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Paul Grale #2
Gone Dark
America is under siege as Special Agent Paul Grale exposes a devastating act of domestic terrorism that becomes explosively personal.
When a series of coordinated blasts takes down several Los Angeles power stations, FBI bomb tech Paul Grale is tapped to investigate. That means leaving his vulnerable niece, Julia, behind in Las Vegas. The sole survivor of a homeland bombing that killed her parents, Julia’s still struggling through grief and trauma. An avowed pacifist, she’s being trolled as anti-American. And entangled in an affair with the wrong man, she’s facing the fallout from his crimes: stolen military-grade ammunition found in her car.
But Grale has no choice but to head to LA. The sabotage is growing more sophisticated, and with assaults on the telecommunication grid itself, the potential for destruction has never been higher. Now, as rolling blackouts sweep across the West, Grale is following clues that point alarmingly close to home. Especially when Julia disappears.
If Grale can’t stop the attacks from escalating, the grid will go down for good, leaving everyone in the dark. But it’s Grale who could be facing the darkest reality of all…
When a series of coordinated blasts takes down several Los Angeles power stations, FBI bomb tech Paul Grale is tapped to investigate. That means leaving his vulnerable niece, Julia, behind in Las Vegas. The sole survivor of a homeland bombing that killed her parents, Julia’s still struggling through grief and trauma. An avowed pacifist, she’s being trolled as anti-American. And entangled in an affair with the wrong man, she’s facing the fallout from his crimes: stolen military-grade ammunition found in her car.
But Grale has no choice but to head to LA. The sabotage is growing more sophisticated, and with assaults on the telecommunication grid itself, the potential for destruction has never been higher. Now, as rolling blackouts sweep across the West, Grale is following clues that point alarmingly close to home. Especially when Julia disappears.
If Grale can’t stop the attacks from escalating, the grid will go down for good, leaving everyone in the dark. But it’s Grale who could be facing the darkest reality of all…
321 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 6, 2018
84 people are currently reading
485 people want to read
About the author
Kirk Russell
22 books93 followersI aimed at writing long ago but that turned out to more romance than reality. Looking back, I was lucky to learn something about the world first. Never gave up on writing though. It just took longer. I've written five novels with an undercover California Fish and Game warden, John Marquez, three with a San Francisco homicide inspector, and now Signature Wounds and FBI special agent bomb tech, Paul Grale. Grale is living in the world we're in and dealing with the challenges of our times. I'm very hooked into him and working on a new story.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
April 15, 2018
Scary plot.
This story reminded me Lights Out, written by Ted Koppel, after years of investigation. Attack on sub station causing brown outs, big cities going dark. Unexpected twists kept me at the edge of my seat.
This story reminded me Lights Out, written by Ted Koppel, after years of investigation. Attack on sub station causing brown outs, big cities going dark. Unexpected twists kept me at the edge of my seat.
February 23, 2019
This is the second book in the Paul Grale series. I enjoyed book 1 but I liked book 2 even more.
FBI Special Agent Paul Grale is now in Las Vegas with his niece. Julia's family experienced trauma that left Julia questioning many things in life. As a result of what she and her family went through, she because a pacifist.
The story also is set in Los Angeles after Grale goes there for his work. The story is fast paced and a lot of action occurs. There are shootings and bombings and all kinds of espionage. Through all that Paul goes through and the work he does plus what Julia goes through, the reader learns with a very realistic plot just how vulnerable the United States is and, to be honest, it's not something I like to think about.
FBI Special Agent Paul Grale is now in Las Vegas with his niece. Julia's family experienced trauma that left Julia questioning many things in life. As a result of what she and her family went through, she because a pacifist.
The story also is set in Los Angeles after Grale goes there for his work. The story is fast paced and a lot of action occurs. There are shootings and bombings and all kinds of espionage. Through all that Paul goes through and the work he does plus what Julia goes through, the reader learns with a very realistic plot just how vulnerable the United States is and, to be honest, it's not something I like to think about.
February 24, 2018
I would like to thank Thomas and Mercer Publishing and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book for an honest review. Kirk Russell’s previous Paul Grace novel dealt with the use of drones for defense as well as terror attacks. In Gone Dark he addresses the vulnerability of our power and communication grids.
Grace is a special agent bomb technician for the FBI in their Las Vegas Office. When bomb attacks are carried out against power stations in LA he is sent to assist the investigation. He is also dealing with problems back home, where his niece Julia has unknowingly become involved with a boyfriend who has a criminal background. The loss of her family in a bombing left her traumatized and she is still trying to work through her loss. Realizing that she is being used, she breaks up with her boyfriend but is still implicated in a theft of military grade ammunition. As Grace chases the bombers, he begins to find connections with some of Julia’s friends. Before he can discover more, Julia disappears.
Grace must try to balance his obligations as an agent with his quest to prove Julia’s innocence and protect her. Julia grows from a vulnerable and somewhat naive girl to a strong young woman who realizes that she is the only one that can save herself. Along the way she sees that she has a way to go in dealing with the traumas in her life, but finds herself moving to the right path.
From the frustrations of Grale’s earlyinvestigations to the final resolution, Russell keeps the story moving at a steady pace. His topical theme is one that makes the reader aware of security issues that we face and is guaranteed to make this book very hard to put down.
Grace is a special agent bomb technician for the FBI in their Las Vegas Office. When bomb attacks are carried out against power stations in LA he is sent to assist the investigation. He is also dealing with problems back home, where his niece Julia has unknowingly become involved with a boyfriend who has a criminal background. The loss of her family in a bombing left her traumatized and she is still trying to work through her loss. Realizing that she is being used, she breaks up with her boyfriend but is still implicated in a theft of military grade ammunition. As Grace chases the bombers, he begins to find connections with some of Julia’s friends. Before he can discover more, Julia disappears.
Grace must try to balance his obligations as an agent with his quest to prove Julia’s innocence and protect her. Julia grows from a vulnerable and somewhat naive girl to a strong young woman who realizes that she is the only one that can save herself. Along the way she sees that she has a way to go in dealing with the traumas in her life, but finds herself moving to the right path.
From the frustrations of Grale’s earlyinvestigations to the final resolution, Russell keeps the story moving at a steady pace. His topical theme is one that makes the reader aware of security issues that we face and is guaranteed to make this book very hard to put down.
May 28, 2018
(I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway)
As the second story in the Paul Grale FBI series, the story picks up shortly after the end of the first book, time isn't specific, but characters have aged a little.
The pace is still fast, and the writing style puts you in the mind of an FBI agent, zipping around by car or plane, trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together. The characters grow, and are all interesting, with their own agendas and story arcs, and the overall story comes to a satisfying ending.
I did have a harder time sticking being engaged with the plot this time, perhaps from the level of detail provided, but I'm glad I pushed through the less engaging parts to reach the end.
As the second story in the Paul Grale FBI series, the story picks up shortly after the end of the first book, time isn't specific, but characters have aged a little.
The pace is still fast, and the writing style puts you in the mind of an FBI agent, zipping around by car or plane, trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together. The characters grow, and are all interesting, with their own agendas and story arcs, and the overall story comes to a satisfying ending.
I did have a harder time sticking being engaged with the plot this time, perhaps from the level of detail provided, but I'm glad I pushed through the less engaging parts to reach the end.
May 28, 2018
I really enjoyed this book. This is a story about some terriorist acts committed against the power grid on the west coast causing rolling black outs and loss of power to many cities. There is also a cyber attack that is going on, but who is really behind those attacks? Could it really be homegrown terrorists or are there foreign powers leading the way?
Paul Grale works for the FBI and it is his job to investigate the destruction and bombings of the power stations. His neice, Julia, a lone survivor of a bombing that years before killed her parents and brother gets mixed up with some people that want to turn the country back over to the people and shake up the country's government. She is misguided by her friends and ends up in situations that could implicate her in these crimes. Grale works the crimes and tries to uncover the truth behind Julia's involvement. He believes in his niece's innocence but the some of the evidence and scenarios that other law enforcement officers are spinning just don't add up.
This story was suspenseful, intriguing and kept my interest. It was well written and the character development was excellent. I was really concerned for Julia and the choices she had made and how it would all work out for her. Even though there is a lot of law enforcement jargon used, I really liked that the author explained the terms as he used them. This was the first time I have read a book written by this author, but I will definately read more books written by him.
I was given a free copy of the e-book for my honest review.
Paul Grale works for the FBI and it is his job to investigate the destruction and bombings of the power stations. His neice, Julia, a lone survivor of a bombing that years before killed her parents and brother gets mixed up with some people that want to turn the country back over to the people and shake up the country's government. She is misguided by her friends and ends up in situations that could implicate her in these crimes. Grale works the crimes and tries to uncover the truth behind Julia's involvement. He believes in his niece's innocence but the some of the evidence and scenarios that other law enforcement officers are spinning just don't add up.
This story was suspenseful, intriguing and kept my interest. It was well written and the character development was excellent. I was really concerned for Julia and the choices she had made and how it would all work out for her. Even though there is a lot of law enforcement jargon used, I really liked that the author explained the terms as he used them. This was the first time I have read a book written by this author, but I will definately read more books written by him.
I was given a free copy of the e-book for my honest review.
April 15, 2018
FBI Agent and bomb tech Paul Grale has been investigating a series of bombings and sniper attacks that are targeting power stations in the American West. The attacks are becoming more sophisticated and as rolling blackouts sweep across the West, the clues point to several locations in California. Meanwhile, Grale's niece Julia unknowingly gets involved thanks to her boyfriend Nick. But Nick disappears after a car accident and leaves Julia to face the fallout from his crimes: multiple identities and stolen military-grade ammunition found in her car. As the sole survivor of a homeland bombing that killed her parents and brother, Julia is an avowed pacifist but evidence mounts about her involvement with the domestic terrorists. The attacks continue to escalate and Grale is alarmed when Julia goes missing. It's a race against time to find Julia and to stop the bombers from setting their most ambitious attack in San Francisco.
I received an eARC via Netgalley and Thomas and Mercer with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.
I received an eARC via Netgalley and Thomas and Mercer with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.
September 22, 2019
Fast paced and an improvement over book 1. Still feel like there were so many side characters I couldn’t wrap my head around or how the author was tying separate subplots together. Occasionally there was some poor editing. I had a distaste for the niece referring to her uncle as UG and didn’t know where that progression came from since in book 1 he was Uncle Paul. And then after always referring to him as UG at the end of the book she calls him Uncle Grale. I don’t get it, so things like that bother me. Regardless, I was kept on the edge of my seat reading.
September 19, 2019
I won this book in a giveaway. I did not read the first one, and although I wish I had (in order to know and understand the characters better) I was still able to follow along with the story. This book took me a little while to get into and seemed to jump around a bit at first, but I ended up liking it. It reminded me of an action movie. It is also a scary reminder of how vulnerable our infrastructure really is.
July 11, 2021
A Poor Second
How did this go so wrong? The first in the series was pretty good, whereas at 60% of the way through this novel I could not wait to finish. I felt that the storyline was very convoluted, the travel alone was hard to believe for an agent who was so very busy, it was nicely handy that he could drive or fly good distances at a drop of a hat. The niece drove me nuts, she should have been convicted of being either terminally naive or stupid!
How did this go so wrong? The first in the series was pretty good, whereas at 60% of the way through this novel I could not wait to finish. I felt that the storyline was very convoluted, the travel alone was hard to believe for an agent who was so very busy, it was nicely handy that he could drive or fly good distances at a drop of a hat. The niece drove me nuts, she should have been convicted of being either terminally naive or stupid!
March 10, 2018
Gone Dark is a Bright read
The reader will care about the characters. The author clearly knows the Bay Area which strengthens the atmosphere in the story. He captures FBI procedure but does not get stuck explaining. Long after you finish reading the story you will be reflecting on several questions raised in the book.
The reader will care about the characters. The author clearly knows the Bay Area which strengthens the atmosphere in the story. He captures FBI procedure but does not get stuck explaining. Long after you finish reading the story you will be reflecting on several questions raised in the book.
March 25, 2018
Something to think about
I enjoyed this novel. It truly had me on the edge of my seat waiting for the next chapter. A couple unseen twists and turns - just the way we like it! Cyber warfare, foreign sleeper cells, home-grown terrorists and people getting dragged into situations more serious and threatening than they could ever imagine. A great read! Recommended.
I enjoyed this novel. It truly had me on the edge of my seat waiting for the next chapter. A couple unseen twists and turns - just the way we like it! Cyber warfare, foreign sleeper cells, home-grown terrorists and people getting dragged into situations more serious and threatening than they could ever imagine. A great read! Recommended.
June 17, 2018
One of the best realistic fiction books I’ve read! I’ve found a new favorite author in Kirk Russell. The story was well laid out and kept you guessing at each turn. It really makes you question how vulnerable our power system really is in the US. I enjoyed reading the true events that Kirk referenced in writing this book. Well done.
September 8, 2019
This was a great book a lot of action I like the fact that there was an FBI agent with a family member like the previous book it was just you know I enjoyed it very much
I would suggest this book to anybody that likes a fast-paced moving book and book one it's a great you know read enjoy
I would suggest this book to anybody that likes a fast-paced moving book and book one it's a great you know read enjoy
August 26, 2020
A very plausible storyline!
I found the book difficult to put down. This is a scenario that could play out today, right now, in any country!
Kirk Russell takes you on this journey making you believe you are right there and at times you are not sure whose side you are on.......
An exciting read.
I found the book difficult to put down. This is a scenario that could play out today, right now, in any country!
Kirk Russell takes you on this journey making you believe you are right there and at times you are not sure whose side you are on.......
An exciting read.
March 24, 2018
Grabber
This book is attention grabber It he'll me fight to the end . I feel the last few chapters - the clear up ad finished part- were a little rushed, but on the whole did not detract from the whole story
This book is attention grabber It he'll me fight to the end . I feel the last few chapters - the clear up ad finished part- were a little rushed, but on the whole did not detract from the whole story
April 3, 2018
This is a book I won through Goodreads so I hadn't read Book #1. This was a good book even without reading the first book. I found it easy to read & full of action so hard to put down. Definitely recommend it & want to read more from this author.
December 20, 2018
I enjoy the authors style. He seems to skip ahead every so often in the story, then fill you in on just the important details. It affectively moves the story along very quickly with no filler whatsoever.
November 1, 2019
Had to read the sequel to Signature Wounds!
Had to read the sequel to Signature Wounds, it was too good not to! There were some unnerving parts, very suspenseful. I enjoyed it, but I knew I would, Kirk Russell knows how to keep you guessing at what will happen next.
Had to read the sequel to Signature Wounds, it was too good not to! There were some unnerving parts, very suspenseful. I enjoyed it, but I knew I would, Kirk Russell knows how to keep you guessing at what will happen next.
November 6, 2019
Excellent, thrilling read.
I honestly don't know how Russell manages to create with such vivid creativity and level of realistic detail. Yet another incredible, gripping book that delves deep into the imagination while remaining plausible and relevant. Highly recommend.
I honestly don't know how Russell manages to create with such vivid creativity and level of realistic detail. Yet another incredible, gripping book that delves deep into the imagination while remaining plausible and relevant. Highly recommend.
November 25, 2019
Excellent, and a bit frightening. Definitely kept my interest, kept me reading. I don't write spoilers, so this is enough. If you like thrillers and don't mind "bad" language (some people don't, and write one-star reviews as soon as they see an f-bomb), this is a good one.
August 27, 2025
NOTE to Authors who like to inject their political views into their books... they often don't hold up to scrutiny due to biased overwhelming evidence (in this case, RussianCollusionin the 2016 election). most fiction readers like our escape from political craziness.
ON THE PLUS SIDE... The author is not preachy and I have enjoyed the first two books in the series.
ON THE PLUS SIDE... The author is not preachy and I have enjoyed the first two books in the series.
March 14, 2018
Gone Dark is the second fast-paced action thriller in the Paul Grale series written by author Kirk Russell. Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for the advance copy.
March 23, 2018
Truly great read!
April 4, 2018
real good reading :)
August 9, 2018
Wow! I have found a new favorite! Loved it!
Want to read
November 19, 2019Synopsis: America is under siege as Special Agent Grale exposes an act of domestic terrorism that becomes dangerously personal.
December 15, 2019
Gondark
Well
written story and a page turned . Good character descriptions . If there is more grail thriller I will read them
Well
written story and a page turned . Good character descriptions . If there is more grail thriller I will read them
May 22, 2020
Good read
Good characters and believable . Easy reading but detailed enough to enjoy throughly. I will recommend this to friends .
Good characters and believable . Easy reading but detailed enough to enjoy throughly. I will recommend this to friends .
June 14, 2020
It’s ok. Lots of characters when you listen to an audio version. A little preachy
June 19, 2020
****3 stars.
Just okay.
GR ARC
Just okay.
GR ARC
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews