Monday Book Pick: Code of Conduct
Code of Conduct by Brad Thor
Scott Harvath is back and the bad guys are even badder. Uber-rich eugenicists are out to trim the planetary population, especially those people they don’t think are genetically suited for continued life on the planet. Norseman takes names,and kills bad guys. It’s good solid adventure pulp, which is a good thing.
Monday Book Pick: Black List
A modern techno-thriller about shadowy government agencies fighting one another. One agency is trying to take out another so they can hatch their plan to take over the Internet and generally reduce the level of freedom in America to pretty much zero. The plan doesn’t work when they try to take out Scot Harvath (the hero of the series, of which this is book 11). After much killing, computer hacking, and other spy craft stuff, the good guys win (not much of spoiler there, I’m betting Mr. Thor is working on number 12). A good, entertaining read, and with more reality thrown in than is comfortable to think about.
Monday Book Pick: OSS Commando: Final Option
OSS Commando: Final Option by Charles Sasser
A military thriller set in the final days before the D-Day invasion in 1944. The hero is Captain James Cantrell, a former Chicago homicide detective, now a member of the OSS (Office of Strategic Services). His mission is to keep the secret of the D-Day landing location from the Germans. He has a landing craft sunk underneath him, survives a bombing attack in downtown London, parachutes into Nazi occupied France, breaks into a heavily guarded castle, and has not one, but two beautiful women to deal with. One a Nazi spy and other a member of the French resistance forces.
Monday Book Pick: The Jefferson Allegiance
The Jefferson Allegiance by Bob Mayer
A political thriller with conspiracies linked to secret branches of organizations founded by the Thomas Jefferson (author of the Declaration of Independane and the third President) and Alexander Hamilton (first Secretary of the Treasury). Plenty of action and lots of history. A tasty bit of reading for somebody like me, who likes thrillers, conspiracies and American history.
Monday Book Pick: Loose Cannon: The Tom Kelly Novels
Loose Cannon: The Tom Kelly Novels by David Drake
A pair of Cold War with Aliens thrillers sharing the same hero/anti-hero, Tom Kelly. Tom Kelly is a spy, and not the sauve, Vodka martini drinking type of spy that that era made famous. Nope, Kelly is a roll up your sleeves and get the job done, regardless of where the chips may fly type of spy. The ladies still love him, probably because is a seriously “bad boy.” Ok, not a bad “boy”, he is a man who lives by his rules, not the rules of the agencies that employ him. If you are looking for gritty action with a healthy dose of aliens, settle down in a comfortable chair and get to know Tom Kelly.
Friday B-Movie Pick: Hanna
A modern spy thriller with a nice Cold War feel to it. Good cast, great action and visually pleasing. Fire up the popcorn and enjoy.
Monday Book Pick: The Hunt for Red October
The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy
Tom Clancy’s first novel, which not only launched his career but revitialized the techno-thriller genre. This Cold War era novel introduces the reading public to Jack Ryan, whom Clancy continues to use as his main character in a string of wildly successful bestselling novels.