Customer Reviews

The Fifth Profession

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

" The Fifth Profession " by David Morrell is a non stop page turner full of action and a twisting plot through out. The novel is about the adventure of two "Ronin" (bodygaurds) sworn to find the answer behind their nightmares. Savage is an ex American Navy Seal who is a professional bodyguard who takes high risk jobs. He specializes in security, hand to hand combat, and weaponrey. Akira who is also a Ronin is a brilliant Japaness who is a master of samuria and protection. Both men are subject to a shocking event when they meet for the first time on a job. Months later they suprisingly meet each other again and embark on a journey to find out what or who pulled them through hell and back. This book takes you from the streets of New York to Japan, this mystery is full of intrigue and great action. Thought you don't learn any morals from reading this book you learn alot about Japaness folklore and culture. A must read for any adventure/mystery reader.

The first David Morrell books that I read years ago absolutely enthralled me. "The Fraternity of the Stone" and "The Brotherhood of the Rose" blended action with logic (the reader knows the logic that the protagonist is using to make each move) and threw in touches of Western and Eastern spirituality. What a combination! Expecting the same quality of books, I recently read some of Morrell's newer books. Wow...was I disappointed! It seemed that Morrell had gone the way of Sidney Sheldon and some other talented writers. Producing quality books had given way to cranking out manuscripts as quickly as possible. "The Fifth Profession" represents some of Morrell's best writing. Most readers who enjoyed "The Fraternity of the Stone" and "The Brotherhood of the Rose" will love this one.

"The Fifth Profession" by David Morrell is an intriguing tale of two bodyguards stuck with "false memories". They both believe they saw something traumatic, but find that item after item in their recollections did not actually happen. I've run a feudal Japan newsletter for over 10 years, so my main interest in this story was with the Japanese samurai tradition covered, as well as the bodyguard ethics.

The main teller of the story is American, but his counterpart is Japanese, and there are many interesting aspects to his personality and background. Part of the story takes place in Japan, in various areas of both city and country. The bodyguard was trained by a skilled ninja-type (of course) and the descriptions of their fighting style are also intriguing.

The narrative examines the background of Japan as the plot wends its way here and there. Readers learn various stories such as the 47 ronin, and backgrounds of the tea ceremony, zen gardening, bushido, and more.

While this book is not really meant to teach about Japan, the writer did a good job of researching his topic and slips much of the information in as casual background to the story.

If you can accept some of the plot holes at the end of the story, and don't worry very much about details that do not quite match up, this is a very enjoyable book!

I've read several of Morrell's books and have become quite a fan. While I've gradually given up the thriller novels, I still like to read Morrell for his clever plots and skilled writing. This book, however, was a severe disappointment. Sure, the plot was decent, if a bit more far-fetched than Morrell tends to be.

My biggest problem was the dialogue. Morrell is too talented of a writer to let him off the hook for this. None of the dialogue is natural. Rather than describe things in the narrative, he uses the dialogue. It was painful to read.

Check out Brotherhood of the Rose and Fraternity of the Stone, two of his best.

Morrell delivers yet again with his knockout which plunges the reader into a gigantic labyrinth of switchbacks as we are introduced to the characters, their lives, their countries, and their cultures. Breathless!

This book was full of action and suspense. I just couldn't put it down. After reading it, I went back and reread my favorite parts. The author did an outstanding job of keeping my attention and wrote a great story. I recommend it to anyone who likes books with action and a strong plot.

This story masterfully mixes the Secret Agent genre that we all know with the conventions and complexities of the Samurai. Make no mistake, the story is set in present day and is an action-thriller as well!

The characterization is so believable that as a reader, I began thinking ahead to figure out the puzzle and way out of the circumstances for the characters, as if I was an actual participant. The story is that immersive and Morrell's craft is that is that skilled. He pulls you in, and once in, you are in for a great ride; like an E-ticket at Disneyland!

If you have any interest in espionage, executive protection, Japanese culture, honor, action or on-the-edge-of-your-seat storytelling, this is the novel for you.

The Opening gets you hooked. As the plot unfolds, the reader has so many questions, it's amazing to think they're all going to eventually be answered. The end brings the answers, but a little too sudden, fast , and furious. Less development of the chase scenes and more clues to the ending would have made the climactic scene much easier (and more interesting) to discover.

To date this is Morrell's best selling book, but not my favorite. With Morrell you become used to certain things....tradecraft, intrigue, a highly-skilled operative with a beautiful woman around him, etc.. This one is no different! This story follows Savage, an executive protector and ex-Navy SEAL. He is sent to rescue Rachel Stone, sister of a retired movie star and wife of a wealthy industrialist, who is raped and held hostage at their estate. On that mission, Savage crosses paths with Akira, a Japanese executive protector that Savage was assigned with six months prior...under strange circumstances. The three are then pulled into an adventure to get them answers to their question, a quest that eventually leads to Japan. This is a non-stop thriller that will shock you until the end. It's without question recommended.

What an outstanding book. I read this book a number of years ago and decided recently to read it again. Reading this book again, reaffirms why I read books written by David Morrell. If you love action, suspence and a thrilling twist at the end, this book is for you. The reason I like this book is because David Morrell has the ability to describe details in such away you feel like you are there. This detail is written in such a way that is does not detract from the book. The two main characters in this book are experts in executive protection and live on opposite sides of the world. They are drawn together by a set of circumstances which will stop you from putting the book down. It ends with a twist which blows you away and I guarentee if you don't currently read David Morrell books after this you will be thirsty for more.