. This team is unique and tight knit they will go to the end of the earth and go through hoops to protect each other. The hunt is on…..and we are on a ride that will bring us the US, Mexico, Turkey, Syria and Iraq where Zeb will discover the chilling truth…..
The story is skillfully written to give us a fast paced and action filled scenes to take our breath away. Zeb is usually one step ahead but this time is one behind the kidnappers. His moves and those of his team are unpredictable as they take us around the world where they get involved with gangsters, the cartel, Kurdish extremists, ISIS and even the police, security forces and why not the CIA. Zeb’s moto: find the twins, kill or destroy anyone in the way.
Mr. Patterson hasn’t lost his touch and continues to entertain. Each thriller brings a fresh adventure, plenty of action, impressive traveling, lots of bullets flying ( I could go on and on). What I like the most is how everything is choreographed to a tee and how visual the team movements are described. This thriller would make a great movie.
This story is an excellent summer read. I zipped through it in no time
Portrait of a Free Man
Who is Jean Vanier:
Jean Vanier is the founder of L'Arche communities, where a small number of people with and without intellectual disabilities live together in a spirit of conviviality and sharing. This is an expensive biography devoted to him by Anne-Sophie Constant and a nice presentation of a man out of the ordinary. Reading this book, one inevitably feels the friendship that united them …..
The pen of Anne Sophie Constant is crystal clear she paints a portrait of a hero to all people. A man who lived to serve those whom the society rejected: the disabled and those plagued with deformity that would send us running. This is a very religious book that emphasis on how much of the gospel is lived by.
Mr. Vanier worked as a Canadian navy officer and professor before turning to charity work and in 1964 he founded L’Arche and the charity now has 154 communities in 38 countries. Ms. Constant tells us how he managed to reach so many people and travelled the world to encourage dialogue across religions. He was a teacher and moral leader who also helped found a group called Faith and Light now composed of 1500 communities in 83 countries. This is extensive documentation on his life and achievements. On the dark side, L’Arche was not exempt from damaging incidents of abuse in the past. The founder took fast action to expel the abusers and today there is no mention of such incident.
While reading this book I had chills. Right or wrong it brought back memories of communes and sects that were the rage in the 60, 70 and 80 where a charismatic leader lured floc of people to their compound, bringing a great amount of money and free help by the followers. Jean Vanier was like an apostle where he went people floc to his side but the difference is Jean was a leader who grew up in a faith-filled Catholic family and discovered the treasure hidden in those who are intellectually disabled and wanted to help. That was his mission and he held to it till is death. Jean Vanier was a hero to many and loved around the world for his devotion.
Jean Vanier died in Paris, France, May 7th 2019 at age 90 he will be remembered as a pioneer who improved the lives of so many people.
I didn’t know of this extraordinary but simple man and less about his achievements. I had to Google his name and his organisation to know more. Too curious to see if L’arche had residences in my hometown and it does…simple residences that perfectly blend in neighborhoods and are run by caring and loving caregivers.
This book will last in my mind for a long time….well-done Ms. Constant.
My thanks to Plough Publishing and NetGalleys for this ARC
Warriors book # 10
Totally out of this world, unbelievable, and implausible but what a ride. I love this series but I do need to take time off between installments…ouf action packed a la Jason Bourne, Bruce Lee is put to shame with Zeb’s Kung Fu movements, he is a little much of a super hero but hey why not that is the fun of it. We do not have a dull moment all through, tension from beginning to end in a plot that is exciting with many twists and turns and one that pulls us in right from the start. Definitely this is my genre of story. What a page turner.
“Trigger Break” is mainly set in Japan with the Yakuza right in the middle. So you can imagine it is a challenge to remember names of the syndicates and even to place them but Mr. Patterson knows how to make us blend in with slick sleuthing spin and the Yakuza charms…. The martial arts description is outstanding: graphic and visual. The story also touches some feature of the Yakuza culture such as the tradition of severing the joint of the little finger, drugs-smuggling, human trafficking and arms smuggling, etc. everything is well blended to provide us with a captivating read…. well-done as always.
Mr. Patterson is a gifted storyteller with a wild imagination who is well versed in all branches he thrust his protagonist into. Zeb with his gang of trusted operatives entertain us in intriguing stories spanning international countries.
Zeb is unstoppable….love him.
I agree with those saying this fantasy has a very original concept, is very inventive and is highly imaginative. But can it appeal to all…
My take in a nut shell:
Four people’ s souls now in their 72nd year in purgatory are waiting for the solstice to come so they can be reborn and start a life again. While they wait for the time to come they shape the lives of people they choose on earth to their liking: these poor lost souls are: Karma, Lady Luck, Destiny and Fate. The story is told through the eyes of Felix Lacroix (we only discover who he is by the end of the book) as he tells us chapters after chapters what games his pals pull on their targets to change the course of their life….
My thoughts:
Most reviews I read gave this story 5 stars, unfortunately it won’t from me. Ok I may be the odd ball here but at least I am being frank. Although I took the time to read all of it and by the end hated having spent so time on a story that I almost forgot before I had even turned the last page.
Why did this story not gel for me: Too many chapters, one after the other told stories that were disjointed before finally a light came and things seemed to fall into place and the pieces of the puzzle finally matched. Too much time elapsed before I came to figure out that each chapter wasn’t a new story but actually a continuation of the previous spell Karma, Lady Luck, Destiny or Fate had placed on their subjects. Maybe I am not into fantasy….and not believing in the afterlife may also be the reason.
Now that you know I hated this book I must tell you Mr. West has a huge library of stories and I read a good selection of them in the past and have enjoyed most. This book may not have been my cup of tea but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give this one a go…who knows you may love it…..
You really need to change perspective or pass on this one. This is one book you either love or hate…..
Alex Trout Thriller book # 8
Redemption Thriller book # 20
This edition begins where the previous left off and this latest is told mostly from Alex and Ozzie‘s perspective. The plot has a strong beginning; someone is holding a gun to Alex’s head…
Our protagonist once more faces new challenges finding herself in the middle of puzzling cases: someone is hacking ATM and dead bodies are turning up and witnesses are being murdered. If this is not enough to contend with Alex thinks there may be a connection to Ozzie protective custody in these cases….and if so this can be dangerous……
You must read this series in sequence to understand where the players come from and appreciate where the thriller leads us. We do not have much backstory to put us straight.
“At Any Cost” is a suspenseful and entertaining read. The plot is well written and pulls you in from the start. The author lets us know a bit more about Alex and Ozzie and how they adjusting to life despite the tragedies they faced as both are now ready to most forward….but will Mr. Mefford let them do so…there is no conclusion here so let’s see in the next book if we will have one.
Reading this book gives a good ride and does not disappoint. What is not to like: extortion, bombings and assassinations and Alex going off the books trying to stop a blood-thirsty group who wants control and pad their pockets…Shots fly, Alex and Ozzie try to escape death but where does this leads….How does everything fit together? … There is a betrayal …..by the end, a gun is pointed at Alex face…will this be her last day of life?....stay tuned… Oh yes, this is one of those books that leave us in a cliff-hanger….
Although I enjoyed this story a lot, it was not my preferred one in the series, at times the narrative seemed rushed and some of the action was not as strong as in the precedent novels. Having said this I still think this is not a book to miss out on.
I enjoy this series and can’t wait to see what Mr. Mefford has in store next.
The Clifton Chronicle book# 3
The book picks up after the events in “The Sins of the Father” and is a real pot boiler that continues the Clifton gripping family and political sagas which spans the years 1945 to 1958 in this installment.
The momentum of the narrative swings between Giles Barrington, now Member of Parliament and the Cliftons: Harry and Emma. The first have of the story moves forward by the legal ruling as to who is the true heir of the Barrington’s and the second part see Sebastian, son of Harry and Emma embroiled in an international fraud crime. Eventually the two families use their influence to pulled Sebastian out of his mess and by the time we reach the last page we are left in a cliffhanger that we do not see coming. Plot-driven novels are hard to discuss without spoilers, so I will say no more…..
So far, I have enjoyed reading this series. The style is simple and the prose is straightforward with minimal description. Mr. Archer knows how to build tension to move his plot forward and how to leave us breathless by the end. The characters may be a bit the cookie cutter type but I love them the way they are. This is definitely a soap opera at its best….
“Best Kept Secret” tells a story by itself, with enough explanation of how the characters came to be without retelling the previous events but rather focusing one the events that were unfolding. Definitely worth reading it.
