Customer Reviews

The Expediter (A Kirk McGarvey Novel)

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Does Kirk McGarvey ever sleep?
David Hagberg gets better with each new suspense novel. Able to keep his characters growing and energetic, The Expediter is simply a well written thriller that will hold your enthusiasm throughout the hectic worldwide pace. Although in his fifties and a little long in the tooth, protagonist Kirk McGarvey is able to maintain a solid presence and keep the action driving forward without a moments rest. How does he do it? Must use a lot of Viagra and V8 because he expends prodigious amount of energy in this top notch thriller.
The story centers on who and why did 2 South Korean ex-special forces snipers posing as North Korean police kill a high ranking Chinese general in Pyongyang, North Korea. The mysterious killing creates extreme tensions between China and North Korea that appears to be heading for all out nuclear war between not only them but the entire Far East. Enter the indomitable ex-Director of the CIA Kirk McGarvey, who is asked by a North Korean operative, with the approval of Dear Leader Kim Jong-Il, to convince China that North Korea had nothing to do with the assassination. And the story takes off at a dizzying pace, as the two Asian nations inch closer to nuclear war. Lots of action and interaction between good guys, bad guys, politicians, state leaders, family, friends, and whoever else Mr. Hagberg can throw into the bubbling international pot of intrigue.
Continued good character development both from the usual cast of Hagberg characters plus new plot characters. Excellent historical reference and associated development.
Some violence but not excessive. No gratuitous sex or language.
Hearty recommend if you like international suspense thrillers. Mr. Hagberg is a good solid writer who knows how to develop his characters and story to their fullest potential. From the excellent ending, there can be no doubt where the next Kirk McGarvey book is going. I just hope that Kirk is not too long in the tooth to take us there.

There are only so many sure bets in life...death, taxes and a David Hagberg thriller. 'The Expediter' is NO exception to Mr. Hagberg's impressive and growing collection of action/adventure novels. I've often said that Kirk McGarvey could wipe the floor with Jack Bauer, Indiana Jones, Dirk Pitt and any other number of action heroes--and do it smarter, too. This book only helped solidify my belief.

The way David Hagberg has an absolute CLEAR understanding of the world, it's leaders and potential/catastrophic possibilities we have/could/will face is absolutely weird. My first recollection of Osama Bin Laden was reading about him in 'Joshua's Hammer'...and man was that a hum dinger of a McGarvey tale! As of late, one of the main countries at the forefront of political unrest is North Korea, led by the difficult-to-define, Kim Jong (mentally) Il. You would think the LAST thing on anyone's mind is how do we help solve a potential world-class incident brewing between North Korea and China...however Mr. Hagberg once again rips a page out of a future edition of USA Today and tells us what MAY (or possibly WILL) happen if this type of situation sees the light of day (let us pray it never does).

Did North Korea plan and carry out an assassination of a Chinese General? And if not, WHO is responsible for this act and better yet, how can they prove it before a nuclear meltdown results between the two increasingly unstable countries? Getting Kirk to agree to this whole operation was some pretty good storytelling right there, but thankfully, Hagberg made the rest of the novel good as well.

What can I say that hasn't been said before about McGarvey? Without a doubt he is my #1 favorite action/adventure spy in print. I wonder just how much more Kirk can take, leading me to wonder how many more novels we'll get to see featuring him, but that's okay, I'm sure when Mr. Hagberg finally decides to lay him to rest his endless well of creativity will give us someone equally as entertaining to enjoy...although if I can be honest, I am NOT looking forward to it.

Long live Kirk McGarvey!

Another decent read from Hagberg but an "H&K MP3" room broom and a cell phone with a "dialtone"???

Hagbergs attention to detail is usually better than that. I know it's picky but from an author with this rep it cuts into his credibility. Makes you wonder if he has some ghost writers that are not as up to speed as he his. Or maybe its just an editing error. Still a fun read however.

This Hadberg book begins in Pyongyang in North Korea. An important
intelligence officer from China State General Ho Chang Li is to be picked
up at the Chinese embassy for a meeting with Kim Jong II. The General is
murdered by two assassins who are wearing North Korean police uniforms.
This assassination sends shock waves across the Orient. China blames
North Korea. Jong threatens to use nuclear weapons on China,South Korea
and Japan in the event of a war. Things are not looking good. Colonel
Pak Hae,State Security of North Korea makes a trip to the United States.
His destination is to visit Kirk McGarvey at his retirement home in
Florida. He asks McGarvey's help to prove that North Korea is not guilty
of assassinating the Chinese General. He wants to avert a war. McGarvey
agrees to help. He goes to North Korea where one of the assassins has been apprehended.He establishes the identities of the assassins. They are Huk Kim and Huk Soon. They are a husband and wife team who were former snipers in the South Korean Army. They are now professional assassins.
They were hired and sent on this mission by an expediter named Alexandar Turov a former general in the KGB. McGarvey begins trying to find out who has hired Turov to trigger this confrontation between China and North Korea. There is never a dull moment in this book. McGarvey also discovers that Turov has help in the CIA. There is an ending that guarantees a sequel. Be sure to read this.

This is a great book. David Hagberg is a real pro in this genre, and he's so much better than the other top tier American thriller authors like Vince Flynn or Brad Thor. Although he sometimes becomes a superhero, Kirk McGarvey is generally a down-to-earth character who is introspective, doubting and believable. Unlike the aforementioned authors' heroes, McGarvey also ages over time. Hagberg's subject matter is also much more varied than book after book of Islamic terrorists, while still staying current and relevant. And in this book, Hagberg takes us to the Korean Penninsula, as well as Japan.

A senior Chinese intelligence officer is assassinated in Pyongyang. His killers wear North Korean police uniforms. Facing international condemnation and reprisals, North Korea is backed into a corner and threatens to start launching nuclear missiles. A North Korean intelligence officer sneaks into the US and asks for the help of retired CIA director McGarvey to investigate and prove North Korea's innocence. McGarvey's investigation leads to a much bigger conspiracy than he imagined, one that extends to the US government. The characters of the North Korean investigators and intelligence people were also done really well, and it was really intersting seeing McGarvey operating within the repressive, isolated North Korean state.

Hagberg's great, and he really knows how to structure a thriller and build supsense. The Expediter is fast paced, with terse, detailed writing. It's a very quick, fun read.

Some storylines are left unresolved here. Hagberg continues the story in his new book, The Cabal.

When a confrontation between the Chinese government and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il over the assassination of an intelligence general escalates into nuclear threats, special agent Kirk McGarvey is enlisted to prove that North Korea did not authorize the hit.
McGarvey's no nonsense approach to solving problems is one of the reasons he's one of my favorite thriller characters, and David Hagberg brings him back in another taut and very satisfying thriller. From start to finish I really enjoyed this one.

In Pyongyang, top Chinese intelligence official General Ho Chang Li heads to a meeting with Kim Jong Il when two people wearing North Korean police officer uniforms assassinate him. The surveillance camera tapes catch the entire incident. The Chinese leaders are furious while the North Korean President strongly denies any ties to the deadly snipers. China prepares for war while Jong II threatens to nuke Beijing, Seoul, and Tokyo if the Chinese army takes one step into North Korea.

Meanwhile leveler heads hope to prevent a disaster. North Korean intelligence Colonel Pak Hae knows his nation did not kill Li, as he has captured one of the snipers who under a torturous interrogation confessed to working for the Russians. Still Hae needs help to fully prove no North Korean involvement so he travels to the Florida where former CIA Director Kirk McGarvey is a visiting professor. Stunned by the request to assist the enemy, McGarvey agrees to investigate.

Exciting and fast-paced from the opening assassination until the final confrontation, THE EXPEDITER is still a straight forward by the numbers espionage thriller. The action-packed story line grips the reader throughout, but offers few glimpses into North Korea (see James Church's Inspector O police procedurals) or China (Qiu Xialong's Inspector Chen police procedurals) for instance how leaders perceive their relationship. Nonetheless readers who appreciate action to the nth degree will enjoy David Hagberg's latest McGarvey's retirement adventure (see DANCE WITH THE DRAGON).

Harriet Klausner

Very well written. Keep your intrest throughout the entire book. Highly recmmended to any one that enjoys action mystery,s.

I've always been fascinated by North Korea, curious about the mysteries lying behind its heavily shrouded borders. David Hagberg rips open that screen in a most ingenious and captivating way. He takes you inside the very sanctums of Kim Il Jong, himself, seen first through the eyes of slinky assassins, then via the exploits of super-spy Kirk McGarvey--(a roguish and intriguing character). The tension is unrelenting, ratcheting toward a climax of global proportions. THE EXPEDITER is a truly unique and engaging story from an author at the top of his game.

This is my first Hagberg read, and found it to be a rather good international thriller...have recommended it to my friends.