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Owen Taylor #1
The End
James Patterson’s BookShots. Short, fast-paced, high-impact entertainment.
If the mission fails, it's World War III. Any questions?
Owen Taylor is about to be betrayed on his final covert mission. It will take everything he has to make it home alive, and to save the woman he loves.
If the mission fails, it's World War III. Any questions?
Owen Taylor is about to be betrayed on his final covert mission. It will take everything he has to make it home alive, and to save the woman he loves.
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 3, 2017
498 people are currently reading
1222 people want to read
About the author
James Patterson
955 books355k followersOfficial US Site
Official UK Site
JIMMY Patterson Books
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James Patterson is the most popular storyteller of our time and the creator of such unforgettable characters and series as Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Jane Smith, and Maximum Ride. He has coauthored #1 bestselling novels with Bill Clinton, Dolly Parton, and Michael Crichton, as well as collaborated on #1 bestselling nonfiction, including The Idaho Four, Walk in My Combat Boots, and Filthy Rich. Patterson has told the story of his own life in the #1 bestselling autobiography James Patterson by James Patterson. He is the recipient of an Edgar Award, ten Emmy Awards, the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation, and the National Humanities Medal.
Official UK Site
JIMMY Patterson Books
ReadKiddoRead
James Patterson is the most popular storyteller of our time and the creator of such unforgettable characters and series as Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Jane Smith, and Maximum Ride. He has coauthored #1 bestselling novels with Bill Clinton, Dolly Parton, and Michael Crichton, as well as collaborated on #1 bestselling nonfiction, including The Idaho Four, Walk in My Combat Boots, and Filthy Rich. Patterson has told the story of his own life in the #1 bestselling autobiography James Patterson by James Patterson. He is the recipient of an Edgar Award, ten Emmy Awards, the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation, and the National Humanities Medal.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 114 reviews
December 20, 2023
The End
by James Patterson and Brendan DuBois is an action-packed military thriller and suspense novella. Owen Taylor and his team are on a covert mission. It’s Owen’s last mission before he retires to New Hampshire. Starting with bad weather, the mission is anything but smooth. He and four others are to parachute into Serbia to take care of an individual trying to start another major war.
While the story is descriptive, it doesn’t slow the pacing. Readers also get a good feeling for Owen’s character which is well-developed. The novella pulls on the readers’ emotions in this high-octane work with plenty of action and thrills as well as danger and sadness.
Overall, this story was entertaining and had a dynamic plot with an immense amount of conflict.
I purchased a copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date was January 3, 2017.
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My 4.16 rounded to 4 stars review is coming soon.
While the story is descriptive, it doesn’t slow the pacing. Readers also get a good feeling for Owen’s character which is well-developed. The novella pulls on the readers’ emotions in this high-octane work with plenty of action and thrills as well as danger and sadness.
Overall, this story was entertaining and had a dynamic plot with an immense amount of conflict.
I purchased a copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date was January 3, 2017.
----------------------------------
My 4.16 rounded to 4 stars review is coming soon.
January 3, 2018
It’s nice to be able to pick up a BookShot and commit only a few hours to a story that can—though, not always—take you away somewhere wonderful or exciting. A few cups of coffee and a little quiet time allows you to fully commit and see what James Patterson and his collaborator have to say. This story is anything but peaceful, though it reads so well that I cannot heap enough praise on it. Brendan DuBois shows that he is not only an accomplished author, but also that he has just enough flair to pull this story off and keep a large group of readers entertained. Owen Taylor is ready to retire, but has one final covert mission to accomplish before returning to civilian life. Alongside his team of four other operatives, they parachute into Serbia to handle a warlord who has been trying to drum up enough panic to bring about another World War. As Taylor and the team begin their night operation, something goes wrong, and it’s not just a hankering for home cooking. As the trek through snow and sleet continues, Taylor gets the sense that they are expected, as if someone’s tipped off the locals and traps await. One by one, members of the team end up on the short end of the lucky stick, leaving Taylor to trudge onwards to complete what he’s been sent to do, all before the sun rises. By the time he reaches his final spot, there is a new threat that awaits him and he finally comes face to face with the reason for the compromised mission. The second half of the story explores Owen Taylor from a new angle, as he sifts through not only his last mission, but his time as an operative. His dreams for solitude, love, and stability flash through his mind as he tries to decompartmentalise after years of military service. However, they say that once a soldier, always a soldier. No quiet lakeside living can remove those ingrained traits... but Owen Taylor may have no choice. Patterson and Brendan DuBois do a masterful job at jamming much into the story, without leaving the reader gasping or seeking to pull the proverbial ripcord. BookShot fans, particularly those who enjoy something with a military flavour, will surely devour this in short order.
While still early in my month-long binge of BookShots, I have come across some great pieces that those I feel should remain on the shelf. This one has been on my TBR list for a while and I wanted to see if it lived up to some of the hype. With a sequel (which I will tackle in short order), I wondered if Patterson and DuBois could bring the intensity and yet leave some threads dangling to lure me into pushing through and getting my hands on that second piece. Owen Taylor’s character is wonderfully developed, though there is still much that can be done with him. The reader receives some backstory about Taylor’s past missions, though it is the current one, seen through a pair of Night Vision Goggles, that really pulls the reader in. Taylor’s feelings and deep-rooted sentiments as things happen in real time provide the reader with a general idea of who this military man might be. Without revealing too much, the latter portion of the book further explores Taylor and his thought processes, personalising the man and divorcing him from his soldier stoicism. While the story is brief and the chapters speed along, the reader is also able to learn a little more about those on the team alongside Taylor, which offers further exploration into the different individuals who find themselves on these sorts of missions. Patterson and DuBois do well in short order to present believable and intriguing characters, both in the Serbian darkness and the locale of the story’s latter portion (trying not to spoil!). The story was well-crafted and left me wanting to know more, though I am sure the sequel has just as much punch to it. A mix of military thrills with personal reflection offers a larger group of readers something to enjoy. It’s not all blood and gore, but also not saccharine and lovey. Patterson and DuBois have laid the groundwork for something here and I cannot wait to see where they take it. Not quite sure if I can see a full-length book out of his yet, but I suspect that my the time I finish the second story, I’ll have an opinion.
Kudos, Messrs. Patterson and DuBois, on a great piece of writing. Your collaborative effort offers up some great storytelling and I can see the partnership going places (as it has already).
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
While still early in my month-long binge of BookShots, I have come across some great pieces that those I feel should remain on the shelf. This one has been on my TBR list for a while and I wanted to see if it lived up to some of the hype. With a sequel (which I will tackle in short order), I wondered if Patterson and DuBois could bring the intensity and yet leave some threads dangling to lure me into pushing through and getting my hands on that second piece. Owen Taylor’s character is wonderfully developed, though there is still much that can be done with him. The reader receives some backstory about Taylor’s past missions, though it is the current one, seen through a pair of Night Vision Goggles, that really pulls the reader in. Taylor’s feelings and deep-rooted sentiments as things happen in real time provide the reader with a general idea of who this military man might be. Without revealing too much, the latter portion of the book further explores Taylor and his thought processes, personalising the man and divorcing him from his soldier stoicism. While the story is brief and the chapters speed along, the reader is also able to learn a little more about those on the team alongside Taylor, which offers further exploration into the different individuals who find themselves on these sorts of missions. Patterson and DuBois do well in short order to present believable and intriguing characters, both in the Serbian darkness and the locale of the story’s latter portion (trying not to spoil!). The story was well-crafted and left me wanting to know more, though I am sure the sequel has just as much punch to it. A mix of military thrills with personal reflection offers a larger group of readers something to enjoy. It’s not all blood and gore, but also not saccharine and lovey. Patterson and DuBois have laid the groundwork for something here and I cannot wait to see where they take it. Not quite sure if I can see a full-length book out of his yet, but I suspect that my the time I finish the second story, I’ll have an opinion.
Kudos, Messrs. Patterson and DuBois, on a great piece of writing. Your collaborative effort offers up some great storytelling and I can see the partnership going places (as it has already).
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
February 2, 2018
3.5/5, a bit disjointed (I blame that on the bookshots' length), but that ending was amazingly savage. I liked the military thriller aspect of the first half, as that's not a genre with which I'm familiar.
March 15, 2017
The End
Now this was a great story. I love Owen Taylor, I liked everything about him and his story. I really hope this is the beginning of a new series.
Now this was a great story. I love Owen Taylor, I liked everything about him and his story. I really hope this is the beginning of a new series.
May 20, 2017
Quite the ending on this one. I read it twice to be sure I was correct in what I read.
March 28, 2017
Summary:
It's Owen Taylor's last op with his team before he retires. They are the best of the best- top secret. When they are betrayed, Taylor must watch each member of his team fall. All that matters is finishing the mission- and getting answers. Someone has to pay for the lives lost.
Finally free of the military, he is finding adjusting to civilian life harder than he imagined, especially since the neighbors aren't exactly breaking out the welcome wagon. Can an ex-soldier carve a life for himself?
My thoughts:
I liked the characters, especially Owen, but there seemed to be pieces of the story missing or glossed over. Maybe that was just me? It is fast, and action packed... it just didn't come to a satisfactory conclusion for me, which brought it down to four stars. I will be looking into the next book in the series.
On the adult content scale, there is a lot of violence and language. I give it a seven.
It's Owen Taylor's last op with his team before he retires. They are the best of the best- top secret. When they are betrayed, Taylor must watch each member of his team fall. All that matters is finishing the mission- and getting answers. Someone has to pay for the lives lost.
Finally free of the military, he is finding adjusting to civilian life harder than he imagined, especially since the neighbors aren't exactly breaking out the welcome wagon. Can an ex-soldier carve a life for himself?
My thoughts:
I liked the characters, especially Owen, but there seemed to be pieces of the story missing or glossed over. Maybe that was just me? It is fast, and action packed... it just didn't come to a satisfactory conclusion for me, which brought it down to four stars. I will be looking into the next book in the series.
On the adult content scale, there is a lot of violence and language. I give it a seven.
November 5, 2020
Difficult to get into but 2.5*
It took a while for me to get the gist that it is told in memory form rather than as it happens.
PTSD is the main feature of the story and don't think it is developed into a plot of great substance
It took a while for me to get the gist that it is told in memory form rather than as it happens.
PTSD is the main feature of the story and don't think it is developed into a plot of great substance
August 23, 2019
Interesting. A bit dark. Enjoyable enough for what it was.
April 19, 2017
Quick novel about an elite armed forces unit sent into Serbia to take out a kingpin. This is Owen's last mission, after which he plans to retire to New Hampshire. The mission is fraught with trouble. After the mission, Owen retires. However retirement isn't quiet. Owen needs to try to fit into the community, but he is having trouble. The ending is a fine way for him to come to peace with this situation and his neighbors.
April 15, 2021
First half is an edge of your seat military mission. Fast paced book. Different than any other Patterson books I've read. More military focused and life post military service. I enjoyed it. Quick easy read. Now onto the sequel..
January 8, 2025
I enjoyed the book, but I didn’t like not knowing what happens, how he got out of Serbia. A quick, short read.
September 29, 2025
Plot
If the mission fails, it’s World War III. Any questions?
Owen Taylor is about to be betrayed on his final covert mission. It will take everything he has to make it home alive – and to save the woman he loves.
My Analysis
Okay, the above description is only part of the story and partially untrue. The “woman he loves” doesn’t come into it. Yes, there’s a a woman on his team and he’s attracted to her, but it didn’t sound like love.
This is a two-part story. Not that you have to wait until the next publication. I mean there are two stories going on in the same book. The first part is his covert team in the Balkans trying to take out a terrorist. Things go awry from the start, so the betrayal part of the description is true.
The second story in the book is after Taylor gets home, is retired, and trying to live a peaceful life in a small town in a cabin in the woods. He’s seeing his psychiatrist as per the agreement made. However, he’s having some issues with a bunch of townies who are raising cane around his lakeside home. It’s winter, the idiots are racing around on the frozen lake and through the woods on snowmobiles, dumping trash, and end up vandalizing Taylor’s house. The local sheriff is worthless. What’s Taylor to do?
Well, I thought this was a great chance for him to exact karma on these clowns. And…it sort of ended up that way. The problem I had with it is he got around to it too late in the book, a quick “oh that’s cool” moment, then the book ended.
I was disappointed not to have more detail and more “fun” getting revenge on these guys. I wanted a more serious Home Alone-type story with trip wires and traps. The catchphrase of “You’ll never see it coming” was almost true. I wanted to see it coming. When it came, I almost missed it.
This is a novelette with Patterson’s usual short chapters.
My rank:
Purple Belt
If the mission fails, it’s World War III. Any questions?
Owen Taylor is about to be betrayed on his final covert mission. It will take everything he has to make it home alive – and to save the woman he loves.
My Analysis
Okay, the above description is only part of the story and partially untrue. The “woman he loves” doesn’t come into it. Yes, there’s a a woman on his team and he’s attracted to her, but it didn’t sound like love.
This is a two-part story. Not that you have to wait until the next publication. I mean there are two stories going on in the same book. The first part is his covert team in the Balkans trying to take out a terrorist. Things go awry from the start, so the betrayal part of the description is true.
The second story in the book is after Taylor gets home, is retired, and trying to live a peaceful life in a small town in a cabin in the woods. He’s seeing his psychiatrist as per the agreement made. However, he’s having some issues with a bunch of townies who are raising cane around his lakeside home. It’s winter, the idiots are racing around on the frozen lake and through the woods on snowmobiles, dumping trash, and end up vandalizing Taylor’s house. The local sheriff is worthless. What’s Taylor to do?
Well, I thought this was a great chance for him to exact karma on these clowns. And…it sort of ended up that way. The problem I had with it is he got around to it too late in the book, a quick “oh that’s cool” moment, then the book ended.
I was disappointed not to have more detail and more “fun” getting revenge on these guys. I wanted a more serious Home Alone-type story with trip wires and traps. The catchphrase of “You’ll never see it coming” was almost true. I wanted to see it coming. When it came, I almost missed it.
This is a novelette with Patterson’s usual short chapters.
My rank:
Purple Belt
January 17, 2018
Why is it so important for so many people to read fast? "It was a quick read." It's as if having to slow down just a bit to think about what you are reading is some sort of handicap. This thing read like it took the guys as little time to write it as it takes to read.
Book Shots is James Patterson’s (with his writing partner) single-handed attempt to turn reading into a commodity. He has already done that with books quite a while ago. Evidently, the way it works is that he sits down and spends ten minutes coming up with some harebrained and completely implausible premise. Then he hands it off to one of his lackeys who are only too eager to share in Patterson’s total domination of the book market.
The End begins with an undercover military mission to assassinate some comic book Balkan bad guy. This crack squad has all of the discipline of a kindergarten kickball team and things go into the toilet from the beginning. The author tries to wow us with his use of Google to drown the reader with the names of military hardware. We get a literal step-by-step description of the operation and the infantile sexual banter between the team leader and a female op which is sort of the reason why there was a lot of objection to having women in forward roles.
Our hero retires to New Hampshire where he can’t get along with his neighbors. They always say that if you meet more than one asshole in a day then one of them is probably you. The only solution he can come up with to deal with his neighbors who play their music too loud and litter is to murder them.
From what I read here I would rate Book Shots as about half a rung above comic books.
Book Shots is James Patterson’s (with his writing partner) single-handed attempt to turn reading into a commodity. He has already done that with books quite a while ago. Evidently, the way it works is that he sits down and spends ten minutes coming up with some harebrained and completely implausible premise. Then he hands it off to one of his lackeys who are only too eager to share in Patterson’s total domination of the book market.
The End begins with an undercover military mission to assassinate some comic book Balkan bad guy. This crack squad has all of the discipline of a kindergarten kickball team and things go into the toilet from the beginning. The author tries to wow us with his use of Google to drown the reader with the names of military hardware. We get a literal step-by-step description of the operation and the infantile sexual banter between the team leader and a female op which is sort of the reason why there was a lot of objection to having women in forward roles.
Our hero retires to New Hampshire where he can’t get along with his neighbors. They always say that if you meet more than one asshole in a day then one of them is probably you. The only solution he can come up with to deal with his neighbors who play their music too loud and litter is to murder them.
From what I read here I would rate Book Shots as about half a rung above comic books.
May 27, 2017
Owen Taylor and his team are soldiers on a special, secret mission. If they fail, WWIII could result. Little do they know that the powers that assigned the mission also have betrayed them. Will they succeed, and will they make it out alive? Either way, this will be Owen's last mission.
Owen returns stateside, turns in his weapons, so he says, and retires to an idyllic home in a small town. The home does not stay idyllic for long. Owen doesn't fit in, and a group from town begins to harass him. He will eventually take matters in his own hand, but with a big twist.
This story was good until the climax. When Owen is at the peak of the mission, the scene cuts to a later time. At first I was completely lost. I had to go back and reread to make sure I hadn't skipped part of the book. What I would classify as major events are not included in the story. It does have a good ending, though.
The End is one of James Patterson's Book Shots, a novel that is quick and easy to read. This one is about a third the size of his other novels. I haven't decided yet if I like his co-author for this book, Brendan DuBois. Time will tell.
Owen returns stateside, turns in his weapons, so he says, and retires to an idyllic home in a small town. The home does not stay idyllic for long. Owen doesn't fit in, and a group from town begins to harass him. He will eventually take matters in his own hand, but with a big twist.
This story was good until the climax. When Owen is at the peak of the mission, the scene cuts to a later time. At first I was completely lost. I had to go back and reread to make sure I hadn't skipped part of the book. What I would classify as major events are not included in the story. It does have a good ending, though.
The End is one of James Patterson's Book Shots, a novel that is quick and easy to read. This one is about a third the size of his other novels. I haven't decided yet if I like his co-author for this book, Brendan DuBois. Time will tell.
May 21, 2018
I love BookShots!
I am a tried and true Patterson fan and I loved this story,. As a life long New Englander (Rhode Island, I spent many summers in the White Mountains of New Hampshire with my family so the ending of The End was amazing. In fact, my siblings and families still gather in Sugar Hill or the surrounding area over the Columbus day weekend so that piece of the plot was amazing too. However, that wasn't even the best part... at the conclusion of a good book, I always try to leave a review, so I scrolled on and noted that co-author Mr DuBois is a Jeopardy Alum. I might have even giggled a little because neck in neck with my "author crush" on James Patterson, is my "game show crush" on Alex Tribeck!
I am a tried and true Patterson fan and I loved this story,. As a life long New Englander (Rhode Island, I spent many summers in the White Mountains of New Hampshire with my family so the ending of The End was amazing. In fact, my siblings and families still gather in Sugar Hill or the surrounding area over the Columbus day weekend so that piece of the plot was amazing too. However, that wasn't even the best part... at the conclusion of a good book, I always try to leave a review, so I scrolled on and noted that co-author Mr DuBois is a Jeopardy Alum. I might have even giggled a little because neck in neck with my "author crush" on James Patterson, is my "game show crush" on Alex Tribeck!
May 28, 2024
Took me a while to get into this one as i felt the story was a slow start. Although betrayed by the bosses an agreement is directed and agreed upon so id say a misdirection in the story as it gave an impression that the issues taylor was having was with his director but to me because of the agreement it seems like its all sorted or is it?, however a twist in the story, there are more issues taylor is having which are with his past self and the people of nansen. Once the mission part of the story was over, i flew through the book. Im not a war, sis, cia, kinda of reader but i stuck with it and enjoyed the middle and end and now im going to give after the end a try hopefully it will continue from the end of the end.
May 30, 2017
Another good quick read in the Bookshots format.
This one starts off with the tale of a black-ops military mission in hostile territory where anything that can go wrong does go wrong and ultimately, only the hero is left alive.
After a jarring switch in the narrative which leaves some questions unanswered, the action switches to him confronting the puppetmasters back in the USA who arranged the mission (and arranged for it to fail). Having got his revenge on the people who set him up, it then switches to him eking out a quiet retirement (this was going to be his last mission anyway) in a lakeside retreat and trying to fit in with the locals (not easy to do as an ex-special forces guy).
The lead character is quite charismatic and could easily become the forefront of a full-length novel or series of novels.
The jarring switch in the middle of the book - he is infiltrating the house of the mission target in enemy territory and then it switches suddenly to him infiltrating and confronting the puppetmaster back in the USA - no indication of how he managed to kill the target and escape from the hostile territory and make it all the way back to USA. Apart from this one lapse in plot, the book is a great read and the character is great too.
This one starts off with the tale of a black-ops military mission in hostile territory where anything that can go wrong does go wrong and ultimately, only the hero is left alive.
After a jarring switch in the narrative which leaves some questions unanswered, the action switches to him confronting the puppetmasters back in the USA who arranged the mission (and arranged for it to fail). Having got his revenge on the people who set him up, it then switches to him eking out a quiet retirement (this was going to be his last mission anyway) in a lakeside retreat and trying to fit in with the locals (not easy to do as an ex-special forces guy).
The lead character is quite charismatic and could easily become the forefront of a full-length novel or series of novels.
The jarring switch in the middle of the book - he is infiltrating the house of the mission target in enemy territory and then it switches suddenly to him infiltrating and confronting the puppetmaster back in the USA - no indication of how he managed to kill the target and escape from the hostile territory and make it all the way back to USA. Apart from this one lapse in plot, the book is a great read and the character is great too.
November 17, 2019
A secret special ops mission is compromised/betrayed, leaving only Taylor as the only survivor of the team. He seeks to finish the mission, as well as getting revenge and recognition for his fallen soldiers. Taylor is expected to return to civilian life with only support of ongoing counseling sessions, which is most likely being monitored by the government. His attempts to integrate into a small town are received with resistance by the towns people, as he is an "outsider". He is told to "go home" directly, as well as through actions of the towns good l'boys. Taylor views himself as being at home and stands his ground to come up with a way to end the good ol'boys attempt to rid him.
December 12, 2017
Different, yet intriguing
The plot of this book keeps one on his or her toes. The book is short, but that doesn't diminish the power of the story. The ending is satisfying to a certain degree. There are some who should get their comeuppance who don't, but that's realistic, so I can't complain too much. I liked the thinking and reasoning of the main character, and that made the story more enjoyable.
I'd recommend this book to fans of action/adventure, military, and special ops stories.
The plot of this book keeps one on his or her toes. The book is short, but that doesn't diminish the power of the story. The ending is satisfying to a certain degree. There are some who should get their comeuppance who don't, but that's realistic, so I can't complain too much. I liked the thinking and reasoning of the main character, and that made the story more enjoyable.
I'd recommend this book to fans of action/adventure, military, and special ops stories.
August 28, 2019
Owen Taylor is the sole survivor of his last op. After taking out a top man at the CIA who set Owen and his men up, he is retiring to a house on the lake in a small New Hampshire town. All he wants is a little peace and quiet but some of the locals start harassing him and there is only so much a man can take.
I like the way he got even with the locals who thought they could do as they pleased. And the police chief did nothing. Sometimes, you have to take the law in your own hands! And that is what Owen did. Yeah!
I like the way he got even with the locals who thought they could do as they pleased. And the police chief did nothing. Sometimes, you have to take the law in your own hands! And that is what Owen did. Yeah!
July 4, 2020
I was very disappointed in this bookshot. It took me 3 attempts to finish it, and Im a very fast reader, but it took a lot of drive to just plow through.
There isn't even an attempt at character introduction. The book pulls a bait and switch around the 60% mark that seemed cheap and unnecessary and the supposed tension built with the female romantic interest was nonexistent.
This bookshot is pretty much two stories loosely connected. It would have been better to either do a short story or a full length novel to develop some of the themes present on it.
There isn't even an attempt at character introduction. The book pulls a bait and switch around the 60% mark that seemed cheap and unnecessary and the supposed tension built with the female romantic interest was nonexistent.
This bookshot is pretty much two stories loosely connected. It would have been better to either do a short story or a full length novel to develop some of the themes present on it.
March 9, 2019
While this started out well as a fast paced military thriller about midway through there is a jarring shift that then leaves the second half of the story feeling like it was the skeleton of a separate tale that's been altered just to make up the page count in order to reach the length of a Bookshot. I also found the synopsis on the back of the book was a bit misleading as it implies a large part of the story was the lead character saving the woman he loves, which isn't really the case.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 7, 2019
I’ve read a few of JP's 'Bookshots' which are books that normally can be read within 2-4 hours. He does churn out some very average stuff but this one was actually very good. I actually wished it had been a bit longer.
It starts with a macho/gung-ho, Special Services plot but halfway through it suddenly changes direction and deals with the more psychological side of the main character. This is one of his better offerings.
It starts with a macho/gung-ho, Special Services plot but halfway through it suddenly changes direction and deals with the more psychological side of the main character. This is one of his better offerings.
July 27, 2019
Very gripping military thriller, but I was a bit confused at the end of the first half (Chapter 23), when the supposed end of the mission morphed into another confrontation without resolving the result of the initial mission. The second half of the book focused on Taylor’s struggle with adjusting to civilian life and trying to put off dealing with adversity the only way he knew. The last few lines were a good conclusion, though.
February 29, 2020
Is it the end? I hope not.
Lots of plot twists and turns, just as expected from James Patterson, and I was not disappointed. I got through this in an hour and a half. Even though Task Forces and Special Ops aren’t usually my thing I really enjoyed this Bookshot..and all I can add to this is that I wished that this was a “normal” book and that I hadn’t finished it quite so quickly.
Lots of plot twists and turns, just as expected from James Patterson, and I was not disappointed. I got through this in an hour and a half. Even though Task Forces and Special Ops aren’t usually my thing I really enjoyed this Bookshot..and all I can add to this is that I wished that this was a “normal” book and that I hadn’t finished it quite so quickly.
November 1, 2020
I enjoyed this Owen Taylor book written by James Patterson and his co author.
Owen Taylor is part of an elite soldier squad sent in with his four person team to kill a Serbian warlord, but on arrival at their op someone has set put to sabotage them. Owen vows vengeance on his government for plausible deniability and the book follows the outcome of the mission and Owen struggling to be accepted back into small town American life.
Owen Taylor is part of an elite soldier squad sent in with his four person team to kill a Serbian warlord, but on arrival at their op someone has set put to sabotage them. Owen vows vengeance on his government for plausible deniability and the book follows the outcome of the mission and Owen struggling to be accepted back into small town American life.
February 17, 2024
It’s like two stories in one. I didn’t like the first part only because military thriller is not my kind of book but the story was good and the writing fantastic. The second part, one Owen retired from the military was more my type of book. I’m starting the next one now. I would still suggest this book even if you don’t like military stories as it sets up for the second half and subsequently the next book.
June 28, 2025
A fast-paced thriller with a familiar Patterson rhythm, "The End" delivers on action but doesn’t break new ground. Owen Taylor’s final mission unravels into betrayal, bloodshed, and a brutal personal reckoning, yet despite the high stakes and sharp twists, the story leans a bit too heavily on genre tropes. It’s a solid, quick read with plenty of violence for action fans, but character depth and emotional resonance take a backseat to the bullets.
June 12, 2017
Good
Not as great as I've read from James Patterson but it was still a good book. It was exciting and was full of a thrilling plot but at about 70% the book was essentially done. But then it kinda of dragged on until about 90% and then it picked back up again and ended with a good strong finish.
As always it was a book worth reading. 📚 😊😊
Not as great as I've read from James Patterson but it was still a good book. It was exciting and was full of a thrilling plot but at about 70% the book was essentially done. But then it kinda of dragged on until about 90% and then it picked back up again and ended with a good strong finish.
As always it was a book worth reading. 📚 😊😊
June 29, 2017
I highly recommend this Bookshot! I was dreading it because it began with a special op in Serbia. But the description of the setting was so realistic, as were the emotions of the soldiers, especially Owen, that I found myself entranced. The second half of the book at first seemed like a whole new story until Owen's thoughts blended the two. Excellent!
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