Straight Shot

Tom Keeler #1

by Jack Lively

The astonishing debut thriller in the Tom Keeler series, a story that will nail you to the chair and mercifully release you at the end.
_______________

A MURDERED AFGHAN. Stabbed to death in a small French town.

FEMALE ASYLUM SEEKERS MISSING. Young women are disappearing off the face of the earth, somewhere in Northern France.

A FRENCH MAN ATTACKED. Left for dead by the side of the road.

TOM KEELER. After surviving combat tours in Afghanistan, Iraq, and northern Syria, Keeler receives his discharge from the United States Air-Force special tactics squadron. He’s planning a long vacation, beginning with the town of Alencourt, France, where his mother spent summers as a kid. The vacation might have to wait.

Genres: Thriller, Audiobook, Fiction, Crime, Mystery, Action, Mystery Thriller

366 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 19, 2020

About the author

Jack Lively was born in Sheffield, in the UK. He grew up in the United States of America. He has worked as a fisherman, an ice cream truck driver, underwater cinematographer, gas station attendant, and outboard engine repairman. The other thing about Jack is that since he grew up without a TV, before the internet, he was always reading. And later on, Jack started writing. All through those long years working odd jobs and traveling around, Jack wrote. He’d write in bars and cafes, on boats and trains and even on long haul bus trips.

Eventually Jack finished a book and figured he might as well see if anyone wanted to read it.

Tom Keeler is a veteran combat medic who served in a special tactics unit of United States Air Force. The series begins when Keeler receives his discharge from the military. Keeler just wants to roam free. But stuff happens, and Keeler’s not the kind of guy who just walks away.

Jack Lively lives in London with his family.

Reviews

[PamG · Rating 4 out of 5]

STRAIGHT SHOT by Jack Lively is the first book in the Tom Keeler international mystery and crime series and the first book that I have read by this author. The story is set in current times in France. Tom Keeler is an ex-Special Forces operator who has just left the military and is traveling around Europe. He decides to go to an area of France that this mother was from to see if he can find any relatives. As soon as he gets there, he is mistaken for someone else and the action starts. Who can he trust? What is really going on in this community?

This book has mystery, crime, romance, family, vigilante justice and much more as its themes. Tom was a compelling character with a strong sense of right and wrong and clear goals. The secondary characters enhanced the story and had varying degrees of depth. The plot twists and turns in a believable way with some unexpected results. The descriptions gave a clear sense of time and place without being distracting.

Overall, this is a well-written, dark and gritty story with some graphic scenes. If you enjoy vigilante justice thrillers in an international setting, then this may be the series for you.

I won a digital copy of this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. Thanks go to Goodreads, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to provide an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.

[Terence M [Quot libros, quam breve tempus!] · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.0-Stars for this "Jack Reacher" Clone - 'It Was OK'
This audiobook was 'Listenable' but predictably boring.
Good Guy arrives in France, meets pretty girl-cop in a small town. Regular rumpy-pumpy occurs.
Good Guy helps eliminate many nefarious characters, saves many lives, while solving the town's many criminal problems including people smuggling. Regular rumpy-pumpy continues.
Good Guy says au revoir to pretty cop, meets new pretty girl on the train out of town, heads to Italy or Spain, for next exciting adventure. Rumpy-pumpy status unknown, but predictable.

The vocal characterisation of Tom Keeler by Jeff Harding was specifically annoying, while his other characterisations were mostly very good. His Good Guy sounded almost exactly like his interpretation of Jack Reacher in a number of Lee Child's novels that I have in my full Reacher collection.

From my Listening Activity:
June 16, 2025 @ 15%: "This sounded a bit too "Jack Reacher-ish" to me at first (I have a number of Reacher audiobooks narrated by Jeff Harding), but hopefully I'll get through this hiccup and complete the book."
June 17, 2025 @ 58%: "There is a story eking out gradually, but I am not very impressed at this stage. Jeff Harding's first-person MC narration of Tom Keeler is a bit "Reacher" wearisome, but his other vocal characterisations have been quite good."
June 19, 2025 @ 99%: "Tom Keeler is a just-retired member of a "USAF Elite Special Operations Group". He is also a Jack Reacher 'looks-alike', 'sounds-alike', and 'acts-alike'. The action and its results were predictably boring. The narration was mostly disappointing."

[Jim A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tom Keegan, recently separated from the U.S. military, is doing his "Jack Reacher imitation and bouncing around where ever the train takes him. He winds up in a small French town and immediately gets involved in intrigue.

A slow to develop story but worth staying with it.

[Sean Peters (A Good Thriller) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ex-Special Forces operator Tom Keeler is a rambling man. He’s just passing through the town of Alencourt, France, and in less than an hour, someone tries to kill him.

Nice place, nice try. A good start to the book, good action.

But it’s a case of mistaken identity, and they picked the wrong guy!

The French police can’t be trusted, except for the beautiful Cecile Nazari.

She finds out fast, that keeping up with Keeler is a dangerous occupation.

Because someone’s preying on the weak and unprotected.

But they never counted on coming up against a guy like Tom Keeler.

Yes Tom Keeler is a dead ringer for Jack Reacher, OK. So the lone protagonist is in at the moment.

But you are filling in the footsteps of many great authors, What we need though, are fewer Reacher clones and an exciting new characters and formats.

But struggled with the long winded slow moving middle part of the book, but action packed with an
enormous about of brutal killing

Yes has potential to get better and stronger with this character.

3 stars

[Abibliofob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Straight Shot is the first book about Tom Keeler by Jack Lively and what a great book it is. I am really glad I found this for me new author. Keeler is just out of the military and is travelling through France when he comes to the town where his mother was born. In search for relatives he finds murder and mayhem and trafficking. Lots of action and betrayal in this book. Did he find some relatives? Well read the book and find out... Highly recommended.

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

Total carnage occurs in the book you need a strong stomach to read it.

[Neelabh Pratap Singh · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book started really well. Tom Keeler is attacked by street thugs, case of a mistaken identity. Soon the thugs manage to kill the intended target - an Afghani. Tom teams up with the police to find why the Afghani was killed and stumbles upon a conspiracy. Very average plot, but still looked very promising. It could've been had the author wrapped up the story under 250 pages. But the author kept dragging the story with confusing and pointless incidents. The action isn't crisp and by the end I was just skimming through the pages. Not sure if I try the subsequent books.

[Rob Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anyone read the Jack Reacher books by Lee Child?

Well...

Ex-military. No fixed abode. French mother. Very able in a fight situation. Comes to town. People mistake him for someone else but he overcomes that issue. Gets it on with a female local Police officer. Short sentences. Short chapters. Seem familiar?

Not terrible by any means but so like Jack Reacher that the second volume is entitled, "Breacher".

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Former soldier decides to go see his mother's birthplace in France. As soon as he gets off the train, he's attacked by street thugs.

Quickly dispatching them, he meets cute with a female cop and finds himself embroiled in a human trafficking scheme. It seems odd to read about so much killing in modern day France.

[Jack Watson · Rating 2 out of 5]

A phenomenally stupid book with an OBSCENELY unlikeable main character.

The genre is “mysterious-former-special-ops-guy-walks-into-small-town-and-becomes-a-vigilante”, so of courseeee the lead is going to be a James Bond-esque character who survives due to skill + a heavy dose of good luck….but fucking hell is he a wanker.

Random American bloke who spends half the fights telling us how good he is in a first-person monologue, doesn’t say anything remotely interesting for the whole book, and still gets the girl? No way.

Also, the author genuinely kept skipping parts of dialogue in the middle of a conversation? E.g. multiple times he had the opportunity to write a joke, but instead said “Tom made a joke. The girl laughed.” Like, what the fuck is that? You’re a writer!!! Write the joke!!!! Did my head in.

It gets 2 stars for the effort put into some of the action scenes, when the author clearly did a lot of research into tactical hand-to-hand combat.

But sheesh. I couldn’t get over how annoying the “hero” was. Not a chance I’m reading more books in this series.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Straight Shot” is the debut thriller in the Tom Keeler series by Jack Lively.

The story follows ex-Special Forces operator Tom Keeler, who is just passing through the town of Alencourt, France when someone tries to kill him. It turns out to be a case of mistaken identity, but Keeler gets involved when he realizes that someone is preying on the weak and unprotected.

The audiobook is narrated by Jeff Harding , and unfortunately that is is the biggest issue with the audiobook version. Reviews of the audiobook are mixed, with some listeners enjoying the story and others finding the narration not to their liking. One listener compared it to the first Jack Reacher novel, “Killing Floor,” but felt that the characters were not as fully developed.

Overall, “Straight Shot” is an action-packed thriller that has received positive reviews. If you enjoy this genre, it might be worth giving it a try.

[Beach Bum · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very slow
Took for ever to get going, takes for ever to make.progress, the ending was not quick enough

[Jim Cerone The Perfect Host DJ MC · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quirky Different Good

After reading lots of “typical” action books, this one is a breath of fresh air. Still plenty of action, some of it shockingly presented, but there’s also a surprising lyrical quality to the writing. Looking forward to book 2.

[Jane Cowie · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a lover of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher I was concerned that Tom Keeler was going to be a bit of a copy cat. However I did really enjoy the more complex plot and connections as well as the fast pace of the evolving story.
Definitely will read the next in the series.

[Ed · Rating 3 out of 5]

American Special Forces veteran Tom Keeler travelling through France stops in a small town to look up relatives in a kind of Jack Reacher scenario resulting in trouble with Euro bad guys. Good characters and plot premise but more mystery than thriller in a "been there, done that" story.

[john alder · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a new author for me and I must say I was very impressed. I enjoyed the whole book and very much look forward to following Tom Keeler in his next adventure called ‘Switch Back’. It was a well thought out plot and I liked that the main character was in the first person. It allows the reader to gel with character and understand his thought processes. He is very much the good guy, with just the right amount of compassion and ruthlessness. He has a good moral compass. The book was very hard to put down and I really liked that most of the chapters were quite short and focused. A huge pat on the back for the author Jack Lively, and from me a very well deserved 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Kieran Turner · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've recently discovered Peter James, & have recently read his first 8 Roy Grace novels, then last week I read John Sandford's latest novel, Ocean Prey. All the Peter James stories were excellent, & the John Sandford story up to his usual excellent standard. Then I had the misfortune to start reading Straight Shot. What a disappointment, managed to read about a third of it before I gave up. The writing just seemed so amateurish after the other two authors. I'd say that Jack Lively has read a few of the Jack Reacher novels & has tried to jump on the bandwagon!

[Tiny Octopus · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have no idea how to feel about this book. Predictable plot, weirdly dry, and I didn’t really give a flying fuck about any of the characters, least of all the hero. At least 50 pages could have been cut, and the author probably should hang out with more women to get an idea of how we actually operate irl. I think this is probably dude brain candy? Which I usually really enjoy, but this one…. Idk.

[Darren Bourn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had come across this group, Military Thriller Book Group, a little over two and a half years ago and thought that after being made aware of a slew of great authors and building a TBR (To Be Read) pile of books, if they were physical copies would be leaning dangerously to one side or another. As I come across novels that might fit the theme of this group (or were amongst some of the many authors that promote their books as part of the same group), I drop a quick review of that novel.

In addition to becoming aware of a slew of great authors and building a never-ending TBR pile of books, I am sometimes approached by authors and readers promoting various books. The book series brought to my attention is the Tom Keeler series by English author, Jack Lively, and I am put into the enviable position of starting a series from book one (the first of eleven novels in this series). As such, this is my review of Straight Shot by Jack Lively.

STRAIGHT SHOT by Jack Lively is the first book in the Tom Keeler international mystery and crime series and the first book that I have had the opportunity to read by this author. After reading the first book in the series, I am sure that it will not be the last.

The protagonist in this series, Tom Keeler, is a recently separated member of the United States Air Force (USAF) Special Operations Command (AFSOC).

The AFSOC is the component of the USAF that provides special operations forces (SOF) for worldwide deployment. The Air Force Special Warfare (AFSPECWAR) is the ground combat force specializing in using airpower in hostile environments. The enlisted specialties of AFSPECWAR include Combat Control (CCT), Pararescue (PJ), Special Reconnaissance (SR), Combat Rescue Officer (CRO), and Tactical Air Control Party (TACP).

The Air Force's equivalent to the Army Special Forces and Navy SEALs are the PJs and CROs. These highly trained specialists undergo a grueling training process to earn the right to wear the distinctive flash on their beret.

The summary of this introductory tale is that the protagonist has fallen into a trope akin to Lee Child's "Jack Reacher" character: traveling wherever the roads may lead him. Whilst touring Europe, decides to try to find out more about his mother's early life in France. Keeler is hardly off the train before somebody tries to murder him. He handles that situation with aplomb, killing his assailant, and the police give him no trouble – in fact, one of them, Officer Cecile Nazari, strikes some romantic sparks. When Tom learns that a local citizen who may be his cousin has been crippled by a similar attack, and that various murders are happening around town, he starts investigating. He finds clues relating to human smuggling and official corruption. So he makes up his mind to clean the town up.

Straight Shot delivers suspense, fast-paced action, speedy revenge, and a pleasant rustic location in a quiet French backwater. It is a romp through the French countryside written in the first person with forceful prose, presented with excitement without being too long-winded. The French culture is well described and the town and countryside setting has a sense of realism. I found the writing style of this author to be refreshing as it displayed some real thought and creativity behind the story, with no lazy plot lines. Excellent characterization and some vividly described settings. Brutal action scenes and plenty of wry humor.

On my five-star scale, I would give this novel a solid four stars. I would easily recommend this novel to aficionados of military thrillers. Readers of authors such as Paul Heatley, Lee Child, Aiden Bailey, Logan Ryles, Sam Cogley, and Ian Loome would find this novel (and likely, the series) to be an enticing read.

As with most of my literary ramblings, these are just my five cents worth.

[Bookstash · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spoiler Notes

Straight Shot by Jack Lively (5/20)
[Tom Keeler - 1] (C Subtle) [8-02-23]
Audible: Jeff Harding, Good

France - Time Period: 3 Days

Tom Keeler (Age: Guessing mid-30s)
Air Force Veteran - (2 Weeks)
Ex-Special Forces
Former Combat Medic
Pararescuemen aka PJs
United States Air Force Pararescue
USAF Pararescue
Violence

Out of the Air Force two weeks, Keeler arrives in Alencourt, France to look over the town his mother, Delphine, visited in her youth.

He is targeted right off the train for killing by three young men but he fights them off. Unfortunately, his brand new sky blue with an anchor logo designer shirt is slit in the back almost off his body in the scuffle.

It was a mistaken identity because later in the day an Afghan refuge seeking asylum wearing the exact same shirt was stabbed in the heart.

Keeler immediately comes to the attention of a beautiful Rookie cop, Cecile Nazari. She only saw part of the event and was arresting him for an unprovoked attack on two men. Two men who disappeared while she was dealing with him.

That gets sorted out and later that night they become lovers, pretty much joined at the hip until the end of the book.

Unknown til the last chapters of the book is a heinous Sex Trafficking scheme that preys on young girls and women seeking a better life. The corruption starts with the wealthy Mayor and has infected the Police Department and the branch of the French FBI-ish for that region.

It’s not just sex but taking orders from customers that want to see the women in different scenarios beated and tortured for their video thrills. Payment is in Crypto which is important when the case is brought to an end.

It’s a violent book with the Chief of Police and his family killed and dismembered in a home invasion, talk of a similar invasion a few weeks earlier, and a screwdriver stabbed into the frontal brain of a man who we believe is a distant cousin of Keebler’s mother.

I especially enjoyed Tom’s compassion with his distant cousin who can’t talk but manages to communicate with him with eye blinks. There is a certain picture in the cousin’s safe, proof of a youthful affair, that he wants destroyed so his wife never knows.

Nazari’s partner, who she trusts and confides in, is as corrupt as the rest. He was an accomplished tennis player and his greed leaked through with expensive tennis balls that were on his desk at work and on a receipt that Tom found when he was investigating a place across town. I was sorry he was dirty.

[Lloyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book in the triller series that features an ex-U.S. Air Force special forces soldier, Tom Keeler. Tom has recently retired from the Air Force and is in Alencourt, France, the birth place of his now deceased mother. She had emigrated to America when she was a teenager. Tom wanted to see if any relatives remained in the area and if they may have known his mother. But; an attempted mugging if not attempted murder of Tom draws his interest. Why him, why here? The more he pokes around as to this assault he has thwarted, the more it appears something is very wrong here in Alencourt. Plus, during his initial inquiries, Tom meets and is very attracted to a local police woman, who ends up helping Tom with his own investigation. This investigative work is time consuming for both Tom and the reader. This is definitely not the “page turning” portion of the book. However, the main confrontations and violence during the final third of the book is a page turning event. It definitely leaves you wanting more and strongly considering reading the next book in the series. The characters are well defined and Tom is a very interesting person that the reader is drawn too. The dialogue and plot are realistic. If you enjoy action packed thrillers, you’ll have to first “get through” the investigative work and then the high-octane action and suspense kick-in.

[Carôle Ceres · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook version of this title which was uncannily like listening to a Jack Reacher novel.

Given that the narrator, Jeff Harding, is commonly associated with Jack Reacher and that his distinctive style and pace of narrating is not changed or amended for this character, it’s not hard to imagine (in the back of your mind), that this IS a Jack Reacher novel!

Given, in addition, the premise of this story; an ex military officer, loner, in a strange country, accidentally stumbling into intrigue and staying to sort it out, before moving on… the coincidences are really high!

The thing that lowers the value of this novel, is not the seeming plagiarism (although I’m surprised that no one has commented on it), but the fact that it takes too long to tell the tale!

For what it is, it needn’t have taken so long to tell. It’s an interesting series, which switches narrators from book 3 I notice. That may well be because it is impossible to distinguish between the characters of Keeler and Reacher and if their story arcs also remain indistinguishable, Jack Lively would wish to do so, after all, you can only trade on the similarities for so long.

An interesting listen, but mainly because it’s Reacher (in disguise). I listened to this free from the Audible Plus catalogue, so I’ll try book 2 - because I’m a Reacher fan…

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engaging thriller

This story is action packed, has a decent plot and is always engaging with interesting characters. The body count is high, and the main character is formidable. Tom Keeler is ex special forces, now with time on his hands and seeking to find out more about his mother's early life in France. Some locals attempt to assassinate him in a case of mistaken identity - which does not end well for them. Ultimately the tale is not particularly original or especially remarkable but I found that I was compelled to read on with little regard for lack of sleep. Devotees of Lee Child, Mark Dawson and the like might well find plenty to like here. Caught up in the story I was minded to give at least 4 stars, however at the end, on reflection, it was debating whether 3 or 4 was appropriate, with quite a lot of belief suspension required at times and characters being basically good or evil, but with the good ones being surprisingly capable of killing the evil ones with minimal hesitation. Having acknowledged these shortcomings
I am still sure that I will soon be reading the sequel ! Sometimes is just good to be carried along by the story suspending belief as and when!

[Sharon Bowen · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this book did have several interesting twists and turns that kept you involved in the story, it was too much of a Jack Reacher copycat for my liking. I've read all of books in Lee Child's Jack Reacher series and have always enjoyed the wit and carefreeness of his character. In Straight Shot, not only does Tom randomly decide to stop in a French town where his mother had spent time in her youth, he helps to solve a huge crime that was going on within the community that no one seemed to know about. Tom is a likable character and comes with skills from his military training where he was an investigator. Again, this aligns with Jack Reacher's background and his former connections.
My husband and I listened to the audio version of this, and while the reader played the character well, even his voice parroted the voice of the audio versions of some of the Jack Reacher books I have listened to.
I think this author is talented enough that he doesn't need to create works that parallel so closely with another author's very famous character. When that happens, I will be interested in reading another one of Jack Lively's books.

[Cherry Mischievous · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Thoughts:
This is my first Jack Lively read and I am glad that I stumbled upon him!

I had to switch gear to the level of violence this book packs because if that happened here in the UK, there would be serious consequences with the law. But I guess a sleepy old town in France would be a little bit more tolerant than us in Britain. I took that view anyway. So much easier to enjoy the book that way.

After 20 books of narrating Charlie Parker of the Charlie Parker series , Jeff Harding , IS Charlie Parker in my head! It took willful and conscientious effort to hear him as Tom Keeler.

Quantitative Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 4
Character development = 4.5
Story itself = 4
Writing Style = 4.5
Ending = 4
World building = 4.5
Cover art = 3
Pace = (11 hrs and 2 mins listening time)
Plot = 4
Narration = 5

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

A straight-out Jack Reacher clone but a good one. Protagonist Tom Keely has just been released from the military but instead of wandering around America he is wanderinga around France, running into trouble wherever goes. In fact, the book begins with Tom arriving in the town of Alencourt in search of some vestige of his French mother's background and he's immediately set upon by three thugs for unknown reasons. You might think that these thugs would choose an easier target than an ex-special forces operative just released from the military but I guess thugs aren't too smart.

Author Jack Lively has down pat the Lee Child writing style, short sentences, brief descriptions. Write as if you're writing for a nine-year-old is the way Child put it, I think. But the book moves at swift pace, the plentifull action scenes are competently done, and the character is interesting. Actually, the book is much better than the continuation of the Reacher series by Andrew Child, Lee's brother.

So if you're missing your Reacher fix, you might give this substitute a try.

[Fergus J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seriously?

I did enjoy this but mostly because I’m a big Lee Child/Jack Reacher fan. And in fact Mr L Child could probably do a lot better collaborating with Jack Lively (really?) than with Mr A Child although I’m an equally big fan - and beneficiary - of fraternal loyalty. But, seriously, big, ex-army, wanderlust, specific plot adapted from “Make Me” (Reacher #20), French mother (BTW, say ‘Keeler’ in a stagey French accent - a bit clunky right?) and the second novel is called “Breacher” — almost just Reachy fanfiction. What’s next, ‘Brond, James Brond’? Don’t get me wrong: great story, good characters, dialogue, etc, definitely wish I could write/create not just whine and kvetch, and I shall read Breacher, Brond, Brosch, B-Spenser or most any versioning of B-galahad TBH. But, just putting it out there, the outlandish, made almost totally of flaws, “Happy ‘Buddhist’ Doll”, maybe stumbles furthest out from under J Reacher’s mahoosive shadow in the modern genre of highly trained justice hedge knight tramps.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I felt like this book was constantly a Jack Reacher story set in France, and while it is that shouldn't take away from it being an enjoyable story (well as enjoyable as reading about dismembered bodies stacked up can be).

Tom is just out of the military and decides to visit France where his mother spent some time as a child. When he arrives he gets mugged in a case of mistaken identity, but as he looks deeper he uncovers a human trafficking ring that is happening in town with out any real action happening against it. So in the usual one man against the world (well he does have some help but still) he goes about solving the problem with extreme force, while bedding the girl and then safely leaving town for sunnier destinations at the end.

The story felt fresh, with you feeling that you have it under control then it takes another twist. I was worried it would be a poor ripoff but I found myself wanting to make time to finish the book.

[Jethro Wegener · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoy Reacher? Here's another hero to stand tall next to him

I got this one on a whim when I was looking for more vigilante mystery fiction, and I was very pleasantly surprised.

The Lee Child Jack Reacher vibes are strong here, with the ex-military loner getting involved in a mystery that involves gangsters and other nasty doings in a small French town. Tom Keeler handles himself in true heroic fashion by being a tough SOB who shouldn't be messed with.

It's very well written and brilliantly paced, so it will surely keep you turning the pages. The characters are well-drawn, and interesting, and the mystery behind everything will keep you guessing.

It all mixes together very well, giving you one heck of a good thriller.

All in all, the book manages to evoke Reacher while standing on its own. If you're looking for a fun vigilante justice reach, Keeler's exploits will keel you thoroughly entertained.

[Lynn Glencorse · Rating 1 out of 5]

Lacking any real substance.

This book was very clearly written by a man. I listened to the audio book and could almost smell testosterone in every word. The story was just jam packed with "action" and "masculinity". And don't get me started on the incredibly cringe worthy sex scenes that were just shoe horned in at any given opportunity.

Also, from a narration point of view, every French character had the exact same voice which didn't make it easy to make a clear distinction between them.

At one point the author describes what a mobile phone is! Now either the book was written when mobile phones were in their infancy or the author was just really struggling for content. Given the rest of the book I'm assuming the latter.

I didn't really care about any of the characters nor did I truly understand what was actually happening. Won't be rushing to read another by this author.