Breach of Power

Jake Pendleton #3

by Chuck Barrett

Deep inside a glacier, a hiker finds a journal that was lost during World War II. On its frozen pages are etched the secret locations of treasures lost since the 1940s. But something more ominous is scribed in the journal, something that threatens the Presidency of the United States. Jake Pendleton and his new partner, Francesca Catanzaro, work for an “off the books” intelligence firm and are summoned to the White House where they are instructed to locate and acquire the book. Jake soon realizes there are others on a quest to find it as well. Others who will kill to get to it first. Breach of Power is an action packed political thriller with a twist around every corner. If you like thrillers by great authors like David Baldacci, Vince Flynn, Brad Thor, and others, then you'll enjoys this book as the author incorporates his 3M formula for his Murder, Mystery, & Mayhem. His books have reached Amazon Bestseller status in the following • Espionage & Spy Thrillers • Political Thrillers • Political Thriller & Suspense • Action & Adventure • Terrorism Thriller Praise about Barrett's books from New York Times Best Selling “The Savannah Project signals the arrival of a new member to the thriller genre. Chuck Barrett. The tale contains all of the danger, treachery, and action a reader could wish for. The intrigue comes from all directions, slicing and stitching with precision. A worthy debut from an exciting talent.” —Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author “The Toymaker is a fun, fast moving thriller with plenty of gadgets and a lot of action.” —Phillip Margolin New York Times bestselling author of Capitol Murder Praise from the Lee Scott Florida Times Union March 10, 2013 "Maybe we have Steve Berry to thank. Or it’s because our area happens to be a haven for literary-inclined retirees. Or it could just be the changing book publishing environment. Whatever the reason, Northeast Florida writers these days are producing some pretty darn good independent thrillers. Best-selling Berry (his latest “The King’s Deception” will be out in June), who grew up in Georgia, lived just over the line in St. Marys for a number of years and a while ago moved to World Golf Village in St. Augustine, maintains a high profile in our books community as a speaker and proponent of things literary. He is also a good judge of talent. His cover blurb on retired air traffic controller Chuck Barrett’s first novel “The Savannah Project” gave the Fernandina author’s initial indie publishing effort a nice boost. Following last year’s “The Toymaker,” Barrett’s third Jake Pendleton adventure, “Breach of Power,” has Jake and his partner Francesca Catanzaro settled in with an “off the books” private intelligence firm and the President of the United States needs their help. “Breach of Power” opens the superlatives spigot. Its plot is as fast and solid as anything on the market. The good guys have all the right stuff and the bad guys will bring nightmares…it’s guaranteed you will lose sleep with this one." Mystery Suspense Thriller Book > Thriller Best Seller > Action Adventure Thriller > Men's Adventure Fiction > Mystery Thriller Political > Thrillers with Unexpected Twists >Spy Thrillers Espionage

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Spy Thriller, Audiobook, Ebooks

382 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 14, 2013

About the author

Chuck Barrett is the award-winning author of The Savannah Project, The Toymaker, Breach of Power, and Disruption of his Jake Pendleton series, and Blown, and Last Chance of his blockbuster Gregg Kaplan series. He is a graduate of Auburn University and retired air traffic controller. He also holds a Commercial Pilot Certificate.

He and his wife, DJ Steele (also an author) currently reside in Northern Colorado.


Awards:
—BLOWN
2016 Writers Digest Self-Published Book Awards

—Breach of Power
Winner of the 2013 Indie Excellence Award in Political Thrillers.
Finalist in the 2013 International Book Awards Thriller/Adventure category.

—The Toymaker
Finalist in the 2013 International Book Awards Thriller/Adventure & Mystery/Suspense categories.

—The Savannah Project
Finalist in the 2011 International Book Awards Thriller/Adventure category.
Second Place in the 2011 Reviewers Choice Awards Mystery/Thriller/Suspense/Horror category.
Honorable Mention in the 2011 ForeWord Reviews Book-Of-The-Year Awards Thriller/Suspense category.

Reviews

[Harold Kasselman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can barely give this a 3 star review based on the mystery that is the focus of the book.
This novel kept my interest for the first 80% of the story and then turned into a ludicrous soap operish tail spin. Aside from the over the top "consultants for hire" who work for POTUS, the story did maintain an interesting historical mystery that was the most satisfying part of the book.
But the characters quickly become permanently designated for assignment in a manner that is frankly almost laughable. I am sorry to come off so sarcastically and caustic but the book had real potential and lost its groundings

[Cindy B. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Can't recommend. Unlisted LBGA (including sex scenes) which gut punch readers midway without warning. Honesty would have gotten the mystery a 4* rating. All surprises should be a mystery, not a moral choice of the author for reader. I don't make his either but I'm sure he won't set his children up with same-sex dates. if he had listed it as LBGA I could've gone elsewhere...and would've.

[Betty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful political thriller. So nice to read about the president having people assassinated, call girls who make their real money killing, technology that probably exists but fools the bad guys. Really a fun read. Would like more.

[Sharon Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly standard covert/government ops group novel, interesting plot line, fast action and good cast of characters. Plot was a bit of a stretch of the imagination, but overall and entertaining read.

[Randy Daugherty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deep inside a glacier, a hiker finds a journal that was lost during World War II. On its frozen pages are etched the secret locations of treasures lost since the 1940s. But something more ominous is ascribed in the journal, something that threatens the Presidency of the United States.
Jake Pendleton and his new partner, Francesca Catanzaro, work for an “off the books” intelligence firm and are summoned to the White House where they are instructed to locate and acquire the book. Jake soon realizes there are others on a quest to find it as well.
Others who will kill to get to it first.
Barrett's Breach of Power reminds me in style of Berry and Rollins, history , mixed with what if, and in the end a great story. I hope to read more of his in the future, as I really enjoyed his style and more importantly the characters.

[(Grace) Kentucky Bohemian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast-paced and Chaotic
While I'm a big fan of action/adventure or thriller-type stories, there's only so much suspension of belief I'm willing to endure for the sake of a good story. I know, they're all pretty incredible. But the good ones keep the reader so tied up there really isn't time to think about it. This one held together pretty well for more than half the book, but then began to lose any sense of believability the closer it got to the action-packed ending.

So, while I enjoyed the story, I can't really call it a solid read. It was good. It just wasn't great. But if you've read the others in the Jake Pendleton series, you need to read this one as well.

[Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deep inside a glacier, a hiker finds a journal that was lost during World War II. On its frozen pages are etched the secret locations of treasures lost since the 1940s. But something more ominous is scribed in the journal, something that threatens the Presidency of the United States. Jake Pendleton and his new partner, Francesca Catanzaro, work for an “off the books” intelligence firm and are summoned to the White House where they are instructed to locate and acquire the book. Jake soon realizes there are others on a quest to find it as well. Others who will kill to get to it first. Breach of Power is an action packed political thriller with a twist around every corner

[Bill Hooten · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third in the Jake Pendleton series, and I have like all of them. I especially like the concept of the "Toymaker", the man who makes toys for the spies. How he guides, directs, and works with Jake to accomplish all of his missions. It would be interesting to know, how many characters that there are like that in our country. But this was a good story, to read and just get lost in the story -- and that is the way that I like to read.

[John V. Mackey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Realistic

I enjoy reading before sleep.except this book was difficult at times to put down. Realistic characters with realistic week thought out storyline with a twist I did not.expect at the end.

[Iain · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was just as good if not better than the first in the series. It keeps one guessing right up until right near the end about relationships between the main characters and who some of the villains are.

[Alan Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good, serval plots all coming together with a hood ending

[Tony · Rating 2 out of 5]

Took a good character, and a good story line and got silly. This will be the last of this series I read.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

His books are getting better. Hope there are more.

[Nicko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good read. The mystery unfold throughout the US where he hero must chase down several bad guys, some more evil than the rest.

My only problem with the book was the convenient way the good guys were justifying murder. Perhaps it was the writer's issue but when a decision comes to end someone's life it should be based on stone cold fact and their likability should never play a factor. Because of that my take on all the characters was that there were no good guys here. In place of a protagonist we get the least antagonist one.

Read the book, it is not bad and it is entertaining. Just don't really expect to have anyone to clearly root for.

[Peter Maronge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes Fiction is scarier than truth

This is my third Barrett novel. I've watched Jake grow, and become more human without losing his dangerous edges. If you can, read the books in order. How Jake morphs into what he is in this movie, will be easier to believe.

I hope Mr. Chuck decides soon to tell us how the man in charge of Jake's transformation accomplished that change. Perhaps he will offer hints what impetus Wiley used to get Jake to transform himself.

Enjoy. Pay attention. It really is elementary.

[Greg D · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first Chuck Barrett novel and overall I thought it was good and entertaining. A lot of action, unpredictable, and with a bit of history mixed in. However, there was a lot of hype surrounding the mysterious journal and if it's content was ever revealed it will change the world. Except when the content was revealed it was really not that impressive. But, I will let you, the reader, decide. Nevertheless, there was a very surprising twist at the end that made for an interesting read. Looking forward to reading more in the Jake Pendleton series.

[Marcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent book!

Mr Barrett keeps weaving several plots at the same time and then, after you wonder how they are going to merge, he masterfully intertwines them into a best action-packed political thriller. One mystery is solved into more pop up. It show that many times in life morally correct decisions can show many shades of gray. It keep you guessing and the action doesn't stop until the end. I will look forward to many more books by this author!

[Ginger Weirich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine, if you will, that hoards of stolen Nazi treasure was shipped to the US in the caskets of young soldiers who had been maimed beyond recognition. Imagine also that a journal exists as to the names and whereabouts of these soldiers. To what lengths would someone go to find the journal and retrieve the treasure? Another intriguing read from Chuck Barrett. All I can say is that I hope there will be more of Jake Pendleton. 5 stars.

[Shelley Engel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining

It's a good book, the characters get confusing by just using their last names. I hated to see Ashley Reagan die. I thought she was going to be another character added to the Common Wealth Company. The end kinda dragged on, but finally got to the set up for the next book.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story.. found the first part somewhat confusing as it sets up the characters and main plot... then the mystery got very interesting I was liking it a lot.. but then the "finale" let it down.. too many flaws to be believable. Yes, i know it's a novel but even so the action just didn't ring true at all. Such a shame - a delectable mystery in the middle of it. :)

[Susan B · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like a mystery with lots of plots you will enjoy this book. The combination of characters was great and not excessive with violence. I never saw the connection coming with the president, highly recommend this book. If the opportunity arises to read more in the Jake Pendleton series I will definitely do so.

[Tom]

Purchased at the Amelia Island Book Festival on February 22, 2014. I really didn't expect this kind of power at a local book festival. I'm part way done and this is as good as any espionage thriller I've ever read. 3/28/14 probably one of the best written thrillers I've ever read!

[lin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most Excellent

Brilliant. Well written, well researched, excellent plot . I would highly recommend this book. The author has the ability to surprise a seasoned reader with a twist. If you enjoy Clancy, you'll like this as well.

[Dan Dobler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good stuff!

Barrett writes a great story with some original thinking and great word smithing. His development of Jake's character and associated relationships adds depth to everything, including the great action scenes.

[Linnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very entertaining but just a little bit implausible; I would have been rated it 4 stars otherwise.

[MLD · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good thriller without being great.
Two thirds of the book are good, with lots of suspense and intrigue.
But the final part gets to be more like a James Bond hollywoody non real thriller.

[Jim Morton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast moving story....loved Scott Brick's narration on Audible.

[Dori Gehling · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story didn't last very long. Any time I woke up in the middle of the night, I reached for this book to find out what happened next.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

was a good read, but too many characters that did not enhance the story.