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The plot of the novel was acceptable, if unspectacular, but seemed like a series of discarded Bond plot ideas more than anything else -- specifically, having to repeatedly read about the antagonist's silver eyes that turn black hammered home that bad Bond villain feel. There is also a good amount of jet setting, with most of the locations already forgotten.
As for the protagonist, Secret Service agent Scot Harvath is tasked down with hunting down terrorists, but without the sense of urgency from the kidnapping in the first book, The Lions Of Lucerne, Harvath's behavior comes off as an arrogant and boorish. To every other character in the book except the president, he acts like a prima-donna, and he flat out refuses to play nice with any other government agencies or their agents. While he is naturally always right, it did not make him any more endearing, and his habit of making snide remarks to everyone that questions him gets old fast. Also, it is mentioned multiple times how magnetic Harvath's personality is, especially to women, but it is not really shown, at least not believably.
The most thrilling segment of this thriller was the plane hijacking scenes. It seemed to be written as a form of 9/11 therapy for Thor -- which makes sense, giving that the book was published in late 2002 -- and, for that supposed reason, it is not surprising that this segment rises a level above the rest of the book. Although, of course, Harvath does get his girl-of-the-week from the survivors of the hijacking, checking off another Bond trope check-box.
Hopefully, this book was only a let-down because Brad Thor struggled to transition his first Scot Harvath book into a series, or with the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and the next book in the series, State Of The Union, is an improvement.
As for the protagonist, Secret Service agent Scot Harvath is tasked down with hunting down terrorists, but without the sense of urgency from the kidnapping in the first book, The Lions Of Lucerne, Harvath's behavior comes off as an arrogant and boorish. To every other character in the book except the president, he acts like a prima-donna, and he flat out refuses to play nice with any other government agencies or their agents. While he is naturally always right, it did not make him any more endearing, and his habit of making snide remarks to everyone that questions him gets old fast. Also, it is mentioned multiple times how magnetic Harvath's personality is, especially to women, but it is not really shown, at least not believably.
The most thrilling segment of this thriller was the plane hijacking scenes. It seemed to be written as a form of 9/11 therapy for Thor -- which makes sense, giving that the book was published in late 2002 -- and, for that supposed reason, it is not surprising that this segment rises a level above the rest of the book. Although, of course, Harvath does get his girl-of-the-week from the survivors of the hijacking, checking off another Bond trope check-box.
Hopefully, this book was only a let-down because Brad Thor struggled to transition his first Scot Harvath book into a series, or with the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and the next book in the series, State Of The Union, is an improvement.
