The Apostle (Scot Harvath 8)
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Review
'Brad Thor is as current as tomorrow's headlines' (Dan Brown )
'A brutal master of suspense' (James Rollins )
'Brad Thor rocks!' (Tess Gerritsen )
'A brutal master of suspense' (James Rollins )
'Brad Thor rocks!' (Tess Gerritsen )
Review
'Brad Thor is as current as tomorrow's headlines' -- Dan Brown 'A brutal master of suspense' -- James Rollins 'Brad Thor rocks!' -- Tess Gerritsen
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
"The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance, by signs and wonders and miracles." -- 2 Corinthians 12:12
If you are as tired as I am of reading suspense stories about right-wing weirdoes in Washington, DC who will stop at nothing to fight terrorism, The Apostle will feel like a breath of fresh air as it takes on slack, left-wing "win-at-any-cost" "tell-'em-what-they-think-they-want-to-hear" elected officials and their sponsors. On the other hand, if you are a big Barrack Obama fan, this book may leave you feeling either a little queasy or outraged at the presidential portrait contained in it.
From the beginning, it's clear that there's a plot within a plot within a plot. Revealing the interior nested Russian doll is what makes for the suspense in the book . . . along with the natural fear of falling into the hands of terrorists. But the book rarely makes it into the thriller category. There's just not enough action and danger to qualify it for that genre.
Here's the story:
Dr. Julia Gallo practices as a physician in Afghanistan, often encouraging poor women who are brutalized by their husbands and male relatives to stick up for themselves. Even her translator is afraid of what might happen to the good doctor if one too many patients follows her prescriptions for marital happiness. But Dr. Gallo is at greater risk for another reason: She's the daughter of the influential Stephanie Gallo who all but assured that Robert Alden was elected President of thee United States.
Dr. Gallo is kidnapped in Afghanistan and Ms. Gallo decides to use all her cards to obtain a release for her daughter, including blackmail of the new president. Someone overhears the conversation, setting off a series of unexpected events that parallel the main story line.
The captors want something that Americans don't have and can't really ask for: a terrorist who is a prisoner of the Afghan government.
Like many presidents in real life, President Alden decides to turn loose a covert "unofficial" operation to capture the terrorist from the Afghans and trade him for Dr. Gallo. Since counterterrorism expert Scot Harvath has no job with the current administration, he's available to hire on to work for Ms. Gallo with the president's winking approval.
In the process of following this path, Scot Harvath has to decide who he can trust, what the right things to do are, and what risks to take. It's a lot like watching the final round of a rich poker tournament on television as the antes and stakes escalate.
The story has a rich subtext about what life is really like in Afghanistan, a place we will be hearing a lot more about in the next few years. Clearly, Brad Thor is a lot more optimistic about making friends through one-on-one contacts than he is about playing traditional politics with the local power lords there. If that's right, we have a lot of bloody years ahead in that battle-worn country.
I thought that the weakest part of the story involved an unofficial look into what the president was being blackmailed about. If that whole part of the book hadn't been included, the story would have moved faster and been more interesting.
What secrets are buried by this and every other White House? Now, telling those real stories would make for quite a good story.
If you are as tired as I am of reading suspense stories about right-wing weirdoes in Washington, DC who will stop at nothing to fight terrorism, The Apostle will feel like a breath of fresh air as it takes on slack, left-wing "win-at-any-cost" "tell-'em-what-they-think-they-want-to-hear" elected officials and their sponsors. On the other hand, if you are a big Barrack Obama fan, this book may leave you feeling either a little queasy or outraged at the presidential portrait contained in it.
From the beginning, it's clear that there's a plot within a plot within a plot. Revealing the interior nested Russian doll is what makes for the suspense in the book . . . along with the natural fear of falling into the hands of terrorists. But the book rarely makes it into the thriller category. There's just not enough action and danger to qualify it for that genre.
Here's the story:
Dr. Julia Gallo practices as a physician in Afghanistan, often encouraging poor women who are brutalized by their husbands and male relatives to stick up for themselves. Even her translator is afraid of what might happen to the good doctor if one too many patients follows her prescriptions for marital happiness. But Dr. Gallo is at greater risk for another reason: She's the daughter of the influential Stephanie Gallo who all but assured that Robert Alden was elected President of thee United States.
Dr. Gallo is kidnapped in Afghanistan and Ms. Gallo decides to use all her cards to obtain a release for her daughter, including blackmail of the new president. Someone overhears the conversation, setting off a series of unexpected events that parallel the main story line.
The captors want something that Americans don't have and can't really ask for: a terrorist who is a prisoner of the Afghan government.
Like many presidents in real life, President Alden decides to turn loose a covert "unofficial" operation to capture the terrorist from the Afghans and trade him for Dr. Gallo. Since counterterrorism expert Scot Harvath has no job with the current administration, he's available to hire on to work for Ms. Gallo with the president's winking approval.
In the process of following this path, Scot Harvath has to decide who he can trust, what the right things to do are, and what risks to take. It's a lot like watching the final round of a rich poker tournament on television as the antes and stakes escalate.
The story has a rich subtext about what life is really like in Afghanistan, a place we will be hearing a lot more about in the next few years. Clearly, Brad Thor is a lot more optimistic about making friends through one-on-one contacts than he is about playing traditional politics with the local power lords there. If that's right, we have a lot of bloody years ahead in that battle-worn country.
I thought that the weakest part of the story involved an unofficial look into what the president was being blackmailed about. If that whole part of the book hadn't been included, the story would have moved faster and been more interesting.
What secrets are buried by this and every other White House? Now, telling those real stories would make for quite a good story.
2 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
After the last book I had great expectations for this book but I have been slightly let down.
Whilst the apostle is enjoyable it is not the page turner that the previous couple of books have been.
The characters are a bit one-dimensional and it feels a bit like this was a rushed effort with not much thought for character development or expanding the series.
It stands on it's own as a decent read but it could have been so much more.
Whilst the apostle is enjoyable it is not the page turner that the previous couple of books have been.
The characters are a bit one-dimensional and it feels a bit like this was a rushed effort with not much thought for character development or expanding the series.
It stands on it's own as a decent read but it could have been so much more.
1 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The book arrived on time and in perfect condition. I have added it to the shelf of books (about 50ft) that I have not yet got round to reading but will soon. Or later. Or later still. Or when I go on holiday. Or when I retire. I'm an addict. I can't help buying books even though I have no chance of reading them. I have not got round to reading some of them on that shelf for over 20 years. I will actually make an exception in the case of The Apostle and put it towards the front of the queue so it will stand a good chance of being read soon unless something unlikely happens like a new Tom Clancy being released!
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