Tag: Thrillers

Cross Fire – James Patterson

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crossfireCross Fire (Alex Cross, #17) 
byJames Patterson (Goodreads Author)

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Edmond Gagnon‘s review

May 19, 2019  
This was not my favorite Alex Cross story by any means…I’d have to go with Kiss the Girls or Along came a spider. Not to say Cross Fire is not a good novel. It was a good rainy weekend read. Maybe I like the other stories because Cross’ family wasn’t dragged into the plot so much…too familiar of a psych-thriller tale, where the protagonists family is targeted or threatened.
As far as this story goes, it moved well with lots of action to keep me turning pages and even chapters, since Patterson likes to keep them to two or three pages. The plot revolves around one particular serial killer but subplots and other serial killers make the read a bit more complicated, but fun.

Die Trying – Lee Child

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die tryingDie Trying (Jack Reacher, #2) 
by

Lee Child (Goodreads Author)

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Edmond Gagnon‘s review

Feb 23, 2019  

 

I’ve read several of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher novels now and I can easily say this was my least favorite. It wasn’t anything in particular that stopped me from a better review and adding a star to the rating. I guess it comes down to personal taste and this story didn’t have the right flavor for me. It’s only the 2nd book in the Reacher series so perhaps it didn’t contain the ingredients I usually find palatable in Child’s writing.
The story is descent, with good characters, but the plot seemed too familiar, maybe lacking enough spice to make a great dish. It was an entertaining read that I ripped through quickly, but only because I had nothing better to do.

Origin – Dan Brown

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originOrigin (Robert Langdon, #5) 
by Dan Brown (Goodreads Author)

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Edmond Gagnon‘s review

Feb 21, 2019  

 

I generally liked this novel and was leaning toward a fourth star, but I think it fell short of the great stories that preceded this Robert Langdon novel. As usual, Dan Brown weaves an interesting tale of intrigue, but he added a bit too much fluff and back story for my liking. His detailed descriptions of religious sites and places in Spain gave me the impression I was reading from a Wikipedia post or even a travelogue.
The plot was good and the author keeps you guessing for more than half the novel. It didn’t move as quick as other Langdon stories, but as usual the story and characters were realistic, making for a good read.

Hide and Seek – James Patterson

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hide n seek

Hide and Seek 
by James Patterson (Goodreads Author)

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Edmond Gagnon‘s review

Feb 06, 2019  

 

It was nice to read a novel that was actually written by Patterson himself, before he started publishing underlings with cookie-cutter stories. I’d forgotten that the man can weave a good tale.
Hide and Seek is a murder/mystery story that moves along at a good pace with plenty of twists and turns to keep you interested.
The different points of view bring you closer to the characters and let you inside ‘their’ story.
I liked the main character and it was easy to root for her throughout the book, whether she was guilty or not.
Hide and Seek is a good book and easy read.

The Secret Servant – Daniel Silva

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secret sevantThe Secret Servant (Gabriel Allon, #7)

Daniel Silva

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Edmond Gagnon‘s review

Sep 14, 2018  
I’ve read a few of Daniel Silva’s novels now, and I’ve become a fan of his spy thrillers and Israeli Intelligence character Gabriel Allon. The stories are action-packed, and take us to different countries around the world. Most plots revolve around terrorism.
The Secret Servant has the Mossad and the CIA working together to hunt down bad guys and kidnappers in Amsterdam and London, England. I like how Silva’s main character relies on his support team to get things done, unlike the superhero characters of some novels.
The stories in this series are fictitious, but right on the mark with it’s tales of terror before and after 911. Allon is infamous hunting down and executing the Islamic terrorists who were responsible for Black September, the massacre at the Munich Olympics.
The story’s pace is quick and it keeps the reader flipping to the next page.

Mission Impossible – Fallout

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missionWhat can I say, I’ve been a fan of Mission Impossible since Tom Cruise was kindergarten. And as much as times and television and movies have changed over the years, I love how the producers have kept the same theme and music and gimmicks. Yes, one CIA character in the new movie even refers to the Halloween masks that the IMF uses to pull off their impossible missions.

Continue reading “Mission Impossible – Fallout” →

The Equalizer 2

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equalizerWho doesn’t like Denzel Washington? I can think of one or two of his movies I didn’t like, but can’t think of one that I didn’t like him in. Many of us complain about sequels, like I just did with Jurassic World, but it’s hard not to cheer for vigilantes like Denzel’s Equalizer character.

As The Equalizer he has no problem taking on the roll of action hero. Cathryn doesn’t usually go for the shoot-em-up flicks, but she wanted to see this one and was glad she did. It was no surprise to me that they made a sequel to the first movie since they teased us with the option at the end.

Continue reading “The Equalizer 2” →

Extreme Measures – Vince Flynn

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extreme measuresExtreme Measures (Mitch Rapp, #11) 
byVince Flynn

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Edmond Gagnon‘s review

Jun 05, 2018  

 

This was the first Vince Flynn novel I read and have to admit it was pretty good. In some ways, as a political thriller, it was too predictable, but realistically I think it accurately portrayed the terrorist versus constitutional rights issues America is faced with today.
The characters too may be predictable, but the author easily gets the reader to cheer for the good guy, resent his adversaries, and want to wipe the bad guys off the face of the earth.
Extreme Measures is a fast-paced spy thriller that will easily keep you flipping pages.

The Murder House – James Patterson/ David Ellis

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23717678._SY475_The Murder House by James Patterson (Goodreads Author), David Ellis

Edmond Gagnon‘s review

May 24, 2018
Every once in a while I pick up a James Patterson book somewhere, mostly to check out what he and his stable of writers are up to. It’s not hard to find one, according to the Washington Post his publisher says that Patterson’s name is on the cover of one in every twenty-one books sold in the U.S.
Gee, I’d be happy having my name on the cover of one in every hundred thousand.The Murder House is a good story. It’s characters are easy to love and hate. They play off each other well, giving the plot plenty of suspense. I made the mistake of putting the book down for a couple months, and I’d forgotten what was going on, but it was easy to get back into and I wasn’t disappointed that I picked it back up. It’s good read with a respectable pace.

The Target – David Baldacci

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targetThe Target (Will Robie, #3) 
by David Baldacci (Goodreads Author)

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Edmond Gagnon‘s review

Mar 27, 2018  ·

 

I haven’t read a lot of Baldacci, but I can say this book was my least favorite so far. The two protagonists were cookie-cutter type American super spies who save the world with their every breath. I felt the story steered too far away from the main plot with the introduction of sub-plots that really didn’t add much depth to the overall story.
In my opinion the author went overboard in describing the miserable life the antagonist had in a North Korean prison. I’m not squeamish by any means, I just tired of the to-numerous descriptions of human torture and degradation.
The story moves along quickly and is not a bad read, if you’re into a mindless thriller.