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Harvey Bennett #14

The Cerberus Protocol

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Something in the ice, frozen for millennia... and it just woke up.

When Harvey Bennett and his elite CSO team are sent to Russia to investigate a top-secret research facility, they have no idea what they're about to encounter.

What they find is a chilling discovery that could change the world...

As Harvey and his team race to uncover the truth behind The Cerberus Protocol, they soon realize that they are not the only ones interested finding out what's inside the station.

Powerful forces are willing to stop at nothing to capture and exploit the discovery for their own nefarious purposes.

With time running out, Harvey and his team must fight their way through a web of deception, danger, and betrayal, before it's too late.

And then he's visited by someone he never expects to show up...

336 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 1, 2023

93 people are currently reading
80 people want to read

About the author

Nick Thacker

110 books442 followers
Nick Thacker is a thriller author from Texas who lives in Hawaii. In his free time, he enjoys reading in a hammock on the beach, skiing, drinking whiskey, and hanging out with his beautiful wife, two dogs, and two daughters. 
For more information, visit Nick online at www.nickthacker.com

In addition to his fiction work, Nick is the founder and lead of Sonata & Scribe, the only music studio focused on producing “soundtracks” for books and series. Find out more at www.SonataAndScribe.com.

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5 stars
182 (58%)
4 stars
94 (30%)
3 stars
27 (8%)
2 stars
5 (1%)
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4 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
Profile Image for Marie Markham.
87 reviews1 follower
March 10, 2023
Hang on tight - the next chapter in the adventure begins........

I usually have no idea what to expect when I begin reading a Nick Thacker thriller. The Cerberus Protocol was no exception. While it was a continuation of the brotherly rivalry, and really scary potential destruction of our way of life because of the greed of a few well placed/heeled egomaniacs, I couldn’t have predicted the way the story developed – a lot of new ideas and direction suggestion for the next book(s) hopefully in the series.

The author has a cany knack of knowing how far to push the envelope without going too far. As a fan of action adventure stories, I appreciate the “bull in a china shop” approach to taking out the bad guys but also the finesse applied when needed, to suit the story line and move it along.
The continuing character development is one of the attractions to this book series. All the characters in the story had a part to play and did so magnificently.

I am intrigued with the possibilities hinted at with regard to the future of the CSO team, in some format and can’t wait to find out the whole story Zach hints at.

Thought the shout-out to Kevin Tumlinson was really cool!

I received an advance reader copy of this book, and I am happy to leave a review.
As a huge fan of the Harvey Bennett saga, I am excited to recommend this book and look forward eagerly to the next chapter in the ongoing adventure.
1,768 reviews12 followers
February 26, 2023
I received an ARC and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Ben and Julie are at home while Reggie and Sarah are on vacation. A message has been received which indicates that someone might have found Ben's brother Zach. The team including Freddie begin a trip to Russia to stop Zach from completing a mission. Once they arrive in Russia, they team up with Lucia, a scientist who thinks that she has a location for Zach. The CSO team and Lucia go to the site to search this hidden laboratory. When they arrive, they learn that they are not the only group that has gone to this location.

They enter the facility and discover that the rooms looked as if a hurricane went through. The rooms had any equipment that was around completely destroyed. In their search they ran into a group that Zach had working for him. As it turned out, Zach even showed up with a warning for his brother. They all teamed up and began searching for what was so important at this facility.

Follow the story and learn what they discovered that they were not expecting. In addition see what obstacles the group needed to overcome in their hunt.

The ending does answer all of the questions that you might have. This is a book that you definitely need to read and is a great continuation in this series.
Profile Image for Jeff.
1,761 reviews163 followers
March 3, 2023
Solid Adventure Story. This is yet another of the scifi-creature/ adventure stories that are so common, and yet Thacker blends several elements here that aren't always as common to create a tale that seems like it would satisfy long time readers - while leaving new readers with only (seemingly) minimal effort to get caught up after the fact here. Indeed, it reads more like Book 2 of a series than Book 14, but I say this as someone who owns several prior books in this series... but has only read this one. For all I know, a few of the characters come from books further back in the series - and yet the main thrust of this particular narrative, of Harvey Bennett having to stop his evil scientist brother's most recent plan, seems like a near-immediate follow-up to presumably book 13 from this series? (Of course, this also means that for those who can *never know any details of any prior books no matter what*... you're going to want to read the series in order. From what I've seen here, you're going to like doing that anyway.) Overall truly a solid work of its type, one that invites readers to both go back and catch up on what they've missed to this point (if anything) and to come back to see what happens next. Very much recommended.
355 reviews4 followers
March 8, 2023
The search for Zach continues.....

At a research facility in Russia, hidden within a state park, scientists are investigating a sabre-tooth tiger-like beast frozen in ice eons ago. One scientist saw one fits eyes twitch, but assumes it is due to a settling of tissue ..... But what if it is not....!
Lucia has uncovered traces of the slime mould compound from before in the soil around the state park and contacts the CSO with this information. Zach is also wondering what has been found and sends his security to investigate. He sends out feelers and finds the Russians are also investigating this and so decides to go himself.... These several groups convene on the same location as they try and discover what is going on here....
Mystery, suspense, romance, double crosses, family reunions, intrigue, battles, unintended consequences, and mercanaries all combine to make this an entertaining tale.
However, the denouement is a little misguided as the human body is 70% water....
Profile Image for Cindy McBride.
112 reviews12 followers
October 17, 2023
Well, I'm a bit of a strange reader of books like this. Don't get me wrong... I love Harvey Bennett, and I found the interaction between he and his brother Zach interesting. But in many "monster" stories, I find myself sympathyzing with the beast rather than the humans. It wasn't the beast's fault that he ended up being angry and destructive; it was purely the fault of uncaring and reckless humans, be they Russian or American. So... there were parts of the book I didn't like. If you're going to paint the monster as evil, then don't describe it as an abused scientific freak. I felt more sorry for the beast than most of the humans. Weird, I know, right? Sigh.
Profile Image for AR bee.
245 reviews5 followers
March 1, 2023
Typically well written high-adventure by Nick Thacker. Blending the talents of the CSO team and introduced characters to a new plot line was done seamlessly.
The scene in a rural Russian forestry park is new, but continues the country setting from his previous book. And the underground facility follows a hauntingly familiar and chilling problem.
The brother remains the antagonist, but there is resolution coming. His previous project has gone astray and it’s time for him to work together for a solution.
Worth the read for fans of Harvey Bennett and the CSO team.
Profile Image for Albino Castro.
13 reviews
March 8, 2023
I enjoy the Harvey Bennett books because they have good plots, are set in interesting locations around the world, the writing is great, and they have a good moral story to tell. I like the science fiction in the books.
This one sets brother against brother against the titular character. Of course, there are people with nefarious goals that are also against them. I like the pace of the chapters, I like the dialogue. I have gotten to know the characters that they are like friends to me. When I am done with the books, I can't wait for the next one.
I received this ARC for an honest review.
Profile Image for Nayari .
115 reviews7 followers
January 27, 2025
Fast, fascinating...and not for the weak of stomach

I usually can handle graphic body horror stuff pretty well in books but Thacker's description of some of the things going on really made me put down my sandwich. Not a bad thing, just whew....that got me involved and feeling more than I intended! This is another fun as hell book and Thacker weaves personal plotlines in with his story arcs beautifully. I feel like I'm reading about old friends. I wish this series would get a movie or TV treatment because I'd love seeing some of these scenes someplace other than my head!
82 reviews
March 1, 2023
Ben, Julie, Reggie and Freddie receive word about the whereabouts of Harvey's brother Zach. Following up on their lead pushes them into the Russian mountains, where something is attacking Russian soldiers in an underground laboratory/cave system. What could this be? As the story develops with all the twists and turns in these stories, you uncover the sinister goings on, and discover what is causing the trouble. Another great Harvey Bennett story in this series.
28 reviews
March 15, 2023
Wow! I didn't realized how much I missed the CSO team! Love the usual story telling and fair action pack. Please do not make us wait another year for #15! Although moving away from the bio-techno track would help the elders amongst us!
I found the evolution of the relationship Ben-Zack somewhat distracting as its progress (or lack of) was interwoven with other drama lines.
You're still the best!
132 reviews2 followers
February 26, 2023
Another very good book! It is well written, fast paced, and has enough plot twists to keep most people happy. It certainly kept my interest until the very end, and of course there was the hint of more to come right at the end. Well done - I will read more fiction from this author - it is not a waste of time.
2,000 reviews38 followers
March 15, 2023
When Zack's latest project goes awry, a post on a science chat board sends Harvey and his team to investigate a remote lab in a Russian national park. There's lots of suspense as the team races against other interests to find the monster and contain the threat.

If your a hard science suspense fan, this one's a must read. I loved it.
Profile Image for Karen Kepner.
363 reviews3 followers
June 3, 2023
Almost Sci-Fi

Harvey (Ben) Bennett and Julie, along with the entire CSO team fly to Russia to find out what Zach Bennett, Ben’s brother was involved in. Turns out it was more than he could handle, including double crossing, Russian military involvement, an awful disease and a double crossing security team. Lots of action, and of course the team rules the day!
22 reviews
July 24, 2023
Good read but not a page turner, for me.

Probably not the best in the series. Some parts and characters’ development seem overly prolonged. The premise of the story is good but lacking development almost like the author is putting in unnecessary fillers to lead into the next book of the series.
22 reviews
July 10, 2024
SCARY POSIBILITY

This story picks up nicely from the previous story and goes on to show how scary bio warfare could get.
It moves along nicely with not too much boring past story detail, but enough to explain if you did not read the previous books.
Overall I liked it very much and it was great reading!
Profile Image for Jockimom.
10 reviews
February 4, 2025
I know some people don’t like they way he writes more like a screenplay, but I don’t mind that. Tbh, I just wish the editing was better. I don’t know if he’s using AI or something but in the last few books there a glaring errors that just throw off the story- e.g. miscounting how many characters there are, getting names wrong, messing up who’s talking…. Seems a shame.
2,544 reviews6 followers
March 4, 2023
“I love Harvey Bennett and the CSO team! THE CERBERUS PROTOCOL is a fast moving and exciting action tale. In addition, there are sections full of emotion as well as sections of suspense and horror. Something for everyone!
I reviewed an Advance Reader copy of this book.”
104 reviews2 followers
March 7, 2023
A roller coaster ride of scientific chills and thrills!

Okay Nick Thacker,you Hand me hooked from page 1, I love the CSO team. You Entertained me for a Few hours. What a delightful indulgence, I Enjoy most of your books but this kept me quickly turning pages.
706 reviews4 followers
March 20, 2023
Another weird episode that you want to read

The team gets some strange assignments over the years. This is certainly one of them. Ben's brother is back, is he a friend or foe, you have to read to find out.
22 reviews1 follower
March 28, 2023
Thacker is an Amazing Author !

Thrilling Adventure on every page. Love the Harvey Bennett series.
Well developed and complex characters and humor are a great mix.
Please keep sharing your unique talent as we readers can't get too much !
31 reviews
May 19, 2023
Always a Great Story

I am not sure how many books I have completed, but every Harvey Bennett story is compelling. I am eagerly anticipating the next chapter. The formula stays the same kind of like a James Bond movie, but you still like what you get.
1 review
July 25, 2023
Wonderful story that keeps you entertained from the first page on.

I love that its the same people throughout the series. Very good stories. Looking forward to the next one. Thank you on
272 reviews3 followers
August 20, 2025
When the animals take over it becomes a rough trip.

Very good read. A good change in direction to place the blame on creatures rather than people. Even when people were responsible for infecting the animal that started the event. Read on!
34 reviews
March 7, 2023
brilliant

Brilliant I am loving these Harvey Bennett books if you enjoy a series of books then these are a must
1,732 reviews12 followers
March 12, 2023
Harvey Bennett and Russia, what more do you need?
8 reviews
March 16, 2023
good read

Can’t say much without ruining the story. It’s worth the read if you enjoy thrillers. Go on and read it
7 reviews
June 18, 2023
Great Book


This is a great book. Enjoyed the suspense & action. Love Harvey Bennett series!
Can't wait until next one comes out!
151 reviews
November 29, 2023
not good

I think this was one of the worst and most boring book. Sorry Nick Thacker but you’re better than that.
16 reviews
January 17, 2025
well paced and consistent

This was another good story in the series, the kind of book you can finish in couple of days. Look forward to the next one in the series.
10 reviews
July 11, 2025
Classic Tharcher

Even though Thatcher spends a good deal of pages proving ing unneeded depth, good story line and exciting to the end
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews

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