Customer Reviews

Deadlock (John Hutchinson, Book 2)

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A year has passed since Hutch, Laura, and Dillon survived the attack on Fiddler Falls. Hutch returned to his life in Denver and Laura and Dillon to theirs. However, Hutch's life has not returned to normal. His obsession with tying Declan's father, Brendan Page, to the attacks and other atrocities has led to tension with his kids. When Laura and Dillon visit Hutch in Denver, the plans are to have a nice week of play, but those plans are quickly changed when Hutch is finally granted the interview with Page he's been seeking. Leaving his kids with Laura and Dillon, he follows his obsession to Washington and finds himself in the midst of a trap that endangers not only his life, but those of the ones he loves.

Deadfall was a rare thriller and in my top 15 all time favorite books. It was brilliantly written with characters that really deserved to be seen again. So, Deadlock was a much anticipated book, which did not disappoint.

Deadlock starts out slower than other Liparulo books. We're filled in on the events of Deadfall and caught up on what has been happening in everyone's lives. While this is a follow up book, if you haven't read Deadfall, that's not a problem. You're not going to be lost and there are only a couple of minor Deadfall spoilers. As with all of Liparulo's books, though, once the action starts, it's breathtakingly fast.

All the subplots in Deadlock work well together. A few I wish would have had more time spent on them. I loved Julian in Deadfall. He was and still continued to be a kid who held onto what was right in the midst of evil. While he has an important roll, I really wanted it to be a larger role. I also would have liked to have seen more of Michael. Again, he was there and he served a nice role, but I wanted a bigger role for him.

One part of the story that was awesome, was the training of the soldiers and the blurring of the line between game and reality. It painted a powerful picture of transforming boys to killers through the use of games. Great storyline, that in and of itself could have been a whole book.

Though I'm not sure this was Liparulo's intention, I could very easily see Page representing Satan. He actively searched for boys and he converted them to killers. He took them from their families, locked them away, and trained them to be what he wanted them to be. He fed them half-truths and retrained their minds to focus on the game, not the consequences of their actions. He was evil to the core. Not sure that was what Liparulo was going for, but Page was, without a doubt purely evil.

Aside from the action and a great story, Deadlock offers some insight into relationships--those with our kids, our friends, and workers. It highlights the struggles between our focus and what our focus should be.

Even though Deadlock is 450+ pages, I was not ready for it to end. It was a great story that could have went on for another 500 pages and I would have been happy to keep reading. I loved it and hope that maybe one day we'll see some of these characters again.

This book was hard to put down. Just when I thought I'd figured out what might happen next, I got another surprise. The villain was truly villainous, and he seemed unstoppable. Not only did he seem to be above the law, but his main nemesis was a financially struggling newspaper columnist named John Hutchinson who was trying to restore his relationship with his children after his divorce. The situation was further complicated by John's growing relationship with a young widow and her son, a family he had become attached to because they had faced and conquered a life-and-death emergency together. This broken man must bring down the villain while protecting his family. A thoroughly satisfying read, right to the last page.

This was a great book that I read in three days. A real paget turner that I had a hard time putting down. I don't wantt o give away the story but this is a must read. Great Plot, great characters. I was sorry that it was over

Then this book is for you. Think "First Blood", the first of the Rambo books and movies, pitting a good guy against a bad guy in a deadly game of wit and skills, with only the basic motivation for their conflict established at the start of the book and no further complications of story line to deal with.

If this were a computer game, it would be a "shooter" rather than a role-playing game.

Bad guy Page and good guy Hutch hate each other because Hutch is a reporter trying to expose the darker underside of Page's private military contracting business. There! I've even saved you from having to read the first ten pages.

Page kidnaps Hutch's son, and the battle is on!

The rest of the book, as I said, is simply "First Blood" set in another time and place.

I will give the book three stars, because even though I like an actual story line in my entertainment - I've never gone for plain "shoot-em-ups" like the "Transporter" movies, for example - Liparulo actually does a pretty good job of making this limited approach entertaining.

But if you want a book with more plot, you'll have to look elsewhere, like the Jack Reacher or Mitch Rapp novels.

Once again Robert Liparulo creates a wild ride that keeps you from your needed sleep. "Deadlock" is a lot of fun but very serious in it's portrayal of evil. The writing was good and straight-forward, the characters were an excellent continuation from "Deadfall". Read it in just three days which is very quick for me since I'm so busy. I loved the battle of brains and technology especially since I'm a fan of the bow. I don't think you'll have to read "Deadfall" to enjoy this book but I think it'll help. It's just as good and worth reading first.

Biblically there are no Christians again but there are some Biblical references which seemed a bit out-of-place, almost forced so that it could be considered a "Christian" novel. There were some good moral messages though... the importance of being a good, compassionate and caring father, one willing to give his life for the ones he loves. Good triumphing over evil. Brains over brawn. Common-sense over higher-education.

I did have one issue with the writing which is minor but annoyed me just the same. When a story is in an action scene I do not like it slowed-down by thought dialogue such as regrets of not being a good parent. Is that really necessary during a gun battle? There's plenty of other times when the subject can be brought up so leave it for the lulls. "Deadlock" did this way too much in my opinion.

If you haven't read either Deadfall or Deadlock I highly suggest ordering them both. I think you'll be happy you did.


1 Star = Pathetic
2 Stars = Fair
3 Stars = Good
4 Stars = Excellent
5 Stars = Life changing

John Hutchinson since surviving his ordeal in Canada ("Deadfall"), he has been investigating Outis Enterprises for their complicity in the incident.

John has become obsessed with the military contracting company that uses state of the art simulation to train soldiers. During a visit from Dillon and his mother Laura from the Canadian town that Hutch rescued, he is granted an interview with the CEO of Outis, Brendan Page.

Thus starts the adventure as Page tries to eliminate Hutch.

Liparulo writes a fast action thriller that does not stop. This is a real page turner.

Liparulo has become one of my favorite authors due to action stories from Deadfall to the Dreamhouse Kings Series. Put this author on the top of your reading list.

Deadlock continues the story of John "Hutch" Hutchinson from the first book in the series, Deadfall. Over a year earlier, Hutch and some friends had gone hunting in Canada when a rich, crazy man named Brendan Page took a small town hostage and brutally murdered several people with a satellite-based laser weapon prototype. Hutch, while trying to stop the maniacs, made friends with Laura and her son Dillon, a relationship that continues in Deadlock.

Now, Hutch is obsessed with bringing down Brendan Page and his private army. Outis Enterprises trains young men to be killing machines, and advanced technology turns gaming into a bloody reality. They must be stopped, but their reach is nearly unlimited and Hutch is treading on shaky ground.

After Laura and Dillon come to visit Hutch, things heat up when Hutch's son, Logan, is kidnapped from his home. Hutch races to find his son while avoiding Page's men, who are bent on murder.

Liparulo never lets up on the tension, creating ever-increasingly dangerous situations for his characters. All the while, he draws the reader in with glimpses into the characters' hearts. We see the fear and courage of children who have been dropped into an impossible situation. We see the power of friendship, the pitfalls of blind obedience, the danger of obsession, the pull of power, the sacrifice it takes to rescue another from sure destruction.

Deadlock is another winner in my book. I enjoyed it even more than Deadfall. Hopefully, Liparulo will continue this series and we can see what happens next in Hutch's life.

I admit it. When relaxing I look for books that won't tax my brain too much. You know, like summer blockbuter movies; somewhat predictable, but full of action. Deadlock is one of those books. This is the second book about journalist John Hutchinson. Like other books of this gnere, you miss something by not starting at the beginning. If I had to do it again, I would bring the 2007 first book "Deadfall" and read that before this one. It isn't really necessary. This book is big fun all by itself.

The story centers around John Hutchinson an idealistic reporter and military industrialist Brendan Page. Page is a villan straight out of Ian Fleming; brash, smart with take-over-the-world ambitions. We have a reporter who will dig until he gets the story and a bad guy that will stop at nothing. The book moves at breakneck speed. The dialogue is crisp and the action non-stop.

This is the kind of book I love to read on an airplane. I start before the doors close and before I know it, we are at the destination. Don't get me wrong, this isn't literature. You have to suspend disbelief and get yourself in a "James Bond" mood. If you like adventure, you are going to love this book.

Well put on your seat belt because you're about to go for a ride with Deadlock! Even though it follows Deadfall, this is certainly a stand-alone novel too. I haven't read Deadfall and I never felt lost. Actually, I liked Deadlock so much I jumped online and ordered Deadfall immediately!

John Hutchinson is a journalist who has been obsessing over Brendan Page's activities because he knows something is wrong but hasn't been able to prove it...yet. But when Page tries to give Hutch a lesson on staying out of his business things go horribly wrong. In an instant Hutch's whole world spirals out of control as he desperately tries to get his son back while keeping himself and others alive.

Hutch's obsession with Page had always kept him from his family but as Page tries to clean up the mess Hutch could loose his kids and his friend, Laura, and her son permanently. While Hutch is fighting for his life three states away Laura and the three children are fighting for theirs. How can a journalist, a lady and three children stand a chance against Page's high-tech, expertly trained soldiers and their military weapons?

I was glad this was a hardback because a poor little paperback would never hold up to me gripping it so tightly! Once the action starts it does - not - stop. When you think you are free to breathe again. You're wrong. Liparulo weaves one intense moment after another until you're begging for mercy. He has no mercy.

So as my eyes were bulging from my head and I was crouching on the tiniest corner of the couch, barely breathing, I refused to put it down. Kind of like a young child experiencing their first brain-freeze who won't stop eating the ice cream even though it's hurting them. I loved it!

If you're a fan of suspense run, don't walk, and get Deadlock. Try not to push children and old ladies out of the way in the process, though. And you might as well get Deadfall while you're at it because you'll end up making a second trip to get it anyway.

Warning: Pregnant women and people with heart conditions need to check with your doctor before reading this book. :)

I found it hard to put the book down. I usually read at night, but because the book was so enthralling, I read far longer than I usually do, and got yelled at by my better half to "go to sleep". Just how I was supposed to do that with my adrenaline running high I had no clue, so I went downstairs to continue reading. It was a very entertaining book and thoroughly plausible. It had enough plot twists to keep me guessing. As the story approached a logical conclusion, I kept wondering - if I'm at the end, how come there are a bunch of pages left to read. Turns out I was in for another nifty plot twist and a much better ending. Kudos to the author.

One note. I was confused in the first few chapters, and wasn't sure I liked the book. I'm glad I kept on reading, as I discovered I was supposed to be confused in the beginning, much like the characters.

I heartily recommend DEADLOCK.