Customer Reviews

The End of Enemies (Briggs Tanner Novels)

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As a wannabe, I was thrilled to read about local writer Grant Blackwood's new book, The End of Enemies, in our hometown newspaper. I arrived early for the first noted book signing and was pleasantly surprised when Mr. Blackwood took several minutes to discuss the making of his book. I whizzed through the first two chapters before deciding the autographed paper back was too precious to render dog-eared and immediately placed an Internet order for a second, "expendable" copy. The End of Enemies is more than just a great story; it is a first novel by a master storyteller. While some have compared the work to James Bond stories, I found Mr. Blackwood's vast application of real world knowledge and his ability to spin a complex web and then bring it all neatly together more similar to the writing of Tom Clancy. Several chapters into the story-which switches settings and characters at breakneck speed-I forced myself to consider whether I truly understood the many pieces/parts. The answer was a resounding YES! The End of Enemies is written so well that it pushes reading speeds to new heights yet loses not a scintilla of comprehension. Though the frequent use of acronyms was a bit confusing at first, I quickly realized the modern world operates within a sea of abbreviations and that to fully spell out each term would inject an unnatural feeling, especially to dialogue. Bottom line: The End of Enemies is a terrific book and I heartily recommend it to all readers (PG13 and above, that is.) Gifted new writers don't surface often, and my only fear is that Grant Blackwood's talent could easily be overlooked in the light speed flow of new releases ... So, read the book and spread the word so that we may enjoy many, many more Grant Blackwood novels!

Blackwood masterfully mixes fast paced adventure and cliff hanger chapters with full character development that will keep the reader engaged throughout the book. Tanner and Stucky are fully developed and diametrically opposed characters who are sure to clash at every turn.

Blackwood puts in enough naval and intel detail to keep fans of Clancy and Cussler on thier toes while his story and character development stand on their own merits.

I'm a huge fan of John Sanford's "Prey" series and read this book and Sanford's latest in the same week...I'll be waiting just as eagerly for the next Blackwood as I will for the next Sanford!

I had the opportunity to read an advanced copy of The End of Enemies. I'd never read a book of this genre before, and was initially quite intimidated by the scope of the plot. I had nothing to fear. The End of Enemies is a fast-paced adventure with enough twists and turns that kept me turning the pages; even some of the more technical aspects of the book didn't slow me down. Threads of the plot weave together to form a tight story from start to finish. No questions are left unanswered, and there are no unnecessary side plots. The dialogue is natural and unforced. There is no gratuitous violence.

There are several characters integral to the story, yet each one has a distinctly separate persona. I didn't confuse characters since I did not find them cut from the same cloth. Money and power, of course, drive the villains. Yet even the villains have more substance to them than your average bad guy. They aren't evil simply to be evil. There are real and believable driving forces beneath their actions.

And Briggs Tanner isn't a hero simply to be a hero. He does what he does because of an inherently curious nature and a pulsing desire to uncover the truth, even if it puts his own well-being in danger. He's not afraid to put himself out there to protect the lives of those he cares about or the lives of innocent people caught in the crossfire. One could say these things about many fictional heroes, but I find Briggs Tanner to be a multi-dimensional character with fears, self-doubt and an intense loyalty to himself and those he knows he can trust. I look forward to learning more about him in upcoming novels. There is much we do not know about Briggs Tanner, and the author has merely scraped the surface.

The End of Enemies will entertain you with a gradually escalating plot that puts you in the action. If you read any books this summer, this is the one to read!

What can I say? The End of Enemies is the kind of suspense-thriller that I
love to find, but so rarely do these days. It grabbed me from the first
page and never let go. Fun, action, intrigue, espionage, heroes, villians,
traitors.... It was all there!

I especially enjoyed Blackwood's deft interweaving of character- and
plot-lines and the "insider knowledge" sprinkled throughout the book, as
well as all the exotic locales the reader is taken to. I felt like I was
living a real adventure -- not just reading another canned storyline with
characters that have nothing invested in what's going on.

If suspense-thrillers are your kind of book (and even if they're not, you
may be surprised by how much you enjoy it), try The End of Enemies. I
wasn't disappointed and I don't think you will be either.

PS -- According to Amazon, Blackwood's next one, The Wall of Night, is due
this month sometime. I'm ready!

Mr. Cussler's cover quote says it all: The End of Enemies is pure fun, pure adventure!

I picked up this book Friday evening and couldn't put it down all weekend. In fact, that's my only complaint: I lost some sleep because I couldn't tear myself away from it.

Suspense, action, intrigue, espionage, globe-trotting adventure, and great characters--including the main guy, Briggs Tanner, who's a real hero's hero--The End of Enemies has got it all. Heck, it's even got a fair amount of mystery for those of you who like your mysteries with a dose of adventure.

If you like Cussler, Clancy, Wilbur Smith, Frederick Forsyth, Robert Ludlum, and all the other biggies, The End of Enemies is right up your alley. i highly recommend it. And the ending... Well, let's just say I don't think I took a full breath until the very last page!

Only one question: When's Blackwood's next novel? I can't wait!

As I said in my review of Blackwood's second book (Wall of Night, which I read first), I generally don't go for suspense-thrillers, but neither The End of Enemies nor The Wall of Night are ordinary suspense-thrillers. My husband, who does read a lot of these kinds of books, agrees wholeheartedly.

If I had a spot on bookshelf devoted solely to "books I couldn't put down", both these books would be the first ones there!

Chapter one of The End of Enemies starts out with Blackwood's hero, Briggs Tanner, vacationing in Japan where he witnesses a murder. Once involved in finding out the who/what/why of the crime, Tanner finds himself neck deep in a deftly woven plot that takes him to Alaska, to a mysterious island in the Pacific, and finally to war-torn Beirut.

One thing that I especially liked was that the action and adventure wasn't gratuitous -- everything in the story belonged there, instead of being "planted" simply to add thrills. Every piece -- from characters to sub-plots - fit into the larger whole. I really like that in books, and too often find it lacking.

The verdict on The End of Enemies? 10 stars if I could! Great action and intrigue, fun and compelling characters, and a plot that pushes you ahead to the final page and a great finish.

If you want an exceptional read pick up this book!

The prologue piques your interest from the start. The last paragraph throws out the challenge to read the book and find out what an event in 1945 has to do with the present time. I took up the challenge and soon found myself immersed in interesting details provided by the author to help me enjoy his book and its characters. The story is superbly interwoven and I soon found I couldn't wait for my next opportunity to pick it up again. I finally couldn't stand the suspense so I pulled an all nighter to finish it. I wasn't disappointed. I haven't enjoyed a book this much in a long time. I can't wait for the next book to come out.

After reading this outstanding book I hope that Grant Blackwood writes many more books. This book was very impressive. The main character in this book was also outstanding. Briggs Tanner is the hero of the future. I also hope he is in the next Blackwood book. This book can be truthfully described as a page turner.It starts out with a bang and never lets up.The action in this book takes you all over the world.You go to Japan,Israel,the United States and well as deep sea diving in the Pacific Ocean.You have a Japanese billionaire,radical Palestenians,as well as bad Americans. The author manages to combine all of these forces to make one exciting book. The secret on the floor of the Pacific Ocean is a very original idea. The ending of this book is also very good. Read this book. You will be delighted.

Listening to the recommendations of some friends, I took a break from fantasy and tried out Mr. Blackwood. He now has a new dedicated fan :)

My only complaint is that he is a little too good at keeping the reader's attention. Never, and I mean NEVER, read "just a chapter or two..." before you go to sleep, trust me on this one.

Blackwood's work is reminiscent of Clancy's best work (i.e. the stuff he used to write years ago). Like the old Clancy, the author has a talent for keeping a mindboggling number of subplots up and running full speed ahead in a literate style so often missing from books of this genre. If Blackwood can maintain this level of writing through the books that are sure to follow (most of them likely starring "End of Enemies'" hero, Briggs Tanner), he'll own a spot (right next to Ralph Peters) at the top of the military techno-thriller honor roll for years to come. "The End of Enemies" was a enjoyable rollercoaster of a read from beginning to end.