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Scot Harvath #13
Act of War
The #1 New York Times and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author Brad Thor delivers his most frightening and pulse-pounding thriller ever!
After a CIA agent mysteriously dies overseas, his top asset surfaces with a startling and terrifying claim. There’s just one problem—no one knows if she can be trusted.
But when six exchange students go missing, two airplane passengers trade places, and one political-asylum seeker is arrested, a deadly chain of events is set in motion.
With the United States facing an imminent and devastating attack, America’s new president must turn to covert counterterrorism operative Scot Harvath to help carry out two of the most dangerous operations in the country’s history.
Code-named “Gold Dust” and “Blackbird,” they are shrouded in absolute secrecy as either of them, if discovered, will constitute an act of war.
After a CIA agent mysteriously dies overseas, his top asset surfaces with a startling and terrifying claim. There’s just one problem—no one knows if she can be trusted.
But when six exchange students go missing, two airplane passengers trade places, and one political-asylum seeker is arrested, a deadly chain of events is set in motion.
With the United States facing an imminent and devastating attack, America’s new president must turn to covert counterterrorism operative Scot Harvath to help carry out two of the most dangerous operations in the country’s history.
Code-named “Gold Dust” and “Blackbird,” they are shrouded in absolute secrecy as either of them, if discovered, will constitute an act of war.
358 pages, Paperback
First published July 8, 2014
1745 people are currently reading
5990 people want to read
About the author
Brad Thor
46 books7,387 followersBRAD THOR is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-five thrillers, including EDGE OF HONOR, SHADOW OF DOUBT, BLACK ICE (ThrillerFix Best Thriller of the Year), NEAR DARK (one of Suspense Magazine’s Best Books of the Year), BACKLASH (nominated for the Barry Award for Best Thriller of the Year), SPYMASTER (“One of the all-time best thriller novels” —The Washington Times), THE LAST PATRIOT (nominated Best Thriller of the Year by the International Thriller Writers Association), and BLOWBACK (one of the “Top 100 Killer Thrillers of All Time” —NPR).
EDGE OF HONOR is on sale now. For more information, visit BradThor.com.
EDGE OF HONOR is on sale now. For more information, visit BradThor.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 854 reviews
April 3, 2019
Better than the more recent Thor offerings, but not quite up to the level I enjoyed with his first few books.
I like to check out political thrillers from time to time. I enjoy the action and the intrigue. I understand that since they are political, they will touch on some topics related to the turbulent political history of the world. Sometimes, though, I feel like Thor gets leans on anger focused at extreme stereotypes. When creating bad guys they are not only political deviants but he likes to throw in that they are into child pornography or other questionable behavior unrelated to their political activity. It just feels like he is going over the top to create his hateable, scum of the earth bad guys.
On the flip side, his heroes are super badass and patriotic. I am all for my heroes being super badass, but by this point in the series it has also become a bit super cheesy. As soon as a new character shows up there is a backstory about how they saved 200 people at Ground Zero on 9/11, later on, they defeated 10 hijackers and landed the plane, and after that they got 30 cats out of trees in suburban Cleveland. This previous sentence is hyperbole, but that is how it starts to feel after a while.
I did enjoy the story in this one. It took a bit for it all to come together – seemed a bit all over the map at first – figuratively and literally. After it got down to the climax it ended up being a pretty good story that I think any political thriller fan would enjoy. And, without saying too much to avoid spoilers, had some twists that I have seen addressed in other political thrillers that are potentially even scarier than biological or nuclear warfare.
Hardcore political thriller and Thor fans, I think you will enjoy this one. Casual political thriller fans, you can probably read the first 8 Harvath books or so and be just fine.
I like to check out political thrillers from time to time. I enjoy the action and the intrigue. I understand that since they are political, they will touch on some topics related to the turbulent political history of the world. Sometimes, though, I feel like Thor gets leans on anger focused at extreme stereotypes. When creating bad guys they are not only political deviants but he likes to throw in that they are into child pornography or other questionable behavior unrelated to their political activity. It just feels like he is going over the top to create his hateable, scum of the earth bad guys.
On the flip side, his heroes are super badass and patriotic. I am all for my heroes being super badass, but by this point in the series it has also become a bit super cheesy. As soon as a new character shows up there is a backstory about how they saved 200 people at Ground Zero on 9/11, later on, they defeated 10 hijackers and landed the plane, and after that they got 30 cats out of trees in suburban Cleveland. This previous sentence is hyperbole, but that is how it starts to feel after a while.
I did enjoy the story in this one. It took a bit for it all to come together – seemed a bit all over the map at first – figuratively and literally. After it got down to the climax it ended up being a pretty good story that I think any political thriller fan would enjoy. And, without saying too much to avoid spoilers, had some twists that I have seen addressed in other political thrillers that are potentially even scarier than biological or nuclear warfare.
Hardcore political thriller and Thor fans, I think you will enjoy this one. Casual political thriller fans, you can probably read the first 8 Harvath books or so and be just fine.
June 22, 2015
Brad Thor is a talented thriller writer that spins a good yarn. I have read all of his books to date and enjoyed them and would hope to continue. Unfortunately, Brad's books have become a bit tiresome. How many ways are there to kill a terrorist, usually a Muslim, before it become trite? Additionally, and this is becoming very annoying and insulting, Brad has started supplying his characters with speeches on political theory and national policy. Thor's books are fiction and I, and probably all his other fans, read them for entertainment. If I wanted to read about political theories or discourses on national policies or practices I would meander over to the non-fiction section of my local book store and peruse their offerings. If Brad has opinions in those arenas I suggest he write a book on those subjects and not use his fiction as a platform for his political beliefs. Should this practice continue I will, regretfully, have to discontinue my support for this otherwise entertaining author.
July 9, 2014
One of the things that I find so thrilling about Thor’s novels is that the scenarios he describes and technology used by his characters often show up in the real news over the next 12-18 months. So you know he’s done his research thoroughly and crafted a story that, while it is fiction, feels completely real when you are reading it. And that adds an unbelievable edge to the reading experience.
In ACT OF WAR, Scot Harvath is faced with a new threat that no one sees coming until it is almost too late. Thankfully, an asset was willing to speak up and warn the United States about what was being planned against us. That sets things in motion as Scot must now race against time and fight some serious foes to save the U.S. from catastrophic destruction.
ACT OF WAR has a different (but great!) feeling to it than the last two Harvath novels and Thor has entered into new territory, veering away from Al Qaeda as the ultimate bad guy and making us consider something or someone far more sinister.
For those of you who have never read a Brad Thor novel, you can easily read ACT OF WAR as a stand-alone book and understand everything that is happening. But at some point, I highly recommend that you go back to the beginning of the series and read them all, I think you’ll love them!
*This review was originally posted to my blog on 7/8/14 at http://www.lazydaybooks.com/2014/07/b...
In ACT OF WAR, Scot Harvath is faced with a new threat that no one sees coming until it is almost too late. Thankfully, an asset was willing to speak up and warn the United States about what was being planned against us. That sets things in motion as Scot must now race against time and fight some serious foes to save the U.S. from catastrophic destruction.
ACT OF WAR has a different (but great!) feeling to it than the last two Harvath novels and Thor has entered into new territory, veering away from Al Qaeda as the ultimate bad guy and making us consider something or someone far more sinister.
For those of you who have never read a Brad Thor novel, you can easily read ACT OF WAR as a stand-alone book and understand everything that is happening. But at some point, I highly recommend that you go back to the beginning of the series and read them all, I think you’ll love them!
*This review was originally posted to my blog on 7/8/14 at http://www.lazydaybooks.com/2014/07/b...
February 9, 2020
One of the best Scot Harvath books. This time it's China with its project called The Snow Dragon embedded in America ready for different type of warfare.
July 8, 2014
Audiobook Review
1 Star
There was a reason I deleted all Brad Thor books, and Act of War is the poster child. From horrid writing, "best laid plans of mice and men," to "proud to have a President that pays for everything on the front lines," to "Americans value life and terrorists don't. Harvath wanted to kill every one of them right now."
Mr. Thor, take your battle-cry back to the battle field. Trite tripe.
1 Star
There was a reason I deleted all Brad Thor books, and Act of War is the poster child. From horrid writing, "best laid plans of mice and men," to "proud to have a President that pays for everything on the front lines," to "Americans value life and terrorists don't. Harvath wanted to kill every one of them right now."
Mr. Thor, take your battle-cry back to the battle field. Trite tripe.
May 21, 2015
I should have read the negative reviews before tackling this preposterous bloated right-wing tome. China is plotting to wipe out 90% of the US population and then take over the country because we borrowed so much money from them. Really? Seriously? And, "Yeah! Yeah! USA! We're the best and torture is a virtue since we're the one's doing it to preserve our superior way of life." This kind of simplemindedness would get laughed off any news talk show, even Fox. There is no entertainment value in reading a "spy novel" weighed down with such obvious propaganda, no matter whose point of view is being hammered into your head. This kind of blind patriotism "is the virtue of the vicious." (Oscar Wilde)
August 7, 2014
After reading my first Thor book, Black List, I was primed to enjoy another. What a disappointment this was. The story line was predictable and somewhat unbelievable. Most most offensive was the author's use of a novel to lay out his right wing beliefs. I have no issue with novels having a point of view, but this was just blatant propagandizing. It doesn't matter whether I agree or disagree, the stuff of an op-ed piece does not belong in a novel.
August 22, 2014
Not ever a dull moment when Brad Thor puts pen to paper regarding Scott Harvath. Best of all, the bad guys get exactly what they deserve and it can never be more than enough. 10 of 10 stars
July 22, 2014
As a huge fan of Brad Thor I was very excited about this one! The book kept me interested from the first page and it was hard to put down. I really enjoyed the story and the writing. The only complaint is that I felt the ending was lacking and just felt a little rushed.
July 5, 2017
The Chinese are out of natural resources and decide to secretly grab America's. They plan to launch an attack, blame it on a terrorist organization, and when America is in ruins and depopulated, make claim to the country based on outstanding, unpaid loans.
It's kind of a clever conceit. The action is slow in the first half of the novel; much brisker in the second half. The writing is... adequate, nothing to write home about. There are some nice passages and others that are monologs broken by witless interrogatives by others to make a long speech look less like a diatribe. The title comes in nicely at the end of the novel.
My problems in the book are that there are too many threads in play at once in the first 2/3rds of the novel and I didn't find a central character to empathize with. Because there are so many threads, each one increments slowly giving me the feeling like not much is going on. The Seal mission into N. Korea, for example, could be removed without harming the book. It provides some thrills in the second half of the novel, which is great, but the result of the insertion into N. Korea is a small ROI in terms of the novel's plot.
Maybe because there were so many story threads, the protagonist, Scot Harvath, didn't really seem like one. He was only in one of the 4 or 5 threads. So, I found the novel a little like reading a newspaper covering a bunch of stories rather than a character-driven story.
This is my first Brad Thor novel. If you like war-like novels, you might try Vince Flynn who has a more commanding authorial voice and surer hand around character development. That said, I look forward to trying another Thor novel.
It's kind of a clever conceit. The action is slow in the first half of the novel; much brisker in the second half. The writing is... adequate, nothing to write home about. There are some nice passages and others that are monologs broken by witless interrogatives by others to make a long speech look less like a diatribe. The title comes in nicely at the end of the novel.
My problems in the book are that there are too many threads in play at once in the first 2/3rds of the novel and I didn't find a central character to empathize with. Because there are so many threads, each one increments slowly giving me the feeling like not much is going on. The Seal mission into N. Korea, for example, could be removed without harming the book. It provides some thrills in the second half of the novel, which is great, but the result of the insertion into N. Korea is a small ROI in terms of the novel's plot.
Maybe because there were so many story threads, the protagonist, Scot Harvath, didn't really seem like one. He was only in one of the 4 or 5 threads. So, I found the novel a little like reading a newspaper covering a bunch of stories rather than a character-driven story.
This is my first Brad Thor novel. If you like war-like novels, you might try Vince Flynn who has a more commanding authorial voice and surer hand around character development. That said, I look forward to trying another Thor novel.
August 14, 2014
Act of War has a great plot concept but is thoroughly underdeveloped. The usual Scot Harvath is replaced with a cardboard cut out. It was almost like Thor said, "you know Harvath so I am not going to delve very deep here." Very one dimensional book. I have enjoyed most of the Harvath series but Act of War just missed the mark. There are two plots unfolding simultaneously and the far more interesting plot taking place behind the North Korean border could have been awesome, but it was just good. I know books of this type are by nature extremely formulaic, but Thor seemed to be on cruise control. None of the action is gripping and it kind of takes the path of least resistance from point A to point B.
Also, some of the writing is trite with unnecessary cliff hangers. If "important information" was relayed to a character just say what it is. I like suspense as much as the next person, but, once again, the writing didn't come off as suspense; rather, it came off as lazy. I really wanted to like this book but it just lacked the ingredient to make it a must read.
Also, some of the writing is trite with unnecessary cliff hangers. If "important information" was relayed to a character just say what it is. I like suspense as much as the next person, but, once again, the writing didn't come off as suspense; rather, it came off as lazy. I really wanted to like this book but it just lacked the ingredient to make it a must read.
January 24, 2015
Scot Horvath is once again trying to save America. To create an incentive for the Chinese to continue buying U.S. Treasury bonds, real assets have been secretly offered. Meanwhile, economic growth in China has faltered, causing the leadership to launch a devastating attack on the U.S. to be followed by invasion, with Chinese troops and farmers training in North Korea. The Chinese are pretending the attack is from Al Qaeda, causing Scot to press the Arab cutouts while a Chinese agent is trying to activate sleeper agents and take the Chinese leadership children studying in the U.S. to safety. I agree with the criticism that character development is sacrificed for action and the ending was overly abrupt.
November 12, 2014
Thor brings Scot Harvath back for another covert ops thriller, with a spin sure to raise eyebrows. When a secret Chinese mission, code-named Snow Dragon, is given the go-ahead, events begin to put a larger plan in motion, one sure to leave America begging for mercy. When a known terrorist is seen liaising in the Middle East, US officials send Harvath in to determine what's in the works. What he discovers sheds light on Snow Dragon, though only a sliver. With that small piece of intel, Harvath and his team tackle the UAE portion of the mission, while an equally secret group heads into the ever-dangerous backcountry of North Korea, where the Chinese are training ahead of their strike. As more is learned about Snow Dragon, the plan becomes more complicated, with sleeper cells within the States, ready to strike. Harvath creeps closer to determining what's going on, the true magnetude of the devastation becomes apparent and America could be on the brink of annihilation, all while Chinese officials sit back and wait to reap the rewards. Thor has woven some wonderful enemies of
America together to up the thrill factor in this must-read novel.
Leave it to the expert of thrillers to come up with such an ingenious idea, putting China and the Islamic terror network together to strike at their joint enemy. As readers have seen in a dozen novels before, Harvath is keen and ready to strike no matter where danger takes him. Add to this, a wonderful array of returning characters and Thor has his fans and newbies alike eating out of his hand. One cannot ask for anything more exciting or full of intrigue as a Scot Harvath thriller. I cannot wait to see what else Thor has in store for his protagonist in the upcoming releases.
Kudos, Mr. Thor for such a wonderful novel, complete with thrills, humour, and just the right amount of back story.
America together to up the thrill factor in this must-read novel.
Leave it to the expert of thrillers to come up with such an ingenious idea, putting China and the Islamic terror network together to strike at their joint enemy. As readers have seen in a dozen novels before, Harvath is keen and ready to strike no matter where danger takes him. Add to this, a wonderful array of returning characters and Thor has his fans and newbies alike eating out of his hand. One cannot ask for anything more exciting or full of intrigue as a Scot Harvath thriller. I cannot wait to see what else Thor has in store for his protagonist in the upcoming releases.
Kudos, Mr. Thor for such a wonderful novel, complete with thrills, humour, and just the right amount of back story.
October 9, 2014
Book 13 in the series, and until more are written this is the final book so far. Once again the author writes a plausible plotline, and you are left wondering if such an event could happen. The book itself seemed to be split between three sections, Scot Harvath and his team chasing the bad guys. The bad guys evading attempts to capture them, and a SEAL team gathering intelligence in North Korea. To my mind each of these elements was visited, but none of them in great depth which spoilt it a little for me. Once again the concept of unrestricted warfare is visited, and certain areas seemed to be repetitions of earlier books. All in all I have enjoyed this series and all bar a couple of exceptions it has been an enjoyable read for me, and I have recommended the series to a few friends.
August 4, 2014
I've always liked Bard Thor's titles; I've read 2 books so far but this one just got on my nerves. I'm a Muslim and when I see someone making fun of my religion it's not something I can let slide by. Why did you have to make fun of Islam ? First the 6 engineers where Muslim, I'm like 'alright' , then you start praising Israel for there ruthlessness and political prowess, I'm like 'meh, Israeli propaganda' but did you have to go make fun of Allah ? That's totally not cool and I'm pained to know that you have such hate against Islam as a religion. You go on defaming and making it sound like Islam is evil while all I wanted to do was enjoy reading your novels.
January 29, 2025
Each book I read in this series is better than its predecessors. Amazing. This installment focuses on China and the potential effects of an EMP weapon being used on America. Kind of terrifying but kind of fascinating at the same time. Imagine the disruption if there was no internet, no power, no grocery stores, etc. This book explores all those things and does it well. A worthy effort and definitely a page turner.
May 26, 2022
Brad Thor...would you do me a favor and run for president?
August 12, 2025
3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
Not bad. This is my third book from Brad Thor, and I do like it, for the most part. It lacks the depth I usually like in political/spy thrillers like this, but there's always something happening, it's action packed, and the plot- while simple and predictable- is still gripping enough to make you want to keep going and see what's gonna happen next, thanks to a very flowing and clear prose.
Solid, entertaining, good escapism and fun. And sometimes, that's all a book needs to be.
Not bad. This is my third book from Brad Thor, and I do like it, for the most part. It lacks the depth I usually like in political/spy thrillers like this, but there's always something happening, it's action packed, and the plot- while simple and predictable- is still gripping enough to make you want to keep going and see what's gonna happen next, thanks to a very flowing and clear prose.
Solid, entertaining, good escapism and fun. And sometimes, that's all a book needs to be.
July 9, 2014
Act of War by #1 New York Times bestselling author Brad Thor is the thirteenth book in the Scot Harvath series, and is an engrossing military thriller in which United States planted a NOC secret agent in China to spy on suspicious activities that could threaten its security. The death of the agent brings to light the existence of an operation in progress code-named Snow Dragon which is known only to a few key individuals in the Chinese government. Its objective is to destabilize the United States. Knowing its limited strength and capability, China is using nefarious means to thwart America's progress and defeat it at all cost. Apart from poisoning food and water through chemical and biological means, it is indulging in subverting its power grids leading to total collapse, and bringing about chaos in the cities. China's grandiose but sinister design could well succeed unless a counter-measure is launched.
The United States set in motion two operations code-named Blackbird and Gold Dust through the direct involvement of top-level officials, the Director of National Intelligence and the Secretary of Defense. These secret operations are aimed at foiling any attempt to subvert or attack the country. The United States President turns to counter-terrorism operative Scot Harvath to help carry out the two most dangerous operations in the country's history. While one operation will directly involve Harvath, the other operation will see a group secretly dropped into North Korea. The mission is top-secret and if it ever comes to light it will have serious repercussions. And failure is not an option either.
Act of War by Brad Thor is a heart-pounding spy thriller that will strike at the hearts of readers as it is too real for comfort. An incredibly stunning story full of suspense, action, drama, intrigue and political conspiracy, this riveting top-notch thriller will leave readers breathless and excited. It reinforces Brad Thor's position as the undisputed numero uno in this genre of fiction writing. One can only hope that there will be many more books in the future.
The United States set in motion two operations code-named Blackbird and Gold Dust through the direct involvement of top-level officials, the Director of National Intelligence and the Secretary of Defense. These secret operations are aimed at foiling any attempt to subvert or attack the country. The United States President turns to counter-terrorism operative Scot Harvath to help carry out the two most dangerous operations in the country's history. While one operation will directly involve Harvath, the other operation will see a group secretly dropped into North Korea. The mission is top-secret and if it ever comes to light it will have serious repercussions. And failure is not an option either.
Act of War by Brad Thor is a heart-pounding spy thriller that will strike at the hearts of readers as it is too real for comfort. An incredibly stunning story full of suspense, action, drama, intrigue and political conspiracy, this riveting top-notch thriller will leave readers breathless and excited. It reinforces Brad Thor's position as the undisputed numero uno in this genre of fiction writing. One can only hope that there will be many more books in the future.
September 21, 2014
A great Brad Thor book. I read it and just thought it finished very quickly....I wanted more!!!!
November 11, 2014
Upon finishing this book, I went back to my Goodreads library to see what other Brad Thor books I have read and could not find any. I don't remember which ones I did read, but I can say that my memories of his writing were much better than what I got here. The writing is choppy, the character construction is non-existent, and the good moments (often more North Korea-based) are outnumbered by the bad.
While I have not read the national security thriller genre in a few months, they are a guilty pleasure of mine and I thoroughly enjoy the escape provided by authors such as Vince Flynn (R.I.P.) and David Baldacci. However, I just could not get into this book. Sure, this entire genre is about pandering to war hawks who want to drop a bomb on any nation that speaks against the U.S., but you don't have to do it so blatantly.
The plot here involves China trying to destroy the U.S. (using jihadis as middlemen) in order to claim the U.S. as their own as collateral for the mounting debt they have against us. North Korea, the Middle East, and Somalia are involved too! While many other reviews find that a believable, realistic plot line, I'm going to hold off my comments until the ludicrous ending (mentioned below under spoiler warnings).
The one thing I did find hilarious in this book as that the large group of likely baby boomer, former military white men that read this genre (I'm only 2 of those four!) have now been introduced to Grindr, a gay hook-up app, due to a plot line showing that hedonistic gay men will just do anything for drug-fueled gay sex with strangers, even compromising their mission and life purpose! (Note the sarcasm.)
*********** MAJOR SPOILER *************
So, the best example of the insanity of this plot line is the ending. As you would predict in this genre, the U.S. wins. (Still, I post a major spoiler alert because ... 'Murica?) What's ludicrous though is that, because the U.S. exposes China's plot against the U.S., China decides to relieve the U.S. of the trillions dollars of debt it has, just washing its hands clean because they lost "face." Umm ... no. Absolutely not. If exposing a Chinese plot against the U.S. got the U.S. discharged of all of its debts, I'm sure there are 100,000 cyber hacking missions that could be exposed by the time you finish this sentence.
But you don't read these books for accuracy (well, I don't). You read them for guilty pleasure enjoyment and this book failed at that mission. I have another Brad Thor book right now ($1 at a library sale), so let's hope that one is the Brad Thor I remember!
While I have not read the national security thriller genre in a few months, they are a guilty pleasure of mine and I thoroughly enjoy the escape provided by authors such as Vince Flynn (R.I.P.) and David Baldacci. However, I just could not get into this book. Sure, this entire genre is about pandering to war hawks who want to drop a bomb on any nation that speaks against the U.S., but you don't have to do it so blatantly.
The plot here involves China trying to destroy the U.S. (using jihadis as middlemen) in order to claim the U.S. as their own as collateral for the mounting debt they have against us. North Korea, the Middle East, and Somalia are involved too! While many other reviews find that a believable, realistic plot line, I'm going to hold off my comments until the ludicrous ending (mentioned below under spoiler warnings).
The one thing I did find hilarious in this book as that the large group of likely baby boomer, former military white men that read this genre (I'm only 2 of those four!) have now been introduced to Grindr, a gay hook-up app, due to a plot line showing that hedonistic gay men will just do anything for drug-fueled gay sex with strangers, even compromising their mission and life purpose! (Note the sarcasm.)
*********** MAJOR SPOILER *************
So, the best example of the insanity of this plot line is the ending. As you would predict in this genre, the U.S. wins. (Still, I post a major spoiler alert because ... 'Murica?) What's ludicrous though is that, because the U.S. exposes China's plot against the U.S., China decides to relieve the U.S. of the trillions dollars of debt it has, just washing its hands clean because they lost "face." Umm ... no. Absolutely not. If exposing a Chinese plot against the U.S. got the U.S. discharged of all of its debts, I'm sure there are 100,000 cyber hacking missions that could be exposed by the time you finish this sentence.
But you don't read these books for accuracy (well, I don't). You read them for guilty pleasure enjoyment and this book failed at that mission. I have another Brad Thor book right now ($1 at a library sale), so let's hope that one is the Brad Thor I remember!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 30, 2015
Act of War is a Shelby Mustang of a tale, 750 hp of American muscle.
I could stop there, but since I've begun, I might as well place a little more meat on the skeleton. Ex-Navy Seal and Ex-Secret Service Agent Scot Harvath has returned as a private counter-terrorism operative with the ear of the new President. Information is received that China, or a segment of the Chinese government, has developed a method to surreptitiously incapacitate the United States. Millions of Americans will die, the government will fail, and the Chinese will waltz in with nary a shot fired.
Three separate points of view are utilized in this story: Harvath in the U.S; the main antagonist, a dangerous Chinese agent, in the U.S.; and CIA operative Billy Tang in North Korea. Movement between the points of view and locales keeps the story moving at a rapid pace.
As usual, I will not retell the main elements of the tale for fear of spoiling the read, but I will provide a general comment that if you've enjoyed past Thor novels featuring Scot Harvath, you will most likely enjoy this installment as well. My only negative, Harvath seems to have evolved into a less empathetic character as the series develops. This seems to be the newest recipe for success in the commercial thriller arena.
Unfortunately, this progression makes a once unique character just another hammer in the toolbox. I liked that he displayed more humanity in earlier books.
But that's just me!
I could stop there, but since I've begun, I might as well place a little more meat on the skeleton. Ex-Navy Seal and Ex-Secret Service Agent Scot Harvath has returned as a private counter-terrorism operative with the ear of the new President. Information is received that China, or a segment of the Chinese government, has developed a method to surreptitiously incapacitate the United States. Millions of Americans will die, the government will fail, and the Chinese will waltz in with nary a shot fired.
Three separate points of view are utilized in this story: Harvath in the U.S; the main antagonist, a dangerous Chinese agent, in the U.S.; and CIA operative Billy Tang in North Korea. Movement between the points of view and locales keeps the story moving at a rapid pace.
As usual, I will not retell the main elements of the tale for fear of spoiling the read, but I will provide a general comment that if you've enjoyed past Thor novels featuring Scot Harvath, you will most likely enjoy this installment as well. My only negative, Harvath seems to have evolved into a less empathetic character as the series develops. This seems to be the newest recipe for success in the commercial thriller arena.
Unfortunately, this progression makes a once unique character just another hammer in the toolbox. I liked that he displayed more humanity in earlier books.
But that's just me!
July 10, 2017
4.5 Brad Thor does it again...and the villain is not a Muslim! The real threat is Korea and China, and the scenario in this novel could be all too real in the near future - to destabilize America. Very well researched and crafted, this is a political thriller in the vein of Tom Clancy - all too possible if not probable! A delicious read for espionage fans! Brad Thor is at the top of the international political thriller genre!
June 12, 2018
I've loved all the Scot Harvath books, but Brad kind of jumped the shark with this one. The plot is just ludicrous, and there is nowhere near enough Harvath in it. The back and forth between the US action and North Korea story just didn't work, in my opinion. But I'm still looking forward to the next Scot Harvath installment!
December 30, 2016
While some readers are turned-off by Thor's Conservative politics, I find he gives voice to many of the "politically incorrect" natural truisms found in American society...Scot Harvath must stop a Chinese effort to EMP us into the Stone Age in a tightly wound tale...FUN!!!
October 12, 2015
This author's political agenda was too invasive to tolerate. It would seem that selling the reader a political position is more important than crafting a good work of fiction.
March 10, 2021
This was a very good Scot Harvath thriller. This plot did not involve a deadly virus that the bad guys wanted to release like several others I've read lately, so it was a nice break.
Read
June 24, 2022I really liked the premise of this book. It's interesting, nuanced, and very much anchored in a Tom Clancy-esque meta-scenario.
I'm a Brad Thor fan. I truly enjoy this series.
Here's the catch with this book. Because there are so many moving parts and the plot is so nuanced, there is an incredible amount of info-dumping and telling. There are long sections of this book that are exposition to help orient the reader (and they are needed), but it's info-dumping.
This book would work great at a moving because you can easily cut and show different POVs in different situations/scenarios. In a book, this many moving parts with multiple POVs.... creates some drag on the tension.
That said, the ending was wrapped up nicely and was a surprise. I expected a cliffhanger to another book, but no.... everything was finalised and made whole in the last few pages.
A great plot-book that makes you think.
A slow tension book because of the info-dumps.
I'm a Brad Thor fan. I truly enjoy this series.
Here's the catch with this book. Because there are so many moving parts and the plot is so nuanced, there is an incredible amount of info-dumping and telling. There are long sections of this book that are exposition to help orient the reader (and they are needed), but it's info-dumping.
This book would work great at a moving because you can easily cut and show different POVs in different situations/scenarios. In a book, this many moving parts with multiple POVs.... creates some drag on the tension.
That said, the ending was wrapped up nicely and was a surprise. I expected a cliffhanger to another book, but no.... everything was finalised and made whole in the last few pages.
A great plot-book that makes you think.
A slow tension book because of the info-dumps.
April 1, 2023
First novel I read by Brad Thor and it had me almost immediately. Going back to pick through the rest of the Scott Harvath series now. 5/5. Fantastic read.
June 6, 2014
Act of War by Brad Thor
A hired Ivy League blue blood type known as an NOC, "non official cover" secret agent, is planted in China by the United States to uncover suspicious national security activity. When his peculiar death occurs The Agency calls in backup and discovers Snow Dragon, an operation in progress that brings with it darkness, cold, and death. As the Central Intelligence Agency investigates, Washington brings to light China's intention to reinvent the term, "the inferior can defeat the superior". Knowing the U.S. is too technologically advanced, China decides to abandon the rules of that make up traditional concept of warfare. Tactics of Chemical and Biological attacks that poison food and water, along with collapsing electrical grids are discovered to be carried out and deployed by a third party of terrorists employed by China. As a preventive move by the Director of National Intelligence and the Secretary of Defense, two operations are formed, Blackbird and Gold Dust; code names given for the attempt to save America from unspeakable attacks.
Act of War by Brad Thor strikes at the heart of the reader and creates a novel of good versus evil. A merciless fictional view of terrorism groups designed for destruction, creates an empathy reminiscent of the aftermath belonging to the 9/11 attacks. These historical emotions add to the realism that the novel carries. As the main plot follows a small group into enemy territory, the subsidiary stories remain rich with subjects of organized crime and drug trafficking. Knowing the consistent danger to the heroes could turn into a POW's worse nightmare provides a pulse pounding thrill ride that has become a staple for Thor novels. Questions of International Biological, Chemical, and Nuclear attacks are answered with well formed characterization and energized action provided by FBI and its undercover team. Brad Thor creates another all too real action packed militarized adventure that begins on American soil and works its way through dangerous dominions such as North Korea and the likes of Al Qaeda based in Afghanistan.
A hired Ivy League blue blood type known as an NOC, "non official cover" secret agent, is planted in China by the United States to uncover suspicious national security activity. When his peculiar death occurs The Agency calls in backup and discovers Snow Dragon, an operation in progress that brings with it darkness, cold, and death. As the Central Intelligence Agency investigates, Washington brings to light China's intention to reinvent the term, "the inferior can defeat the superior". Knowing the U.S. is too technologically advanced, China decides to abandon the rules of that make up traditional concept of warfare. Tactics of Chemical and Biological attacks that poison food and water, along with collapsing electrical grids are discovered to be carried out and deployed by a third party of terrorists employed by China. As a preventive move by the Director of National Intelligence and the Secretary of Defense, two operations are formed, Blackbird and Gold Dust; code names given for the attempt to save America from unspeakable attacks.
Act of War by Brad Thor strikes at the heart of the reader and creates a novel of good versus evil. A merciless fictional view of terrorism groups designed for destruction, creates an empathy reminiscent of the aftermath belonging to the 9/11 attacks. These historical emotions add to the realism that the novel carries. As the main plot follows a small group into enemy territory, the subsidiary stories remain rich with subjects of organized crime and drug trafficking. Knowing the consistent danger to the heroes could turn into a POW's worse nightmare provides a pulse pounding thrill ride that has become a staple for Thor novels. Questions of International Biological, Chemical, and Nuclear attacks are answered with well formed characterization and energized action provided by FBI and its undercover team. Brad Thor creates another all too real action packed militarized adventure that begins on American soil and works its way through dangerous dominions such as North Korea and the likes of Al Qaeda based in Afghanistan.
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