The Consultant

Vigilante #2

by Claude Bouchard

"Chris Barry is back and better than ever." - Jessica Subject, Mark of the Stars

The friendly takeover of CSS Inc. leaves computer executive Chris Barry unemployed, very wealthy and pleased with the situation.

But the hiatus is short-lived...

As a result of his involvement in the recent Vigilante investigation, Barry is approached by Jonathan Addley and invited to join Discreet Activities, a government agency of the clandestine variety,

Accepting, he promptly takes on his first assignment under the guise of an IT consultant, to investigate possible links between a local import business and the murder of its MIS director.

As he discovers the firm is being used to import narcotics, his cover is blown and things get personal, spurring him to show that murderers, drug lords, biker gangs and kidnappers are no match for...

...The Consultant


"...I have no doubt that Clint Eastwood, in his prime, would have bought the rights to play the lead in movie version of The Consultant." - Dee Marie, author, Sons of Avalon: Merlin's Prophecy

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Suspense, Mystery Thriller, Drama, Crime

237 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 9, 2009

About the author

*USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR*


I was born in Montreal, Canada, at a very young age, where I still live with my spouse, Joanne, under the watchful eye of Krystalle and Midnight, two black females of the feline persuasion. In a former life, I completed my studies at McGill University and worked in various management capacities for a handful of firms for countless years. From there, considering my extensive background in human resources and finance, it was a logical leap in my career path to stay home and write crime thrillers.

My first stab at writing was actually in 1995, the result being my first novel, "Vigilante". Two others of the same series followed by 1997 but all three remained dormant until publication in 2009. Since, besides writing a stand-alone, five other thrillers have joined the VIGILANTE series. I also penned "Something's Cooking", a faux-erotica parody and cookbook under the pseudonyms Réal E. Hotte and Dasha Sugah. I'm currently working on "See You in Saigon" and "The First Sixteen", two further installments of my series. I have to say, I'm enjoying this writing gig.

Other interests besides writing and subtly persuading people to buy my books include reading, making noise with my six guitars, painting (oil and watercolour), cooking (year round though I love the grill in the summer), traveling and planning to work out soon. I've also been known to sleep on occasion.

You can visit my website at claudebouchardbooks.com which is almost as fun as DisneyLand and absolutely free.

Reviews

[Dale · Rating 4 out of 5]

I took a gamble on this book and it paid off, this is the first book I have read by Claude Bouchard. I will certainly continue with the series.

Chris Barry is a soon to be retired ultra-wealthy IT guy. He is approached to help solve a case by infiltrating a company suspecting of smuggling drugs. The consultant position he takes with the company looks at the business operations, which he finds quite interesting, seeing that he could stand to gain himself. The cat and mouse game is very clever and really defines the Chris Barry character. Chris Barry is a character you hate to love. Not sure there is a bad guy I've rooted for more in recent history. The book kept me hooked until the end.

[Gloria Antypowich · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m hooked on Claude Bouchards writing. I read “Vigilante” and loved it. I then bought the second book in the series—“The Consultant.” and was not disappointed. Chris Barry has become my favorite good/bad guy charactor!

Being Canadian, I love that these books are situated in Canada (Yeah Canada!!)—but aside from that Bouchard’s writing is masterful. I have read a lot of murder/mystery/action/adventure/ conspiracy books written by big name writers and Bouchard does not take a back seat to any of them!!

Chris Barry is a smart, creative, tough man that no one would want for an enemy—as you discovered in “Vigilante”. But in “The Consultant” he proved that he was willing to work on the ‘right’ side of the law—if he wasn’t pushed. But when he was, he became as lethal as he needed to be to get the job done.

I really get off on Chris and his wife Sandy’s relationship; the understanding and support that she gives him as well as the undeniable love that they share.

Johnathan Addley was an exciting partner for Chris Barry in this book. I liked the way they interacted, even though they didn’t know each other well.

Dave McCall and his wife Cathy and Chris Barry and his wife Sandy have a wonderful friendship; but Dave and his wife have no idea about the secrets that Chris and Sandy share. Could they handle it if they really knew?

I’ll be reading the next book in this series with great anticipation! I’m sure Bouchard will not let me down.

[Jessica Subject · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have not read Vigilante, you should do so now before reading The Consultant, but that doesn’t stop you from reading my review.

In The Consultant, Chris Barry is back and better than ever. He has shucked his high-salaried position with CSS Inc., anxious to live out his early retirement. Before he can enjoy the perks though, Chris is approached with the offer of a contract position with a top secret government organization within the Ministry of Defense. Their leader, Jonathan Adley knows of Chris’ past, but leaves the decision of whether to accept the position up to Chris. Of course, Chris accepts and delves right in to his new position and uses his special skills to reveal the mystery behind the death of one of the chief officers at Quality Imports.

The Consultant is a quick-read with some great new characters and the wonderful old ones. Without overwhelming the reader with description, Claude easily pulls the reader into Chris Barry’s life. The short chapters help to build suspense, and made it easy for me to say, “okay, I’ll read just one more chapter,” over and over.

If you enjoy reading thrillers, check out The Consultant, but be sure to read Vigilante first.

[Sharon Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent second book for this series that did 'solve' some of the issues I had with the first book. I'm still not positive this will end up being a 'keep to re-read' series for me, which are my only 5-star ratings, but if they allowed half stars it would definitely get a 4 1/2 star rating. And I've already ordered the third book.

More character building with the main characters, with more depth. Suitably venial bad guys and the 'underground government group' scenario was handled with a light touch. Good pacing and the writing in this second book flowed better.

My only criticism of the characterization would be that the author still does not seem to write very well defined women characters, even when they are given a fairly important role in the storyline. They have the 'feel' of a stock character to me still. I also felt that he depended on the main character dropping some of his extreme caution so that the plot would work, which did not seem particularly plausible to me, after the emphasis on caution in the first book.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not as good as 'The Vigilante' forerunner. The strain on belief is sometimes too great. For example, in the prologue George has to prize open the case to get a SECOND look at the cocaine. Would anyone do that? This is too much. If he has to be in the warehouse for a dramatic beginning why couldn't he merely have remembered that he'd left the crowbar on top of the box after his first peek? Or some similar believable reason to be there.
I felt that rather too much sloppy storytelling ran through the book. It was as if after the initial draft the rewrite was merely a skim through. (Maybe, since I read this and the Vigilante back-to-back, I just got tired of accepting events that had clearly not been thought through.)
The other major problem for me was the lack of real conflict. Chris had a far too easy ride, very little got in his way to cause suspense, tension, mystery or drama. And even when things did go wrong the cavalry arrived effortlessly.
I'll give 'Mind Games' a go and see if the author takes more pains with his detail.

[BJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

KU loan: Super smart tech genius, Chris Barry, after a friendly takeover of the IT security firm he’s guided to financial success, finds himself out of a job, ‘retired’ at 34, very rich, and wondering what to do with himself. Enter Canada’s highly respected Jonathan Addley: Director of Police Relations for Canada’s Ministry of Defence. Addley tells Barry an interesting hypothetical story, and Barry is recruited as a ‘Consultant’ to handle a few things for a little known “Discreet Activities” division. Full of intrigue, action, clandestine activity, I read this one in about 5 hours. I’m HOOKED! Starting #3 right now!

[Cynthia Maddox · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good read

Tense and fast paced. This is the second of Bouchard's novels that I have read. I didn't enjoy it. It was a little more confusing than the 1st 1 because it switched so many times between points of view and sometimes sometimes it was unclear for few minutes who was talking. However the story is good. I have to say that in Bouchard's books there is quite a lot of blood shed. I'm not real crazy about it but he tells a good tale.

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

This wasn't for me, i enjoyed the beginning, and the premise of him going in to uncover a drugs gang, but it deteriorated into a complete killing spree with no real reason, suddenly a whole load of people all over the place killing people - I just found it unnecessary, unlikely and pointless.

[Colleen Wong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chris Barry makes murder and mayhem looks so easy he is so cool, calm and collected. Makes me want to be a wealthy vigilante also.

[CARRIE STIRLING · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book

Very interesting read! Lots of action and suspense!
Excellent story line! Would recommend this book and looking forward to the next one!

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book. Can't wait to read them all.

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story of an unorthodox and somewhat illegal way of dealing with serious crime. Lots of guns and knives.

[Kevin Traub · Rating 1 out of 5]

Weak. Stopped reading at page 114 when a 'silenced' revolver was used. I don't do stupid when it comes to guns. Nobody and I mean nobody suppresses revolvers, ever.

[Roger · Rating 3 out of 5]

read

[Gracey Castro · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love this series. Barry and McCall are just great.

Not your ordinary cop, alone and miserable doing a job. But a family man with great guts and true heart and he's paired with Chris Barry. If you haven't read Vigilante don't fret Claude Bouchard makes sure you are up to speed on who is who. But...you would be missing out by not reading it.

The Consultant puts Barry in a job that sounds right up his alley. Although retired young he still has an itch for the life he had and the side job he created for himself. Consulting seems to give him both while letting him have time with family and friends.

McCall has become good friends with Barry and the two build a great friendship, McCall none the wiser on his friends past.

As is usual for these two there is lots of action, humor and detail on their beloved country Canada. I feel as though I right there on those streets with them.

I am hooked on this series and this book (#2) just wet my appetite for more. I immediately purchased the 3rd. Claude Bouchard quite frankly will not disappoint.The Consultant

[Nai · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad story, you'll have to appreciate cars to enjoy the book. It's a pretty standard mystery/thriller book, formulaic, but the characters are believable.

If you love the mystery genre and cars, I'd recommend this book. If other genres are more your style maybe stay away from this one. It has a market, and it's clearly aimed at it.

I liked it, but there were moments of awkward wording that were a little troublesome. From reading I would guess there was an editor involved, but they may not have had a whole lot of experience. If the narrative was cleaned up a bit grammer/stylistic wise it would have been a better read. I say that noting that mystery is not really my favorite genre, and the idioms I'm speaking of are rampant in that genre.

Ranking criteria (I don't post these with every review, but I do post them often enough you should be able to find it in the last 3 reviews on average.)


1 – Couldn’t finish

2 – Finished, but with great difficulty

3 – Liked, but had some issues along the way

4 – Really liked and will readily recommend to friends

5 – Near flawless, among my favorite reads

[Richard Louden · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Consultant is the first Claude Bouchard novel I've read. It won't be the last.
Bouchard is a strong, fluent writer who hooks you and doesn't let go. The story moves at a vibrant pace, rarely pausing for breath. Once you get used to the idea that you're expected to be on the side of Chris Barry, the millionaire vigilante who often kills (but only real baddies), it's pretty hard to put this book down.
The Consultant isn't a deep psychological thriller. The baddies are irredeemably bad and the hero is a guy with a simple, though illegal, mission in life who also happens to adore his wife. But Bouchard's aim isn't to tax your mind with profound moral or metaphysical issues, it's to whirl you along on a breathtaking journey that you don't want to end.
In that he succeeds admirably. The Consultant is the confident work of a writer who knows where he wants to go and how to get there. I look forward to reading more of Claude Bouchard.

[Sheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Consultant (Claude Bouchard)

Chris Barry is back in this second (Vigilante) series. He is unemployed and very wealthy. Not sure what he is going to do with all his free time, he is approached by Jonathan Addley (A Government worker). He is asked to go undercover as an IT guy to help to see if there is a connection in the murder of an MIS director.

Soon he finds out that a the firm is a cover for a big drug smuggling ring, and Chris is right in the middle, his life is in danger. It is a race for time to catch the "bad guys" and stop this drug Lord from succeeding.

Fast pace suspense. I look forward to the next in the series Mind Games. Claude Bouchard knows how to bring his characters to life and keep the reader on the edge of his/her seat.

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chris Barry was a part owner of a computer firm when he and his partner sold out and retired. The head of a Canadian off the books operation to handle crimes and individuals whom the law can’t touch hires Chris who he believes is the “Vigilante” who had been dispatching some not so nice guys on his own. Chris is hired as a “Consultant” to help an import company when their MIS manager is killed. While working there Chris discovers that some of the officers and employees of the company are importing narcotics and selling them to a notorious biker gang. Chris begins to gather evidence of the activities and eventually supplies his government boss and the RCMP enough to close down the operation. A reasonably good read for a freebee.

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little known agency of Canadian security takes on an individual as a consultant who was previously known to be a vigilante. He goes into an importing company to see whether or not they are involved in drug smuggling. The more his investigation proceeds, the more action takes place. His real 'boss' is concerned that he may have some sociopathic tendencies but gradually becomes convinced that he is over his vigilante past and that he only did these things because the victims had harmed his family in the past. It was totally personal and, besides that, his talents could be beneficial to the agency. The novel proceeds to deal with top level drug smuggling, the smugglers and the biker gang that distributed the drugs. It was pretty much non-stop action and good reading.

[Cheryl (Collier) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seldom do I give 5 stars but I can't give 4 1/2 so 5 it is. This book grabbed my interest from the first page and held it until the last. I had read the first book in the series and enjoyed it but this one allowed the "hero" to be fallible, more human and introduced an interesting new character in Jonathan who coaxes our "hero" out of retirement. I have already downloaded the third book in the series. (Side note: somewhat confusing that in here This book was cited as the second in the McCall/Barry series and when I had read about them and downloaded them they were the Vigilante series. Calling them the latter is probably more accurate in that at least in this second book McCall was almost an afterthought.)

[John R. Hoffman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Consultant is the second in Bouchard "Vigilante" series. In this novel, computer specialist Chris Barry is somewhat retired, rich, and bored. Already identified as a potential resource because his help in ending the vigilante killings (in book 1 of this series), Chris is recruited to use his skills and assist a clandestine government organization. This is more than the typical "anyone can become a spy" theme, as Chris has some additional skills that come in handy in a tight situation. He is a flawed character (which makes him even more likable) that makes some serious and life-threatening mistakes. I enjoyed the story and look forward to reading more in the series.

[Lynda Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the first book in this series and wasn't as keen on this one for some reason. It was still good though..........it will be interesting to see how the third one goes.
I'm still a great fan of Mr Barry, though, but I did prefer his actions in the first book.
In this one there were a lot of annoying mistakes too where small words like a or to or it were missed out. No rhyme nor reason for it but it was aggravating. Something else too was the repeated use of safe instead of save. So these little niggles let it down for me too.
I'm still a fan though. I'm also surprised to see this one scores higher than The Vigilante on Goodreads....

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great read by Bouchard. I have to admit, I did get a bit bored in the middle. That is probably my fault--there is something about drug smuggler books that flip the switch in my brain. That is the reason for a 4 star instead of the 5 star for me. That part seemed to drag a little. Other than that, the whole consultant thing with Chris and Jonathan was a wonderful twist and there was plenty of blow ups and murders to keep the story flowing along. I have fallen for the characters and they are becoming real to me, a sure sign that I am hooked. I have now read the first 3 books and soon I will start the 4th. Great series, I recommend it to anyone looking for a new thriller series.

[Sabrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

With this second book in 'The Vigilante Series', Mr. Bouchard keeps up the pace and the story just grows! I was dismayed at the end of the first book, thinking that all the fun would be over for Chris Barry. Little did I know that when Chris takes on a "consulting" position, his vigilante days are definitely not over. This second installment allows Chris to have some fun, take names, and still bring the justice! When will people learn not to mess with this guy?!

A really good read, well written, and the action was still non-stop. I finished this book with a smile and I look forward to the third book! Well done!

[Sabrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

With this second book in 'The Vigilante Series', Mr. Bouchard keeps up the pace and the story just grows! I was dismayed at the end of the first book, thinking that all the fun would be over for Chris Barry. Little did I know that when Chris takes on a "consulting" position, his vigilante days are definitely not over. This second installment allows Chris to have some fun, take names, and still bring the justice! When will people learn not to mess with this guy?!

A really good read, well written, and the action was still non-stop. I finished this book with a smile and I look forward to the third book! Well done!

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Consultant picks up where Vigilante leaves off. We follow the story of our hero, as he sheds his loner vigilante roots and begins a new quest with a quasi government agency. This novel is fast paced and thoroughly enjoyable to read. I breezed through the first ten chapters before I even glanced up, it held my attention so well. Mr. Bouchard is just one of those people who is a natural at story telling, and you immerse yourself easily into his plot. If you enjoyed Vigilante, then do not hesitate to read this one as well. I plan to read all six books in the series.

[Will Decker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Few grammatical errors, Nice transition from the first Vigilante book in the series. I wasn't sure what to expect from the Vigilante's contact in the ultra secret government agency, but I wasn't disappointed. The man wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty, so to speak. A good read even if a little light on the dialogue at times. I definitely recommend reading this series in order, or at least the first in the series before any of the others so you are clued into the background.
Will

[Deanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was even more fast-paced than the first, the plot was even more in depth, but the author pulled everything together at the end. There were a lot of characters to keep up with. Very impressed with the author's ability to intertwine so many different stories and lives, the author squeezes tons of action into just a few days which keeps you guessing and on the edge of your seat until the very end. Onward to book three...