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The Canonical Order
When a sniper’s bullet leaves the Pope incapacitated, ex-CIA and Vatican intelligence operative Chad Stryker launches a one-man counteroffensive against radical Islamic terrorists bent on fulfilling an ancient Islamic prophesy to draw the West into an apocalyptic holy war. Stryker uses all of the resources of the Canonical Order, a secret Catholic Church intelligence organization with roots in the paramilitary Knights of Malta and the intelligence networks of the Jesuits, to stop a radical Islamic conspiracy that would destroy the Catholic Church and establish a new world order. In his mission to disrupt the larger apocalyptic plot, Stryker struggles to uncover and stay one step ahead of a mole at the Canonical Order, while searching for the elusive Islamic State mastermind behind the conspiracy, an Islamic State leader known as “Che”.
265 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 23, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
June 25, 2019
1.5 stars
The Canonical Order is a secret Catholic Church intelligence organization with the goal of protecting Christianity against the increasing threat of Islamic Terrorism. And while that is indeed an interesting premise, the execution fell short, unfortunately.
Firstly, the writing felt unnatural, especially the overdrawn descriptions of every single movement the characters made which was awfully jarring. The movements and gestures themselves were off in many cases and clashed with the undertones of the situation. So for example I never felt pity when I was reading about Stryker's grief, and instead I felt irritated and impatient because of the way he talked and behaved. I couldn't empathize with anyone, nor could I swallow the simplistic good vs. evil narrative. The only interesting bits were those about the terrorists, how they lived and the way they thought. And from what I read, I hope they all get blown up to smithereens and rid the world of their hypocritical, delusional selves. I think this is what should have expanded upon. Details about how terrorists operate, their objectives and how they plan to achieve them, how they recruit people, etc...would have been very stimulating to read about.
Now we get to the characterization. Our main protagonist is Stryker, a member of the Order who is one dimensional and practically invincible + irresistible (every women he came across had to flirt with him, naturally). To make him a tad more relatable we get a sob story about his wife dying from cancer, and how he is filled with regret because he'd always prioritized work over her, and then we get to see his guilt over being attracted to his colleague, Sonia. All I can say is: boring.
And his fights were quite banal because of the lack of challenge.
As for Sonia, of course the only thing that matters about her is that she is so freaking hot, and so we have to receive an enticing description of her hips or her hair every single time she makes an appearance. Yep. She is quiet smart and competent but that is secondary.
Also, what the hell was that scene with the flight attendant! I've been on airplanes countless times and I've never seen a flight attendant flirt so easily with a passenger. They are usually polite and composed and very professional. That school girl attitude was very cringe-worthy. Yuck.
Finally, the plot twists were PREDICTABLE so I couldn't even enjoy that.
I give it 1.5 stars for the intriguing premise, the bits and pieces about the various terrorist organizations and their members, Yablokov's background, the technical details of the operations, and a few interesting action scenes. The characters, the writing, the pace, and the twists were all off, in my opinion.
This definitely was not for me.
The Canonical Order is a secret Catholic Church intelligence organization with the goal of protecting Christianity against the increasing threat of Islamic Terrorism. And while that is indeed an interesting premise, the execution fell short, unfortunately.
Firstly, the writing felt unnatural, especially the overdrawn descriptions of every single movement the characters made which was awfully jarring. The movements and gestures themselves were off in many cases and clashed with the undertones of the situation. So for example I never felt pity when I was reading about Stryker's grief, and instead I felt irritated and impatient because of the way he talked and behaved. I couldn't empathize with anyone, nor could I swallow the simplistic good vs. evil narrative. The only interesting bits were those about the terrorists, how they lived and the way they thought. And from what I read, I hope they all get blown up to smithereens and rid the world of their hypocritical, delusional selves. I think this is what should have expanded upon. Details about how terrorists operate, their objectives and how they plan to achieve them, how they recruit people, etc...would have been very stimulating to read about.
Now we get to the characterization. Our main protagonist is Stryker, a member of the Order who is one dimensional and practically invincible + irresistible (every women he came across had to flirt with him, naturally). To make him a tad more relatable we get a sob story about his wife dying from cancer, and how he is filled with regret because he'd always prioritized work over her, and then we get to see his guilt over being attracted to his colleague, Sonia. All I can say is: boring.
And his fights were quite banal because of the lack of challenge.
As for Sonia, of course the only thing that matters about her is that she is so freaking hot, and so we have to receive an enticing description of her hips or her hair every single time she makes an appearance. Yep. She is quiet smart and competent but that is secondary.
Also, what the hell was that scene with the flight attendant! I've been on airplanes countless times and I've never seen a flight attendant flirt so easily with a passenger. They are usually polite and composed and very professional. That school girl attitude was very cringe-worthy. Yuck.
Finally, the plot twists were PREDICTABLE so I couldn't even enjoy that.
I give it 1.5 stars for the intriguing premise, the bits and pieces about the various terrorist organizations and their members, Yablokov's background, the technical details of the operations, and a few interesting action scenes. The characters, the writing, the pace, and the twists were all off, in my opinion.
This definitely was not for me.
March 5, 2019
The Canonical Order is a great read from the beginning. While it is a different read from other action thrillers particularly because of the focus on the religious organization of the Catholic Church against Islamic State radicals as opposed to the three letter agencies, it is still a compelling read that keeps the reader glued to the book until the last page. The smart and delicate narrative is handled appropriately and complimented with adrenaline pumping action sequences powered by cool weaponry systems employed by the protagonist Chad Stryker. The emotions regarding Stryker's tragic background invoke a gut wrenching response to the tragedy that feels all the more real. While there are some misspells in the book, it does not take away from the intriguing mystique of the story with global storytelling and stakes in which no one can be truly trusted. The realistic tone of the aspects involved, especially with the technical components such as weapons and tactics make the reading even better. The characters feel three dimensional rather than simple information dumps. I sure hope Stryker comes back for another round of espionage action thriller because this sure does have lots of potential. A delightful combination of action, thriller, mystery and some well handled romance with just the right amount of drama aspects make for a great read that is The Canonical Order.
May 25, 2019
It's good the writer mentioned in the beginning that the events and characters are not real; otherwise it would be scary because he mentioned real people and places !
I liked how the writer moved between action and drama, excelling in both.
The story was unpredictable, surprising in every chapter and astonishing at the end.
A very #Good_read
I liked how the writer moved between action and drama, excelling in both.
The story was unpredictable, surprising in every chapter and astonishing at the end.
A very #Good_read
July 14, 2019
The Canonical Order has dark underpinnings of what most Spy thrillers are about. They have singular objectives of a small group of people or lone wolf keep his head above water and coming up for air once in a while. The main character, Chad Stryker has a dark past which he carries with him from the CIA to the 'The Order'.
The only memory's from a life of normality has been taken from him, through the death of his beloved Jennifer and now he uses his work to mask his need to exact revenge or complete the next mission. His only close friend known as Moldovan is the only person Stryker can rely on to get things done or watching his back when things turn sour.
Stryker has the classic male (James Bond) type swagger and chauvinistic attitude towards women. He uses his own lack of self-respect to pull others down and not be afraid to do it either. With these traits in mind, he is a very good intelligence operative and it shows. Stryker is very committed to the assignment and the end goal. That is to get results and bring about a successful conclusion to the mission at hand.
The Canonical Order does feel like a Holy Crusade against those who seek to overthrow them. This time, it is a war against Islamic Extremists in the Middle East. What starts out as a potential tip-off. Stryker feels it is a ploy to draw out some of the Orders best operatives, so they can destroy the Church no defensive counter-measures. All of these sound very reminiscent of other thrillers in the same genre.
Bringing the CIA, MI6 and the Catholic Church into one story. Does make it feel like an East versus West, or Us versus Them type attitude to secret warfare. The Canonical Order does feel like an offshoot of a Jack Higgins novel and the Sean Dillion series. Yet, The Canonical Order carries itself with finesse and draws the reader in with innate knowledge of Military Tactics and weapons skills, you would normally recognise from a former Special Forces Operative.
The flow of the story is natural and brings the reader to great good vs evil narrative and makes The Canonical Order thoroughly enjoyable to read.
The Canonical Order T.R. Kurtz
The only memory's from a life of normality has been taken from him, through the death of his beloved Jennifer and now he uses his work to mask his need to exact revenge or complete the next mission. His only close friend known as Moldovan is the only person Stryker can rely on to get things done or watching his back when things turn sour.
Stryker has the classic male (James Bond) type swagger and chauvinistic attitude towards women. He uses his own lack of self-respect to pull others down and not be afraid to do it either. With these traits in mind, he is a very good intelligence operative and it shows. Stryker is very committed to the assignment and the end goal. That is to get results and bring about a successful conclusion to the mission at hand.
The Canonical Order does feel like a Holy Crusade against those who seek to overthrow them. This time, it is a war against Islamic Extremists in the Middle East. What starts out as a potential tip-off. Stryker feels it is a ploy to draw out some of the Orders best operatives, so they can destroy the Church no defensive counter-measures. All of these sound very reminiscent of other thrillers in the same genre.
Bringing the CIA, MI6 and the Catholic Church into one story. Does make it feel like an East versus West, or Us versus Them type attitude to secret warfare. The Canonical Order does feel like an offshoot of a Jack Higgins novel and the Sean Dillion series. Yet, The Canonical Order carries itself with finesse and draws the reader in with innate knowledge of Military Tactics and weapons skills, you would normally recognise from a former Special Forces Operative.
The flow of the story is natural and brings the reader to great good vs evil narrative and makes The Canonical Order thoroughly enjoyable to read.
The Canonical Order T.R. Kurtz
May 12, 2019
The Canonical Order is a fantastic book focusing on Chad Stryker’s mission given to him by the Catholic Church and more specifically the Vatican’s secret intelligence branch the Canonical Order.
The backstory of the protagonist was a major part of why I loved the book. The loss of his wife, Jennifer Mae Richter, led him to live an empty life. He changed everything he believed in and now his life includes only intelligence operations. He viewed the Canonical Order as a way towards salvation, righting the wrongs of an unjust world.
The structure, the natural flow of the plot and the words used were exactly what a book dealing with secret services and conspiracies needs, everything seemed so real as if the Canonical Order is based on a true story. But it’s not all dark, there are humorous moments described that made me chuckle a lot.
In my opinion, creating a story that includes CIA, MI6, the Catholic Church, guns, tactics, terrorism and a great deal of history, and managing to write it in a way that convinces the one who reads it all of it could be real shows great talent.
The ending left me with a warm feeling inside since the protagonist finally decided to make some major changes in his life for the better and I really hope to read more of Chad Stryker in the future. I totally recommend this book and congratulations to T.R. Kurtz for this great work.
The backstory of the protagonist was a major part of why I loved the book. The loss of his wife, Jennifer Mae Richter, led him to live an empty life. He changed everything he believed in and now his life includes only intelligence operations. He viewed the Canonical Order as a way towards salvation, righting the wrongs of an unjust world.
The structure, the natural flow of the plot and the words used were exactly what a book dealing with secret services and conspiracies needs, everything seemed so real as if the Canonical Order is based on a true story. But it’s not all dark, there are humorous moments described that made me chuckle a lot.
In my opinion, creating a story that includes CIA, MI6, the Catholic Church, guns, tactics, terrorism and a great deal of history, and managing to write it in a way that convinces the one who reads it all of it could be real shows great talent.
The ending left me with a warm feeling inside since the protagonist finally decided to make some major changes in his life for the better and I really hope to read more of Chad Stryker in the future. I totally recommend this book and congratulations to T.R. Kurtz for this great work.
June 17, 2019
T.R. Kurtz has worked counterterrorism and counternarcotic issues around the world. It shows. He knows the equipment, the tactics, the landscape, and the characters of the people you encounter in this world. So, while I am still a neophyte in the area of military wear and equipment, I am a little further ahead of the game in that respect.
Chad Stryker, our lead protagonist, begins as a man still in mourning, a man consumed with regret for things not done. He has channelled his anger and grief into action on behalf of the Vatican’s intelligence arm, the Canonical Order. Emotionally, he is frozen in the past, recreating his life with his wife while in a dream state. The moment a sniper’s bullet finds the Pope is the moment everything begins to change.
The author made it easy to visualise the action as it happened which was great though, unfortunately, all too believable! Stryker and Navarre were especially engaging characters but I did like crusty (profit before principle) Captain Mikhail Nevsky. I was happy that he survived and got his bit in. My thanks to Booktasters for facilitating the reading of this book for a fair review.
Chad Stryker, our lead protagonist, begins as a man still in mourning, a man consumed with regret for things not done. He has channelled his anger and grief into action on behalf of the Vatican’s intelligence arm, the Canonical Order. Emotionally, he is frozen in the past, recreating his life with his wife while in a dream state. The moment a sniper’s bullet finds the Pope is the moment everything begins to change.
The author made it easy to visualise the action as it happened which was great though, unfortunately, all too believable! Stryker and Navarre were especially engaging characters but I did like crusty (profit before principle) Captain Mikhail Nevsky. I was happy that he survived and got his bit in. My thanks to Booktasters for facilitating the reading of this book for a fair review.
November 29, 2018
Overall I was pretty impressed with this book. I read through it quickly and enjoyed it a lot. The author’s knowledge of weapons and tactics is excellent. I saw nothing that seemed incorrect or out of line.
I think the writing of the action scenes is excellent, particularly those taking place at the conclusion of the book. I enjoyed the final action scenes the most. There was a lot of really good tension at the conclusion of the book. There were a few pretty good twists at the end that this reader enjoyed. The story is interesting and comes to a very believable ending.
The weakness of this book had to do with the premise that the protagonist is a member of a military organization that supports the Catholic Church. I think this notion is what differentiates this book from the usual “military thriller”, but I think it has to be fleshed out a little bit more to fulfill the potential of this book. Please don't get me wrong, this is a very enjoyable and well-written military thriller.
I think the writing of the action scenes is excellent, particularly those taking place at the conclusion of the book. I enjoyed the final action scenes the most. There was a lot of really good tension at the conclusion of the book. There were a few pretty good twists at the end that this reader enjoyed. The story is interesting and comes to a very believable ending.
The weakness of this book had to do with the premise that the protagonist is a member of a military organization that supports the Catholic Church. I think this notion is what differentiates this book from the usual “military thriller”, but I think it has to be fleshed out a little bit more to fulfill the potential of this book. Please don't get me wrong, this is a very enjoyable and well-written military thriller.
July 24, 2019
In this novel, a group of radical Islamic terrorists are determined to fulfill an ancient prophecy to draw the West into an apocalyptic holy war. In the process, the Pope becomes a target, and after a bullet leaves him incapacitated, Chad Stryker, sets out on a solo counteroffensive to stop the terrorists and preserve the Catholic Church.
The overall plot of the book was good, but the pacing-particularly the inudation of details-bogged the story line down. The twists and turns were predictable which didn't make for a very thrilling read. I also had an issue with the main character, Chad Stryker.
Chad Stryker is an ex-CIA agent that joined The Canonical Order. He is supposed to be a likeable character, but he is a flat character who is all too appealing to the ladies. I think the author tried too hard to make him suave like Bond in a way that came across as rather irritating. I didn't notice any real development of the character arc either. He is a rather flat protaganist.
The idea is there, but the writing misses the mark for me.
The overall plot of the book was good, but the pacing-particularly the inudation of details-bogged the story line down. The twists and turns were predictable which didn't make for a very thrilling read. I also had an issue with the main character, Chad Stryker.
Chad Stryker is an ex-CIA agent that joined The Canonical Order. He is supposed to be a likeable character, but he is a flat character who is all too appealing to the ladies. I think the author tried too hard to make him suave like Bond in a way that came across as rather irritating. I didn't notice any real development of the character arc either. He is a rather flat protaganist.
The idea is there, but the writing misses the mark for me.
May 28, 2019
I love this book. The pacing is perfect - not too fast. I was really able to enjoy and savor each page. Unlike so many that are quick reads this one was a great read that I was able to savor for a few days. A rare treat for someone who usually devours a novel in an afternoon!
Characters were really well written and I was drawn in quickly and carried by the story all the way to the end. Also bonus got to discover some new music which for a fan of the extra treats (Hurwitz and vodka, Sanders and sandwiches, Parker and making food) was so cool!
Keep them coming so I keep have great reads to enjoy!
Characters were really well written and I was drawn in quickly and carried by the story all the way to the end. Also bonus got to discover some new music which for a fan of the extra treats (Hurwitz and vodka, Sanders and sandwiches, Parker and making food) was so cool!
Keep them coming so I keep have great reads to enjoy!
October 18, 2020
***** I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review. *****
T.R. Kurtz brought up memories of the Templar Knights with this book. Stryker was a hurt and angry man who realized he was holding on to his late wife for the wrong reasons. He saw her death as the breaking of him and it actually was the building of a new life. I also suspected Anderson was a possible traitor but Navarre, Moldovan and Divers would have been other good choices as the antagonist in the story. I really enjoyed it.
T.R. Kurtz brought up memories of the Templar Knights with this book. Stryker was a hurt and angry man who realized he was holding on to his late wife for the wrong reasons. He saw her death as the breaking of him and it actually was the building of a new life. I also suspected Anderson was a possible traitor but Navarre, Moldovan and Divers would have been other good choices as the antagonist in the story. I really enjoyed it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 10, 2019
The canonical order has a simple premise of good vs. evil. Where our protagonist Stryker is given task by Vatican's version of CIA the canonical order.
Book has a good structure and plot. Actions sequences are wonderfully written and author's knowledge of ballistics is cherry on the top.
Narrative moves swiftly from one scene to another. However, over detailing of every action felt jarring. Other than that book is really a good read.
Book has a good structure and plot. Actions sequences are wonderfully written and author's knowledge of ballistics is cherry on the top.
Narrative moves swiftly from one scene to another. However, over detailing of every action felt jarring. Other than that book is really a good read.
June 26, 2019
The Canonical Order was a thriller about finding the shooter of the Pope which could have global consequences.
The main character , Stryker has his work cut out for him dealing with devastating tragedy in his life and trying to complete his mission. The story got a bit slow in parts because of wordy descriptions.
All in all not a bad race against time story.
The main character , Stryker has his work cut out for him dealing with devastating tragedy in his life and trying to complete his mission. The story got a bit slow in parts because of wordy descriptions.
All in all not a bad race against time story.
November 30, 2018
Langley, The Vatican, Iraq... Kurtz takes you with him. The feel of the gun in your grip, sand in your wound, battle-rattle on your back... Kurtz has crafted an incredibly detailed and textured world, a spy novel with realism and weaponized wit that walks you down dark alleys only few have been.
June 20, 2020
I like action thrillers and I am intrigued by fiction about the Roman Catholic Church and the Vatican. This is a solid debut effort by T.R. Kurtz and this author will be on my "to read" list.
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