Customer Reviews

Blowback: A Thriller

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Brad Thor's "Blowback" is an action-packed spy thriller about the complex world of international terrorism, biological warfare, religious fanaticism, and political corruption. The macho hero is Scot Harvath, a former SEAL who works for the Office of International Investigative Assistance in the Department of Homeland Security. He has repeatedly sacrificed his personal happiness and peace of mind in order to serve his country. Scott's archenemy is Khalid Sheik Alomari, a high-ranking al-Qaeda operative and ruthless assassin. Alomari has been traveling around the world killing Muslim scientists who may have unlocked the key to a devastating super weapon.

This scenario plays out against the background of a vicious power struggle between an ambitious Democratic senator named Helen Carmichael and Republican President Jack Rutledge. Carmichael will do anything to unseat the popular president, and she has been secretly compiling damaging information about Rutledge in order to turn public opinion against him. Scott Harvath soon becomes Carmichael's pawn in her scheme to destroy President Rutledge.

"Blowback" is timely story that is "ripped from the headlines," with references to people and organizations that we read about in the news every day. Brad Thor provides well-researched and detailed background information about the Muslim world, and he explores the many ways in which the United States is battling the terrorist threat posed by radical fundamentalists. Scot Harvath's courage, knowledge of weaponry, and unerring instincts make him a worthy and appealing hero, and for a change, the author doesn't provide his protagonist with a love interest to distract him from his duties. Although Scot does have a beautiful and brainy partner, a molecular biologist named Dr. Jillian Alcott, his relationship with her is strictly platonic. Jillian provides the scientific expertise that Scot needs in order to fight a terrifying biological weapon that may soon be unleashed against the United States.

At over four hundred pages, this novel is a bit too long. However, Thor keeps the narrative from dragging by shifting rapidly between characters in far-flung locales, such as France, England, Cyprus, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, and Washington, D. C. You may need a scorecard to keep tabs on who is doing what to whom and why. However, "Blowback" packs an undeniable wallop, especially in light of the very real dangers that we face in today's frightening and unpredictable world.

This is a book that most readers will find unsettling. Not so much for the terrific story contained within, but more for the history lesson the reader receives about the Saudi Royal family, the tenuousness of the world's oil supply, and the danger posed to the non-Muslim world by the Wahhabis, the radical Muslim movement from which all modern Islamic terrorisim has sprung. We can hope and pray that there are many Scot Harvaths out there doing the work of defending us from the plots and plans of the radical Muslims, but no one should be sanguine that the threat is not real and the situation is not truly dangerous.

Brad Thor weaves a chilling tale involving the release of a disease which can cause a pandemic in the non-Muslim world with its roots in the crossing of the Alps by Hannibal hundreds of years ago. There is no need for a suspension of belief in reading this book as the author lays out his case very well and convincingly.

This book is hard to put down and the world situation it describes will give you some sleepless nights, however you owe it to yourself to read and learn from one of the masters of this genre.

Brad Thor has continued to amaze me with his wonderful International thrillers. Filled with intrigue and suspense that puts him at the top of my 'must read' list. His well researched novels, this time around, includes Hannibal's crossing of the Alps, some history of bio-chemical warfare, the divide between Muslims two major groups and much more. With all this, you get a great adventure to boot. Doesn't get much better than this for great entertainment.

Highly Recommended.

This is the genre of story I usually prefer and since Brad Thor has been touted by well-known authors such as Dan Brown as being hot stuff, I was expecting a great deal in this latest book. As I got into the story I had a vague feeling of deja vu nagging at me until I realized that this was at best a clone of other stories by writers who have made a mark in this genre, most notably Vince Flynn. I had a hard time remembering that this hero was named Scot(sic) Harvath and not Mitch Rapp. Both are ex-military deadly covert ops experts, both speak Arabic and both secretly work for the President. Each is apparently the only man in the universe who can accomplish the task of capturing and/or killing the al-Qaeda-related terrorist bad guys while almost romancing a beautiful companion whom they drag, unprofessionally, along into the most dangerous situations ever conceived. And then there's the usual Washington D.C. intrigue and back-stabbing liberal Democrats to deal with. The nemesis on the political front is a bitchy woman senator of high ambition and lacking a moral compass whose husband chases skirts while she plots dastardly political maneuvers. Her name is Helen Carmichael. Do the initials seem familiar?
In any event, the book is not bad, but I found it rather tedious in places, such as two and a half chapters devoted to dialogue between scientists and Harvath about Hannibal. No, not Hannibal the Cannibal, but the guy who crossed the alps on Dumbo and his cousins. This story is an action-adventure, but every so often Thor drifts into the professorial lecturing mode and seems to think we all need a text book review of historical facts about Islam, Hannibal, heraldry, biology, etc. Other than making the book about two hundred pages too long, it was well written and the plot was fairly imaginative in places. I would be more impressed with the plethora of post 9-11 terrorist-fighting books if they had some more original facets and plot twists. The benchmark for this type of book in my opinion, was Arabian Assignment, which came out two months before that fateful attack on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. Back then, very few people had any idea who bin-Laden or al-Qaeda were. If you like authors Brown, Clancy, Flynn, or Carpenter, then you probably will like Thor and enjoy reading this book more than this critic, who admittedly is becoming somewhat jaded.
- Barker Reviews

If you like your thrillers in the form of international espionage then Brad Thor's latest book may be the next good read for you. If waiting a year or more, is too long a time for you to learn how Dirk Pitt has saved the whole world from destruction yet again, then Brad Thor has a larger than life hero who might be just the intermediate fix you need! Welcome Scot Harvath!

Like all good thrillers, in Blowback Thor gives us a hero (protagonist) with a serious problem. This would be Scot Harvath, ex-seal, ex-secret service agent, and intrepid patriot. You don't have to wait long to figure out what the problem is, the actions starts in the first couple pages of the book, and the problem is not limited to just one big problem, there are all sorts of tangential issues to worry about as well. And again, like all good thrillers, the more our hero tries to solve the problem the worse the problem becomes. Harvath has all the skills and talents you would expect from someone with his background, but incredibly as soon as one bad guy gets eliminated, we learn that he was just a front for another much "badder" guy.

Blowback has Harvath in search of an evil genius who has figured out how to spread a plague around the world that will kill all but the most faithful Islamic extremists. While good guy Harvath has a lot of allies (no surprise, he teams up with a really smart, great looking woman), time is certainly working against him. As the story races to the big confrontation you will be treated to spectacular scenery, impregnable fortresses, lots of destruction, and you definitely won't be disappointed with the conclusion.

Brad Thor makes great use of current events and many of the characters are real life people/politicians with their names changed (presumably to protect the innocent). Thor serves up a great rendition of Hillary Rodham Clinton Rodham. Of course "great" really depends on which side of the fence you sit! In the end Brad Thor ties up all the lose ends and leaves the reader satisfied but anxious for the next story! It is just fiction, but escapist fiction in the most enjoyable sense.

Highest recommendation for captivating, up all night reading.

Blowback is a great book for an airplane, which is where I picked it up. Thor is good at drawing pictures for you, which makes for a very engaging read. It also went fast, and was really addictive. This is one of the first books in this genre I've read, and it reminded me of the TV series 24, which I love. A great summer read, too!

I just finished reading this book and WOW! What a great story! I've read the three previous Harvath books and this one was the best so far. I really loved the story line and the historical info that went into the parts about Hannibal's weapon. I could not put this book down and knocked it out in less than a week! I can't wait to crack open "Takedown".

I don't see what all the hoopla is about in some of the lower reviews. These reviews sound like bitter liberals with an agenda in trying to refelect negativity on Mr. Thor. Yes, the book is highly anti-Muslim... Yes, the Senator bears striking similarities to Hillary Clinton... and YES, Harvath is borderline super-human. IT'S CALLED FICTION PEOPLE!!! If you want something more believeable and less right-wing, why don't you go re-read "The Audacity of Hope" for the one hundreth time. So what if this book leans hard to the right? Does the left not publish similar material? I think we all know the answer to that question. These 1 and 2 star reviews are typical liberal whining when things don't go their way. Brad Thor has written a great book, and even the liberal organization NPR listed it as one of the top 100 thrillers of all time. At least NPR is fair enough to recognize a great book and see past the politics and realize IT'S FICTION! Good job NPR!

Keep up the great work Mr. Thor!

I have enjoyed Thor's other books, Lions of Lucerne and State of Union but this was not up to that level in storyline or realism. I looked forward to finishing it so I could begin another book. It was at times a burden to pick up. But I will give Thor another chance, I have Takedown to read and I am optimistic it will be better.

In this adventure, hero Scot Harvath travels around much of the world following leads to stop a terrorist plot. While there is quite a bit of action, this book has more investigation and mystery to it than thriller. Also thrown in is a female professor who can keep up with Scot as he climbs treacherous mountain passes, rappels into ice ravines, and even kills bad guys. A pretty fun way to spend a few hours of reading, that can also teach you about the history of al Queda, the Ottoman empire, Hannibal the Carthaginian, and rabies.

The novel starts off with some intriguing elements, and it kept me entertained enough to finish reading, but the overall experience was a disappointment.

The author misses some major chances to add much-needed suspense to the novel by making the bad guys all essentially pushovers. The coolest part of the story, as well as its biggest letdown, is the deadly weapon possessed by the enemy. The concept behind it is both interesting and terrifying at the same time - perfect for this genre. But then the author practically forgets about it to focus on mostly lackluster shootouts where the bad guys dodge a few bullets before predictably getting smoked. Had we seen the ultimate weapon get some more action (thereby keeping the pressure on), then perhaps the predictable parts would have had more of a page-turning appeal.

There were a few other issues that diminished the experience. The parts focusing on history and science were quite interesting, but didn't seem to blend in properly. The sideplot about the senator getting her comeuppence ended up having little value to the main plot, and felt like gratuitous liberal-bashing. The constant derogatory Muslim-bashing (" ... Mo(hammad) , Larry, and Curly ..." ) belittles the enemy in this book and further takes away from the sense of danger that should be present in a thriller.

Overall, the bad guys rolled over too easily, and after the first 200 pages out of more than 550, I felt little sense of the impending doom that the back cover promised.