Customer Reviews

Gone Too Far (Troubleshooters, Book 6)

5 star:		(74)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

I absolutely LOVE this series; otherwise, I NEVER would have even considered buying a hardcover. I prefer smaller paperback books, but Ms. Brockmann can be credited for providing such an interesting world within a fictional US SEAL Team that I couldn't possibly wait for the paperback! I had to know how the outcome of the cliff-hanger from the last book. I had to know how Sam was going to win Alyssa back, after following their nail-biting, teeth-grinding exploits throughout the other books in this series. I had to know how the investigation would end and whether Sam's estranged wife and beloved daughter were really dead in that house!

I'm happy to say Ms. Brockmann delivers on all those unanswered questions... once again providing a thrilling mystery interwoven with great characters and plenty of love. Old friends are revisited and new twists keep the pace going full throttle. And again, the flashbacks to a WWII romance are an added bonus. Thank goodness, Ms. Brockmann hasn't "Gone Too Far", but has plenty more stories of wonderful characters to tell. I now look forward to Max and Gina's story! But in the meantime, I'll reread the series start to finish... it's just that good! Worthy of keeping. For those who aren't familiar with the Ms. Brockmann's US SEALs... this team's tales are great stand-alone stories, but are even better as a series. Their stories are found in the following books (in order):

1. Unsung Hero about Lt Tom Paoletti
2. Defiant Hero about Lt JG John Nilsson
3. Over the Edge about Sr Chief Stan Wolchonok
4. Out of Control about SEAL Ken Karmody
5. Into the Night about Lt JG Mike Muldoon
6. Gone Too Far about Lt Roger "Sam" Starett

She does have another series of 11 books on a different sexy SEAL team, some of which are being republished too. These are shorter books, without the interwoven flashbacks of the newer series. They are, so far:
1. Prince Joe about Lt Joe "Cat" Catalanotto
2. Forever Blue about Lt C. "Blue" McCoy
3. Frisco's Kid about Lt Alan "Frisco" Francisco

and Night Watch (formerly published as Wild Wild Wes) about Chief Wes Skelly, which is coming in September 2003.

(There are nearly a dozen books in this older series, so only the few above are easily obtainable. Hopefully the rest will be released again too???!!!)

"Gone Too Far" is the much-anticipated story of Navy SEAL Roger "Sam" Starrett and FBI Agent Alyssa Locke, the secondary characters who were first introduced in Suzanne Brockmann's "The Unsung Hero", first of the SEAL Team Sixteen books. From the beginning, Brockmann was setting up her readers for a roller-coaster ride of emotions with two of her now most popular characters. Wreaking havoc on their personal feelings for each other, the professional paths of Sam and Alyssa continue to cross through each of Brockmann's SEAL Team Sixteen books. Their clashing relationship became intense and intimate for one night in "The Defiant Hero". Due to lack of communication and fear of their true feelings for each other, they try to put that intimate encounter behind them only to meet up again in "Over The Edge" and relive their passion. Just when a budding relationship was seemingly on the horizon, the unthinkable happens, putting an end to any further personal relationship that may have developed. A glimpse of Alyssa's turmoil is focused on in "Out of Control", when she runs into Sam when working with SEAL Team Sixteen again. "Into the Night" goes into further detail of Sam's miserable homelife. The latter two books try to show Sam and Alyssa trying to move on with their lives.

Now in "Gone Too Far" Sam and Alyssa's story is told. It begins several months after "Into the Night" ends with Sam driving across the country to finalize personal matters. He stumbles across a dead body in a Sarasota home and discovers his daughter is missing. As a possible suspect in the murder and impatient to wait around to have the FBI solve this case, he goes off on his own to find his daughter. Alyssa risks her professional career and personal feelings to help Sam. Along this journey, they discover that they have never gotten over each other and finally come to terms with their feelings towards each other. Cleverly interweaving storylines and references from her previous books, Brockmann creates a story filled with emotion and suspense. SEAL Team Sixteen's quick-response to the assasination attempt in "Into the Night" questioned and is brought a subplot in "Gone Too Far". The secondary subplots are Tom and Kelly (the main characters in "The Unsung Hero") and Max and Gina (hostage negotiator and hostage, respectively, in "Over the Edge"). There is also back-in-time subplot (a Brockmann trademark) that involves a WWII romance, which ties with Sam's past. In "Gone Too Far", Sam and Alyssa's childhoods are explained and the reader has an understanding of how it has shaped them into the adults they are today.

A good story on its own, it is highly recommended that the previous SEAL Team Sixteen books ("The Unsung Hero", "The Defiant Hero", "Over the Edge", "Out of Control", "Into the Night"), be read prior to further understand and appreciate the the trials and tribulations of the angst-ridden duo. Brockmann has spun a complex tale with different subplots all interweaving with each other. Sam Starrett and Alyssa Locke fans will not be disappointed.

For fans of Ms. Brockmann's U.S. Navy SEAL Team 16 series, this book has been a long time coming - 6 books in fact. And it is well worth the wait! For those lucky readers just now discovering Brockmann's thrilling blend of suspense, nail-biting action, steamy sexual encounters, and characters who jump off the page, don't worry. You should have little trouble following the action-packed plot. But BEWARE. Once you finish this satisfying read, you'll want to run out [or click and] buy all her other books - starting with Unsung Hero. Happy news...she's a prolific writer so you'll have lots of great stories to choose from.

Ms. Brockmann is a gifted storyteller. She weaves many seemingly unrelated plot threads together and builds incredibly strong secondary characters. Be prepared to care about Lt. Sam Starrett and FBI agent Alyssa Locke, to Lt. Commander Tom Paoletti, FBI agent Jules Cassidy and SO many more. As any long-time reader can attest...you may not like all her characters, but you won't be indifferent to any of them.

So do yourself a favor...read this book!

In this sixth entry in the SEAL Team Sixteen Troubleshooter series, we finally get a story centering on long suffering lovers Sam and Alyssa, who have held captured readers attentions throughout the series. Unfortunately, it is long and drawn out, and not what a lot of us were hoping for.

There's so much going on in the plot - too much in fact. Sam's grisly discovery of a body in his wife's house; his daughter is missing and he is the chief suspect; background from Sam's childhood (where we discover that is his favorite four letter word became a staple in his vocabulary quite early.

Other key plot points: an unlikely (and very undeveloped) sub-story where SEAL team leader Tom Paoletti stands accused of aiding the terrorists, because the guns used are ones he reported "scuttled"; Tom finally marries lady love Kelly in a shotgun-like ceremony; Kelly is a victim of the terrorists; Max finally succumbs to his temptation for former hostage (and much younger) Gina; the burgeoning relationship between Mary Lou and a man of color comes to fruition; the romance of Sam's best friend's grandparent's WWII romance is played out; and Jules is around to give the occasional line of comic relief.

All in all, there is just too much, which makes it a bit of a disappointment. The paperback version of the book trudges on for over 500 pages; and the story really stalls in the middle. Without a doubt, the most exciting part of the book is the last 80 pages. Verdict - less time with Sam's past and the WWII back story, and more time with the guys that make this series so great - the Troubleshooters. This time out, they were basically window dressing, relegated to playing an insignificant role.

I enjoy Brockman's stories, and I'll continue to follow this series, but I'm not sure this was the best book for her jump to hardcover. A more self-contained relationship might have been a better choice, rather than the culmination of the Sam and Alyssa story arc, which has stretched over all the previous books. The WWII romance was definitely toned down in this one, in deference to all the backstory needed to make Sam/Alyssa and Max/Gina make sense to new readers.

I have two fairly minor beefs - first, is it just me or did all this background stuff about Sam and his dad and his aunt and uncle and Noah and whatnot spring from absolutely nowhere? Were there hints of this stuff in previous books that I just missed?

Second, I really didn't think anyone could cry more than Wildcard did in Out of Control, but Sam managed it. Heck, even MAX cried a time or two. Now, I'll admit my little heart melts at the thought of a big, strong, SEAL-type moved to tears, but it's getting kind of overworked.

6th book in the series, and actually the first one I read. It's what motivated me to go back and read the others ones. Once I read book 5, I decided to skim through book 6 again. Stories 5 and 6 are very intertwined, one couldn't happen without the other. I liked book 6 when I first read it, but it didn't have that...zing...first time around because I was lacking a lot of the backstory. So now knowing about all the characters and the plot backstory, I wanted to go through 6 again. Instead of skimming it, I ended up practically rereading the whole thing, only skipping over the historical parts and some side-story stuff.

Book 6 is Sam and Alyssa's story. Finally! They've been in all the other books, and this one was all theirs. Sam and his wife Mary Lou have finally realized that they really screwed up by getting married just because she got pregnant during their short affair. The divorce is all set, but Sam has been waiting 3 weeks for Mary Lou to send the papers back and they haven't come and she's not answering his calls. So he goes to Florida to see her. But when he gets to the house, there is a dead body in the kitchen. Alyssa, an FBI agent and sometimes friend/past lover of Sam's, comes down to help. Mary Lou and baby Haley have completely disappeared.

While all that is happening, SEAL Team Sixteen's Lt. Commander Tom Paoletti - featured in book 1 - has been taken into custody by the Navy for questioning about the terrorist attack that happened in book 5. The Navy and the government want to find someone to blame for what happened. As the book unravels, the two different parts of the story intertwine and Sam and Alyssa find themselves searching for a terrorist and fighting the love that has always existed between them.

As a bonus for this book, you get some Max/Gina. Gina was in book 2 as the key hostage in the plane hijacking for which Max was the FBI negotiator. They've kept in touch over the years and developed a serious friendship. Gina wants more, but Max is completely fighting it. These two are two of my favorite characters and are a really great almost-pairing. I really loved this part of the story.

The historical sections were about Sam's aunt and uncle, an interracial couple during the WW2 time period. How the met, their part in the war, etc. And you also get a fair amount of Sam's backstory as a child. It was all pretty interesting.

I really liked book 6, more so the second time around. The story has a lot more depth to it if you've read the others books first. The characters mean more, the storyline means more, etc. Alyssa and Sam are a really great pairing, along with Max/Gina. And the storyline was great. It made so much more sense after having read book 5 because book 6 is very dependent on the plot of book 5. I could have done without Mary Lou in this one because she just annoys me, but again she was needed for the plot.

Rating: 4.5 / 5

I am a huge fan of Brockmann's Team 16 series; and like many of her fans, I was looking forward to Sam and Alyssa's story. And boy, it was worth the wait! And worth the money!

GTF shows us Sam as a young boy becoming a man, which made me fall in love with the character. His history is mapped out and assists the reader to understand his past actions (which made many of the readers rather cranky!). GTF also addresses Alyssa's history and her relationship with Max.

Sam and Alyssa's story is so rich! Action packed, snappy dialogue and steamy scenes!

As usual, this book also follows other couples. I know some people do not like the historical threads in Team 16 books (I am a history buff and really enjoy them), I found this story to be important in GTF, because it deals with a couple of 2 different races; a common thread found in other couples in the book.

Look for Max and Gina! Tom and Kelly! Another couple from "Into the Night."

Nobody in romance writes such a textured story like Ms. Brockmann! She is one of the few "romance" writers I suggest for my friends who claim to not enjoy "romance" novels.

My friends will have to buy their own copy of GTF, I am keeping this book on shelf (which is really the highest compliment I can give an author)!

It seems that those who've given 'Gone Too Far' less than the stellar reviews that it truly deserves simply don't get it. It's like they like things wrapped up in one nice and neat package, and unfortunately for these readers, 'Gone Too Far' is not the easy beach read that many expected. It's an emotional rollercoaster ride into the minds and hearts of two people with a lot of preconceived notions and personal baggage.

In many romances, the alpha male and the beta female stay in their tidy little box and never experience any emotional growth whatsoever. That formula has long since outlived its usefulness and personally, I've way outgrown such trite plots and characterizations. I say, challenge me and make me feel something different.

Thankfully, Ms. Brockmann has written a gritty and wonderfully realistic romantic-suspense novel with two of the most multi-dimensional characters ever to grace the pages of any book.

Sam Starett is both maddening and wonderful. He's got a true heart of gold in his rough and tumble exterior. Sometimes you want to kiss him and other times, you want to kick him. And knowing a little more of his backstory (from The Defiant Hero) makes him even more sympathetic.

What can I say about my girl Alyssa Locke? Ms. Brockmann wrote a character I fully identify with, being a black woman in a predominantly male field. I totally understand how Alyssa feels--that she has to be better, smarter and tougher than the guys in order to be seen as competent. Sam and Alyssa's sparring matches are one of the major highlights of this book. Oh yes, they're going to get together, but it's not going to be easy--but it will be worth it.

Sam and Alyssa have got to be one of the best (as well as one of the sexiest)in romantic fiction. I consider them like 'old friends' and can't wait to see if they appear in more adventures.

A small yet cynical part of me thinks that those who didn't like 'Gone Too Far' haven't quite left the dark ages when it comes to a book that deals honestly and refreshingly with interracial relationships. In this day and age, we're supposed to be a lot more enlightened--and I've always believed love to be colourblind. I'm glad to see that Suzanne Brockmann feels the same way.

If this is your first Suzanne Brockmann novel, STOP! The "Troubleshooters" series is best read in sequence. The characters are reappearing and their stories build through out the books. Understanding the history of the storyline is most significant in "Gone Too Far" which explains the discrepancy in the previous reviews.

I always appreciate the characterization which Ms. Brockmann utilizes in her stories. She is a superb story teller who teases her readers with bits and pieces of stories about old and new characters. This makes her series a pleasure to read for those who have traveled with her along her journey... but can be frustrating and confusing to others who come in during the middle of things.

After reading the entire series in a frenzied month or two, I personally hope to read more about Sam and Alyssa in the future.

After anticipating the conclusion to the Sam and Alyssa story for the last five Seal Team 16 books, I was sorely disappointed in this book. There were too many story lines introduced that interfered with the flow of the main story. Only about 40 percent of the book were devoted to the main characters, very little of which is spent on romance or even true character building. Ms. Brockmann seems to have been more concerned with setting up her newest story line (a civilian, covert agency) than giving her readers what they have been expecting. The ending or HEA for these two characters was very rushed and not supported by the action in this book. After her dismal efforts in Into the Night, this is a second strike for Brockmann.