Final Target [Hardcover]

Steven Gore (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2010

From San Francisco to London to Kiev, investigator Graham Gage is in a race against the FBI and Ukraine gangsters to solve an intricate stock swindle and arms deal in time to clear his friend’s name. Gage peels away the layers of the collapse of SatTek Industries in San Jose to find a plot that morphs into something bigger, something that will put the American military in the Middle East at risk. Weaving a carefully-layered tale of greed, money laundering, and European politics, author Steven Gore takes us, with wonderful dialogue and local description to London, Geneva, the Channel Islands, and finally - featuring 2 fabulous Ukrainian gangster characters - Kiev. A great cast of characters throughout the book, and a great twist at the end too!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Getting shot during his morning jog through San Francisco's posh Pacific Heights neighborhood may be one of attorney Jack Burch's lesser problems, as his best friend, cop-turned-PI Graham Gage, swiftly discovers in Gore's promising, Bourne-again debut. Among other problems Burch faces while he remains in intensive care are a violent robbery at his law office; pressure from Russian and Ukrainian gangsters steamed about a natural gas deal he just brokered; and rumors he might be the focus of a probe into fraud at a failed Silicon Valley defense contractor, SatTek. Within days, Gage and his gumshoes are chasing leads on three continents—and finding a toxic web of corruption, treachery, and dead ends. Gore, a former Bay Area private investigator, knows how to tell a compelling story, though the overly convoluted plot and uneven characterizations undercut the suspense toward the end. (May)
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Review

 

“An action-packed, debut thriller”    -–Phillip Margolin

 

STARRED REVIEW

“Drawing on his expertise as a private investigator, Gore has written an exciting debut thriller that will both educate and entertain the reader. With his command of storytelling and insider's knowledge, Gore can go up against Nelson DeMille and Daniel Silva and come out a contender.”    —Library  Journal  starred review

 

“Gore, a former Bay Area private investigator, knows how to tell a compelling story….”   –Publishers Weekly

 

“To save a beset friend, a San Francisco p.i. takes on American law enforcement, international capitalism and thugs from just about anywhere in Gore's accomplished debut….Gore has a deft way with one-liners, and in Gage, who views the world through eyes as cool as Sam Spade's, he has a keeper.”         —Kirkus Reviews

 

“First-novelist Gore, calling on his own experiences as a PI, creates in Gage an appealing  protagonist who does what he has to do, saying “If they ever get us, it’ll only be for something we didn’t  do.” First-rate action, tempered with humanity.”         — Booklist

 

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 250 pages
• Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press; 1 edition (May 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590587499
• ISBN-13: 978-1590587492
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.8 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,069,786 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Steven Gore is the author of the Graham Gage and Harlan Donnally thrillers and is a former private investigator in the San Francisco Bay Area. His novels draw on his investigations into organized crime, fraud, murder, money laundering, political corruption and drug, sex and arms trafficking throughout East, South and Southeast Asia, Western and Central Europe and the Americas. He has been honored for his investigative achievements, has been featured on 60 Minutes, and has lectured to attorney and investigator organizations on subjects ranging from police misconduct to the design of investigative databases. Visit his website at stevengore.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic can't put it down international thriller, February 26, 2010

By 

Diane (AZ, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Final Target (Mass Market Paperback)

Final Target

This first novel has all the ingredients of a literary gourmet meal. The complexity of the story line keeps the reader wanting more and the author keeps leading the reader down a path with bread crumbs spiked with twists and turns that keep rolling back on themselves. Like fly on a spider's web in the forest, I was caught in the intrigue, knowing I had no choice but succumb to the intricacies of the web. The 'bad guys' will fool you, the 'good guys' will inspire you and it is best to order take out, because you won't put it down until you are done.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Airplane Books with Wings A Character with Legs?, February 26, 2010

By 

LegalGal2013 (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Final Target (Mass Market Paperback)

I fly a lot; and until I bought a Kindle, I am sure my contributions to the thriller market kept more than a few authors in Scotch and cigarettes. Last week, I was going through MIA, and I lost my Kindle. Fortunately, they still have bookstores and authors like Steve Gore.

Final Target saved my trip. As I was battling the jet stream back to the Coast, Gore's prose was soaring through the stratosphere, above the turbulence of the usual airplane thriller. No returning Nazis, swarthy South American, or characters retired, or cashiered from the Alphabet soup of "secret" government service. Instead the book focuses on the adventures of a private investigator, Graham Gage, in his attempt to absolve his friend, an edge walking lawyer who the prosecutors think has jumped over the line.

The book is a cut above the usual thriller. The characters are believable and the background is intelligent, and I still kept turning the pages. Even the denouement did not depend upon a suspension of disbelief. In this day of Bernie Madoff and corporate criminality, Gore's constructions are entirely believable, as well as entertaining.

I was left with only one question. If the life of a private eye is so entertaining, why did Gore leave it go into writing? No matter how that riddle is answered, (is Gore just another elaborate pseudonym for James Frey?) the reader should just suspend disbelief, jump in and enjoy.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Final Target, February 26, 2010

By 

Cadshack (CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Final Target (Mass Market Paperback)

Steven Gore drew upon his years as a private investigator to present a great fictional story. As someone who has been in the investigation business for over 30 years I found Gore's presentation to be right on. He was able to weave a great thriller of a story while giving the reader a real insider's view of what it is like to be a private investigator.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading a book full of suspense and intrigue. I hope this will just be the first in a series of books for Gore.