Action-packed CIA spy thriller, part family dramedy, and full of action, quirky comedy, and all too human characters.
Gib Alexander is a divorced suburban dad who also happens to be a deadly efficient, off the books, CIA contractor. Balancing the demands of his perilous profession and his resentful ex-wife and troubled son is a dangerous juggling act. His safety and the safety of his family depend on his fanatical precautions to keep his two lives separate. When a young computer coder threatens a top secret NSA project that could tilt the balance in the escalating international cyberwars, Gib is hired to conduct a ghost rendition, spiriting the coder away to a black site in Egypt for extreme interrogation that is outlawed in the United States. But what appears at first to be a straight forward contract turns into a morally ambiguous conflict that sets off a CIA power struggle. Caught in the middle, Gib finds his two lives set on a collision course that will ultimately threaten them both.
An action packed spy thriller with an unlikely hero, Gib Alexander, divorced Dad by day and CIA operative by night. Gib is an expert contractor for the CIA and when his handler asks him to extract computer hacker, Danny Pratt, and deliver him to Egypt for advanced interrogation, the mission seems straight forward. However things start to go wrong and Gib decides he does not want to hand Pratt over once he gets to know him. Whilst trying to work out what is happening and which agents are on his side, Gib is also trying to do right by his troubled young son Devon, as well as dealing with an ex wife for whom he still has feelings. This is an enjoyable and at times humorous spy novel which had me on the edge of my seat. Gib was a good hearted assassin cum agent and I would certainly like to see more of him. The plot was quite complicated with lots of double crossing and betrayals so it was sometimes difficult to work out what was going on. However I went with the flow and skipped through this book, enjoying the ironic narration by Gib and his unlikely attempts to keep his true career secret from his wife and son. His doctor father is not as easily hoodwinked especially after he has to patch up fellow agent, Caroline and then Gib. A thoroughly enjoyable romp of a read which left me wanting more. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
Ghost Rendition is an exciting, edge of your seat spy thriller that kept me guessing, and I loved it! I love espionage books, but it’s easy to tell when the author goes overboard because they haven’t done their research. Ghost Rendition was completely believable.
Gib is a contract killer for the CIA. His family thinks he writes “How to” books. He’s divorced, with a teenaged son. Gib has been hired to collect an NSA coder and deliver him to a black house in Egypt for interrogation. Gib has been told the cider is a a sleeper agent. Naturally, things get bungled, complicated, and interesting as he tries to keep his secret spy life separate from his family.
This story combined a perfect combination of comedy and seriousness. Throw in a couple of twists, and you have a perfect new leading man. Hoping to read more of Gib’s adventures.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers and the author for an ARC in exchange for a fair review.
FOUR STARS. Gee the government hiring contractors to spirit way potential terrorist threats to be spirited away for rendition from which they will never return. Never happen !! LOL. Pretty good book with a different take. Serious subject with humour making the book more enjoyable, Sharp dialogue writing and a great story line . I hope there will be another book in this series as Gib Alexander shows great promise as a lead character, Hope they hire the wife as well, she has a mean streak. Gib Alexander is a divorced suburban dad who also happens to be a deadly efficient, off the books, CIA contractor. Balancing the demands of his perilous profession and his resentful ex-wife and troubled son is a dangerous juggling act. His safety and the safety of his family depend on his fanatical precautions to keep his two lives separate. When a young computer coder threatens a top secret NSA project that could tilt the balance in the escalating international cyberwars, Gib is hired to conduct a ghost rendition, spiriting the coder away to a black site in Egypt for extreme interrogation that is outlawed in the United States. But what appears at first to be a straight forward contract turns into a morally ambiguous conflict that sets off a CIA power struggle. Caught in the middle, Gib finds his two lives set on a collision course that will ultimately threaten them both.
I love this genre, and the author did a very nice job with key elements: compelling plot that was imaginative but not farfetched, sympathetic characters with unfolding motives, suspense, and a bit of romance. I got to like the main character, though he did have a Bond-like number of lynxes around. (Could have skipped the neighbor lol). Very strong effort for first novel; I look forward to the second.
This was pretty good. It was easy to picture it is a movie as I read - no surprise given the author's background. I really liked the characters. For a guy who's still in love with his ex-wife, he certainly does find himself in bed with other women an awful lot. It's never his fault, though, so I guess that makes it okay (wink, wink). Pratt might be my favorite. I hope there's a sequel with more about Pratt and Devon.
Terrific novel with plenty of action, Star Trek level humor and characters the reader can like. The main character is a divorced suburban dad by day and a spy by night. Well, actually he is a spy 24x7 since perpetual alertness is a job requirement. Even though the book is a techno thriller, the character and plot development are worthy of a four time Emmy winning writer. I’m relishing a sequel! No, make it a series.
Ghost Rendition is a terrific thriller with a streak of sly humor woven throughout. I enjoyed it from the first page to the last and look forward to Weitzman's next book!