Short Takes

(6/25/09) Only amazing thing about my day is that I'm about 200 pages into the latest Anita Blake novel, Skin Trade, and she hasn't had sex with anyone yet. I'm stunned.

(7/2/09) Finished reading Brad Thor's The Last Patriot - quite tasty!

(7/8/09) Finished Card's latest Ender book, Ender in Exile. Great stuff.

The Apostle by Brad Thor

Scott Harvath rides again. Though he's retired from the Secret Service after the new administraton has gutted the agency, in favor of inclusiveness, diversity and affirmative action, he still answers the call of country when a doctor, Julia Gallo, is kidnapped in Afghanistan. Stephanie Gallo, Julia's mother, a wealthy supporter of the current president, hires Scott to effect her rescue.

Most of the action takes place in-country, but there is a side plot weaving in and out of the whole book regarding a Secret Service agent who overhears Stephanie Gallo threaten to blackmail President Aden. She can't let it go, and doggedly digs into the past, trying to understand what happened in the accidental death of a campaign aide.

Harvath contacts old friends from his Seal team days in Afghanistan, and they piece together a plan on the fly. First, to abduct a high value Al Qaeda target, Mustafa Khan, from an Afghan prison so they can trade him for Dr. Gallo. When they realize that it would be foolish to give Khan back to the Taliban, they decide to go after the Taliban leaders who hold the doctor, and make a trip into the rugged interior to attempt a rescue, instead. And that's when things really go pear-shaped.

As always, in Thor's books, there's plenty of action and adventure. The story's background also seems to be pretty well researched, with lots of details about Afghan and Pashtun culture and customs. Just good ole military action adventure fiction, with the return of Thor's favorite character. Fun stuff, but not a lot of thought provocation.

The Lions of Lucerne, by Brad Thor

Secret Service agent Scott Harvath is having a rough week. A crack team of kidnappers has slaughtered a protective detail, triggered an avalanche that almost kills Harvath and the president's daughter, and abducted the president. To make matters worse, Scott's tendency to operate outside of the rules has gotten him into serious hot water with his superiors, and they suspect him of having involvement in the whole plot.
This is, I think, the introductory novel in Thor's series about Harvath, and it's not too bad, actually. There are some places where I really have to suspend my disbelief, and a bit of deus ex machina salvation at the finish line, but the plot line, as far as solving the mystery step by step, seems to work pretty well. Pick it up at the library or used book store and enjoy.