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Jonathan Grave #3
Threat Warning
Length: 12 hrs and 6 mins
The first victims are random. Ordinary citizens, fired upon at rush hour by unseen assassins. Caught in the crossfire of one of the attacks, rescue specialist Jonathan Grave spies a gunman getting away - with a mother and her young son as hostages.
To free them, Grave and his team must enter the dark heart of a nationwide conspiracy. But their search goes beyond the frenzied schemes of a madman's deadly ambitions. This time, it reaches all the way to the highest levels of power.
The first victims are random. Ordinary citizens, fired upon at rush hour by unseen assassins. Caught in the crossfire of one of the attacks, rescue specialist Jonathan Grave spies a gunman getting away - with a mother and her young son as hostages.
To free them, Grave and his team must enter the dark heart of a nationwide conspiracy. But their search goes beyond the frenzied schemes of a madman's deadly ambitions. This time, it reaches all the way to the highest levels of power.
Audible Audio
First published January 28, 2011
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About the author
John Gilstrap
79 books1,209 followersA little bit about my background... I've always been a closet-writer. As a kid, I lived for the opportunity to write short stories. I was the editor of my high school newspaper for a while (the Valor Dictus, Robinson High School, class of 1975), until I quit ("You can't fire me! I quit!") over a lofty First Amendment issue that seemed very important at the time. My goal, in fact, was to become a journalist in the vein of Woodward or Bernstein. Okay, I confess, I wanted to be Woodward; Robert Redford played him in the movie, and chicks really dug Robert Redford.
I graduated from the College of William and Mary in 1979, and armed with a degree in American history, I couldn't find a job. I ended up settling for a position with a little-noticed trade journal serving the construction industry. They called me the managing editor and they paid me food stamp wages. I hated it. About this time, I joined the Burke Volunteer Fire Department in Fairfax County, Virginia, if only to find relief from the boredom of my job. Running about a thousand calls my first year with the department, I was hooked, and the volunteer fire service became an important part of my life for the next 15 years. In the early eighties, hating my job, I went the way of all frustrated liberal arts undergrads—back to graduate school. Earning a Master of Science degree in safety engineering from the University of Southern California, I started down a whole new road. For the next decade and a half, I became an expert (don't you hate that word?) on explosives safety and hazardous waste. Meanwhile, I kept writing. I didn't tell anyone, of course, because, well, you just don't share artistic dreams with fellow engineers. They look at you funny.
My first novel, Nathan's Run, was in fact my fourth novel, and when it sold, it sold big. At a time in my life when things were going well—I was president of my own consulting firm—things were suddenly going very well. Warner Bros. bought the movie rights to Nathan's Run two days after the first book rights were sold, and as of this date, the novel has been translated and published in one form or another in over 20 countries. With Nathan's Run in the can, as it were, I thought I might finally be on to something, but I didn't quit my "day job" until after I sold the book and movie rights to my second novel, At All Costs. I figured that while one-in-a-row might be luck, two-in-a-row was a trend. So, I started writing full-time.
More novels followed, and then a few screenplays. I was living the dream.
But I really didn't like it much. I learned pretty quickly that when you're born a Type-A personality, those extrovert tendencies don't go away just because you're practicing a craft you love. In fact, after just a couple of years of dream fulfillment, I was pretty friggin' bored with the company of my imaginary friends, so I did something that I've never heard a full-time artist do before: I went back to a day job. At first, it was just a matter of reactivating my consulting business, but then, in 2004, I was handed my ideal Big-Boy Job (that's what my wife calls it) working as the director of safety for a trade association in Washington, DC.
And I continue to write. In 2006, Six Minutes to Freedom was published to considerable acclaim. My first (and probably last) foray into book-length non-fiction, SixMin tells the story of Kurt Muse, the only civilian of record ever rescued by the super-secret Delta Force. Thanks to Kurt's cooperation (he is co-author), I gained access to people and places that lifelong civilians like me should never see. The heroic warriors I met during that research turned out to be nothing like their movie stereotypes. These were not only gentlemen, but gentle men, who remained free of the kind of boasting and self-aggrandizement that I was expecting. They were supreme professionals, and very nice guys.
And through them I got the idea for my new series character, Jonathan Grave. He's fo
I graduated from the College of William and Mary in 1979, and armed with a degree in American history, I couldn't find a job. I ended up settling for a position with a little-noticed trade journal serving the construction industry. They called me the managing editor and they paid me food stamp wages. I hated it. About this time, I joined the Burke Volunteer Fire Department in Fairfax County, Virginia, if only to find relief from the boredom of my job. Running about a thousand calls my first year with the department, I was hooked, and the volunteer fire service became an important part of my life for the next 15 years. In the early eighties, hating my job, I went the way of all frustrated liberal arts undergrads—back to graduate school. Earning a Master of Science degree in safety engineering from the University of Southern California, I started down a whole new road. For the next decade and a half, I became an expert (don't you hate that word?) on explosives safety and hazardous waste. Meanwhile, I kept writing. I didn't tell anyone, of course, because, well, you just don't share artistic dreams with fellow engineers. They look at you funny.
My first novel, Nathan's Run, was in fact my fourth novel, and when it sold, it sold big. At a time in my life when things were going well—I was president of my own consulting firm—things were suddenly going very well. Warner Bros. bought the movie rights to Nathan's Run two days after the first book rights were sold, and as of this date, the novel has been translated and published in one form or another in over 20 countries. With Nathan's Run in the can, as it were, I thought I might finally be on to something, but I didn't quit my "day job" until after I sold the book and movie rights to my second novel, At All Costs. I figured that while one-in-a-row might be luck, two-in-a-row was a trend. So, I started writing full-time.
More novels followed, and then a few screenplays. I was living the dream.
But I really didn't like it much. I learned pretty quickly that when you're born a Type-A personality, those extrovert tendencies don't go away just because you're practicing a craft you love. In fact, after just a couple of years of dream fulfillment, I was pretty friggin' bored with the company of my imaginary friends, so I did something that I've never heard a full-time artist do before: I went back to a day job. At first, it was just a matter of reactivating my consulting business, but then, in 2004, I was handed my ideal Big-Boy Job (that's what my wife calls it) working as the director of safety for a trade association in Washington, DC.
And I continue to write. In 2006, Six Minutes to Freedom was published to considerable acclaim. My first (and probably last) foray into book-length non-fiction, SixMin tells the story of Kurt Muse, the only civilian of record ever rescued by the super-secret Delta Force. Thanks to Kurt's cooperation (he is co-author), I gained access to people and places that lifelong civilians like me should never see. The heroic warriors I met during that research turned out to be nothing like their movie stereotypes. These were not only gentlemen, but gentle men, who remained free of the kind of boasting and self-aggrandizement that I was expecting. They were supreme professionals, and very nice guys.
And through them I got the idea for my new series character, Jonathan Grave. He's fo
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 193 reviews
April 5, 2015
Another taut thriller featuring Jonathan "Digger" Graves and his hostage rescue team, Security Solutions. The wife and son of a fellow military man are taken hostage by religious zealots, with a grand political agenda. Approached by a former boss he despises, Graves decides to help his overseas comrade, and goes to war. Fast paced, with enough but not too much morality. P.S. The title of this book made no sense.
February 21, 2020
Grave and Company were superb in this on. They were drawn into this mess unintentionally. They were forced to solve the problem more than choosing too. What a ride. Looking forward to the next one because one member of the team is in trouble.
October 13, 2014
The 3rd thriller in the Jonathan Grave Series set in Washington DC and West Virginia is a terrifying and exciting story featuring my new favorite hero, the freelance peacemaker and hostage rescuer Jonathan Grave and the Security Solutions team.
When a woman and her son are kidnapped and held hostage by a sinister military group calling themselves the “Army of God”, Jonathan and his team are soon onto their new mission to rescue them before they are killed by the secret cult-like society bent on bringing destruction and death to America.
A kick-ass and adrenalin filled plot, with strong and memorable characters that it’s impossible to put down.
When a woman and her son are kidnapped and held hostage by a sinister military group calling themselves the “Army of God”, Jonathan and his team are soon onto their new mission to rescue them before they are killed by the secret cult-like society bent on bringing destruction and death to America.
A kick-ass and adrenalin filled plot, with strong and memorable characters that it’s impossible to put down.
February 4, 2017
I’ve really come to like this series of Jonathan Graves. At first glance, I would even say Jonathan is a loner, until a rescue comes into play in these stories. Gail (a former law enforcement officer) hired by Graves later, has really frustrated me in this novel. Her conflict with the law and her boss’s rule to ‘shoot first ask questions later’ have me calling her a moron more often than not. Grave’s partner and friend, Boxers, is the exception to any rule when it comes to the preservation of life. He reminds me so much of Marcus, a brute of a guy, in the Andy Carpenter series, by David Rosenfelt. I love these rescue types, when Venice (Ve-nee-chay), is behind the scenes, controlling the intel, watching over the rescue-op, sending in reinforcements, and covertly acting as ‘Mother Hen’.
I had some mixed feelings as well. As Graves and his team go in to rescue a mother and her son from a cult named ‘God’s Army’, I almost have to wonder why he didn’t plan for the mass soldiers in the compound. Special Forces skills or not, Graves put himself and his very small team at risk from the very beginning, with no back up plan. This annoyed me, somewhat. Is this the behavior of a narcissist or did he really think this would only be a snatch, grab and get the hell out of dodge operation? Then you have a corrupt sheriff who is one of the leaders in the cult, good grief! Goes to show that should anyone be kidnapped, small town law enforcement can’t be trusted and you must then trek it all the way to the state border to find a kind old lady who seems to be no threat, in order for you to rescue yourself. Colonel Rollins, who came to Graves for the favor, could have easily done this rescue operation himself, since he swooped right in and saved not just the hostages, but Graves’s team as well. The ending was not something shocking but I liked it.
I had some mixed feelings as well. As Graves and his team go in to rescue a mother and her son from a cult named ‘God’s Army’, I almost have to wonder why he didn’t plan for the mass soldiers in the compound. Special Forces skills or not, Graves put himself and his very small team at risk from the very beginning, with no back up plan. This annoyed me, somewhat. Is this the behavior of a narcissist or did he really think this would only be a snatch, grab and get the hell out of dodge operation? Then you have a corrupt sheriff who is one of the leaders in the cult, good grief! Goes to show that should anyone be kidnapped, small town law enforcement can’t be trusted and you must then trek it all the way to the state border to find a kind old lady who seems to be no threat, in order for you to rescue yourself. Colonel Rollins, who came to Graves for the favor, could have easily done this rescue operation himself, since he swooped right in and saved not just the hostages, but Graves’s team as well. The ending was not something shocking but I liked it.
April 19, 2020
An exciting book going from low to high as the excitment escalated. Then it seemed to go on when I felt it was over.
June 28, 2011
"Threat Warning" is the third and latest entry in veteran bestselling thriller author John Gilstrap's series featuring tough-guy hero Jonathan "Digger" Grave. Fans of Gilstrap and Grave will be hard-pressed to put this exhilarating book down before finishing it in a single sitting, as will thriller fans just discovering the author and/or the character. Gilstrap rivets attention from the novel's electrifying first chapter, and from there the action barrels full tilt right up to the story's taut climax.
The opening scene explodes with a firefight on the Wilson Bridge during a typical rush hour on a cold November evening in Washington, D.C. The Wilson Bridge onslaught was preceded by one at a shopping mall in Kansas City, and is followed quickly by a bombing at a Detroit middle school as terrorists wage war against the United States on American soil. Meanwhile, before the gun smoke clears from the combat on the bridge, one of the terrorist shooters escapes by carjacking a military wife's minivan and kidnapping the woman and her teen-aged son, soon delivering them to captivity at the terrorists' remote compound in rural West Virginia. The price of sparing the hostages' lives is the immediate withdrawal of all U.S. forces in Afghanistan and the Middle East. Gilstrap keeps the tension mounting relentlessly as the formidable Grave and his small but resourceful team battle to thwart a terrorist sniper plot that threatens to demolish the government and obliterate America's financial system.
Gilstrap writes well, in a style that's smart, crisp and engaging. He sets scenes with sufficient detail to put the readers right alongside his characters as heroes and villains clash in both urban and rural settings. He crafts realistic and believable dialogue. Though some of Gilstrap's characters are a little flat, he earns kudos for avoiding the tendency of many modern thriller writers to sacrifice depth and complexity in even principal characters on the altar of propelling plots. The overall effect is an addictive and satisfying read, and a chilling story that feels disturbingly close to one that might erupt in America at any moment.
The opening scene explodes with a firefight on the Wilson Bridge during a typical rush hour on a cold November evening in Washington, D.C. The Wilson Bridge onslaught was preceded by one at a shopping mall in Kansas City, and is followed quickly by a bombing at a Detroit middle school as terrorists wage war against the United States on American soil. Meanwhile, before the gun smoke clears from the combat on the bridge, one of the terrorist shooters escapes by carjacking a military wife's minivan and kidnapping the woman and her teen-aged son, soon delivering them to captivity at the terrorists' remote compound in rural West Virginia. The price of sparing the hostages' lives is the immediate withdrawal of all U.S. forces in Afghanistan and the Middle East. Gilstrap keeps the tension mounting relentlessly as the formidable Grave and his small but resourceful team battle to thwart a terrorist sniper plot that threatens to demolish the government and obliterate America's financial system.
Gilstrap writes well, in a style that's smart, crisp and engaging. He sets scenes with sufficient detail to put the readers right alongside his characters as heroes and villains clash in both urban and rural settings. He crafts realistic and believable dialogue. Though some of Gilstrap's characters are a little flat, he earns kudos for avoiding the tendency of many modern thriller writers to sacrifice depth and complexity in even principal characters on the altar of propelling plots. The overall effect is an addictive and satisfying read, and a chilling story that feels disturbingly close to one that might erupt in America at any moment.
March 15, 2022
John GilstrapIf you like to know and read page upon page of detail, then this book may fit your needs. Although this genre is typically themed with action, you will find little of it here. Also, there is a natural drought of developing relationships. But again, if you want to know how a 50 cal rifle expells a shell, this is the book for you.
It had few redeeming sections and came across as a little boring.
February 22, 2019
Fast paced thriller. Jonathan Graves and his band of not really sanctioned, rescue operatives are the ones to call when you have no one else.
In this installment, Jonathan and Boxer-the "Big Guy", helicopter pilot and munitions expert, are tasked with rescuing a mother and her son from a home grown terrorist cell. The "Army of God".
The first thing that occurs is that Jonathan is crossing a traffic bridge, and sees an active shooter shooting random people stuck on the bridge in their cars. He is has the shooter in his sights and is about to shoot him in the head when he is stopped by a over-zealous police office who allows the active shooter to get away.
Luckily, Jonathan has friends in high places and the police officer is reprimanded and forced to apologize, much to his chagrin.
Don't want to give away too much- but its an interesting comparison between the duties of the police and the military. The author makes a point about how at one time the Navy Seals were given the job of
stopping drug lords from selling drugs, and the Seals easily stopped the boats used by the drug sellers and also easily confiscated the drugs but that when the drug sellers pointed guns- the Seals killed them. End of story. Whereas the police have to take them alive and protect the chain of evidence for trial. Same with hostages, from a military view protect the hostages and rescue them, period.
Don't try to protect the chain of evidence and take criminals alive when the hostages are going to die as a result.
If you like a fast paced story and lots of action and don't mind that no one bothered to protect the chain of evidence or the criminals, read on.....!
In this installment, Jonathan and Boxer-the "Big Guy", helicopter pilot and munitions expert, are tasked with rescuing a mother and her son from a home grown terrorist cell. The "Army of God".
The first thing that occurs is that Jonathan is crossing a traffic bridge, and sees an active shooter shooting random people stuck on the bridge in their cars. He is has the shooter in his sights and is about to shoot him in the head when he is stopped by a over-zealous police office who allows the active shooter to get away.
Luckily, Jonathan has friends in high places and the police officer is reprimanded and forced to apologize, much to his chagrin.
Don't want to give away too much- but its an interesting comparison between the duties of the police and the military. The author makes a point about how at one time the Navy Seals were given the job of
stopping drug lords from selling drugs, and the Seals easily stopped the boats used by the drug sellers and also easily confiscated the drugs but that when the drug sellers pointed guns- the Seals killed them. End of story. Whereas the police have to take them alive and protect the chain of evidence for trial. Same with hostages, from a military view protect the hostages and rescue them, period.
Don't try to protect the chain of evidence and take criminals alive when the hostages are going to die as a result.
If you like a fast paced story and lots of action and don't mind that no one bothered to protect the chain of evidence or the criminals, read on.....!
June 25, 2017
I give Threat Warning a more specific rating of 4.7 stars. This is the third book in the series and each one gets better. The author did a great job of going back and forth between and among the various characters and the situations involving them (multiple scenes playing out from different character viewpoints). That aspect compelled me to keep reading to get to the next viewpoint/scene. Very good plot, which was not too difficult to determine what was going to happen next. That doesn't bother me. Some may want to be surprised by twists and turns. I'm not one of those people. I know how the book starts and will end (bad guy gets what he deserves). The stuff in the middle is what is exciting (action, character development and personal character interaction).
Threat Warning is highly recommended by this author. Now, it's on to book #4.
Threat Warning is highly recommended by this author. Now, it's on to book #4.
February 25, 2019
Another catching novel by this author! I did pick it up a while ago but wasn't able to read it because of certain distractions, but when I did get a chance to read it, I didn't want to put it down! This was one that I had to force myself to take breaks to do adult things (I know, sucks, right??). Gilstrap must do tons of research when he writes his books because the details of the missions and weapons is in-depth! I loved learning new things (although some of the weapons specs I might have skipped :-) ). Threat Warning was actually a little too realistic with it's story of the Army of God and their terrorists plans. It is true sometimes that as Americans, we are our own worst enemies. This book plays out that way exactly. I'm glad there was more than just the rescue in here. I thought it would be a to-be-continued type of book when the people ran off but was happy it wasn't!
August 18, 2017
4.5. my favorite of Gilstrap's so far. Jonathan and Gail's relationship as soldier vs. cop is very interesting and unique.
November 22, 2022
Loving Jonathan Grave character!
June 30, 2023
I finished it. But way too much action and not enough depth and too much black and white thinking for me.
September 28, 2016
I've said it before and I will say it again- If I could plot like John Gilstrap I would be a happy writer. This book has a mystery wrapped in a thriller and both are more than enough to keep the pages turning.
Jonathan Grave novels are a series not to be missed if you like action and heroes saving the day and who doesn't?
Jonathan Grave novels are a series not to be missed if you like action and heroes saving the day and who doesn't?
May 17, 2012
Well, I said in my last entry that I needed some candy reading, and boy did I find it. Absolutely perfect airplane books,which is mostly where I read both.
John Gilstrap has created a nicely noir protagonist named Jonathan Grave. Except he’s not really “Grave” (there are a number of appropriate echoes to that name), but “Gravenow.” He shortened it because his nearest kin is a famous “guest of the state” after a lucrative career in corruption. Before he got sent up, said kin transferred virtually all his wealth to Jonathan. Jonathan, after a career of collecting scars and medals in the special forces, decides to use the money to do good. He sets himself up in business to help people who have special needs--like kidnapped relatives or the ongoing presence of a terrorist group in their neighborhood. Stuff like that.
I don’t know if Gilstrap’s readers demand a sameness of plot or if he lacks imagination, or if he just doesn’t want to fix what’s not broke, but both books involve anti-government militants holed up in the West Virginia hills honing their guerrilla skills in preparation for the big day.
Grave gets drawn into their plotting inadvertently in both books, running across their nefarious schemes while he’s doing something else. He’s an arrogant guy, though likable enough, and he makes plenty of mistakes, some of which get people killed. He’s also relatively amoral (apparently a requirement for the noir hero), at least when it comes to what’s legal and what’s not. He’s more interested in justice--his version--than he is in the law. He often sets up situations that mock the FBI’s need to sit around and wait for warrants, delaying while people die, when a good old fashioned storming of the compound would do the job without all the muss and fuss.
Most of the stuff isn’t particularly realistic. Isn’t meant to be. The characters are engaging, and in both books there’s an extra piece of action just when you’ve relaxed and thought things were wrapped up. Not high lit, but not meant to be. It pretends to be nothing more than it is, and if you like this sort of thing, that’s good enough. We all like our own flavor of candy.
John Gilstrap has created a nicely noir protagonist named Jonathan Grave. Except he’s not really “Grave” (there are a number of appropriate echoes to that name), but “Gravenow.” He shortened it because his nearest kin is a famous “guest of the state” after a lucrative career in corruption. Before he got sent up, said kin transferred virtually all his wealth to Jonathan. Jonathan, after a career of collecting scars and medals in the special forces, decides to use the money to do good. He sets himself up in business to help people who have special needs--like kidnapped relatives or the ongoing presence of a terrorist group in their neighborhood. Stuff like that.
I don’t know if Gilstrap’s readers demand a sameness of plot or if he lacks imagination, or if he just doesn’t want to fix what’s not broke, but both books involve anti-government militants holed up in the West Virginia hills honing their guerrilla skills in preparation for the big day.
Grave gets drawn into their plotting inadvertently in both books, running across their nefarious schemes while he’s doing something else. He’s an arrogant guy, though likable enough, and he makes plenty of mistakes, some of which get people killed. He’s also relatively amoral (apparently a requirement for the noir hero), at least when it comes to what’s legal and what’s not. He’s more interested in justice--his version--than he is in the law. He often sets up situations that mock the FBI’s need to sit around and wait for warrants, delaying while people die, when a good old fashioned storming of the compound would do the job without all the muss and fuss.
Most of the stuff isn’t particularly realistic. Isn’t meant to be. The characters are engaging, and in both books there’s an extra piece of action just when you’ve relaxed and thought things were wrapped up. Not high lit, but not meant to be. It pretends to be nothing more than it is, and if you like this sort of thing, that’s good enough. We all like our own flavor of candy.
August 8, 2011
Good thriller. Jonathan Graves is the owner of a security company but his real job is helping protect innocent people. Although I haven't read any other books by this author, I get the impression he has used this particular character before. A terriorist group is targeting innocent people in different areas of the U.S. A young woman kills several people as they drive along a busy highway. Jonathan is in a car and sees the shooter. When he tries to follow her, a FBI agent apprehends and arrests him allowing the shooter to escape. The shooter flags a woman and her teenage son down and kidnaps them. Jonathan is hired to rescue them. The captives are the wife and son of a high ranking Army soldier. Using the company's special technological skills and with some help from another Army official, they find the compound where the victims are being held. There is some past unpleasant history between Jonathan, his best friend, Boxers, and the Army official, Rollins, but Rollins proves his assistance more than once in the story. The book kept you wondering what was going to happen next making it hard to put down.
March 16, 2024
Audiobook Review – Threat Warning – John Gilstrap
When a cult-like paramilitary group decides to make its deadly presence known, the first victims are ordinary citizens going about their daily lives in Washington, DC. Unseen assassins fired upon random people during DC’s rush hour and caught in the crossfire of the attacks is rescue specialist Jonathan Grave, who sees one of the gunmen getting away with a mother and her young son as hostages. To free them, Grave and his Security Solutions team take on a dark and sinister terrorist that leads to a nationwide conspiracy that reaches all the way to the highest levels of government power. “Threat Warning” is a surprisingly good audiobook! Author John Gilstrap's hostage rescue specialist Jonathan Grave is a great action thriller character. I love Gilstrap’s character development of Jonathan Grave and this story is nothing but non-stop action, exciting thrills and suspenseful chills! Gilstrap's writing and Basil Sands' narration kept me engaged and propelled me to listen to the entire series. Gilstrap is one of my favorite audiobook authors as long as Basil Sands is narrating. Great action thriller listen.
When a cult-like paramilitary group decides to make its deadly presence known, the first victims are ordinary citizens going about their daily lives in Washington, DC. Unseen assassins fired upon random people during DC’s rush hour and caught in the crossfire of the attacks is rescue specialist Jonathan Grave, who sees one of the gunmen getting away with a mother and her young son as hostages. To free them, Grave and his Security Solutions team take on a dark and sinister terrorist that leads to a nationwide conspiracy that reaches all the way to the highest levels of government power. “Threat Warning” is a surprisingly good audiobook! Author John Gilstrap's hostage rescue specialist Jonathan Grave is a great action thriller character. I love Gilstrap’s character development of Jonathan Grave and this story is nothing but non-stop action, exciting thrills and suspenseful chills! Gilstrap's writing and Basil Sands' narration kept me engaged and propelled me to listen to the entire series. Gilstrap is one of my favorite audiobook authors as long as Basil Sands is narrating. Great action thriller listen.
March 20, 2012
The beginning was good and then immediately careened off the rails into how-can-this-woman-be-so-unbelievably-stupid territory. It was so awful that I nearly quit reading right there. But after about 50 pages of stupid-woman nonsense, it picked back up and got pretty good again.
Without getting too spoiler-ish, the premise of the book is that some people (who are too stupid to live) are kidnapped and Our Hero has to go save them. There are many Bad People dispatched in assorted ways en route to the Dramatic Rescue. With so many other ways of setting up the kidnapping, I don't know what posessed the author to write it the way he did. Shaking my head.
3.5 for most of the book, -2 for the ridiculous beginning, it gets two stars overall.
Small Spoiler ahead...
PSA - when you see an armed chick wearing a Columbine-style coat hitchhiking in the immediate aftermath of a mass shooting event, it is best not to pick her up. Just saying.
Without getting too spoiler-ish, the premise of the book is that some people (who are too stupid to live) are kidnapped and Our Hero has to go save them. There are many Bad People dispatched in assorted ways en route to the Dramatic Rescue. With so many other ways of setting up the kidnapping, I don't know what posessed the author to write it the way he did. Shaking my head.
3.5 for most of the book, -2 for the ridiculous beginning, it gets two stars overall.
Small Spoiler ahead...
PSA - when you see an armed chick wearing a Columbine-style coat hitchhiking in the immediate aftermath of a mass shooting event, it is best not to pick her up. Just saying.
August 31, 2012
Great writing. Gilstrap is one of my favorites.
Read
July 2, 2015Love the story. Could't put the book down. In spite of having surgery Friday. Love this author. He know how to write an exciting story
January 13, 2021
I may be repetitive but this is a great series and I am a sucker for series and love to read them back to back. Highly recommended.
July 25, 2022
I'm finding this series to be an enjoyable action read, but it's difficult to take these stories seriously because they're so over the top. Threat Warning continues that trend with hostage retrieval expert Jonathan Grave and his team coming up against a literal army of domestic terrorists intent on bringing down the US government.
I think you'll either like or hate this depending on the type of story you're looking for. If you're looking for an entertaining action romp with minimal thinking this will work well. If you're after a realistic military/action thriller... not so much. Grave and company are obviously smarter then everyone else in the alphabet soup intelligence agencies, able to immediately work out the bad guys master plan, their location, and everything else, while the three of them gun down a hundred or so killers without a scratch between them. Add the cheesy nicknames and constant over use of them (Scorpion, The Big Guy, Gunslinger) and I was rolling my eyes a lot throughout this book
It's not all bad though. Grave is still fun to read about and I liked Gail's character a lot more here then in the last book. Her pivot from law enforcement to outside the law hostage rescuer is handled well - having her immediately switch from cop to vigilante without a second thought would have made no sense and her internal struggles felt very real. That said the author lost me when they decided not to give me a resolution for this, throwing in a cliffhanger so I'm forced to buy the next book to find out what'll happen with her. That took the rating down a star for me.
I think you'll either like or hate this depending on the type of story you're looking for. If you're looking for an entertaining action romp with minimal thinking this will work well. If you're after a realistic military/action thriller... not so much. Grave and company are obviously smarter then everyone else in the alphabet soup intelligence agencies, able to immediately work out the bad guys master plan, their location, and everything else, while the three of them gun down a hundred or so killers without a scratch between them. Add the cheesy nicknames and constant over use of them (Scorpion, The Big Guy, Gunslinger) and I was rolling my eyes a lot throughout this book
It's not all bad though. Grave is still fun to read about and I liked Gail's character a lot more here then in the last book. Her pivot from law enforcement to outside the law hostage rescuer is handled well - having her immediately switch from cop to vigilante without a second thought would have made no sense and her internal struggles felt very real. That said the author lost me when they decided not to give me a resolution for this, throwing in a cliffhanger so I'm forced to buy the next book to find out what'll happen with her. That took the rating down a star for me.
March 29, 2018
#3 in the Jonathan Grave series. Finalist 2012 Shamus Award for Best Paperback; Finalist 2012 Thriller Award for Best Paperback. Jonathan "Digger" Grave, formerly a Delta Force operator, now owned and ran Security Solutions, a firm specializing in hostage rescue. In author Gilstrap's 2011 outing he is up against a fundamentalist WV group called the Army of God is wreaking havoc and deflecting blame by pretending to be Islamic terrorists. After they kidnap the wife and son of a Delta Force operator and threaten to execute them on national TV, Grave is brought in. Interesting internal conflict when the newest team member, Gail Bonneville, has trouble accepting disregarding due process in furtherance of the groups goal of hostage rescue without regard to legal niceties. Absorbing page-turner.
Jonathan Grave's hostage rescue team will have to face a group of merciless killers to rescue this mother and her son. They are set to be executed and the video shown over the internet. Time is slipping away. But there is more to this then just a kidnapping. The team must stop this group before they can get to their primary high level target. The newest member of this team Gail must decide if she can overlook her law enforcement, everything by the book training to help her team. A team that doesn't always play by the rules, but always get the hostages.
Jonathan Grave's hostage rescue team will have to face a group of merciless killers to rescue this mother and her son. They are set to be executed and the video shown over the internet. Time is slipping away. But there is more to this then just a kidnapping. The team must stop this group before they can get to their primary high level target. The newest member of this team Gail must decide if she can overlook her law enforcement, everything by the book training to help her team. A team that doesn't always play by the rules, but always get the hostages.
October 26, 2023
I am not always an astute reader. I wish I'd realized that this was the third in a series, to feed my OCD tendencies. I almost feel compelled to read the first two now to get the full picture on these characters. Domestic terrorism/cults/dystopia/apocalypse novels are the book themes du jour. Threat Warning fits in well. Along with a fascinating group of central characters, the plot(s) just beg the reaction of "This could really happen today!" So why just three stars? I'm tired of only so-so writing and editing of books. A lot of information in this novel is not in my everyday routine so I appreciate the author educating me--except, to me, it seemed like he was over diligent in some obvious cases and ignored the necessary information in other places that made me stop and google something to figure out what I was reading about. That fault is on the author's hands but also on the editing staff. Seems these days that editing is slipshod on most books, yet the accolades for the friends and family, first readers, writing groups, and of course, professional editors are always there and effusive in the acknowledgements. This is a very short excerpt from Threat Warning: "The line when dead." Yes--it should read "The line went dead." I guess the author overlooked thanking Autocorrect in the acknowledgements. I'm not praising a work with stars not earned.
August 4, 2019
Tropey.
Gilstrap builds tension throughout this story, raising the stakes page by page. I read the last couple dozen pages outside my normal reading time to find out what happens. That's praise; not many writers can get me to do that.
If you're into hard-boiled, low-empathy tough guys, this could be your book. I've just read so many just like it. Start with the pointlessly redundant formula title and you know what you're getting (threat AND warning?).
There's the black woman who has no Black experiences and is inexplicably technically competent, the gigantic man who is unexpectedly fast and agile! for so big a guy, and the hero who kills without compunction but is kind to women down on their luck. We know he's the good guy because he beats up "gang-bangers" in jail, where he's thrown by mistake in the opening presumably just so you can see how tough he is. (The "bangers" are of course coded Black but their skin is never mentioned). Oh, and he watches Fox News on purpose but also derides them as nonsense.
If you're into thrillers, by now you've learned to NEVER count the bullets because it ruins all the fun. If you're good at overlooking this stuff, this is your book. It is technically well-written and crafted and bangs on all the tropes the thriller reader needs.
Gilstrap builds tension throughout this story, raising the stakes page by page. I read the last couple dozen pages outside my normal reading time to find out what happens. That's praise; not many writers can get me to do that.
If you're into hard-boiled, low-empathy tough guys, this could be your book. I've just read so many just like it. Start with the pointlessly redundant formula title and you know what you're getting (threat AND warning?).
There's the black woman who has no Black experiences and is inexplicably technically competent, the gigantic man who is unexpectedly fast and agile! for so big a guy, and the hero who kills without compunction but is kind to women down on their luck. We know he's the good guy because he beats up "gang-bangers" in jail, where he's thrown by mistake in the opening presumably just so you can see how tough he is. (The "bangers" are of course coded Black but their skin is never mentioned). Oh, and he watches Fox News on purpose but also derides them as nonsense.
If you're into thrillers, by now you've learned to NEVER count the bullets because it ruins all the fun. If you're good at overlooking this stuff, this is your book. It is technically well-written and crafted and bangs on all the tropes the thriller reader needs.
December 17, 2022
This is my third Grave's story but not in the correct order. This is one about a God cult in West Virginia who stages terrorist activities to look like Muslim ones. The head guy wants the USA to band together in it's hatred and start a war on the Muslim countries and then kill the president and he thinks the economy will topple. ( they never do explain why? You just get the feeling that the head guy who does not live in the compound without running water and electricity but resides in his mansion with all the creature comforts has another motif ) During one of their terrorist activities was standing on a bridge during rush hour and randomly shooting people in their cars and then one of the shooters jumps in a minivan and kidnaps a mother and teenage son who just happen to be part of the special forces family. So Johnathon Graves and team as tasked to rescue them while the government chases down bad Muslim leads. I really like the idea of Gail struggling with the rules of engagement and all the killing .
April 12, 2024
I'm almost finished with this one. I've really liked the series so far. But I have to ask does anyone else not like Gail? She's becoming a one note character. "The Law!" "The Law!" Maybe she should stick to the normal PI/Security stuff his company does and the leave the rescuing hostages to Digger, Boxer and Venice.
If I've got to listen to her complain about shooting someone who's pointing a gun at her one more time...
One last nitpick. Why are the women being held hostage such... The mom from the first book was a wet noodle she was such a pacifist. Then the mom here would have probably walked meekly to her grave telling her son to mind his manners.
If I've got to listen to her complain about shooting someone who's pointing a gun at her one more time...
One last nitpick. Why are the women being held hostage such... The mom from the first book was a wet noodle she was such a pacifist. Then the mom here would have probably walked meekly to her grave telling her son to mind his manners.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 8, 2020
Plenty of CRASH!, Plenty of BANG!, Plenty of WALLOP! So why didn't it quite hit the spots? I found the
Characters very two dimensional they didn't bring anything new to the genre. the plot I thought had a lot of holes in it, one glaring one would be the ease to get a hotel room across the park where the president is due to hold a an open air event. I Enjoyed the book it was a page turner, It's just I always felt I could have turned a couple of pages at a time & not missed anything.
I will read & look forward to reading further books by the author.
Characters very two dimensional they didn't bring anything new to the genre. the plot I thought had a lot of holes in it, one glaring one would be the ease to get a hotel room across the park where the president is due to hold a an open air event. I Enjoyed the book it was a page turner, It's just I always felt I could have turned a couple of pages at a time & not missed anything.
I will read & look forward to reading further books by the author.
April 23, 2022
Religious zealots gone wild.
More frightening than reading about the antics of zealous is actually stepping into their minds, to be seduced by their supreme confidence in their righteousness. We have seen it happen so many times, too many times. Hitler. Jim Jones. Donald Trump. Men who tap into a hate filled philosophy that targets a group for their misery and sets out to destroy them.
I find the killing disturbing because Security Solutions just considers it the cost of doing business.
Nonetheless, the novel h was spellbinding.
More frightening than reading about the antics of zealous is actually stepping into their minds, to be seduced by their supreme confidence in their righteousness. We have seen it happen so many times, too many times. Hitler. Jim Jones. Donald Trump. Men who tap into a hate filled philosophy that targets a group for their misery and sets out to destroy them.
I find the killing disturbing because Security Solutions just considers it the cost of doing business.
Nonetheless, the novel h was spellbinding.
May 9, 2025
Awesome
I only recently found myself reading John Gilstrap. How I missed his and his writings are beyond me! I read Jonathan Grave 2 first, then backtracked. Just finished #3. And will move on up! I find I am more involved with the personalities in books, than the actions. And these characters all have personalities! The story lines are good and mostly believable. And personally, I have been married to a couple Marines and know of the determination and heroism they might exhibit. Thank you for these books!
I only recently found myself reading John Gilstrap. How I missed his and his writings are beyond me! I read Jonathan Grave 2 first, then backtracked. Just finished #3. And will move on up! I find I am more involved with the personalities in books, than the actions. And these characters all have personalities! The story lines are good and mostly believable. And personally, I have been married to a couple Marines and know of the determination and heroism they might exhibit. Thank you for these books!
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