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The Flamekeepers
Former SEAL Lukasz Gardocki thinks he’s seen the last of covert missions. That is, until he’s approached for a special infiltrate the Flamekeepers, a doomsday cult with a mysterious, charismatic leader that may be developing a deadly chemical weapon. Already entrenched with the group is Alecia Motley, the sister of Lukasz’s deceased best friend, who, after a shocking discovery, is now in over her head trying to expose the group’s secrets. As Lukasz is drawn deeper into the world of the Flamekeepers, his attraction to Alecia grows even as the group’s sinister goals start to come into focus; on the surface they appear to be preparing for the apocalypse, but the cult’s members may in fact be plotting to start it themselves. Lukasz will need all his training and skills to uncover the truth and expose the Flamekeepers before they learn his secret―or worse, carry out their plans.
- GenresFiction
MP3 CD
First published May 27, 2014
10 people are currently reading
518 people want to read
About the author
J. Gregory Smith
38 books9 followersPrior to writing fiction full time, Greg Smith worked in public relations in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware. He has an MBA from the College of William & Mary and a BA in English from Skidmore College.
His first novel, Final Price, was selected as a Quarterfinalist in the 2009 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. Just released as a self-published work, it is now available on Amazon.com, Kindle and select bookstores.
He lives in Wilmington, DE with his wife and son."
His first novel, Final Price, was selected as a Quarterfinalist in the 2009 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. Just released as a self-published work, it is now available on Amazon.com, Kindle and select bookstores.
He lives in Wilmington, DE with his wife and son."
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
June 9, 2014
The Flame Keepers J. Gregory Smith
J. Gregory Smith is going to be a smashing success! This phrase was in one of my earlier reviews of Greg's books. I have revised my opinion. Greg is a smashing success and Flame Keepers certainly shows it. The plot is pulled off of the front pages and the potential for domestic terrorists. The story clearly shows that the profit incentive is a major incentive to terrorism. Sadly I concur and have to wonder what the breakdown is between narco terrorism and oil terrorism. Perhaps that is my cynical side but regardless of my agreement, this book provides a reasonably plausible domestic terrorism tale.
Mr. Smith provides us with a new protagonist, Lukasz Gardocki, in this fresh action adventure. Lukasz is a retired SEAL who is somewhat bored. A voice from a dead team member changes that with overwhelming rapidity.
Lukasz goes from mothballing luxury yachts to undercover operative in mere days. He claims it is due to a debt he owes to a dead friend but part of his motivation is his overwhelming boredom with his current life.
A psychotic messiah, bikers and misanthropes mixed with idealistic and naive societal outcasts provide a wide range of characters for the book.
For the romantics Alecia brings a love interest to round out a very convincing plot.
Oddly one of the settings is a former missile silo and I had just researched mothballed government installations from the cold war. You can buy a decommissioned missile silo if you have the bucks. So ending with a sobering thought of miscreants holed up in a decommissioned, impregnable government facility I highly recommend this book!
Web Site: http://www.jgregorysmithbooks.com/bio...
Past reviews of J. Gregory Smith books:
Send In The Clowns
A Noble Cause
Final Price
Legacy of the Dragon
I enjoyed all of them but this book was even better.
BTW when shopping in a hardware store the other day I saw a box marked Flame Keepers and got quick chill down my back. In this case it turned out to be a type of Tiki Light for outdoor events but it shows the power of this story.
J. Gregory Smith is going to be a smashing success! This phrase was in one of my earlier reviews of Greg's books. I have revised my opinion. Greg is a smashing success and Flame Keepers certainly shows it. The plot is pulled off of the front pages and the potential for domestic terrorists. The story clearly shows that the profit incentive is a major incentive to terrorism. Sadly I concur and have to wonder what the breakdown is between narco terrorism and oil terrorism. Perhaps that is my cynical side but regardless of my agreement, this book provides a reasonably plausible domestic terrorism tale.
Mr. Smith provides us with a new protagonist, Lukasz Gardocki, in this fresh action adventure. Lukasz is a retired SEAL who is somewhat bored. A voice from a dead team member changes that with overwhelming rapidity.
Lukasz goes from mothballing luxury yachts to undercover operative in mere days. He claims it is due to a debt he owes to a dead friend but part of his motivation is his overwhelming boredom with his current life.
A psychotic messiah, bikers and misanthropes mixed with idealistic and naive societal outcasts provide a wide range of characters for the book.
For the romantics Alecia brings a love interest to round out a very convincing plot.
Oddly one of the settings is a former missile silo and I had just researched mothballed government installations from the cold war. You can buy a decommissioned missile silo if you have the bucks. So ending with a sobering thought of miscreants holed up in a decommissioned, impregnable government facility I highly recommend this book!
Web Site: http://www.jgregorysmithbooks.com/bio...
Past reviews of J. Gregory Smith books:
Send In The Clowns
A Noble Cause
Final Price
Legacy of the Dragon
I enjoyed all of them but this book was even better.
BTW when shopping in a hardware store the other day I saw a box marked Flame Keepers and got quick chill down my back. In this case it turned out to be a type of Tiki Light for outdoor events but it shows the power of this story.
November 21, 2020
A cult like no other
It's amazing what an author can come up with for a plot. This doomsday cult is intriguing. There are so many twists that you won't know what is happening until the last quarter of the book. The poisonous gas is ingenious and horrific at the same time. Thank God for hero's and heroines. The double cross of some of the many characters may be predictable but I think many people will be surprised.
It's amazing what an author can come up with for a plot. This doomsday cult is intriguing. There are so many twists that you won't know what is happening until the last quarter of the book. The poisonous gas is ingenious and horrific at the same time. Thank God for hero's and heroines. The double cross of some of the many characters may be predictable but I think many people will be surprised.
February 26, 2015
The "Flamekeepers" (Thomas & Mercer 2015) is the story of a doomsday cult that might be headed into dangerous territory. Alecia Motley, a member, warns the FBI and they call on former SEAL Lukasz Gardocki to infiltrate the group and see what the real goals are. Lukasz agrees because he carries ongoing guilt that he couldn't save the life of Alecia's brother who was a former SEAL. What he finds when he gets there is a mixture of well-intentioned, hard-working people and a devious leadership group that is too secretive for Lukasz's instincts to trust. When he finds out their real purpose, he wonders if he will escape with his life saving Alecia.
"Flamekeepers" is written by J. Gregory Smith, former Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award quarter finalist (ABNA is no longer a contest) and author of the Paul Chang Mysteries series. Smith is an excellent storyteller with interesting characters. What they lack in complexity, he makes up for in their true voices and honest interactions with each other. It didn't take long before I was rooting for Lukasz and Alecia and a host of other supporting actors, hoping they would come out of this thriller in one piece.
Where Smith had trouble was in his plotting. Though well-paced with lots of action, as it approached the climax, several spots were unbelievable. The reasons Smith gave for the characters' actions didn't make sense which left me wondering what was really going on. Luckily there were just a few of these (though at critical moments), and Smith recovered with an excellent surprise ending.
Overall, a good read from an up-and-coming new author. I look forward to watching his career develop.
"Flamekeepers" is written by J. Gregory Smith, former Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award quarter finalist (ABNA is no longer a contest) and author of the Paul Chang Mysteries series. Smith is an excellent storyteller with interesting characters. What they lack in complexity, he makes up for in their true voices and honest interactions with each other. It didn't take long before I was rooting for Lukasz and Alecia and a host of other supporting actors, hoping they would come out of this thriller in one piece.
Where Smith had trouble was in his plotting. Though well-paced with lots of action, as it approached the climax, several spots were unbelievable. The reasons Smith gave for the characters' actions didn't make sense which left me wondering what was really going on. Luckily there were just a few of these (though at critical moments), and Smith recovered with an excellent surprise ending.
Overall, a good read from an up-and-coming new author. I look forward to watching his career develop.
March 21, 2016
The Flamekeepers is a cult preparing for doomsday. . . or maybe they are planning to initiate it. They are manufacturing two drugs one they give to the members to keep them inline and not asking questions. The "other" they plan to use to end life as we know it.
When an undercover agent is murdered, ex-Navy Seal, Lukasz Gardocki is tapped by the FBI to infiltrate this super-secrative organization. Here's the first glaring flaw - this super secret group, with their paranoid leaders accepts our hero far to quickly to be the slightest bit realistic. From here there's a long list of bad guys and a few good people, none of whom I was able to care about. Of course I wanted Gardocki to get the bad guys and save the day. But after his morals or conscience or something prevented him from doing so multiple times, that didn't seem to matter anymore either. It's slow to start, speeds up, then lags a few times before the disappointing ending. There's a lot of unnecessary language and graphic violence that doesn't add anything to the development of the characters or the story.
This could have been a really good book, but it fell short on too many important points. If I can't care about the characters, the rest is just words on paper. I would give Smith's writing another chance, simply because he does demonstrate talent -it just wasn't developed and polished in The Flamekeepers. If you've run out of books in your TBR stack give this one a try - otherwise there are better choices available.
Happy Reading!
When an undercover agent is murdered, ex-Navy Seal, Lukasz Gardocki is tapped by the FBI to infiltrate this super-secrative organization. Here's the first glaring flaw - this super secret group, with their paranoid leaders accepts our hero far to quickly to be the slightest bit realistic. From here there's a long list of bad guys and a few good people, none of whom I was able to care about. Of course I wanted Gardocki to get the bad guys and save the day. But after his morals or conscience or something prevented him from doing so multiple times, that didn't seem to matter anymore either. It's slow to start, speeds up, then lags a few times before the disappointing ending. There's a lot of unnecessary language and graphic violence that doesn't add anything to the development of the characters or the story.
This could have been a really good book, but it fell short on too many important points. If I can't care about the characters, the rest is just words on paper. I would give Smith's writing another chance, simply because he does demonstrate talent -it just wasn't developed and polished in The Flamekeepers. If you've run out of books in your TBR stack give this one a try - otherwise there are better choices available.
Happy Reading!
September 28, 2014
I received a free copy of this book through the GoodReads First Reads giveaways.
The Flamekeepers by J. Gregory Smith is a fast paced thriller that keeps the reader’s attention. In the novel, the Flamekeepers is an organization of misfits/survivalists who want to be prepared for the end of the world. This is not another doomsday group, but a group of people who want to be educated on survival in case of a nuclear war or another type of world changing event occurs. However, undercover government agents have discovered that there may be more to be seen with the motives of top level Flamekeepers. Our hero, a former navy seal, Lukasz Gardocki, infiltrates the Flamekeeper organization and as he becomes accepted and trusted by the leaders of the Flamekeepers, Lukasz, gets deeper and deeper into the truth. J. Gregory Smith takes the reader on a quite a journey of twists and turns. In this day and age, with all the madness going on in the world, the storyline of this novel is something that can no longer be considered of the imagination or futuristic, but sadly feels as if it could become reality during our lifetime.
The Flamekeepers by J. Gregory Smith is a fast paced thriller that keeps the reader’s attention. In the novel, the Flamekeepers is an organization of misfits/survivalists who want to be prepared for the end of the world. This is not another doomsday group, but a group of people who want to be educated on survival in case of a nuclear war or another type of world changing event occurs. However, undercover government agents have discovered that there may be more to be seen with the motives of top level Flamekeepers. Our hero, a former navy seal, Lukasz Gardocki, infiltrates the Flamekeeper organization and as he becomes accepted and trusted by the leaders of the Flamekeepers, Lukasz, gets deeper and deeper into the truth. J. Gregory Smith takes the reader on a quite a journey of twists and turns. In this day and age, with all the madness going on in the world, the storyline of this novel is something that can no longer be considered of the imagination or futuristic, but sadly feels as if it could become reality during our lifetime.
April 4, 2015
FAR-FETCHED
There are so many authors writing books that are very similar to this, but Mr. Smith that does it well.
Since the turn of the century we've shad several instances of domestic terrorism within our borders and unfortunately this probably will not change as time goes on, We now know that must fight to maintain our freedom from those who seek to subjugate us. (Spoiler Alert) I found it hard to comprehend how the protagonist felt that it was morally wrong to kill those who would kill him without and hesitation as they work to create acts of terror. This made the story unbelievable.
There are so many authors writing books that are very similar to this, but Mr. Smith that does it well.
Since the turn of the century we've shad several instances of domestic terrorism within our borders and unfortunately this probably will not change as time goes on, We now know that must fight to maintain our freedom from those who seek to subjugate us. (Spoiler Alert) I found it hard to comprehend how the protagonist felt that it was morally wrong to kill those who would kill him without and hesitation as they work to create acts of terror. This made the story unbelievable.
August 28, 2014
I was super excited to win this book through first-class and I was not disappointed with the story while I read it... well, except for the very end because I wanted more from the book. But over all it was really good. I will be reading more from this author and recommending his work.
The story line was crazy and scary at the same time and I truly believe there are groups out in the world plotting to do extreme and "righteous" (b.s.) things to the it because that's what they believe needs to be done. Thanks a bunch for the book.
The story line was crazy and scary at the same time and I truly believe there are groups out in the world plotting to do extreme and "righteous" (b.s.) things to the it because that's what they believe needs to be done. Thanks a bunch for the book.
July 26, 2016
The Flame Keepers was an interesting read. With a little tightening and clarification in a few places, it could have been a 4 star. It had an interesting layered plotline, but came up short in bringing the characters to life. Suspense and action built accordingly. The ending was too pat and wrapped up too quickly.
October 11, 2014
Ham-Fisted Crap
One-dimensional characters. Had more cliches than a dog has fleas. I admit I did stop before I got to far. It was just so bad. I read where he is a new author. So I wish J. Gregory luck on his next novel. Keep in mind that most author's work is not very good the first time out including my favorite author John Le Carre
.
One-dimensional characters. Had more cliches than a dog has fleas. I admit I did stop before I got to far. It was just so bad. I read where he is a new author. So I wish J. Gregory luck on his next novel. Keep in mind that most author's work is not very good the first time out including my favorite author John Le Carre
.
June 6, 2014
Interesting storyline.
Scary to think this could happen. The world is changing fast and this story shows what could happen with all the madness in it. Great characters and the story moves quick. Really enjoyed the book.phone
Scary to think this could happen. The world is changing fast and this story shows what could happen with all the madness in it. Great characters and the story moves quick. Really enjoyed the book.phone
August 24, 2015
This was a really good book. The story was great, loved the characters and it was a pretty quick read. I wish there was a sequel or prequel or something because I wasn't ready for the story to end yet!
August 28, 2014
I received this book in a goodreads giveaway. Thank you goodreads. The pacing was excellent, the plot had some layers to it, but I thought it use more depth and character development. I think many people would probably think the book worthy of four stars.
November 7, 2014
It was a good thriller with an unexpected ending, but I can't help but feel that the ending was rather rushed with a deus ex machina and so many wonderful coincidences that just happens to fall into place.
November 7, 2015
Different
For all the conspiracy theorists out there. A good read, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Once it got going wouldn't let me go. Lots of twists and turns to keep you guessing. And a happy ending, too!
For all the conspiracy theorists out there. A good read, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Once it got going wouldn't let me go. Lots of twists and turns to keep you guessing. And a happy ending, too!
August 6, 2014
ending fell apart
January 10, 2015
It was ok .. got better as it went along. The voice for the audiobook made the characters sound as cheesey as they were. NOt bad not great, average read as you don't need to think.
September 26, 2015
Every time I picked up this book to read I couldn't remember what was going on and I had to go back and re read a few pages. It obviously doesn't interest me. Plus it uses the "F" word.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews