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Kirk McGarvey #4
Critical Mass
Kirk McGarvey--one-time CIA assassin--dreams of a peaceful life and marital bliss. One man will change all that. In 1945, Isawa Nakaruma lost his mother and father at Hiroshima, his wife and child at Nagasaki, and has been planning years to wreak his revenge--and he holds Kirk McGarvey personably responsible.
His plan begins with the murder of McGarvey's girlfriend and the kidnapping and torturing of McGarvey's ex-wife and daughter. But he won't stop there, not until McGarvey himself is six-feet under and nuclear bombs are detonated over Los Angeles and San Francisco.
His plan begins with the murder of McGarvey's girlfriend and the kidnapping and torturing of McGarvey's ex-wife and daughter. But he won't stop there, not until McGarvey himself is six-feet under and nuclear bombs are detonated over Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Mass Market Paperback
First published May 28, 1992
53 people are currently reading
180 people want to read
About the author
David Hagberg
80 books137 followersaka David Bannerman, Sean Flannery, David James, Robert Pell, Eric Ramsey
David Hagberg is a former Air Force cryptographer who has traveled extensively in Europe, the Arctic, and the Caribbean and has spoken at CIA functions. He has published more than twenty novels of suspense, including the bestselling High Flight, Assassin, and Joshua's Hammer.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/davidh...
David Hagberg is a former Air Force cryptographer who has traveled extensively in Europe, the Arctic, and the Caribbean and has spoken at CIA functions. He has published more than twenty novels of suspense, including the bestselling High Flight, Assassin, and Joshua's Hammer.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/davidh...
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
May 26, 2022
I find that there is more good than bad in this series and Critical Mass by David Hagberg is no exception. I find it refreshing with a different twist on the bad guys and background to why evil happens. Great action and thrills galore. I wonder how many countries that will deny Kirk entry when I reach book 27?
September 21, 2017
Hagberg is a talented writer but Critical Mass didn't engage me very well. McGarvey is a hard-to-empathize-with protagonist. The stakes didn't seem that high or critical, and there seemed to be too many characters who started off seeming to be important but only added to the confusion of who's who and why are they for/against McGarvey.
May 31, 2020
I'd actually go with four and a half stars because of the way the book flipped back and forth just a bit too much for my taste. Also, the ending was a too forced/quick for me. On the other hand, overall, it was a good read.
July 30, 2024
More fast paced action with Kirk McGarvey overcoming insurmountable odds to save the day. This is an entertaining series with lots of action and violence. Pure escapism. I was amused that Hagberg inserted a character named Robert Littell (as a C.I.A. agent) into the story...nice touch :)
January 2, 2015
CRITICAL HIT
[3.8 stars rounded up to four]
Kirk McGarvey. America's James Bond for the 1990's. The ancestor of future protagonists like Scott Harvath and Mitch Rapp finally comes into his own in Critical Mass. In this book, Hagberg tackles the threat of non-state actors who have the resources to shape geopolitics. Unfortunately, he explores this subject with the Japanese as a villain. Such a threat only lasted from the end of the 1970's all the way through the early 1980's. But I digress, lets go to the review. What happens when someone decides to go all the way to avenge a historical loss?
The novel begins during the nuclear bombing of Nagasaki. We are introduced to the main antagonist who survives getting blasted to piece by Fat Man and disappears from history, a plan to avenge the attack emerging in his mind. We then cut to 1994 Paris. The protagonist Kirk McGarvey is in the process of dumping one of his many lovers and seeing her off at Orly international airport. At the same time, two CIA case officers are trying to escort an asset they cultivated onto the same flight as McGarvey's lover. Problem is, a group of Stasi officers have infiltrated the airport and prepare a surprise involving a stinger missile which takes out the flight. McGarvey chases the trigger man and gets sucked into a conspiracy involving what is in effect, a prototype of the 21st century PMC. On the other side of the world, the CIA station chief for Tokyo gets roasted alive by two mysterious men. His murder is witnessed by one of his subordinates who is forced by the Agency top brass to return to Japan and be the bait. These threads come together in a story which despite its flaws, is actually a whole lot better than the previous two books.
PLOT:
Decent structure and just as complex as its predecessor, Critical Mass is an improvement. There is only one storyline which is out of place but that is soon cut short before the book ends. We get some decent settings and action sequences, from the opening chase in a Paris airport to a fun climax on a Boeing 747 set to be blown to pieces, this is the book where the author finally hit his stride. Dialogue is still equally as corny as its predecessor. The research has also improved quite a lot. The common description of Hagberg's work "Tom Clancy+Ian Fleming" is valid here. From how stinger missiles work, surveillance tactics and the production of nuclear weapons, parts of this book have aged better than most.
CHARACTERS:
A little better than last time. But first, the bad. The CIA officials who make use of McGarvey still loathe him with a passion and keep trying to stick themselves on a moral high ground which can be wearisome sometimes.
The villains are stock cardboard characters and for one of them, a female stasi assassin, Hagberg drags out some pretty offensive and dated stereotypes about Lesbians. The Japanese characters don't fare much better with the stereotypical cliché inscrutable oriental tropes on full display. The genre has mostly moved on from them since this book was published.
Now to Kirk. At heart, still a passive aggressive sexist jerk and unfortunately we get some self pitying as well which is supposed to pass for character development. At the very least, he gets to show off his skills and expertise a little more than usual.
In this book, we finally get to meet McGarvey's wife and daughter, the two worst things in this book. His wife is the classic "hysterical shrew" and his daughter is plain obnoxious and the stock "damsel in distress". If Mr Hagberg had been trying to write "ordinary characters in an extra-ordinary situation" story, he failed miserably. I didn't care for them and when the Stasi officers attempted to blow them up, I would have been happy if they had done so.
Now to the good. Two standouts. Kelly Fuller the lowly CIA employee who is forced by the company top brass to be the bait for the trap is one. At the start, she's a bit hysterical but at the very least, I could feel sorry for her situation. She's been part of a high risk, high stress op and wants out, something which is understandable.
Next we have Otto Renecke, a character who would ultimately become the second most important protagonist in the McGarvey series. Some of his quirks may annoy some of you, especially his verbal tic. Get over that and he's actually a likable , decent and competent character, and Hagberg makes him go from strength to strength in the next books.
So the verdict on Critical Mass. David Hagberg managed to improve in this book. He has the plotting and technology nailed down perfectly but as for the characters which embody the worst stereotypes possible, not so much. This book is a fine study on certain conventions of the genre and how not to execute them when writing.
[3.8 stars rounded up to four]
Kirk McGarvey. America's James Bond for the 1990's. The ancestor of future protagonists like Scott Harvath and Mitch Rapp finally comes into his own in Critical Mass. In this book, Hagberg tackles the threat of non-state actors who have the resources to shape geopolitics. Unfortunately, he explores this subject with the Japanese as a villain. Such a threat only lasted from the end of the 1970's all the way through the early 1980's. But I digress, lets go to the review. What happens when someone decides to go all the way to avenge a historical loss?
The novel begins during the nuclear bombing of Nagasaki. We are introduced to the main antagonist who survives getting blasted to piece by Fat Man and disappears from history, a plan to avenge the attack emerging in his mind. We then cut to 1994 Paris. The protagonist Kirk McGarvey is in the process of dumping one of his many lovers and seeing her off at Orly international airport. At the same time, two CIA case officers are trying to escort an asset they cultivated onto the same flight as McGarvey's lover. Problem is, a group of Stasi officers have infiltrated the airport and prepare a surprise involving a stinger missile which takes out the flight. McGarvey chases the trigger man and gets sucked into a conspiracy involving what is in effect, a prototype of the 21st century PMC. On the other side of the world, the CIA station chief for Tokyo gets roasted alive by two mysterious men. His murder is witnessed by one of his subordinates who is forced by the Agency top brass to return to Japan and be the bait. These threads come together in a story which despite its flaws, is actually a whole lot better than the previous two books.
PLOT:
Decent structure and just as complex as its predecessor, Critical Mass is an improvement. There is only one storyline which is out of place but that is soon cut short before the book ends. We get some decent settings and action sequences, from the opening chase in a Paris airport to a fun climax on a Boeing 747 set to be blown to pieces, this is the book where the author finally hit his stride. Dialogue is still equally as corny as its predecessor. The research has also improved quite a lot. The common description of Hagberg's work "Tom Clancy+Ian Fleming" is valid here. From how stinger missiles work, surveillance tactics and the production of nuclear weapons, parts of this book have aged better than most.
CHARACTERS:
A little better than last time. But first, the bad. The CIA officials who make use of McGarvey still loathe him with a passion and keep trying to stick themselves on a moral high ground which can be wearisome sometimes.
The villains are stock cardboard characters and for one of them, a female stasi assassin, Hagberg drags out some pretty offensive and dated stereotypes about Lesbians. The Japanese characters don't fare much better with the stereotypical cliché inscrutable oriental tropes on full display. The genre has mostly moved on from them since this book was published.
Now to Kirk. At heart, still a passive aggressive sexist jerk and unfortunately we get some self pitying as well which is supposed to pass for character development. At the very least, he gets to show off his skills and expertise a little more than usual.
In this book, we finally get to meet McGarvey's wife and daughter, the two worst things in this book. His wife is the classic "hysterical shrew" and his daughter is plain obnoxious and the stock "damsel in distress". If Mr Hagberg had been trying to write "ordinary characters in an extra-ordinary situation" story, he failed miserably. I didn't care for them and when the Stasi officers attempted to blow them up, I would have been happy if they had done so.
Now to the good. Two standouts. Kelly Fuller the lowly CIA employee who is forced by the company top brass to be the bait for the trap is one. At the start, she's a bit hysterical but at the very least, I could feel sorry for her situation. She's been part of a high risk, high stress op and wants out, something which is understandable.
Next we have Otto Renecke, a character who would ultimately become the second most important protagonist in the McGarvey series. Some of his quirks may annoy some of you, especially his verbal tic. Get over that and he's actually a likable , decent and competent character, and Hagberg makes him go from strength to strength in the next books.
So the verdict on Critical Mass. David Hagberg managed to improve in this book. He has the plotting and technology nailed down perfectly but as for the characters which embody the worst stereotypes possible, not so much. This book is a fine study on certain conventions of the genre and how not to execute them when writing.
January 3, 2016
A former German Stasi group of killers, a Japanese billionaire working through this group to get the necessary materials to make nuclear bombs, a disgraced former CIA agent who is now an on-again-off again CIA assassin, and the ex-wife and daughter of the CIA assassin.................all mesh to create yet another suspense filled, edge of your seat thriller by David Hagberg. This is the 4th of 17 Hagberg novels featuring Kirk McGarvey, the renegade CIA assassin known throughout the world as the best of the best. If you can put aside the nearly impossible situations McGarvey becomes embroiled in and comes out on top, and accept the fact that he is daring and brilliant and always has the help of a variety of interesting friends, you will enjoy the roller coaster rides of Kirk McGarvey. He is the sort hero that will remind you of Vince Flynn's Mitch Rapp.
I am reading all of Hagberg's McGarvey novels in order, though I don't believe that is necessary to enjoy each one. It does make it more interesting to me as there are occasionally mentions of something or someone from an earlier novel.
I believe the 18th McGarvey novel will be published this Spring.
I am reading all of Hagberg's McGarvey novels in order, though I don't believe that is necessary to enjoy each one. It does make it more interesting to me as there are occasionally mentions of something or someone from an earlier novel.
I believe the 18th McGarvey novel will be published this Spring.
July 29, 2016
Read by Dick Hill (even he couldn't save this book)
This would be a great Bourne Identity-type movie because the story is great. Of course, I don't know if the terrorism theme would attract moviegoers nowadays.
I found the book was difficult to follow. It had too many characters, technical descriptions, and foreign locations. Also, there wasn't a lot of character development for the Japanese guy behind it all. Dick Hill did a great job narrating as usual, but couldn't save this book. :(
This would be a great Bourne Identity-type movie because the story is great. Of course, I don't know if the terrorism theme would attract moviegoers nowadays.
I found the book was difficult to follow. It had too many characters, technical descriptions, and foreign locations. Also, there wasn't a lot of character development for the Japanese guy behind it all. Dick Hill did a great job narrating as usual, but couldn't save this book. :(
January 18, 2015
Supposedly retired black ops operator for the CIA is called back on to investigate the sale of nuclear bomb parts and the killers who brought down a Swiss Air plane at Frances Oley airport. He ends up going up against a private group on ex Stasi mercenaries hired by a Japanese owner of a electronics firm who is out for revenge for the bombing of Nagasaki. Plenty of action in Europe, the US and Japan.
August 31, 2011
If you can find a copy of this book for less than $100 you are doing well. A raw and honest account of and event at the end of WW II that has been suppressed, and even now is taboo. If you like history, or conspiracy that is based in truth, you will like this book. Facts, names, and dates are not fun to read, but the overall information is excellent.
June 20, 2016
I've got one more of these Kirk McGarvey "thrillers" left in me (maybe) before I give up on this hero and this series. They're just not... very good.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews