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Nightmare Crouton
The events of September 11, 2001 changed the course of history. When the smoke cleared and the American people realized the scale of the threat facing their country, they demanded action. The government's answer was to create an organization that could protect Americans from violent actors and prevent future massacres; an organization that is nimble, quiet, and deadly. The Central Intelligence and Defense Force was born. For twenty years, Americans slept soundly knowing that the skilled agents of the CIDF were deployed around the globe.
Suddenly, in the spring of 2023, the charismatic leader of a network of environmental extremists orders his followers to launch a bloody campaign. The series of devastating attacks in Seattle shakes the public's faith in the CIDF. Following the government's failures, a private security firm known as Red Star decides to confront the extremists themselves. They recruit Liam Kromer, a decorated soldier and disgraced law enforcement officer, to help hunt down those responsible for the carnage. When Liam goes undercover for his new employer, he learns that the recent attacks were part of a larger plan. His mysterious foes have a bold vision for the future, and they’ve spent decades preparing for war.
Suddenly, in the spring of 2023, the charismatic leader of a network of environmental extremists orders his followers to launch a bloody campaign. The series of devastating attacks in Seattle shakes the public's faith in the CIDF. Following the government's failures, a private security firm known as Red Star decides to confront the extremists themselves. They recruit Liam Kromer, a decorated soldier and disgraced law enforcement officer, to help hunt down those responsible for the carnage. When Liam goes undercover for his new employer, he learns that the recent attacks were part of a larger plan. His mysterious foes have a bold vision for the future, and they’ve spent decades preparing for war.
305 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 6, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 1, 2021
A perfectly written thriller
Nightmare Crouton is the first installment of the Nova Socio series. The story revolves around Liam Kromer, a disgraced law enforcement officer. The stage is set for Liam to unwind the mysteries rooted in terrorism. I find the theme of this book quite different. This story is a blend of contemporary political affairs, the threat of terrorism, environmental activism, future technologies, etc. It is so rare to find all these themes in a book.
Liam's character is explored to a certain extent in this book. But he still has the air of mystery. This interesting characterization paves the way for the next book in this series. The creativity behind crafting a huge and complex story like this is remarkable. The author has connected many dots and subplots to finally solve the mystery. The narration is engaging and captivating. Because we are only introduced to a small portion of a large conspiracy at the beginning. The more we get closer to this mystery, the more it reveals.
The style of writing is good and simple to follow. The author has taken time to craft the characters with depth. One of the striking features of this novel is its gradual ascend into the future. It has a fair share of elements of sci-fi too. This interesting mix is surely a bundle of entertainment.
Nightmare Crouton is the first installment of the Nova Socio series. The story revolves around Liam Kromer, a disgraced law enforcement officer. The stage is set for Liam to unwind the mysteries rooted in terrorism. I find the theme of this book quite different. This story is a blend of contemporary political affairs, the threat of terrorism, environmental activism, future technologies, etc. It is so rare to find all these themes in a book.
Liam's character is explored to a certain extent in this book. But he still has the air of mystery. This interesting characterization paves the way for the next book in this series. The creativity behind crafting a huge and complex story like this is remarkable. The author has connected many dots and subplots to finally solve the mystery. The narration is engaging and captivating. Because we are only introduced to a small portion of a large conspiracy at the beginning. The more we get closer to this mystery, the more it reveals.
The style of writing is good and simple to follow. The author has taken time to craft the characters with depth. One of the striking features of this novel is its gradual ascend into the future. It has a fair share of elements of sci-fi too. This interesting mix is surely a bundle of entertainment.
May 10, 2020
Liam Cromer is removed from his Special Ops role in disgrace for shooting a councillor’s daughter during one of the worst terror attacks on US soil since 9/11. Liam is recruited by the mysterious ‘Red Star’ organisation to infiltrate the shadowy environmental group responsible for the bombing that destroyed his career. The first instalment of Liam’s story unfolds in this first novel of the ‘Nova Soccio’ series written by Todd Hallbauer.
The protagonist, Liam, is a deep and multifaceted character. I felt as though I still didn’t have a handle on him even by the time the book was complete, which I think says a lot about the potential depth of his characteristics and motivations. I’m not sure he’s a particularly likeable character at this point, yet I did find myself rooting for him by the end. I’d really like to see more of what makes him tick further down the line and am anticipating further revelations as the story continues.
The supporting characters are a mixed bag, but I think this is a result of the fast-moving plot and twists and turns; we don’t get to know them before the plot has turned elsewhere. I’d like to see the more minor female characters ‘fleshed out’ more in the future, as a couple were introduced and then left hanging. I’d also like to see more of Jacob, friend to Liam and CIDF agent. He seemed the more ‘human’ of the pair, which I hope will make for an intriguing contrast between them as the story progresses. The working relationship between Liam and his partner Vicki was building nicely towards the latter third of the book. I’d really like to see where this goes.
I particularly enjoyed the references to future technology and found it interesting that the author had pictured the state of technology in several years’ time. It’ll be fun to see if he was right!
I was dying to know the meaning of the title, however this is revealed in the final throes of this instalment, setting us up for what is to come.
One thing to note is that there were a handful of typos and spelling errors here and there. These didn’t distract too much from the narrative, however I think it’s worth mentioning.
Overall, I enjoyed this book enough to add the next instalments to my reading list and am looking forward to seeing where the story takes us.
Disclaimer: I received a free review copy of this book from the author as part of LibraryThing’s Early Reader Programme. I can confirm that this review is impartial and reflects my own opinions about the book.
The protagonist, Liam, is a deep and multifaceted character. I felt as though I still didn’t have a handle on him even by the time the book was complete, which I think says a lot about the potential depth of his characteristics and motivations. I’m not sure he’s a particularly likeable character at this point, yet I did find myself rooting for him by the end. I’d really like to see more of what makes him tick further down the line and am anticipating further revelations as the story continues.
The supporting characters are a mixed bag, but I think this is a result of the fast-moving plot and twists and turns; we don’t get to know them before the plot has turned elsewhere. I’d like to see the more minor female characters ‘fleshed out’ more in the future, as a couple were introduced and then left hanging. I’d also like to see more of Jacob, friend to Liam and CIDF agent. He seemed the more ‘human’ of the pair, which I hope will make for an intriguing contrast between them as the story progresses. The working relationship between Liam and his partner Vicki was building nicely towards the latter third of the book. I’d really like to see where this goes.
I particularly enjoyed the references to future technology and found it interesting that the author had pictured the state of technology in several years’ time. It’ll be fun to see if he was right!
I was dying to know the meaning of the title, however this is revealed in the final throes of this instalment, setting us up for what is to come.
One thing to note is that there were a handful of typos and spelling errors here and there. These didn’t distract too much from the narrative, however I think it’s worth mentioning.
Overall, I enjoyed this book enough to add the next instalments to my reading list and am looking forward to seeing where the story takes us.
Disclaimer: I received a free review copy of this book from the author as part of LibraryThing’s Early Reader Programme. I can confirm that this review is impartial and reflects my own opinions about the book.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews