Codename: Lara (Ein Lara King Spionage-Thriller – Band 1)

Lara King #1

by Jack Mars

“Thriller-Kunst auf höchstem Niveau.”
--Midwest Book Review (Primärziel)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Jack Mars, Spitzenreiter der Bestsellerlisten und USA Today Bestsellerautor mit über 10.000 Fünf-Sterne-Bewertungen, präsentiert eine bahnbrechende neue Lara King, als Waise aufgewachsen und von Kindesbeinen an ausgebildet, wird zu einer der tödlichsten und effektivsten Agentinnen der CIA.

In LARA (Band 1) wird die nukleare Apokalypse zum Spielball internationaler Terroristen. CIA-Topagentin Lara King bleibt keine Sie muss in eine extremistische Zelle einschleusen, die die Weltordnung bedroht. Kann sie die tickende Zeitbombe entschärfen, die ausgerechnet durch die Geheimnisse ihrer eigenen Regierung in Gang gesetzt wurde?

Die Lara King-Reihe verspricht Spionage-Thriller der Extraklasse mit unvorhersehbaren Wendungen, die Sie von der ersten bis zur letzten Seite in Atem halten. Tauchen Sie ein in ein packendes Abenteuer mit einer neuen, fesselnden Action-Heldin, die Sie garantiert bis tief in die Nacht wach hält. Ein Muss für Fans von Vince Flynn, Brad Taylor und Lee Child.

Weitere Bände der Reihe sind ebenfalls bereits erhältlich!

„Thriller-Fans, die präzise ausgearbeitete internationale Verschwörungen lieben, aber auch nach psychologischer Tiefe und einem glaubwürdigen Protagonisten suchen, der berufliche und private Herausforderungen meistert, werden diese Geschichte verschlingen.“
--Midwest Book Review, Diane Donovan (über Primärziel)
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„Einer der besten Thriller des Jahres. Die intelligente Handlung packt einen von der ersten Seite an. Der Autor hat großartige Arbeit geleistet und Charaktere geschaffen, die vielschichtig und fesselnd sind. Ich kann die Fortsetzung der Reihe kaum erwarten.“
--Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (über Primärziel)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Genres: Thriller, Audiobook, Espionage, Fiction, Action, Suspense, Contemporary

235 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 4, 2024

About the author

Jack Mars is author of the bestselling LUKE STONE thriller series, which include the suspense thrillers ANY MEANS NECESSARY (book #1), OATH OF OFFICE (book #2) and SITUATION ROOM (book #3).

Reviews

[GEOrocks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick, fun read. Fast paced CIA, suspend all reality and enjoy the ride, escapism.

[Sean Peters (A Good Thriller) · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Lara King Thriller ?

Is it?

In ASSET ONE (Book #1), nuclear Armageddon becomes a pawn in a game of international terror, and CIA's elite operative Lara King is faced with no choice but to infiltrate an extremist cell threatening global security. Can she disarm the ticking doomsday clock set in motion by her own government's secrets?

Jack Mars author of the popular Luke Stone thrillers, here we have Lara King? Or do we ?

This CIA spy thriller starts of well but goes downhill quickly, but this thriller is slow paced, heavy going, quite one dimensional character , usual story, a little far fetched.

Only two stars for me.

[Andrea]

Yikes. I knew this book wasn't going to be for me when only in Chapter 2 the main ML, who hadn't even met, said a word to, or made himself known to the FL, called out "company!" to identify himself as CIA during a shootout... BUT HOPED SHED GET THE DOUBLE ENTENDRE OF SOME OTHER KIND OF COMPANY HE'D LIKE TO KEEP, wink wink, nudge nudge... you know, sex, he thought she might be interested in fucking, during the shootout, with him, who she's never met or exchanged words with.
Anywho, despite it being very formulaic throughout, including the ML as some Oxford educated Bondesque Marty Sue chatacter and there being a Q type gadgets guy with high functioning autism making him a genius, of course, I nethertheless persisted.
I was under the impression the book was going to be about Lara King, CIA's elite operative, doing spy things, being a bad bish Sydney Bristoe style, but 6 chapters in and it still hadnt passed the Bechdel test and most of the narrative was dedicated to ML, Thomas Ridley, and his thoughts and perspectives it became clear this wasn't a story about a female spy, this was a story for male insert via the Marty Sue character, Thomas, and Lara was just the fantasy. Got the feeling the name was poached from Lara Croft (whom I love btw, no Lara hate), and that probably tells me all I need to know about the target audience. And that isn't me.

[Irene Kane · Rating 1 out of 5]

Can't believe this is the same author as the Luke Stone series. Unbelievable plot, silly characters and altogether a very forgettable story. I won't go any further with the series. I've enjoyed many of Jack Mars' books but IMHO this one is a lemon. Sorry.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick audio book! Essentially modern day lady James Bond. Love it! And maybe a little chemistry between the new partners? We will see in the series!

[Ren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lara King has been property of the CIA since she was 6 years old and is one of their most valuable (and deadly) assets. And her new/first-ever partner, Thomas Ridley, is more of an annoyance than a help by Lara's standards. When a secret military R&D site is the site of a massacre and their work stolen, Lara and Thomas must go to extreme measures to prevent nuclear war.

For the most part, this book is your standard action hero fare. Lara "karate chops" things a lot, is practically inhumanly accurate with a gun, and saves the day at the last minute possible. But the characters shine and the plot is crafted in a way that makes this book more than the sum of its parts. The dynamic between Lara and Thomas is similar to the early-seasons relationship between Temperance Brennan and Seeley Booth on Bones; Lara often sees Thomas as more trouble than he's worth even when his skills are invaluable while Thomas is constantly trying to figure out why Lara is the way that she is. Brennan is the best character comparison I can draw for Lara. Both women are hypercompetent individuals at the top of their fields with abandonment issues and a social ineptitude that is almost baffling given their professions but makes perfect sense with their backgrounds. Additionally, Brennan and Lara largely compartmentalize their emotions and therefore struggle with the empathy they feel for their chosen family.

The villains here are shockingly well-written. Their logic is consistent, however disgusting it may be, and they are shown to have actual codes of ethics (just ones in conflict with the protagonists and intended audience). This also contrasts nicely with the heroine and her sidekick who both struggle with the ethics of what they do and the weighing the benefits versus immorality of Project Phantasma, the program that created Lara.

I am so excited to continue with this series and see where the story of Project Phantasma goes (because there's clearly more there) and whether these two turn their partnership into something more.

[Simon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've since learned through mild research that these books; these authors; even the audiobooks; all of it is AI generated. So with that knowledge understood, I relaxed a little and now just amuse myself with what AI can do and where it can take us. Since it isn't going anywhere and will only improve, I am along for the ride to see what kind of entertainment a computer can provide me, even if it is all ridiculous and outrageous when it comes up against things like the human brain and the way humans use and deduce with Logic and facts and experience.

I enjoyed this novel at the bare minimum, enough to read the rest of them. I am entertained perhaps by how basic the writing is. The mystery, spy thriller vibe, and the crime fighting is good, but this is just sad writing; it got published though so there is that accomplishment going for it.

These kinds of Spy-Thriller stories are what separate the amateurs from the professionals.

It seems I am going through a year of AI Generated Female Mystery-Solving, Crime-Fighting, Espionage-Spy Thrillers thanks to the recommends of my Hoopla account attached to my library.

[Jodi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lara is one of the best agents the CIA has trained. Thomas is assigned to be her partner, one she doesn’t want or need. They are sent on a mission where their abilities and skills are needed. Good suspense, great plot, and interesting. Lara King is the new heroine in Jack Mars’ electrifying new series. Lara was raised from a young age essentially be the CIA. She was part of Project Phantasma as was Kayden, a 14-year old computer hacker. Admiral Volkov wishes for the old Russia and is a fierce Putin critic. He arranges for the theft of 9 top secret attack drones which are undetectable that can be fitted with warheads that can turn them into dirty bombs of incredible power. Lara and her new, unwanted partner Thomas Ridley are tasked with tracking down Volkov before he can attack American ships and cities. What follows is a very exciting cat-and-mouse game between the agents and Volkov. Jack Mars once again uses his skills at setting the scene and creating tense action sequences throughout the book. Lara King is a winning character and I can’t wait to read of her exploits again.

[Marian Greco · Rating 3 out of 5]

a dollar for an original anything...!

this book reads like the author had read about twenty of some list's best-selling espionage novels, copied down all his favorite phrases, and then pasted them into his own very derivative script. nothing sounded convincing. nothing about his title heroine rang true, meaning characters like hers have distinct and distinguishing traits that set them apart and make them noteworthy, but not Lara King. not even her Samwise Gamgee sidekick, Thomas Ridley, was able to rise to the occasion believably. for instance, he was profiled as a linguistics expert, but rarely even given more than a whole sentence to say. he was posed as a probable MI6 agent, but seemed downright green at the art of spycraft. there is a book two, but I wouldn't bother, unless j.m. quit looking for inspiration in someone else's pages and switched to writing his own...

[William (Mr. Bill) Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Asset One (A Lara King Espionage Thriller Book 1)

Author Jack Mars has created a very interesting character. I'm new to the series, but the main character, as you may have deduced, is Lara King. In 'Asset One', the reader is introduced to this CIA operative with extreme insights. She prefers to work alone. I got the impression that others also prefer that she work alone. However, in this first book of the series, Lara is assigned a partner. There is a bit of tension, but between the Russian gangs, the rogue military, and nuclear weapons, you'll hardly notice. But, seriously, it's the start of a series that I look forward to reading. -Mr.Bill

[Beach Bum · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a 3.5, but 3 wouldn't do it justice

Nothing really new, but well put together and well thought out
Main character is some elite CIA agent, that has secrets about her past, that no one else should.know, except the higher echelons of the CIA who created her
Her new partner seems to be a good guy
A few issues with the story like how do elite spetznaz not know how to guard a ship properly, but it's minor stuff in the scheme of things
Fast paced, lots of action and obviously a lot more to come about the back story and future missions

[Tom · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don’t bother

This is one of the worst books I’ve read in a long time; I can’t believe I stuck with it to the end. Juvenile writing, simplistic characters prone to overusing words like “idiot” to describe everyone but them selves, improbable plot, superhuman shooting and other physical skills of the main characters, constantly denigrating America and Americans as being idiots and hated by everyone, etc., etc.

[Krystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the beginning of the books I wasn’t so sure I was going to like it. Lara is so standoffish and seems superior to everyone else. Thomas seemed egotistical and assholish. And Kayden - well - he’s a character unto himself.

By the end of the book I was engrossed. Loving the partnership between all of them! The only thing I didn’t like was the book was pretty technical in places. More than what I considered necessary but overall, very good!

[Jessa]

Wasn’t a bad story, there was a lot of potential for me to be intrigued, but it really didn’t pull me in. I think this was a case of not really vibing with the narrator. Which is interesting, because I liked his voice and feel like I’d enjoy him with a different book, but didn’t really feel it with these characters or storyline. I also feel I would have enjoyed the story more as a physical read instead of an audiobook.

[Jacquelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘Asset One’ was thrilling. Its plot was filled with suspense, secrets, nerve-wracking tension, espionage, and intrigue. Then, the fourteen-year-old, although extremely bright, didn’t seem to act his age; he was too immature after receiving bad news from the female protagonist. Nonetheless, I liked the riveting narrative.

[Sean · Rating 2 out of 5]

One dimensional characters.
Female agent beats up groups of large men in hand-to-hand combat. But hey, she does karate chops. Really. Who can defeat a karate chop? That is, other than every other form of MMA.
And if you find aiming for a leg silly, well she will shoot a finger.
I did finish it, it was an easy read, so two stars for that I guess, but I won't continue the series.

[Michelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

I actually DNF. The Russian scenes read more like a script than a novel-every single move and kill was described, in detail. I couldn’t connect to the characters, at all!! I love Jack Ryan, Lara Croft, Jason Bourne, Jack Reacher, but NOT Lara King. This book kind of reminded me of Red Sparrow and Hannah - but not as good. I agonizingly read 52% before I quit.

[Costas · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of the few times I actually considered not finishing a book.
There's no way the author who wrote Agent Zero wrote this book. Poorly written, tired premise, with badly portrayed characters. Simplistic plot with no real suspense or thrills. Needless to say I will not be continuing the series. Thank god it was a short read.

[Anna Hefner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exciting till the end!

Lara King is a character you will not soon forget. She is partnered and not happy about it. She works alone only. Thomas Ridley is not sure how to take Lara and the plot begins. This book keeps your attention immediately and I highly recommend it. Can’t wait to read Asset Two!

[Lewis D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good start for the series. There was one part that I didn't like, a 13/almost 14 year old computer whiz working for the CIA. Even as talented as his is characterized, there is so lack of belief in this part that brought down this book.
I will probably read the next and see if I will continue with this character.
I have read many of Jack Mars and enjoyed them

[David A. Rosow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Impossible but pretty well written

So Lara King is the newest thriller heroine, deservedly so; however, the story is so implausible as to make it a quick read, with a few paragraphs of blather to skip.

[Nicola Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant

What a fantastic read, fast paced and thoroughly enjoyable. Read in one sitting, I am looking forward to Paras further adventures. Well done Jack, you have created a very interesting character in Lara!

[Cynthia A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Children as spies and killers

Lara is one of the best agents the CIA has trained. Thomas is assigned to be her partner, one she doesn’t want or need. They are sent on a mission where their abilities and skills are needed. Good suspense, great plot, and interesting.

[David Horsman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Asset 1 Jack Mars. Book one.

I enjoyed it.. believable characters, believable plot. I would’ve preferred a little more romance. A little more interaction between the two main characters would’ve been nice.

[Martin Vallance · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this character

[Garrett Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good story well told with interesting characters.

Lara and her partner have their hands full chasing a Russian ship full of bad guys trying to cause world war III.

[Ashlee Buttars · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the book was just okay, the audio was awful. It cut out through the entire thing, skipped during sentences and there were so many words mispronounced. Probably won’t be continuing the series.

[patricia sendelbach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lara King, a CIA agent since age 6? Unlikely premise but great spy stories.

[C. K. Krueger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant

Captivating read. Edge of the seat stuff
Can't wait for the next episode. Hope that the author does not dry up

[Selwyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

My score was generous because I won’t read any more of this series. Had some good ideas, hence the score, but unrealistic execution.