Reviews for Blowback

The average rating for Blowback based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2011-03-13 00:00:00 Keith Jernquist So I like to read thrillers whenever I take a trip by plane. I'm routinely disappointed, but I still keep it up. Brad Thor's Blowback is not the worst, but it's definitely not much above mediocre either. Here's an example of the main problem I have with the book. [MINOR SPOILER ALERT] In one chapter, a king explains why he hasn't banished his rebellious son by explaining that if you had a child, you wouldn't be able to bear sending him away from the land of his birth, no matter how dangerous he was. The king then extracts a promise from the hero "don't kill my son." In the next chapter, the son is held hostage by the evil villain, and the hero refuses to risk shooting at the villain because he's made a promise to the king not to kill his beloved son. Then, moments later, he shoots the son in the knee and kills the villain, then tortures the son (shooting off a couple of fingers) rationalizing to himself that the only reason the king wanted his son alive was to torture him to death anyway. Wait--what? A chapter ago the king loved his son so much he risked his kingdom rather than banish him. But now he wants the hero to continue to risk the fate of the world just so he can have the pleasure of killing him slowly? Really? There's also an unbelievable amount of villains popping up suddenly when they are being talked about. Like, literally, they will helicopter into remote mountain fortresses and land in the middle of raging firefights sneak through heavily guarded compounds all so that they can ominously enter a conversation on just the right phrase. You can get away with that, maybe, once per novel. It happened, I think, three times in this one novel alone. As a final thought: it's really interesting to me the discrepancy between the conservative authors (Brad Thor) vs. the liberal ones (Dan Brown, Lee Child). There's a surprising amount of pop-level political, social, and religious debate raging just below the surface of these thrillers.

Review # 2 was written on 2018-01-15 00:00:00 Credell Reynolds This author keeps coming up with ways to keep the story fresh. In a James Rollins/Dan Brown type plot, an ancient weapon linked to Hannibal has been resurrected and is being used to kill non-Muslims, while leaving true believers unscathed, in a selective and horrifying manner. The plot twists and turns develop as much like a mystery as a thriller. The author's political views slip through occasionally, which is fine, and impact the character development and interaction. The main character, Scot Harvarth, is likable and blessed with the gift of survival. Terrorist plot meets ancient mystery here. It's fun following Harvarth's progress around the globe. As he learns what is happening, so do we. As always, military knowledge reigns supreme and the tech and toys have a realistic feel. This author keeps me coming back. 4.5 stars