What do you think?
Rate this book
Phase Four
If you’re a fan of fast-paced high-concept action thrillers – Michael Crichton, Tom Clancy, Matthew Reilly – you’ll love this. Phase Four is part techno thriller, part adventure story, part conspiracy theory – and all action all the way.
The plot…
When a classified military convoy transporting nerve gas is hijacked in the Nevada desert by a group of Middle Eastern terrorists, Homeland Security investigator Matthew Drake is assigned to put the suspects under surveillance.
But when the gas is released inside a luxury high-rise hotel in an apparent attempt to assassinate the President, Drake realizes – too late – that the hijackers weren't terrorists, the convoy wasn't carrying nerve gas, and something is very wrong in Washington D.C.
Now mobs are rioting in the Bay Area and panic is spreading across California at a frightening speed, threatening to engulf the entire country.
On the run with disgraced CIA surveillance technician Gena Hahn, Drake struggles to contain a sinister plan to achieve total control over the human mind.
"Government conspiracy, political intrigue, action, thrills, and psychedelic horror – this book has a little tantalizing piece of everything."
– The Troubled Scribe
From the author…
“Phase Four is a combination of spy novel, apocalyptic disaster story and political conspiracy thriller. It will appeal to conspiracy buffs, anti-New World Order types, and fans of 24 and The X Files.
“It also has some similarities with zombie novels.”
Also by Gary Carson…
Hot Wire is a hip, funny, serious and suspenseful novel that brings the great tradition of grifter noir into the present day with the excitement and urgency of the activity its title refers to. Emma Martin is the coolest protagonist crime fiction has produced in a long time."
– Barry Graham, author of When It All Comes Down To Dust
About the author…
Gary Carson was famous in the third grade for writing a series of grisly monster stories he pecked out on a typewriter and read in front of the class.
In college, he lost his edge for a while and wrote dull, literary short stories and poetry that appeared in various campus magazines and other bird-cage liners.
Later, he got back on track by dropping out and writing features for The Westport Trucker, an underground newspaper that ran headlines like “WHO STOLE JFK’S BRAIN?”
After spells as a programmer, system administrator, web developer and general IT monkey in Kansas City and San Francisco, he later worked in Reno, Nevada – the land of legalized prostitution, quickee divorces, toxic waste dumps and the giant radioactive tarantula.
Currently, he’s living in Rolla, Mo., writing and waiting for the system to collapse.
The plot…
When a classified military convoy transporting nerve gas is hijacked in the Nevada desert by a group of Middle Eastern terrorists, Homeland Security investigator Matthew Drake is assigned to put the suspects under surveillance.
But when the gas is released inside a luxury high-rise hotel in an apparent attempt to assassinate the President, Drake realizes – too late – that the hijackers weren't terrorists, the convoy wasn't carrying nerve gas, and something is very wrong in Washington D.C.
Now mobs are rioting in the Bay Area and panic is spreading across California at a frightening speed, threatening to engulf the entire country.
On the run with disgraced CIA surveillance technician Gena Hahn, Drake struggles to contain a sinister plan to achieve total control over the human mind.
"Government conspiracy, political intrigue, action, thrills, and psychedelic horror – this book has a little tantalizing piece of everything."
– The Troubled Scribe
From the author…
“Phase Four is a combination of spy novel, apocalyptic disaster story and political conspiracy thriller. It will appeal to conspiracy buffs, anti-New World Order types, and fans of 24 and The X Files.
“It also has some similarities with zombie novels.”
Also by Gary Carson…
Hot Wire is a hip, funny, serious and suspenseful novel that brings the great tradition of grifter noir into the present day with the excitement and urgency of the activity its title refers to. Emma Martin is the coolest protagonist crime fiction has produced in a long time."
– Barry Graham, author of When It All Comes Down To Dust
About the author…
Gary Carson was famous in the third grade for writing a series of grisly monster stories he pecked out on a typewriter and read in front of the class.
In college, he lost his edge for a while and wrote dull, literary short stories and poetry that appeared in various campus magazines and other bird-cage liners.
Later, he got back on track by dropping out and writing features for The Westport Trucker, an underground newspaper that ran headlines like “WHO STOLE JFK’S BRAIN?”
After spells as a programmer, system administrator, web developer and general IT monkey in Kansas City and San Francisco, he later worked in Reno, Nevada – the land of legalized prostitution, quickee divorces, toxic waste dumps and the giant radioactive tarantula.
Currently, he’s living in Rolla, Mo., writing and waiting for the system to collapse.
297 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 25, 2011
7 people are currently reading
98 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 3, 2019
Masque of the red death.
This techno thriller reminds me of Edgar Allan Poe 's Masque of the red death. A tale of a plague always seems to tell the same sort of stories? This a quite possible future.
This techno thriller reminds me of Edgar Allan Poe 's Masque of the red death. A tale of a plague always seems to tell the same sort of stories? This a quite possible future.
January 8, 2014
PHASE FOUR is an intense thriller than lends itself towards the post-apocalyptic without reaching into the nether realms of the surreal.
Drake, a member of a covert government agency is embroiled in a conspiracy that has dire ramifications for mankind, only he doesn’t know it.
When a highly dangerous substance is high jacked from a suspicious convoy, Drake and his team are brought in to find those responsible. Thoughts of terrorists and chemical warfare are immediate yet the focus of the investigation leads Drake straight to the President of the United States at a function he’s attending in San Francisco. From there he’s to track down the head of the transportation company, presumed to have leaked details of the convoy to a known terrorist. Before long hell’s broken loose and reality shifts to the unreal.
PHASE FOUR is well paced and reads like a big budget action thriller. The characters are believable if not a little too conveniently placed at times and a tad bit stereotypical. Despite this, I found myself connecting with Drake and his adversaries – the others not so much.
The notion of a government wanting to change the world to serve a better purpose without delving deep into a whole new genre was smart. Author Garry Carson keeps the action full throttle while slowly drifting his characters towards his end game – one that I hope includes further exploration of the world post the events of PHASE FOUR.
This review also appears on my blog: http://justaguythatlikes2read.blogspo...
Drake, a member of a covert government agency is embroiled in a conspiracy that has dire ramifications for mankind, only he doesn’t know it.
When a highly dangerous substance is high jacked from a suspicious convoy, Drake and his team are brought in to find those responsible. Thoughts of terrorists and chemical warfare are immediate yet the focus of the investigation leads Drake straight to the President of the United States at a function he’s attending in San Francisco. From there he’s to track down the head of the transportation company, presumed to have leaked details of the convoy to a known terrorist. Before long hell’s broken loose and reality shifts to the unreal.
PHASE FOUR is well paced and reads like a big budget action thriller. The characters are believable if not a little too conveniently placed at times and a tad bit stereotypical. Despite this, I found myself connecting with Drake and his adversaries – the others not so much.
The notion of a government wanting to change the world to serve a better purpose without delving deep into a whole new genre was smart. Author Garry Carson keeps the action full throttle while slowly drifting his characters towards his end game – one that I hope includes further exploration of the world post the events of PHASE FOUR.
This review also appears on my blog: http://justaguythatlikes2read.blogspo...
April 10, 2012
It's the end of the World as we know it, a chilling story of what could happen if we continue to let scientists play with stuff that can kill us then let politicians decide our futures. This thriller was well written, fast paced with a nice twist but has the author got some fetish about Mars Lights! how many time does he mention them in this book.
Read
July 6, 2014Action packed!
Great story with all the government conspiracy angles covered. This book became very difficult to put down after about 30%. Looking forward to reading more from this author.
Great story with all the government conspiracy angles covered. This book became very difficult to put down after about 30%. Looking forward to reading more from this author.
August 12, 2016
I don't tend to be a fan of the thriller / espionage genre and only picked this up by mistake - I was looking for a different Phase Four. Thoroughly enjoyed it though, especially the latter half as the pace intensified. Would highly recommend.
January 16, 2014
Not too far fetched!
January 20, 2014
Little choppy and disjointed. Wasn't terrible but not a favorite.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews