First Commandment [Paperback]

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Pocket Books; First Trade edition (2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416558896
• ISBN-13: 978-1416558897
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (92 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,750,691 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brad Thor raises the adrenalin with this terrific thriller., August 11, 2007

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The First Commandment: A Thriller (Hardcover)

President Jack Rutledge authorizes a deal with terrorists. Although the American government leaders always insist they will never negotiate with terrorists even for the release of hostages, he secretly releases five hardcore known terrorists locked away at Guantomino as part of a deal to protect at risk children. In fairness his advisors told them they can keep this quintet under control with monitoring of the isotope they put in the blood of these killers.

The President's advisors missed another slammed dunk when they lose sight of the fearsome five. Just under six months later, an assassin shoots Homeland Security agent Scot Harvath's girlfriend Tracy Hastings (see TAKEDOWN), leaving her comatose and he furious as isotopic blood is found at the crime scene. Soon afterward, his mother is attacked by locusts and some friends of Harvath murdered. He knows someone is coming for him, through his loved ones. Harvath begins to make inquiries, but is told to stay out of it. Even before these incidents he knew the leadership saw him as an expendable renegade so he ignores the order to take no action against the person methodically destroying his loved ones.

TAKEDOWN is an exciting action-packed frightening thriller; THE FIRST COMMANDMENT is as exhilarating and action-packed, but even more frightening as the plausibility of the plot will not be questioned. Harvath is at his anguished best in this often violent tale as he is ordered to do nothing although his counter terrorist instincts are screaming to go on the offense. The return of several characters from previous books enhances the feel of the long term concept of the war against terrorism as Brad Thor raises the adrenalin with this terrific thriller.

Harriet Klausner

23 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not to be Missed!!!, August 30, 2007

By 

John R. Linnell (New Gloucester, ME United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The First Commandment: A Thriller (Hardcover)

Brad Thor is one of the best. Right up there with Vince Flynn for writing topical thrillers that entertain and educate, this may be the most tightly written of his six novels that it has been my pleasure to read. The protagonist of these books is Scot Harvath a former Navy SEAL and Homeland Scurity operative.

This book picks up where the last one, "Takedown" leaves off. At the end of that book, Scot Harvath's girlfriend Tracy steps out on the porch of his home and is felled by an assassin's bullet which is just enough off target to spare her life, but serious enough to put her in a coma and on a ventilator.

Harvath does not realize it at the time, but that attack on Tracy is the first of several that are planned for people close to Harvath. Who is carrying out the attacks, who is planning them and why consumes not only Harvath, but the reader as events unfold. Someone appears bent on revenge, but for what?

It is a large onion that Harvath must peel his way through to get to the answers and telling you more than that could spoil the masterful writing effort that Thor has offered for our reading enjoyment.

Do not pass this one by.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not a bad thriller, not the best, September 5, 2010

By 

Bella GW (Seattle) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The First Commandment: A Thriller (Paperback)

Anyone looking for a decent intelligence-agent thriller should check out some of Brad Thor's books, but I'm not sure this would be his best. I think Lions of Lucerne was better. The ideas were solid, but not overally original, and it's hard not to get the feeling that a lot of the action is loaded with political messages shoved down reader's throats.