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Brainrush
The Brainrush Trilogy Box Set Books 1-3
Over 2,100 5-Star Reviews!
Called “A terrifically entertaining thriller!” by Publishers Weekly, Book-1 of the Brainrush series was named The Wall Street Journal #1 Bestselling Action/Adventure in their Guide to Self-Published Big Sellers, while Book-2 held a death grip on the #1 or #2 slots of the Amazon Top-Rated (best reviewed) Mystery/Thrillers list for 10 straight months. This set the stage for the blockbuster release of the final book in the trilogy, which was heralded by Suspense Magazine as “part science fiction, part thriller, part suspense, part love story, and part mystery. It’s got it all and that’s what makes this novel one of the best.”
Before he slid into the MRI machine, Jake Bronson was just an ordinary guy with terminal cancer. But when an earthquake hits during the procedure, Jake staggers from the wreckage a profoundly changed man, now endowed with uncanny mental abilities.
An ocean away, Luciano Battista wants a piece of Jake's talent. Posing as a pioneering scientist, the terrorist leader has been conducting cerebral-implant experiments in a sinister quest to create a breed of super jihadist agents...and Jake's altered brain may be the key to his success. But Jake refuses to play the pawn in an unholy war—and when an innocent woman and autistic child are taken hostage to force his cooperation, he embarks on a jihad of his own. Jake and his band of loyal friends are thrust into a deadly chase that leads from the canals of Venice through Monte Carlo and finally to an ancient cavern in the Hindu Kush mountains of Afghanistan—where Jake discovers that his newfound talents carry a hidden price that threatens the entire human race.
The wild ride continues through books two and three of the trilogy, with locations that include the beaches of California, a raging underground river in Mexico, the rain forests of Venezuela, the Mediterranean coast, the Swiss Alps, and finally to a secret southeast Asia island, where Jake must lever every scrap of his failing brain to prevent an apocalyptic disaster.
Called “A terrifically entertaining thriller!” by Publishers Weekly, Book-1 of the Brainrush series was named The Wall Street Journal #1 Bestselling Action/Adventure in their Guide to Self-Published Big Sellers, while Book-2 held a death grip on the #1 or #2 slots of the Amazon Top-Rated (best reviewed) Mystery/Thrillers list for 10 straight months. This set the stage for the blockbuster release of the final book in the trilogy, which was heralded by Suspense Magazine as “part science fiction, part thriller, part suspense, part love story, and part mystery. It’s got it all and that’s what makes this novel one of the best.”
Before he slid into the MRI machine, Jake Bronson was just an ordinary guy with terminal cancer. But when an earthquake hits during the procedure, Jake staggers from the wreckage a profoundly changed man, now endowed with uncanny mental abilities.
An ocean away, Luciano Battista wants a piece of Jake's talent. Posing as a pioneering scientist, the terrorist leader has been conducting cerebral-implant experiments in a sinister quest to create a breed of super jihadist agents...and Jake's altered brain may be the key to his success. But Jake refuses to play the pawn in an unholy war—and when an innocent woman and autistic child are taken hostage to force his cooperation, he embarks on a jihad of his own. Jake and his band of loyal friends are thrust into a deadly chase that leads from the canals of Venice through Monte Carlo and finally to an ancient cavern in the Hindu Kush mountains of Afghanistan—where Jake discovers that his newfound talents carry a hidden price that threatens the entire human race.
The wild ride continues through books two and three of the trilogy, with locations that include the beaches of California, a raging underground river in Mexico, the rain forests of Venezuela, the Mediterranean coast, the Swiss Alps, and finally to a secret southeast Asia island, where Jake must lever every scrap of his failing brain to prevent an apocalyptic disaster.
Audible Audio
Published August 29, 2016
76 people are currently reading
649 people want to read
About the author
Richard Bard
21 books346 followersRichard Bard draws on his own experiences as a former USAF pilot and cancer survivor to craft compelling characters who risk it all for love and loyalty. Born in Munich, Germany, to American parents, he joined the United States Air Force like his father. But he left the service when he was diagnosed with cancer and learned he had only months to live. He earned a management degree from the University of Notre Dame and ran three successful companies involving advanced security products used by US embassies and governments worldwide. Now a full-time writer, he lives in Redondo Beach, California, with his wife and remains in excellent health.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
October 14, 2017
The brainwash trilogy by richard bard.
Before he slid into the MRI machine, Jake Bronson was just an ordinary guy with terminal cancer. But when an earthquake hits during the procedure, Jake staggers from the wreckage a profoundly changed man, now endowed with uncanny mental abilities.
Absolutely fantastic read. Loved jake. I loved how his friends never gave up on him. Looking forward to next part. 5*. Tbc on fb.
Before he slid into the MRI machine, Jake Bronson was just an ordinary guy with terminal cancer. But when an earthquake hits during the procedure, Jake staggers from the wreckage a profoundly changed man, now endowed with uncanny mental abilities.
Absolutely fantastic read. Loved jake. I loved how his friends never gave up on him. Looking forward to next part. 5*. Tbc on fb.
January 31, 2017
Reading these books in a box set is the best way to go in my humble opinion. I read the series before but I read the first book long before I read the others so my memory of events wasn't as clear. Now that I've read them all together the story is even better.
This is a mixture of Science Fiction, Paranormal, Military, and Romance genres.
Brainrush - tells how Jake goes from a man with a major medical problem to one who battles against a major terrorist.
Enemy of My Enemy - Unknown to Jake the terrorist is still after him. But with Jake's new medical condition will he be able to defend against him?
Beyond Judgement - Jake is not the man he once was yet a new threat wants him dead.
I really love the sense of humor throughout the series. Of course not everyone may appreciate some of it. Something most everyone should enjoy is the fact that Jake has a group of friends who are like family.
Warning: There is violence as well as adult language and situations.
This is a mixture of Science Fiction, Paranormal, Military, and Romance genres.
Brainrush - tells how Jake goes from a man with a major medical problem to one who battles against a major terrorist.
Enemy of My Enemy - Unknown to Jake the terrorist is still after him. But with Jake's new medical condition will he be able to defend against him?
Beyond Judgement - Jake is not the man he once was yet a new threat wants him dead.
I really love the sense of humor throughout the series. Of course not everyone may appreciate some of it. Something most everyone should enjoy is the fact that Jake has a group of friends who are like family.
Warning: There is violence as well as adult language and situations.
January 12, 2018
Book one Brainrush, opens with our protagonist Jake Bronson preparing for an MRI to determine the extent of a reemerging cancerous brain tumor. An earthquake interrupts the procedure tumbling the MRI machine to its side. The accident causes remarkable changes to take place in Jake’s brain giving him mental abilities way beyond the norm. Thus begins the adventure Jake embarks upon. Unfortunately his new abilities are soon made public and people with evil intentions are made aware of Jake’s existence. We are introduced to your typical wannabe world-controlling terrorist known as Luciano Battista whose plan is to create super terrorists via brain implants. Jake’s new abilities are too tempting to resist and plans are set to capture Jake and experiment upon him to expand the terrorist’s goals. The story starts out pretty slow with background information and much conversation. On the verge of calling it quits the story began to pick up with much appreciated action. From that point I am happy to say the interest and pace of the tale increased considerably and consistently.
Book two Enemy of my Enemy, begins by informing us that Battista was still alive, continuing with his evil plans, and wanted nothing better than to have Jake killed. The story line moves forward with the central plot of Battista executing his horrendous plan and Jake attempting to stop him. The glaring plot hole being that the fate of the world’s population is in the hands of four men, two women, and two children; one of the men having increased mental abilities. If you continue to overlook that fact the rest of the story is actually pretty good. The action is fairly consistent and the author maintains interest with numerous twists and turns.
Book three Beyond Judgment, raises the bar on excitement and action. Jake’s enhanced abilities continue to get him out of tough spots while inexplicably failing him at the worst times. The mysteries of the pyramids are uncovered which explains the threat to the world’s population. Jake and company pull out all the stops, calling in every favor to foil the terrorist and stop the countdown to destruction. Great story with excellent narration.
Book two Enemy of my Enemy, begins by informing us that Battista was still alive, continuing with his evil plans, and wanted nothing better than to have Jake killed. The story line moves forward with the central plot of Battista executing his horrendous plan and Jake attempting to stop him. The glaring plot hole being that the fate of the world’s population is in the hands of four men, two women, and two children; one of the men having increased mental abilities. If you continue to overlook that fact the rest of the story is actually pretty good. The action is fairly consistent and the author maintains interest with numerous twists and turns.
Book three Beyond Judgment, raises the bar on excitement and action. Jake’s enhanced abilities continue to get him out of tough spots while inexplicably failing him at the worst times. The mysteries of the pyramids are uncovered which explains the threat to the world’s population. Jake and company pull out all the stops, calling in every favor to foil the terrorist and stop the countdown to destruction. Great story with excellent narration.
Read
February 15, 2018This is a bona fide James Bond movie, complete with all the cliches, not subverted at all. I was especially dismayed at the plot twist with little Ahmed - seriously, this is just harmful. The kids should be kids. Basically - this is what you get when you take a cold war flick and switch Russians with Afgans. (base note: the author confuses Eastern European with Middle Eastern, or there was a change of heart at the beginning. The author probably knows a lot about Middle East, since he's a soldier and all that, but Eastern European is really far away from there.)
It reads well in terms of this genre, which is always a bit about power fantasy - the characters are relatable, the pacing is good, and even the superhuman abilities of the protagonist don't raise eyebrows too much, because he's basically a nice guy and not everything he does succeeds - other characters also play their part. The knowledge about military is the author's forte. It's quite fun if you turn off the internal critic and imagine that you're reading something written in the 80s. Nevertheless harmful stereotypes run rampant, and I'm not sure if the author realizes it. Basically he needs to learn to work on his background characters - if he manages to enter some that aren't cliches, aren't based on stereotypes and act as regular humans, this will make his writing much better without the need to abandon Bond movie plots and changing the books into something different.
Also, dear author, for the future please take in account the possibility that you might find a reader in a female Eastern European neuroscientist doing research on autism, and also a writer, and please be gentler with the stereotyping. The world is weirder and greater than you think!
It reads well in terms of this genre, which is always a bit about power fantasy - the characters are relatable, the pacing is good, and even the superhuman abilities of the protagonist don't raise eyebrows too much, because he's basically a nice guy and not everything he does succeeds - other characters also play their part. The knowledge about military is the author's forte. It's quite fun if you turn off the internal critic and imagine that you're reading something written in the 80s. Nevertheless harmful stereotypes run rampant, and I'm not sure if the author realizes it. Basically he needs to learn to work on his background characters - if he manages to enter some that aren't cliches, aren't based on stereotypes and act as regular humans, this will make his writing much better without the need to abandon Bond movie plots and changing the books into something different.
Also, dear author, for the future please take in account the possibility that you might find a reader in a female Eastern European neuroscientist doing research on autism, and also a writer, and please be gentler with the stereotyping. The world is weirder and greater than you think!
March 21, 2018
I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review. Only an honest one.
A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. 3 very well written suspense books (trilogy). They were all very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a huge set of unique characters to keep track of. They all could also make another great suspense movie, or better yet a mini TV series. They weren’t as exciting as I was hoping for but I will still rate them at 4/5 stars.
Thank you for the free author; Goodreads; MakingConnections; Making Connections discussion group talk; Mind Mess Press; Amazon Digital Services LLC.; book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)
A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. 3 very well written suspense books (trilogy). They were all very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a huge set of unique characters to keep track of. They all could also make another great suspense movie, or better yet a mini TV series. They weren’t as exciting as I was hoping for but I will still rate them at 4/5 stars.
Thank you for the free author; Goodreads; MakingConnections; Making Connections discussion group talk; Mind Mess Press; Amazon Digital Services LLC.; book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)
March 12, 2018
I have submitted this review after listening to the audiobook of the trilogy of this series.
The 3 stories of this set are intense and action-packed, with s grest story line that is multi layered, looking at different events in the same timeline, through different characters eyes.
The normal good versus bad scenarios, is not new, and a James Bond or Bruce Willis feel is not without true intent from the author, I am sure. However, the leadership of one man, changed by fate, with a small, very talented group of friends and allies, to go up against incredible odds, is what makes these stories memorable.
The 3 stories of this set are intense and action-packed, with s grest story line that is multi layered, looking at different events in the same timeline, through different characters eyes.
The normal good versus bad scenarios, is not new, and a James Bond or Bruce Willis feel is not without true intent from the author, I am sure. However, the leadership of one man, changed by fate, with a small, very talented group of friends and allies, to go up against incredible odds, is what makes these stories memorable.
October 28, 2017
This was an interesting storyline that I hadn't read before. I enjoyed the books, but was glad to be done with the third one. It was intelligently written, and definitely not boring, but I found myself wanting to be done so that I could read another book by the author. Maybe just two books in the series would have been enough.
However, I was glad I read it, and I will probably read some more of Richard Bard's works.
However, I was glad I read it, and I will probably read some more of Richard Bard's works.
October 30, 2017
An exciting dash through dangerous chases and vicious battles as our hero always lives to fight another day. Some of the idealism, the super abilities and hero-worship by other characters reminded me of the writings of Robert Heinlein but this story takes place on contemporary Earth in a variety of interesting and well-researched locations.
Anyone who enjoys action and adventure with a touch of Marvel will revel in this breath-taking saga.
Anyone who enjoys action and adventure with a touch of Marvel will revel in this breath-taking saga.
January 20, 2018
The Brainrush series is one of my favorites. It starts out with Jake Bronson being in a MRI machine when an earthquake hits, which leaves him with some new abilities.
The storylines in these books are top notch and they move quickly. I love the characters and the relationships that develop between them.
It is so nice to have these first three books together in one place, as you can read them straight through.
The storylines in these books are top notch and they move quickly. I love the characters and the relationships that develop between them.
It is so nice to have these first three books together in one place, as you can read them straight through.
September 7, 2017
Really good series! Fast-paced, likeable characters and plenty of action. I do plan to read the rest of the series.
October 26, 2017
Good series.
April 8, 2018
I was pleasantly surprised. This series is much better than I was expecting it to be.
August 24, 2018
jack no longer has cancer after during a treatment the MIR machine malfunctions. his brain moves into the future
October 6, 2019
This was a good series. Lots of adventure and suspense.
December 18, 2024
Excellent trilogy
May 8, 2018
a very fast paced book from #goodreadsgiveaways, an action packed rollercoaster of a worldwide adventure with a great story line and characters not only can you love but relate to......all seven (7) books were awesome......looking forward to the second reading.
December 20, 2016
Compelling
Well and tightly written. Complex yet deeply human characters. Edge of your seat plot twists. Read the entire series in 5 days.
Well and tightly written. Complex yet deeply human characters. Edge of your seat plot twists. Read the entire series in 5 days.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews