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Finn Thrillers #3
Blind Fear
Haunted by the death of his best friend and hunted by the FBI for war crimes he didn’t commit, Finn lands on an island paradise that turns into his own personal hell in this gripping follow-up to Steel Fear and Cold Fear —from the New York Times bestselling writing team Webb & Mann . . .
“Webb & Mann have done it again. Blind Fear has it great characters, an amazing plot, and an incredible setting. This novel moves like a hurricane!”—Connor Sullivan, author of Wolf Trap.
By day, AWOL Navy SEAL Finn is hiding out on Vieques, a tiny island paradise off the eastern coast of Puerto Rico, living in a spare room behind a seafood restaurant owned by a blind local. By night he scours the dark web, hunting for the rogue officer responsible for the crimes he is accused of committing.
But Finn’s world is about to be turned upside down by a new nightmare, when his employer’s two grandchildren go missing. To find them, he’ll have to infiltrate the island’s dangerous criminal underbelly and expose a shadowy crime network known as La Empresa—even if it means exposing himself in the process.
As the children go on their own harrowing odyssey to stay one step ahead of a cop-turned-killer, a hurricane batters the coastline, cutting Puerto Rico off from the rest of the world. Taking his pursuit to the sea, Finn’s skills and endurance will be tested to their limits to rescue the lost children and escape his own pursuers before the clock runs out. No one is to be trusted. And those who are seemingly his friends might be the most dangerous foes he’s faced yet.
“Webb & Mann have done it again. Blind Fear has it great characters, an amazing plot, and an incredible setting. This novel moves like a hurricane!”—Connor Sullivan, author of Wolf Trap.
By day, AWOL Navy SEAL Finn is hiding out on Vieques, a tiny island paradise off the eastern coast of Puerto Rico, living in a spare room behind a seafood restaurant owned by a blind local. By night he scours the dark web, hunting for the rogue officer responsible for the crimes he is accused of committing.
But Finn’s world is about to be turned upside down by a new nightmare, when his employer’s two grandchildren go missing. To find them, he’ll have to infiltrate the island’s dangerous criminal underbelly and expose a shadowy crime network known as La Empresa—even if it means exposing himself in the process.
As the children go on their own harrowing odyssey to stay one step ahead of a cop-turned-killer, a hurricane batters the coastline, cutting Puerto Rico off from the rest of the world. Taking his pursuit to the sea, Finn’s skills and endurance will be tested to their limits to rescue the lost children and escape his own pursuers before the clock runs out. No one is to be trusted. And those who are seemingly his friends might be the most dangerous foes he’s faced yet.
398 pages, Hardcover
First published July 11, 2023
43 people are currently reading
4951 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews
July 7, 2023
Brandon Webb and John David Mann have brought readers another exciting read in the third book in the Finn Thrillers series:
Blind Fear
. A beautiful setting, the threat of a hurricane, fantastic characters, and plenty of action and danger are combined for another hair-raising and dramatic novel featuring Finn. He’s been hiding out for the last eight months on Vieques, a small island off the coast of the main island of Puerto Rico. The FBI and the Navy are hunting him for war crimes he didn’t commit. Someone set him up, but who was it? On top of this, his employer’s grandchildren go missing and Finn tries to find them while evading those who have come to the island to find him.
Finn is a well-developed character with courage and resilience. He is a keen observer but has trouble getting to know people and doesn’t usually make close connections with them. He also has an uncanny ability to evade notice with and without disguises. However, he is also experiencing flashes of repressed memory. This increases the impact and intrigue as the story unfolds. A wide range of supporting characters provide conflict and interest.
As in previous books in the series, the prologue and first chapter are shocking and spine-chilling. The story is filled with plenty of twists and turns. Upsetting aspects are balanced against the multiple mysteries that need to be unraveled. The short chapters with hurricane updates add another layer of suspense. Additionally, the descriptive scenes helped me easily visualize the events as the story unfolded.
Moments of introspection in between action scenes give a fantastic insight into Finn’s thoughts, behaviors, and actions towards others. While the ending brings the reader closure on most things, one important item isn’t fully resolved. This novel shines a light on corruption, the military, betrayal, death, murder, friendship, and much more.
Overall, I loved the suspense and the intensity of the story. It was engaging, atmospheric, and well-plotted with some chilling scenes. The larger-than-life antagonist continues to help others as he works to identify who falsely set him up to take the blame for despicable war crimes. The book did a great job of keeping me hooked and having compassion for the characters through their struggles. Those who enjoy gritty crime thrillers will likely relish this novel. I recommend reading them in order. With high stakes, great characterization, and plenty of action in this series, I am looking forward to seeing what is next for Finn.
Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Bantam, Brandon Webb, and John David Mann provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date is currently set for July 11, 2023. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.
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My 4.3 rounded to 4 stars review is coming soon.
Finn is a well-developed character with courage and resilience. He is a keen observer but has trouble getting to know people and doesn’t usually make close connections with them. He also has an uncanny ability to evade notice with and without disguises. However, he is also experiencing flashes of repressed memory. This increases the impact and intrigue as the story unfolds. A wide range of supporting characters provide conflict and interest.
As in previous books in the series, the prologue and first chapter are shocking and spine-chilling. The story is filled with plenty of twists and turns. Upsetting aspects are balanced against the multiple mysteries that need to be unraveled. The short chapters with hurricane updates add another layer of suspense. Additionally, the descriptive scenes helped me easily visualize the events as the story unfolded.
Moments of introspection in between action scenes give a fantastic insight into Finn’s thoughts, behaviors, and actions towards others. While the ending brings the reader closure on most things, one important item isn’t fully resolved. This novel shines a light on corruption, the military, betrayal, death, murder, friendship, and much more.
Overall, I loved the suspense and the intensity of the story. It was engaging, atmospheric, and well-plotted with some chilling scenes. The larger-than-life antagonist continues to help others as he works to identify who falsely set him up to take the blame for despicable war crimes. The book did a great job of keeping me hooked and having compassion for the characters through their struggles. Those who enjoy gritty crime thrillers will likely relish this novel. I recommend reading them in order. With high stakes, great characterization, and plenty of action in this series, I am looking forward to seeing what is next for Finn.
Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Bantam, Brandon Webb, and John David Mann provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date is currently set for July 11, 2023. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.
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My 4.3 rounded to 4 stars review is coming soon.
July 18, 2023
A beach read for action thriller fans!!🩴🤿🌴
From Reykjavík, Iceland in book two Cold Fear, Chief Finn, former Navy SEAL is hiding on Vieques, a nearby island east of Puerto Rico mainland. Finn is a wanted man and is accused of killing his team in Yemen.
Keeping a low profile, Finn works at a local seafood restaurant by day and looks for the man responsible for him being on the run by night. Then one day the restaurant owner's grandchildren, Pedro and Miranda go missing while snorkeling.
According to the authorities, the kids drown or ran away. Finn is pretty close to the kids and doesn't believe the investigation. Uncertain what he's up against, Finn had to look for them himself knowing this will put him on the radar once again.
Blind Fear is another great read from Webb and Mann. I'm dying to know the main plot progress which is slooooowly revealing bit by bit in each book. The mystery on Vieques is very readable, I love the setting, and local flair, and with Cat 3 hurricane on the horizon adds even more excitement to an already fast pace thriller. You can pick up book 3 and not feel lost.
Ooooh and that ending? Bring on book 4, I can't wait!!
Published Jul 11, 2023
Thank you Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Bantam and NG.
********************
ARC received. Excited about this third Finn book!🙌💃
From Reykjavík, Iceland in book two Cold Fear, Chief Finn, former Navy SEAL is hiding on Vieques, a nearby island east of Puerto Rico mainland. Finn is a wanted man and is accused of killing his team in Yemen.
Keeping a low profile, Finn works at a local seafood restaurant by day and looks for the man responsible for him being on the run by night. Then one day the restaurant owner's grandchildren, Pedro and Miranda go missing while snorkeling.
According to the authorities, the kids drown or ran away. Finn is pretty close to the kids and doesn't believe the investigation. Uncertain what he's up against, Finn had to look for them himself knowing this will put him on the radar once again.
Blind Fear is another great read from Webb and Mann. I'm dying to know the main plot progress which is slooooowly revealing bit by bit in each book. The mystery on Vieques is very readable, I love the setting, and local flair, and with Cat 3 hurricane on the horizon adds even more excitement to an already fast pace thriller. You can pick up book 3 and not feel lost.
Ooooh and that ending? Bring on book 4, I can't wait!!
Published Jul 11, 2023
Thank you Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Bantam and NG.
********************
ARC received. Excited about this third Finn book!🙌💃
July 15, 2023
When Navy SEAL Chief Finn fled the accusations that threatened to end with his life in prison, he ended up on the small island of Vieques off the coast of Puerto Rico. He knew he'd been set up, but had to find a way of proving his innocence. In the meantime he was working for the blind old fisherman and restaurant owner they called Papi, with Papi's two grandchildren, Pedro and Miranda, living with him. Finn found himself close to the children, teaching them various things that he'd known from his childhood. But the day the two youngsters didn't return from their usual swim in the lagoon led to intense danger for them all.
As Finn ventured into San Juan, a place too big and busy with people who might recognise him, he was, nevertheless, determined to find the children. The risks, even with him disguised, were high, but it wouldn't be long before he heard snippets of information regarding the children, the corruption on the island, and a person who was an enigma - one who apparently ran all the island's cartels. And with the hurricane advancing on Puerto Rico, Finn knew his time was limited...
Blind Fear is the 3rd in Finn Thrillers, written by Brandon Webb and John David Mann and I enjoyed it as much as the first two in the series. Finn is a fabulous character, his skill and determination, his speed and accuracy in everything he does, exceptional. Broken up between Finn's voice and Pedro's, the blend of action, along with the adrenalin-filled entertainment, is second to none. Highly recommended.
With thanks to Kathleen Quinlan of Penguin Random House, New York, via NetGalley for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
As Finn ventured into San Juan, a place too big and busy with people who might recognise him, he was, nevertheless, determined to find the children. The risks, even with him disguised, were high, but it wouldn't be long before he heard snippets of information regarding the children, the corruption on the island, and a person who was an enigma - one who apparently ran all the island's cartels. And with the hurricane advancing on Puerto Rico, Finn knew his time was limited...
Blind Fear is the 3rd in Finn Thrillers, written by Brandon Webb and John David Mann and I enjoyed it as much as the first two in the series. Finn is a fabulous character, his skill and determination, his speed and accuracy in everything he does, exceptional. Broken up between Finn's voice and Pedro's, the blend of action, along with the adrenalin-filled entertainment, is second to none. Highly recommended.
With thanks to Kathleen Quinlan of Penguin Random House, New York, via NetGalley for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
May 3, 2023
If you aren't reading this series and it's protagonist, Finn, you are really missing out! Chief Finn is on the run while continuing his hunt for the people who set him up and put a target on his back. On a small island off the coast of Puerto Rico, Finn is living and working with a blind restaurant owner and his two grandchildren. When the kids go missing while snorkeling, a massive search gets underway but finds nothing. Having bonded with the kids, Finn sets out to find them all the while being hunted by the FBI, local police, drug dealers, and a former Seal who has other orders.
Finn, and this series, is fantastic. Brandon Webb and John David Mann have written many books together and Blind Fear is their best fiction offering. A good comparison is Jack Carr's James Reece series but a little less violent (still plenty of awful things done to people), a little more nuanced and not as technical. The attention to detail and research are exquisite. Webb and Mann do a great job incorporating weather into their books that is easily understood while also being correct. As a meteorologist it probably matters only to me but it is a big deal. I appreciate it.
Cinematic in scope with a great plot and characters, Blind Fear should be on your radar this summer!
A sincere thank you to Bantam and NetGalley for the opportunity to review an advanced copy of Blind Fear.
Finn, and this series, is fantastic. Brandon Webb and John David Mann have written many books together and Blind Fear is their best fiction offering. A good comparison is Jack Carr's James Reece series but a little less violent (still plenty of awful things done to people), a little more nuanced and not as technical. The attention to detail and research are exquisite. Webb and Mann do a great job incorporating weather into their books that is easily understood while also being correct. As a meteorologist it probably matters only to me but it is a big deal. I appreciate it.
Cinematic in scope with a great plot and characters, Blind Fear should be on your radar this summer!
A sincere thank you to Bantam and NetGalley for the opportunity to review an advanced copy of Blind Fear.
July 11, 2023
**Happy Publication Day!**
This series about an ex-Navy Seal accused of a horrific crime in Fallujah moves on to Puerto Rico where Finn is hiding out and living with a blind man and his two grandchildren. When the kids go missing, Finn dedicates himself to the search for them while uncovering some pretty gory criminal activity. Meanwhile a hurricane is moving into the area. Can he rescue the kids in time? Intense and exciting action--very suspenseful!
I received an arc from the authors and publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks! My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
This series about an ex-Navy Seal accused of a horrific crime in Fallujah moves on to Puerto Rico where Finn is hiding out and living with a blind man and his two grandchildren. When the kids go missing, Finn dedicates himself to the search for them while uncovering some pretty gory criminal activity. Meanwhile a hurricane is moving into the area. Can he rescue the kids in time? Intense and exciting action--very suspenseful!
I received an arc from the authors and publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks! My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
July 13, 2023
Blind Fear is the third installment of the Finn series. Finn is an AWOL Navy SEAL who is on the run after being accused of horrific war crimes. This time he's hiding out in Puerto Rico, living with and working for the owner of a seafood restaurant who is vision impaired and takes care of his grandchildren.
When Zacharias' grandchildren go missing, Finn risks all to bring them back while delving into his past and trying to figure out who is framing him; all while staying one step ahead of law enforcement and those who want him dead.
This book is pretty much non-stop action and is hard to put down. I missed book 2 in the series, so I was a bit lost when events from that book were brought up. I'd recommend reading them in order. Character development is pretty good, and of course one must suspend belief when reading these books. If you're into high stakes action thrillers, this series I'd for you!
My thanks to Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine, Bantam, the authors, and NetGalley for gifting me a digital copy. My opinions are my own.
When Zacharias' grandchildren go missing, Finn risks all to bring them back while delving into his past and trying to figure out who is framing him; all while staying one step ahead of law enforcement and those who want him dead.
This book is pretty much non-stop action and is hard to put down. I missed book 2 in the series, so I was a bit lost when events from that book were brought up. I'd recommend reading them in order. Character development is pretty good, and of course one must suspend belief when reading these books. If you're into high stakes action thrillers, this series I'd for you!
My thanks to Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine, Bantam, the authors, and NetGalley for gifting me a digital copy. My opinions are my own.
May 6, 2023
Blind Fear by authors Brandon Webb & John David Mann is the continuing story of Navy Seal Sniper Finn who is being hunted by the US Intelligence & the FBI for killings he didn't commit. He is a hunter who knows how to blend into a crowd and needs to find out who is responsible for an atrocity. The story takes place in Puerto Rico with Finn working as a cook and befriending two young children, while he searches the internet for information to identify which of his senior officers set him up. This quick read held my attention with surprises and is part detective novel and spy thriller. A great addition to the series.
May 2, 2023
Many thanks to both Bantam and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of Blind Fear.
Expected publication July 18, 2023
Haunted by the death of his best friend and hunted by the FBI for war crimes he didn’t commit, Finn lands on an island paradise that turns into his own personal hell in this gripping follow-up to Steel Fear and Cold Fear. Finn’s world is about to be turned upside down by a new nightmare when his employer’s two grandchildren go missing. To find them, he’ll have to infiltrate the island’s dangerous criminal underbelly.
There was so much I enjoyed about Blind Fear! Finn was a fabulous character, as were the two children (and their blind grandfather.) Reading about the hurricane was interesting and terrifying. The book's plot was riveting! So, what DIDN'T I like? Halfway through the book I knew who the baddie was, and that never happens with me! I had difficulty accepting that Finn, who was so brilliant, couldn't figure it out, as well!
Anyway, I still highly recommend Blind Fear. It's a wild ride!!
Expected publication July 18, 2023
Haunted by the death of his best friend and hunted by the FBI for war crimes he didn’t commit, Finn lands on an island paradise that turns into his own personal hell in this gripping follow-up to Steel Fear and Cold Fear. Finn’s world is about to be turned upside down by a new nightmare when his employer’s two grandchildren go missing. To find them, he’ll have to infiltrate the island’s dangerous criminal underbelly.
There was so much I enjoyed about Blind Fear! Finn was a fabulous character, as were the two children (and their blind grandfather.) Reading about the hurricane was interesting and terrifying. The book's plot was riveting! So, what DIDN'T I like? Halfway through the book I knew who the baddie was, and that never happens with me! I had difficulty accepting that Finn, who was so brilliant, couldn't figure it out, as well!
Anyway, I still highly recommend Blind Fear. It's a wild ride!!
June 3, 2023
Wrongfully disgraced Finn is back - hiding out in Puerto Rico, still dealing with memory issues (or lack thereof) and trying to find out who smeared his good name before the powers-that-be find him and, at best, stick him in jail for the rest of his life. I first "met" the guy a couple of years ago when I read "Steel Fear" - an excellent book, BTW - and loved him, flaws and all. There was no shortage of action in that one, and it spilled over into this one and doesn't slow down.
Finn's need for anonymity takes a hit early on, when the elderly blind man he's working for's two grandchildren, Pedro and Miranda, go missing. The authorities are convinced they drowned while swimming in treacherous waters, but those who knew them well - including Finn - believe something more sinister happened: the probability that they saw something they shouldn't have. But what?
Sure enough - no spoiler here - the kids are alive; their self-sufficiency and street smarts help keep them alive and readers get to follow their attempts to stay that way, but it's a struggle that's about to get worse with the onslaught of a dangerous hurricane. Meanwhile, Finn has to take chances he's rather not, like venturing into the heart of Puerto Rico where the likelihood he'll be recognized increases exponentially and trusting people he really doesn't trust, to get to the bottom of their disappearance (and, more importantly, get them back home).
It is, of course, a race to the finish, but who wins I won't say. Terrific book for any season, but if there's a beach calling, consider taking this one along. Meantime, I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for letting me meet Finn once again by way of a pre-release copy. Now bring on the next!
Finn's need for anonymity takes a hit early on, when the elderly blind man he's working for's two grandchildren, Pedro and Miranda, go missing. The authorities are convinced they drowned while swimming in treacherous waters, but those who knew them well - including Finn - believe something more sinister happened: the probability that they saw something they shouldn't have. But what?
Sure enough - no spoiler here - the kids are alive; their self-sufficiency and street smarts help keep them alive and readers get to follow their attempts to stay that way, but it's a struggle that's about to get worse with the onslaught of a dangerous hurricane. Meanwhile, Finn has to take chances he's rather not, like venturing into the heart of Puerto Rico where the likelihood he'll be recognized increases exponentially and trusting people he really doesn't trust, to get to the bottom of their disappearance (and, more importantly, get them back home).
It is, of course, a race to the finish, but who wins I won't say. Terrific book for any season, but if there's a beach calling, consider taking this one along. Meantime, I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for letting me meet Finn once again by way of a pre-release copy. Now bring on the next!
July 11, 2023
Blind Fear is the third Finn book from the writing team of Brandon Webb and John David Mann.
"Finn is hiding out on the island of Vieques. He's trying to find the man who set him up for the crimes and deaths he's being accused of of. He's trying desperately to stay under the radar of all of the agencies looking for him. The two children of the family he is staying with go missing. He heads to the big island to look for them and discovers that agents have tracked him to Puerto Rico. He has to use all of his skill as a former SEAL to evade detection, find the kids and oh yeah...there's a hurricane bearing down."
Webb and Mann have a lot of plot lines going but it's never overwhelming. Like the previous books the pace is excellent and makes the book hard to put down. Finn is a character with a unique skill set that mostly comes in handy trying to stay on the run. There is a lead-in for the next book but it's not a cliff-hanger. And the final scene in the hurricane is wild.
Another great story from Webb and Mann
"Finn is hiding out on the island of Vieques. He's trying to find the man who set him up for the crimes and deaths he's being accused of of. He's trying desperately to stay under the radar of all of the agencies looking for him. The two children of the family he is staying with go missing. He heads to the big island to look for them and discovers that agents have tracked him to Puerto Rico. He has to use all of his skill as a former SEAL to evade detection, find the kids and oh yeah...there's a hurricane bearing down."
Webb and Mann have a lot of plot lines going but it's never overwhelming. Like the previous books the pace is excellent and makes the book hard to put down. Finn is a character with a unique skill set that mostly comes in handy trying to stay on the run. There is a lead-in for the next book but it's not a cliff-hanger. And the final scene in the hurricane is wild.
Another great story from Webb and Mann
July 11, 2023
Two missing children. A hunted Navy SEAL. A brutal criminal head. And a massive hurricane bearing down on them all.
If you are looking for an addictive thriller, your search is at an end! Pedro and Miranda, the young grandchildren of a blind cafe owner on the Puerto Rican island of Vieques, go exploring in the ocean as they regularly do. This time, however, they don’t return. The police suspect that they have either run away or, worse still, have drowned. Their grandfather, Zacharias, doesn’t believe that; nor does his helper, a mysterious drifter they call Memo, who sets out to look for them. Memo is in reality disgraced Navy SEAL Finn, wrongly accused of killing his team and innocent civilians in a military operation gone horribly wrong in Yemen. Someone in his chain of command set him up to be the fall guy, and Finn has been on the run ever since as he tries to find out who was actually behind the debacle, first on an aircraft carrier returning him stateside, then Iceland, and now he’s hiding out in Puerto Rico. Finn had a brutal childhood, one that he is only starting to remember, and he has difficulty feeling emotions in a normal way. The one man he considered a friend, his supervisor Kennedy, was killed shortly after the disastrous mission ended…..he believed in Finn’s innocence, and paid the ultimate price when searching for the truth. Even as Finn begins his search for “los pollitos”, as Zaccharias calls the children, two Americans have arrive in Puerto Rico in search of FInn. One, a former military pilot and now JAG lawyer, encountered Finn aboard the aircraft carrier….she trusted him then and he saved her life, but others were killed and she was told and now believes the official story about his alleged atrocities. She has come to help identify Finn for the FBI officer charged with finding him, as few good photos of Finn exist and he is also adept not only at remaining hidden but also at disguising himself. To further complicate things, a criminal enterprise headed by a shadowy figure known only as El Rucco is terrorizing the island, leaving tortured corpses behind when people try to intervene. Can Finn keep himself safe from discovery while he searches for los pollitos? Are the motives of those hunting him as clear as they appear to be? What if anything does El Rucco’s enterprise have to do with the children’s disappearance? And, with a powerful hurricane targeting the island, will time run out before Finn can make things right?
Blind Fear is a fast-paced, action-packed story that is hard to put down once begun. It is the third in the series, but enough of Finn’s backstory is divulged that the novel can be read as a standalone. As a character, Finn is an unusual but appealing hero….smart, well-trained, quick to act, but also emotionally remote and with major gaps in his memory, The authors use the setting of Puerto Rico as a character in and of itself….its history, bits of which were new to me, its uneasy relationship as a territory of the US, and its natural beauty. It’s hard not to root for Finn, both in his quest to clear his reputation and now his mission to find los pollitos and return them to their loving grandfather. There are plenty of twists and turns along the way, a truly nasty villain to be defeated, and a wild conclusion to wrap things up. Fans of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher, Jack Carr’s James Reece, Gregg Hurwitz’s Orphan X, and Mark Greaney’s Gray Man should definitely try the Finn thrillers; I venture a guess that if you read one, you’ll want to read them all. My thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for allowing me access to an advanced reader’s copy.
If you are looking for an addictive thriller, your search is at an end! Pedro and Miranda, the young grandchildren of a blind cafe owner on the Puerto Rican island of Vieques, go exploring in the ocean as they regularly do. This time, however, they don’t return. The police suspect that they have either run away or, worse still, have drowned. Their grandfather, Zacharias, doesn’t believe that; nor does his helper, a mysterious drifter they call Memo, who sets out to look for them. Memo is in reality disgraced Navy SEAL Finn, wrongly accused of killing his team and innocent civilians in a military operation gone horribly wrong in Yemen. Someone in his chain of command set him up to be the fall guy, and Finn has been on the run ever since as he tries to find out who was actually behind the debacle, first on an aircraft carrier returning him stateside, then Iceland, and now he’s hiding out in Puerto Rico. Finn had a brutal childhood, one that he is only starting to remember, and he has difficulty feeling emotions in a normal way. The one man he considered a friend, his supervisor Kennedy, was killed shortly after the disastrous mission ended…..he believed in Finn’s innocence, and paid the ultimate price when searching for the truth. Even as Finn begins his search for “los pollitos”, as Zaccharias calls the children, two Americans have arrive in Puerto Rico in search of FInn. One, a former military pilot and now JAG lawyer, encountered Finn aboard the aircraft carrier….she trusted him then and he saved her life, but others were killed and she was told and now believes the official story about his alleged atrocities. She has come to help identify Finn for the FBI officer charged with finding him, as few good photos of Finn exist and he is also adept not only at remaining hidden but also at disguising himself. To further complicate things, a criminal enterprise headed by a shadowy figure known only as El Rucco is terrorizing the island, leaving tortured corpses behind when people try to intervene. Can Finn keep himself safe from discovery while he searches for los pollitos? Are the motives of those hunting him as clear as they appear to be? What if anything does El Rucco’s enterprise have to do with the children’s disappearance? And, with a powerful hurricane targeting the island, will time run out before Finn can make things right?
Blind Fear is a fast-paced, action-packed story that is hard to put down once begun. It is the third in the series, but enough of Finn’s backstory is divulged that the novel can be read as a standalone. As a character, Finn is an unusual but appealing hero….smart, well-trained, quick to act, but also emotionally remote and with major gaps in his memory, The authors use the setting of Puerto Rico as a character in and of itself….its history, bits of which were new to me, its uneasy relationship as a territory of the US, and its natural beauty. It’s hard not to root for Finn, both in his quest to clear his reputation and now his mission to find los pollitos and return them to their loving grandfather. There are plenty of twists and turns along the way, a truly nasty villain to be defeated, and a wild conclusion to wrap things up. Fans of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher, Jack Carr’s James Reece, Gregg Hurwitz’s Orphan X, and Mark Greaney’s Gray Man should definitely try the Finn thrillers; I venture a guess that if you read one, you’ll want to read them all. My thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for allowing me access to an advanced reader’s copy.
April 20, 2023
Oh My! This was an excellent book! I've read all three of their books in this series, and this one was far and away the best so far! I couldn't put it down. Great story, great characters, great thriller and mystery. Wow, it was just awesome! Maybe even the best book I've read this year, and I've read lots of great books. I think the missing kids factor and less technical stuff made it more enjoyable. Not that I enjoy kids missing, but it made it more interesting. Love Finn and the ongoing saga of his past. Looking forward to their next book! Glad I found these to begin with, and certainly highly recommend you read these books, especially this latest one!
February 3, 2024
Fantastic book. these guys are good writers. Great plot, great ending.
November 26, 2023
A good story but, to me, kind of disjointed style of writing. Perhaps because it is a collaboration of two authors.
October 21, 2025
Another good one! 4.5 stars
July 14, 2023
This is the third novel featuring Finn but there is enough back story included that it reads rather well on its own. My favorite characters in this novel are the blind grandfather and his two grandchildren. Finn sees quite a bit of action but the two kids really steal the show. They are excellent survivalists and can hold their own against ruthless villains.
The setting of Puerto Rico is a strong point as we learn quite a bit about its history with the U.S. government and military. We also get a good dose of the culture. Unfortunately, part of the action on the island involves child trafficking. The issue was handled well but it is still hard to read about. Also, the action during the storm was a little beyond belief.
Part of Finn's ongoing problem is that he was accused of a slaughter while in the military. He did not commit the horrible deed and narrows down the actual perpetrator in this novel. I look forward to reading the next novel where I assume the truth will finally come to light.
I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.
The setting of Puerto Rico is a strong point as we learn quite a bit about its history with the U.S. government and military. We also get a good dose of the culture. Unfortunately, part of the action on the island involves child trafficking. The issue was handled well but it is still hard to read about. Also, the action during the storm was a little beyond belief.
Part of Finn's ongoing problem is that he was accused of a slaughter while in the military. He did not commit the horrible deed and narrows down the actual perpetrator in this novel. I look forward to reading the next novel where I assume the truth will finally come to light.
I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.
August 11, 2023
For a man who really, really, really needs to stay under the radar, Navy SEAL Chief Finn seems to have an unfortunate genius for rising so far over the surface that he can’t help but become a target for – not just everyone who is already out to get him – but also a whole barrel full of rotten apples who didn’t even know he existed.
Who end up wishing they’d never heard of him – if they live long enough to tell the tale. But if they don’t survive, they just get added to the body count that is already trailing behind him, putting an even bigger target on his back.
We first met Finn in Steel Fear aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, in limbo after his Team’s mission in Yemen went terribly, horribly wrong. Finn was supposed to cool his heels aboard the Lincoln while the fix went in to use him as the scapegoat for an operation that was even dirtier than it was deadly. Finn escaped from the trap when the Lincoln finally came to port, but not before discovering that someone aboard was a murderer and a saboteur – and that the traumatic memories of his childhood that he had been suppressing all of his life were finally breaking free – making him an even better patsy for the crimes that were being falsely laid at his feet.
Cold Fear takes Finn to Iceland, battling with nightmares and doubt as those repressed memories assault both his waking and sleeping hours, while he begins his hunt for the people who betrayed him and his Team. But as his first step in that journey is hunting the hunters who have been sent to hunt him – intending to follow them up their chain of command – the resulting murder and mayhem puts a local serial killer in his sights – and him into the sights of the police hunting that killer down.
Blind Fear takes Finn from the cold of Iceland in the winter to the steamy, humid heat of Puerto Rico in hurricane season as a building tropical storm out in the Atlantic plays will they/won’t they about deciding how big to get and where to strike.
Finn has been living on tiny Isla Vieques, off the coast of the ‘Big’ island of Puerto Rico, staying off the grid, helping a blind grandfather operate his fish shack restaurant and playing a combination of ‘big brother’ and ‘protective uncle’ to the old man’s two grandchildren, Pedro and Miranda, when, as seems to happen all too regularly in Finn’s life these days, a perfect storm of events puts him back on the grid as a literal perfect storm – that hurricane – comes barrelling down on the islands.
The two little ones have disappeared. They are not on Vieques – Finn has most definitely and thoroughly checked – and they did not board the ferry to the main island. Finn and the old man know something has happened to them – even if they don’t yet know what.
So Finn takes up the search – and takes it everywhere he can – raising his head very far above the parapet just as his pursuers – both official and unofficial – reach the island.
Which puts Finn in not one but two sets of cross-hairs – a place he finds himself way more often than is comfortable. Finn is sure that the kids must have seen something they shouldn’t have, most likely something involved the drug trade that is rife on the island. Which means that Finn has to rattle those trees to shake down information about people who will kill to keep their secrets, while the US ‘Alphabet’ agencies are hunting him.
So the blind fear of the title? That’s not the old man, as he’s certain the children will be back. Finn is the one who is blindly afraid, not of his American pursuers because that’s become old hat at this point – but of the possibility that he won’t be enough to save two children that he has come to care for from a criminal organization that seems too big to take down.
Just as he wasn’t enough to save his Team from an even more insidious and corrupt organization that might just be even bigger and more entrenched in a place that he can’t reach.
Escape Rating A-: I did get into Blind Fear, but it took me a lot longer than it did with either of the first two books in the series, Steel Fear and Cold Fear. I think that’s because the story begins from the perspective of the two children, and frequently circles back to their circumstances and that didn’t quite work for me. (But that’s a me thing and not necessarily a you thing.)
On the one hand, one of the things I love about the Finn Thrillers is that Finn is hyper-competent. And he didn’t seem quite as competent this time around as he did particularly in Steel Fear. On that other hand, he DOES still manage to find the next clue in his hunt for the traitor who got him into this mess, even if it did seem like he got more lucky than smart this time around.
One of the overarching threads to this series is that this is Finn’s journey, not just his hunt for the traitor, but his search for himself as the mess of his childhood gets exposed piece by frequently ugly piece. The nature of such a journey is that sometimes the runner stumbles along the way, and this felt like a story that dealt with more of that stumbling.
What made this story work was the combination of its realistic portrayal of Puerto Rico, a portrait not remotely tinged by rose-colored glasses or a need to paper over the hard parts to promote the tourism that the island needs to survive. Puerto Rico was every bit as much a character in this story as any of the humans and that was both awesome and eye-opening. And combining that portrait with the progress of Finn’s journey to finding, well, himself even as he pushes himself beyond his own limits one more time.
So I’m still fascinated with Finn and his hunt for the people who betrayed him AND his search for his true self along the way. Based on the ending of Blind Fear, it looks like Finn is going to be taking his fight a whole lot closer to someone who deserves it in his next outing – and I’m definitely looking forward to that!
Originally published at Reading Reality
Who end up wishing they’d never heard of him – if they live long enough to tell the tale. But if they don’t survive, they just get added to the body count that is already trailing behind him, putting an even bigger target on his back.
We first met Finn in Steel Fear aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, in limbo after his Team’s mission in Yemen went terribly, horribly wrong. Finn was supposed to cool his heels aboard the Lincoln while the fix went in to use him as the scapegoat for an operation that was even dirtier than it was deadly. Finn escaped from the trap when the Lincoln finally came to port, but not before discovering that someone aboard was a murderer and a saboteur – and that the traumatic memories of his childhood that he had been suppressing all of his life were finally breaking free – making him an even better patsy for the crimes that were being falsely laid at his feet.
Cold Fear takes Finn to Iceland, battling with nightmares and doubt as those repressed memories assault both his waking and sleeping hours, while he begins his hunt for the people who betrayed him and his Team. But as his first step in that journey is hunting the hunters who have been sent to hunt him – intending to follow them up their chain of command – the resulting murder and mayhem puts a local serial killer in his sights – and him into the sights of the police hunting that killer down.
Blind Fear takes Finn from the cold of Iceland in the winter to the steamy, humid heat of Puerto Rico in hurricane season as a building tropical storm out in the Atlantic plays will they/won’t they about deciding how big to get and where to strike.
Finn has been living on tiny Isla Vieques, off the coast of the ‘Big’ island of Puerto Rico, staying off the grid, helping a blind grandfather operate his fish shack restaurant and playing a combination of ‘big brother’ and ‘protective uncle’ to the old man’s two grandchildren, Pedro and Miranda, when, as seems to happen all too regularly in Finn’s life these days, a perfect storm of events puts him back on the grid as a literal perfect storm – that hurricane – comes barrelling down on the islands.
The two little ones have disappeared. They are not on Vieques – Finn has most definitely and thoroughly checked – and they did not board the ferry to the main island. Finn and the old man know something has happened to them – even if they don’t yet know what.
So Finn takes up the search – and takes it everywhere he can – raising his head very far above the parapet just as his pursuers – both official and unofficial – reach the island.
Which puts Finn in not one but two sets of cross-hairs – a place he finds himself way more often than is comfortable. Finn is sure that the kids must have seen something they shouldn’t have, most likely something involved the drug trade that is rife on the island. Which means that Finn has to rattle those trees to shake down information about people who will kill to keep their secrets, while the US ‘Alphabet’ agencies are hunting him.
So the blind fear of the title? That’s not the old man, as he’s certain the children will be back. Finn is the one who is blindly afraid, not of his American pursuers because that’s become old hat at this point – but of the possibility that he won’t be enough to save two children that he has come to care for from a criminal organization that seems too big to take down.
Just as he wasn’t enough to save his Team from an even more insidious and corrupt organization that might just be even bigger and more entrenched in a place that he can’t reach.
Escape Rating A-: I did get into Blind Fear, but it took me a lot longer than it did with either of the first two books in the series, Steel Fear and Cold Fear. I think that’s because the story begins from the perspective of the two children, and frequently circles back to their circumstances and that didn’t quite work for me. (But that’s a me thing and not necessarily a you thing.)
On the one hand, one of the things I love about the Finn Thrillers is that Finn is hyper-competent. And he didn’t seem quite as competent this time around as he did particularly in Steel Fear. On that other hand, he DOES still manage to find the next clue in his hunt for the traitor who got him into this mess, even if it did seem like he got more lucky than smart this time around.
One of the overarching threads to this series is that this is Finn’s journey, not just his hunt for the traitor, but his search for himself as the mess of his childhood gets exposed piece by frequently ugly piece. The nature of such a journey is that sometimes the runner stumbles along the way, and this felt like a story that dealt with more of that stumbling.
What made this story work was the combination of its realistic portrayal of Puerto Rico, a portrait not remotely tinged by rose-colored glasses or a need to paper over the hard parts to promote the tourism that the island needs to survive. Puerto Rico was every bit as much a character in this story as any of the humans and that was both awesome and eye-opening. And combining that portrait with the progress of Finn’s journey to finding, well, himself even as he pushes himself beyond his own limits one more time.
So I’m still fascinated with Finn and his hunt for the people who betrayed him AND his search for his true self along the way. Based on the ending of Blind Fear, it looks like Finn is going to be taking his fight a whole lot closer to someone who deserves it in his next outing – and I’m definitely looking forward to that!
Originally published at Reading Reality
July 11, 2023
This is the third book in the Finn series and is a terrific stand alone. However, it is so well done readers will want to read the first and second books to simply get to know Finn better and to learn what makes him tick. I know I do. Finn is in Puerto Rico and is a fugitive when his boss’ two grandchildren disappear. Being Finn, he starts looking for them immediately, even though he is in hiding. The plot, up to and including a hurricane, is more than complex and is so well visualized readers will be wondering when the movie will come out. Thanks to Net Galley and Bantam for an ARC for an honest review.
July 24, 2023
After fleeing Iceland, Finn settled on a small island off the coast of Puerto Rico. Living in a spare room behind a seafood restaurant, Finn spends his days helping the blind owner and his nights on the dark web, looking for clues to the identity of the man responsible for the crimes Finn is accused of committing. But that changes when two things happen. The restaurant owner’s grandchildren go missing, and a hurricane is barreling toward the island. Desperate to find the children, Finn must take down a criminal empire called La Empresa and risk exposing himself. But can Finn trust his friends? Or will they be the people who will turn him in?
Blind Fear is a fast-paced book that doesn’t let up on its pace during the book. There was almost no lag (a tiny bit in the middle of the book). That did not distract me from the storyline.
There were three separate storylines in Blind Fear. The first storyline follows the children (Pedro and Miranda), their kidnapping, and their journey across the jungles of Puerto Rico. The second storyline is centered around Finn, his search for the children, and his search for the killer of his friends. The third storyline centers around Monica Halsey and her search for Finn. When I realized that there were three different storylines, I got worried. Usually, one overshadows the other storylines. But this wasn’t the case. Each storyline was well-written, with well-fleshed-out characters. By the time the three storylines came together, they merged seamlessly.
The storyline with the children was well-written and kept me glued to the book. Pedro was a likable kid who kept Miranda, who was younger, safe. He had to make adult choices, some of which weren’t right. But everything Pedro did was to save his and Miranda’s life. He was also very confident that Mimo (Finn) would rescue them.
The storyline with Finn is ongoing, carried over from Steel Fear. I did not read book 2, so I didn’t understand the references to Iceland or what happened there. The author explained what happened later in the book but didn’t detract from this storyline. I liked how Finn juggled four things:
Finding Pedro and Miranda.
Finding out who Papa Bear was.
Staying ahead of the agents.
Exposing La Empresa.
In my experience, something gets dropped or forgotten when a main character has a lot going on. But, in this case, it didn’t happen. The author slowly merged each thing until they were a singular entity.
I wasn’t sure if I wanted to classify the storyline with Monica as one of the main storylines. But, as I read the book, the more she came into play, I decided that the storyline was the main one. Monica was different than how she was featured in the first book. She had it out for Finn. She wanted him to serve time for what she thought he did.
The end of Blind Fear was terrific. The authors wrapped up the Puerto Rican storylines in a fantastic way. I loved how every single bad guy got what they deserved. Both Finn and Monica’s storylines were not wrapped up. What the author did instead was a perfect lead into book 4.
I would recommend Blind Fear to anyone over 21. There are no sexual situations but extreme violence and language.
Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Bantam, NetGalley, Brandon Webb, and John David Mann for allowing me to read and review Blind Fear. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
Blind Fear is a fast-paced book that doesn’t let up on its pace during the book. There was almost no lag (a tiny bit in the middle of the book). That did not distract me from the storyline.
There were three separate storylines in Blind Fear. The first storyline follows the children (Pedro and Miranda), their kidnapping, and their journey across the jungles of Puerto Rico. The second storyline is centered around Finn, his search for the children, and his search for the killer of his friends. The third storyline centers around Monica Halsey and her search for Finn. When I realized that there were three different storylines, I got worried. Usually, one overshadows the other storylines. But this wasn’t the case. Each storyline was well-written, with well-fleshed-out characters. By the time the three storylines came together, they merged seamlessly.
The storyline with the children was well-written and kept me glued to the book. Pedro was a likable kid who kept Miranda, who was younger, safe. He had to make adult choices, some of which weren’t right. But everything Pedro did was to save his and Miranda’s life. He was also very confident that Mimo (Finn) would rescue them.
The storyline with Finn is ongoing, carried over from Steel Fear. I did not read book 2, so I didn’t understand the references to Iceland or what happened there. The author explained what happened later in the book but didn’t detract from this storyline. I liked how Finn juggled four things:
Finding Pedro and Miranda.
Finding out who Papa Bear was.
Staying ahead of the agents.
Exposing La Empresa.
In my experience, something gets dropped or forgotten when a main character has a lot going on. But, in this case, it didn’t happen. The author slowly merged each thing until they were a singular entity.
I wasn’t sure if I wanted to classify the storyline with Monica as one of the main storylines. But, as I read the book, the more she came into play, I decided that the storyline was the main one. Monica was different than how she was featured in the first book. She had it out for Finn. She wanted him to serve time for what she thought he did.
The end of Blind Fear was terrific. The authors wrapped up the Puerto Rican storylines in a fantastic way. I loved how every single bad guy got what they deserved. Both Finn and Monica’s storylines were not wrapped up. What the author did instead was a perfect lead into book 4.
I would recommend Blind Fear to anyone over 21. There are no sexual situations but extreme violence and language.
Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Bantam, NetGalley, Brandon Webb, and John David Mann for allowing me to read and review Blind Fear. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
August 6, 2023
Blind Fear is the third book in the red hot series by former Navy Seal Brandon Webb and concert cellist turned author, John David Mann. When the two of them collaborate, the pages jump. My thanks go to Net Galley and Random House for the invitation to read and review; this thriller is for sale now.
In Cold Fear, the second in the series, our protagonist, Finn, is on the run. He’s a SEAL for the U.S. Navy, an elite combat diver, but corrupt elements have framed him for the slaying of his closest team members, and until he can prove his innocence, Finn needs to be invisible.
He’s good at it.
Now he’s moved on from Iceland to Puerto Rico, and he’s been renting a room from Zacharias, an elderly man that supports himself and his two grandchildren by running a café. He works in the café in exchange for room and board. But now there’s trouble; his two grandchildren haven’t come home. Zacharias would go and look for them, but Zacharias is blind.
There’s nobody better at ferreting out secrets than our man Finn, but doing so puts him at risk. He’s deliberately stayed clear of the city because there are so many military people stationed there. The hinterlands have been safe, and until he can come forward with the proof he needs to save himself, the hinterlands are where he belongs.
But then…what about the children?
Like those before it, this is a taut, tense thriller with multiple massive emergencies weaving in and out of one another. We have Finn’s need to avoid discovery yet, find the missing children; now add a serial killer known as El Rucco who’s left grizzly human remains all over the island and a major hurricane, and friend, this is not your bedtime reading material. Read this one sitting up and with the lights on. Just trust me.
Through all of this, Finn also deals with personal baggage that he tries to ignore, but which comes to him in dreams. He has blocked out a large portion of his early life due to trauma, and he has “questions that had hung over him for thirty years like a kettle of vultures.” This is no soap opera and so we see and hear very little of it, but the snippets that intrude during Finn’s unguarded moments heighten the suspense and the reader’s sense of dread.
There are other praiseworthy attributes I could discuss; as we are introduced to the setting, we have brief but meaty passages that serve to inform us about the injustices that are meted out to this lovely but impoverished nation, and the way that the U.S. government has kept its boot on the necks of the people that live there. But all of this remains secondary to the story itself, and the focus is tightly maintained. The research is meticulous, and the organization is stellar. The development of the protagonist is outstanding; the secondary characters, particularly Zacharias and the older grandchild, Pedro, are visceral and memorable, and I would be delighted to see them again.
Highly recommended to all that enjoy a true thriller.
In Cold Fear, the second in the series, our protagonist, Finn, is on the run. He’s a SEAL for the U.S. Navy, an elite combat diver, but corrupt elements have framed him for the slaying of his closest team members, and until he can prove his innocence, Finn needs to be invisible.
He’s good at it.
Now he’s moved on from Iceland to Puerto Rico, and he’s been renting a room from Zacharias, an elderly man that supports himself and his two grandchildren by running a café. He works in the café in exchange for room and board. But now there’s trouble; his two grandchildren haven’t come home. Zacharias would go and look for them, but Zacharias is blind.
There’s nobody better at ferreting out secrets than our man Finn, but doing so puts him at risk. He’s deliberately stayed clear of the city because there are so many military people stationed there. The hinterlands have been safe, and until he can come forward with the proof he needs to save himself, the hinterlands are where he belongs.
But then…what about the children?
Like those before it, this is a taut, tense thriller with multiple massive emergencies weaving in and out of one another. We have Finn’s need to avoid discovery yet, find the missing children; now add a serial killer known as El Rucco who’s left grizzly human remains all over the island and a major hurricane, and friend, this is not your bedtime reading material. Read this one sitting up and with the lights on. Just trust me.
Through all of this, Finn also deals with personal baggage that he tries to ignore, but which comes to him in dreams. He has blocked out a large portion of his early life due to trauma, and he has “questions that had hung over him for thirty years like a kettle of vultures.” This is no soap opera and so we see and hear very little of it, but the snippets that intrude during Finn’s unguarded moments heighten the suspense and the reader’s sense of dread.
There are other praiseworthy attributes I could discuss; as we are introduced to the setting, we have brief but meaty passages that serve to inform us about the injustices that are meted out to this lovely but impoverished nation, and the way that the U.S. government has kept its boot on the necks of the people that live there. But all of this remains secondary to the story itself, and the focus is tightly maintained. The research is meticulous, and the organization is stellar. The development of the protagonist is outstanding; the secondary characters, particularly Zacharias and the older grandchild, Pedro, are visceral and memorable, and I would be delighted to see them again.
Highly recommended to all that enjoy a true thriller.
August 21, 2023
Blind Fear – Brandon Webb & John David Mann
Former Navy SEAL Finn returns again, continuing his desperate search for the truth – who sabotaged his last mission and set him up to take the fall? And why can’t he remember? After escaping capture in Iceland, Finn has settled down to hide on a tiny island village off the coast of Puerto Rico. Bunking down in a small room behind a village eatery, he carefully researches his situation, while befriending his blind landlord and the man’s two young grandchildren, who have affectionately given Finn the nickname Mimo. Then, one afternoon, they don’t return home from their daily wandering.
As Finn sets out in search of the children, he quickly reviews and discards possible scenarios while he wanders the island looking for clues. He quickly comes to realize that the kids likely saw something they weren’t supposed to – cartels and the drug trade being rampant in the area – and were taken because of it. Despite his pressing need to stay hidden, he does his best to stir up the local cartel in hopes of gaining some info as to who may have them.
Meanwhile, Pedro & Miranda awaken to find themselves locked in a small room in a home that abuts the El Yunque National Forest. Despite being young, they are smart, agile and resourceful, as their kidnappers are soon to find out – and they have learned a lot from watching their new friend, Mimo. With some quick thinking and a trick or two gleaned from their mentor, they escape their captors and head into the forest.
But time is of the essence, as there’s a tropical storm that is steadily strengthening as it bears down on the island. And – unbeknownst to Finn - he’s not just stirred up a proverbial hornet’s nest with the local cartel and the mysterious and highly feared El Rucco - there are some new arrivals to the island as well. Their mission - to find and eliminate Finn…
This is the third in the series to date, and they just get better and better! Action-packed, nail-biting suspense, a great story line and some interesting Puerto Rican history make for a great read!! I am completely hooked on this series and now very anxiously await the next installment!
(I must include a special thank you to Random House for offering this novel to me, and an apology that it published before my review did! Some life changes have had me scrambling to catch up on my reading!)
I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy from Netgalley & Random House Publishing Group in exchange for an objective review. Do you love to read?? Visit netgalley.com and start reviewing books today!!
Former Navy SEAL Finn returns again, continuing his desperate search for the truth – who sabotaged his last mission and set him up to take the fall? And why can’t he remember? After escaping capture in Iceland, Finn has settled down to hide on a tiny island village off the coast of Puerto Rico. Bunking down in a small room behind a village eatery, he carefully researches his situation, while befriending his blind landlord and the man’s two young grandchildren, who have affectionately given Finn the nickname Mimo. Then, one afternoon, they don’t return home from their daily wandering.
As Finn sets out in search of the children, he quickly reviews and discards possible scenarios while he wanders the island looking for clues. He quickly comes to realize that the kids likely saw something they weren’t supposed to – cartels and the drug trade being rampant in the area – and were taken because of it. Despite his pressing need to stay hidden, he does his best to stir up the local cartel in hopes of gaining some info as to who may have them.
Meanwhile, Pedro & Miranda awaken to find themselves locked in a small room in a home that abuts the El Yunque National Forest. Despite being young, they are smart, agile and resourceful, as their kidnappers are soon to find out – and they have learned a lot from watching their new friend, Mimo. With some quick thinking and a trick or two gleaned from their mentor, they escape their captors and head into the forest.
But time is of the essence, as there’s a tropical storm that is steadily strengthening as it bears down on the island. And – unbeknownst to Finn - he’s not just stirred up a proverbial hornet’s nest with the local cartel and the mysterious and highly feared El Rucco - there are some new arrivals to the island as well. Their mission - to find and eliminate Finn…
This is the third in the series to date, and they just get better and better! Action-packed, nail-biting suspense, a great story line and some interesting Puerto Rican history make for a great read!! I am completely hooked on this series and now very anxiously await the next installment!
(I must include a special thank you to Random House for offering this novel to me, and an apology that it published before my review did! Some life changes have had me scrambling to catch up on my reading!)
I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy from Netgalley & Random House Publishing Group in exchange for an objective review. Do you love to read?? Visit netgalley.com and start reviewing books today!!
July 26, 2023
AWOL Navy SEAL Finn is hiding out on Vieques, a tiny island to the east of Puerto Rico. Finn has been keeping his head down working for a blind man as he looks for the one whose crimes he's accused of, but now the man's two grandchildren are missing. Finn dives into the local underworld to find them as they try to escape. And if that wasn't enough, a hurricane cuts off the area from the outside world.
This is the third Finn novel, after Steel Fear and Cold Fear. Now he's in a tropical location, with all the dangers that entails. You don't need to know what happened in those books, but it helps. Authorities still think Finn committed war crimes, so they're tracking him down. He is trying to evade capture and still find the children, figuring out quickly that they must have seen something they shouldn't have. Every good deed he does has to be measured against his risk of recognition and capture, so even trying to stop a possible mugging isn't simple.
The novel takes place over the course of a week, with federal agencies after Finn, local crime lords and the police looking for him as well. It's a mess of different threads and assumptions, and in the middle of it all is Finn's stubborn wish to find the children safe and sound and bring them back to their blind grandfather, who had been kind to him. For someone insisting he has no idea what emotions are, he has a good deal of them and is willing to put himself into the line of fire to protect the children. The jumpy cut-scene nature of the short chapters and sentences adds to this tension, and it keeps amping up and up until we get to the hurricane and the ending of the novel itself. If you have been reading the series, then the tidbits of information have all been piling up, and now Finn has a name for the one that had set him up. Undoubtedly, it will all come home to roost eventually, and it will be fantastic once done.
This is the third Finn novel, after Steel Fear and Cold Fear. Now he's in a tropical location, with all the dangers that entails. You don't need to know what happened in those books, but it helps. Authorities still think Finn committed war crimes, so they're tracking him down. He is trying to evade capture and still find the children, figuring out quickly that they must have seen something they shouldn't have. Every good deed he does has to be measured against his risk of recognition and capture, so even trying to stop a possible mugging isn't simple.
The novel takes place over the course of a week, with federal agencies after Finn, local crime lords and the police looking for him as well. It's a mess of different threads and assumptions, and in the middle of it all is Finn's stubborn wish to find the children safe and sound and bring them back to their blind grandfather, who had been kind to him. For someone insisting he has no idea what emotions are, he has a good deal of them and is willing to put himself into the line of fire to protect the children. The jumpy cut-scene nature of the short chapters and sentences adds to this tension, and it keeps amping up and up until we get to the hurricane and the ending of the novel itself. If you have been reading the series, then the tidbits of information have all been piling up, and now Finn has a name for the one that had set him up. Undoubtedly, it will all come home to roost eventually, and it will be fantastic once done.
April 20, 2023
Review of uncorrected eBook file
Two children, swimming together, find themselves pursued by two men in wet suits. They are Pedro and Miranda, Zacharias’s grandchildren. And when they don’t return after their afternoon of play, Finn goes looking for them.
Who were the men in wet suits? Are they responsible for the children’s disappearance? And can Finn find them before he risks revealing himself to those searching for him?
=========
“Blind Fear,” the third in the authors’ Chief Finn series, picks up where “Cold Fear” ended, but there is sufficient backstory for the book to work as a standalone for readers who have not read the earlier two books.
Set in Puerto Rico, the authors bring a strong sense of place to the telling of the tale; as with the previous stories, the action is non-stop, the plot is twisty and filled with surprises, and the suspense builds throughout the narrative.
Well-developed characters are a strength of the narrative; as Finn continues his efforts to prove his innocence in the Mukalla atrocity, he puts himself at risk to find Pedro and Miranda, the grandchildren of the man for whom he works in a small family restaurant.
Continually-mounting tension keeps the story moving along at a brisk pace; the search for the missing children puts Finn into some dicey situations, but in this realistic tale, readers will find themselves rooting for Finn to find the children before it is too late.
Pulling readers into the telling of the tale from the outset, this impossible-to-set-aside thriller belongs on every mystery/thriller reader’s must-read list.
Highly recommended.
I received a free copy of this eBook from Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Bantam and NetGalley
#BlindFear #NetGalley
Two children, swimming together, find themselves pursued by two men in wet suits. They are Pedro and Miranda, Zacharias’s grandchildren. And when they don’t return after their afternoon of play, Finn goes looking for them.
Who were the men in wet suits? Are they responsible for the children’s disappearance? And can Finn find them before he risks revealing himself to those searching for him?
=========
“Blind Fear,” the third in the authors’ Chief Finn series, picks up where “Cold Fear” ended, but there is sufficient backstory for the book to work as a standalone for readers who have not read the earlier two books.
Set in Puerto Rico, the authors bring a strong sense of place to the telling of the tale; as with the previous stories, the action is non-stop, the plot is twisty and filled with surprises, and the suspense builds throughout the narrative.
Well-developed characters are a strength of the narrative; as Finn continues his efforts to prove his innocence in the Mukalla atrocity, he puts himself at risk to find Pedro and Miranda, the grandchildren of the man for whom he works in a small family restaurant.
Continually-mounting tension keeps the story moving along at a brisk pace; the search for the missing children puts Finn into some dicey situations, but in this realistic tale, readers will find themselves rooting for Finn to find the children before it is too late.
Pulling readers into the telling of the tale from the outset, this impossible-to-set-aside thriller belongs on every mystery/thriller reader’s must-read list.
Highly recommended.
I received a free copy of this eBook from Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Bantam and NetGalley
#BlindFear #NetGalley
July 17, 2023
Hey Guys This week I’m going to talk about Blind Fear by Brandon Webb and John David Mann. To those who don’t know this novel is the 3rd entry of Navy SEAL Finn series.
Finn who is run from US authorities because of a war crime he didn’t commit. In his previous adventures he gone against a serial killer in US Aircraft carrier and went on tot to toe with some nefarious characters in Iceland.
In this adventure he is living in Puerto Rico with a blind cook and his two grand children working as an assistant in that old man’s restaurant. When the two kids got vanished in one of their routine swimming and subsequent Finn’s search for them place him literally and figuratively in the eye of the hurricane.
Even though Finn is a decorated Navy SEAL what makes him a stand out in this genre is both of his previous novels are not filled with Gung Ho type action scenes or involves big megalomaniac villains that takes in different countries. His first novel is classic serial killer novel in an Aircraft carrier and second one is how his mistaken identity leads him to find a trafficking ring in Iceland.
Each and every character and their interactions with Finn are delightful to read especially the way the kids talk to him and sometimes mocks Finn which is hilarious and refreshing to read. There are some moments at the end of the novel which leaves you satisfied and at the same time makes eagerly wait for the next novel in the series. On the whole I really loved this novel and if you’re fan of this series or just a plain lover of thriller genre definitely give this series a try.
Finn who is run from US authorities because of a war crime he didn’t commit. In his previous adventures he gone against a serial killer in US Aircraft carrier and went on tot to toe with some nefarious characters in Iceland.
In this adventure he is living in Puerto Rico with a blind cook and his two grand children working as an assistant in that old man’s restaurant. When the two kids got vanished in one of their routine swimming and subsequent Finn’s search for them place him literally and figuratively in the eye of the hurricane.
Even though Finn is a decorated Navy SEAL what makes him a stand out in this genre is both of his previous novels are not filled with Gung Ho type action scenes or involves big megalomaniac villains that takes in different countries. His first novel is classic serial killer novel in an Aircraft carrier and second one is how his mistaken identity leads him to find a trafficking ring in Iceland.
Each and every character and their interactions with Finn are delightful to read especially the way the kids talk to him and sometimes mocks Finn which is hilarious and refreshing to read. There are some moments at the end of the novel which leaves you satisfied and at the same time makes eagerly wait for the next novel in the series. On the whole I really loved this novel and if you’re fan of this series or just a plain lover of thriller genre definitely give this series a try.
June 1, 2023
These guys know how to write! This is the third in a series featuring a Navy Seal who has been targeted for something he didn’t do; and he is on the run. But the plot line is really different every time. In the first novel, Finn is on the aircraft carrier Eisenhower. In the second, he’s in Reykjavík, Iceland. This time, he on the island of Vieques, off Puerto Rico.
The action in a Webb and Mannthriller is always heart-pounding and this one is no exception. Finn, the Navy Seal is living very quietly on Vieques with a blind cook and his two grandchildren. The children are swimming off the coast of the island when they see something they shouldn’t have seen. Quickly, they are kidnapped and spirited to the mainland of Puerto Rico. But they manage to escape. Finn, known to the cook and the children as mimo, must find them before they are recaptured.
Into this mix, add a JAG representative and an FBI agent who are searching for Finn (having caught wind that he is Puerto Rico.) Stir the pot with drug dealers, or are they? And corrupt cops, especially one with a brutal execution style that strikes fear into the hearts of the islanders.
If all of this is not enough to make your heart pound, there is a hurricane headed directly for the island and the weather is already grim. The nascent hurricane is creating havoc on the highways and in the coastal towns.
Finn has almost superhuman powers for disguising and disappearing himself. But to find the children and stop the killers, he must expose his position. Will he be caught? If not, where will he turn up next?
The action in a Webb and Mannthriller is always heart-pounding and this one is no exception. Finn, the Navy Seal is living very quietly on Vieques with a blind cook and his two grandchildren. The children are swimming off the coast of the island when they see something they shouldn’t have seen. Quickly, they are kidnapped and spirited to the mainland of Puerto Rico. But they manage to escape. Finn, known to the cook and the children as mimo, must find them before they are recaptured.
Into this mix, add a JAG representative and an FBI agent who are searching for Finn (having caught wind that he is Puerto Rico.) Stir the pot with drug dealers, or are they? And corrupt cops, especially one with a brutal execution style that strikes fear into the hearts of the islanders.
If all of this is not enough to make your heart pound, there is a hurricane headed directly for the island and the weather is already grim. The nascent hurricane is creating havoc on the highways and in the coastal towns.
Finn has almost superhuman powers for disguising and disappearing himself. But to find the children and stop the killers, he must expose his position. Will he be caught? If not, where will he turn up next?
March 21, 2023
John David Mann and Brandon Webb's Finn series has quickly become a favorite of mine. They certainly aren't what I typically look for when browsing books because while I love thrillers and mysteries, I don't usually go for the military type thrillers that involve members of the military and/or covert-type ops. But after reading Steel Fear, the first in this series, I was hooked!
The character of Finn is such a good guy ~ he looks out for those who he cares for, believes strongly in right and wrong, even if wrong has to be done to get to the right, and is highly intelligent. The writing is so dynamic that I really feel as if I could be there, seeing and experiencing what is described.
This book finds Finn in Puerto Rico, living a quiet life, working in a small family restaurant, and sleeping in the tiny back room. When two children he has come to care for fall into harm's way, Finn sets off to search for the children and he finds far more than he expected to.
If you like thrillers - even if the military thing isn't your preferred thriller - give Steel Fear a try. You will definitely want to start with the first book because characters from previous books are mentioned or make an appearance in the following books. Blind Fear is book 3. I can't recommend this series highly enough.
Thank you to Netgalley, the authors, and publisher for providing an ARC at my request. All thoughts are my own.
The character of Finn is such a good guy ~ he looks out for those who he cares for, believes strongly in right and wrong, even if wrong has to be done to get to the right, and is highly intelligent. The writing is so dynamic that I really feel as if I could be there, seeing and experiencing what is described.
This book finds Finn in Puerto Rico, living a quiet life, working in a small family restaurant, and sleeping in the tiny back room. When two children he has come to care for fall into harm's way, Finn sets off to search for the children and he finds far more than he expected to.
If you like thrillers - even if the military thing isn't your preferred thriller - give Steel Fear a try. You will definitely want to start with the first book because characters from previous books are mentioned or make an appearance in the following books. Blind Fear is book 3. I can't recommend this series highly enough.
Thank you to Netgalley, the authors, and publisher for providing an ARC at my request. All thoughts are my own.
November 21, 2023
Are you ready for a thriller that will come at you from all sides? In this heart pounding, page turning novel, Navy Seal Finn is in that exact situation – he’s being hunted and he’s hunting! The FBI is closing in on him for atrocities he didn’t commit. El Rucco, the mysterious and feared crime boss, has two someones he’s looking for. And a hurricane is barreling toward the island he’s trapped on.
Third in this series, Finn is hiding in Vieques, a tiny island off of Puerto Rico as he tries to figure out where the corruption in his chain of command lands. Finn is renting a room from an elderly blind local, a man he’s come to respect, when the man’s two young grandchildren go missing. Finn must risk everything, even exposure, to try to find them. As Finn goes delves into the dark criminal network hiding deep within the island, a hurricane begins battering from above. The two beguiling children are trying to save themselves but are in way over their head! It’s a race against time to save these children as well as staying one step ahead of his own pursuers.
As all of this action is taking place, more of Finn’s past is revealed, not only to us but to him as well. Finn’s character continues to develop with this series. This one definitely leaves you anxious for the next installment!
Third in this series, Finn is hiding in Vieques, a tiny island off of Puerto Rico as he tries to figure out where the corruption in his chain of command lands. Finn is renting a room from an elderly blind local, a man he’s come to respect, when the man’s two young grandchildren go missing. Finn must risk everything, even exposure, to try to find them. As Finn goes delves into the dark criminal network hiding deep within the island, a hurricane begins battering from above. The two beguiling children are trying to save themselves but are in way over their head! It’s a race against time to save these children as well as staying one step ahead of his own pursuers.
As all of this action is taking place, more of Finn’s past is revealed, not only to us but to him as well. Finn’s character continues to develop with this series. This one definitely leaves you anxious for the next installment!
December 2, 2023
Finn has been living on tiny Isla Vieques, off the coast of the ‘Big’ island of Puerto Rico. He is hiding so those who want him don’t know he is. Finn lives in a room behind a restaurant owned by a blind local. At night Finn searches the dark web looking for the rogue officer responsible for the crimes he has not committed.. Two little grandchildren of the blind local have disappeared. Finn is going to search for them. To find them, he’ll have to enter the island’s dangerous criminal underbelly and expose a shadowy crime network known as La Empresa. Will Finn find them? The grandchildren go on their own trying to stay one step ahead of a cop-turned-killer. A hurricane happens making it difficult for Finn to pursue the lost grandchildren and at the same time escape the FBI and others after him. Will he be successful?
A novel filled with mystery, chills and thrills. The character Finn is made super-confident about himself. I felt the pain Finn had when his friend in the military died — it haunts him. I haven’t read the first two novels of this series but will be doing it.
Disclaimer: I received an arc of this book from the author/publisher from Netgalley. I wasn’t obligated to write a favorable review. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.
A novel filled with mystery, chills and thrills. The character Finn is made super-confident about himself. I felt the pain Finn had when his friend in the military died — it haunts him. I haven’t read the first two novels of this series but will be doing it.
Disclaimer: I received an arc of this book from the author/publisher from Netgalley. I wasn’t obligated to write a favorable review. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.
March 15, 2023
Finn is now hiding out in Puerto Rico and has gotten close to an elderly man and his two young grandchildren. When the children disappear one day after going out to play, everyone fears the worst. The man doesn't trust the police, who he thinks are corrupt and in the pay of the local cartel but he trusts Finn.so he asks him to find his grandchildren. Unfortunately, not only the local cartel is involved but a shadowy figure that even the cartel fears - El Rucco. El Rucco is a criminal people fear to even mention as those who come afoul of him end up mutilated and dead. Complicating things are two investigators from the U.S. government who have tracked Finn down. So now Finn has to duck and weave around numerous sources of danger in order to bring the kids home. This latest story had more gruesome scenes than I am usually comfortable with as the story concentrated more on the doings of vicious criminals and less on the government conspiracy angle. Towards the end, though, I was on the edge of my seat as Finn finally makes some progress on his investigation into the events that sent him on the run. I can't wait for the next book to see where this all goes.
June 25, 2023
Blind Fear is another winner from the Webb & Mann team! There was a lot going on in this novel and a lot of characters to keep up with, most of which had multiple identities. This made it a bit confusing. Nevertheless, it was a good novel with excellent historical references, bringing more understanding to Puerto Rico and the Puertoriconos.
I loved the grandfather and his capabilities even though completely blind. I loved the grandchildren and their abilities and survival skills, taught by both the g’father and our hero. And of course, I loved our hero and the fact that he finally figured out who the bad guy was in Book 1 which has caused him (and others) such trauma. I’ll look forward to learning of his total exoneration in the next book.
I especially appreciate the bringing to the reader’s attention the horrific fact of child trafficking. What a horrible beast that feeds!
This 3rd episode is highly recommended, but only if the reader has read the first two in this series.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
I loved the grandfather and his capabilities even though completely blind. I loved the grandchildren and their abilities and survival skills, taught by both the g’father and our hero. And of course, I loved our hero and the fact that he finally figured out who the bad guy was in Book 1 which has caused him (and others) such trauma. I’ll look forward to learning of his total exoneration in the next book.
I especially appreciate the bringing to the reader’s attention the horrific fact of child trafficking. What a horrible beast that feeds!
This 3rd episode is highly recommended, but only if the reader has read the first two in this series.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
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