Customer Reviews

The Last Patriot: A Thriller

5 star:		(86)
4 star:		(43)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(16)
1 star:		(21)

 

 

I became a fan of Brad Thor after I read 'The First Commandment' and could not wait for his next one. There was a very nice lady at Simon & Schuster who heard my cry and sent me a copy of this one and it did not disappoint!! Of course this one will catch a little flack because it raises some questions about the religion of Islam and questions the validity of Muhammad and the Koran. I loved how Brad interwove history in with the story and about just how long this war with some of the homicidal, radical Muslims has been going on. This is a mystery, suspense, thriller rolled up in one!

I love authors who have that special "it" that make you keep reading and reading and makes you take an extra 5 minutes on your lunch just so you can finish the chapter. The kind of writing that actually makes you tell your wife, "Hold on baby I'll hook you up after I finish this page!" Yeah, this book is THAT good! This will definitely be one of the best political-thrillers you'll read this year and will, if you aren't already, make you a die-hard fan of Mr. Thor!!

I'm not a big non-fiction reader but I love history. So I really appreciate when an author takes history and makes it fun, interesting, and not so freaking boring! I know authors (including this one) take liberties with history and the re-telling of it, but I can live with that because it just makes me go out and see if what they say is true. Did our former Presidents know about the Muslim invasions BEFORE this country was even a country? Did Adams and Jefferson know something and leave us clues to help us? Did our forefathers know how completely stupid, impotent, and P.C. our leaders would be (have) become?

I say YES to all 3 but you'll have to read this book and do your own research to figure that out. Either way 'The Last Patriot' is one heck of a book and a must read for this summer and seasons to come.

The character of Scot Harvath has been one of my recent favorites in the last 3-4 years since discovering Thor's books, and 'The Last Patriot' virtually cements this bold character into (at least MY version) of great leading Action/Adventure Hero's.

Controversy is nothing new to Brad Thor by any means...however, with that said, I believe he is courting a whole new set of problems, or seriously potential problems with the storyline here. Religion in general is a very touchy subject, but as we have seen over the last decade or so, even fictionalizing specific events in Muslim History can be viewed as MAJOR Blasphemy--the kind that involves life-threatening retaliation. Don't believe me? Anybody remember Salmon Rushdie's 'Satanic Verses'? 'Nuff said. I heard an interview done with Thor on Glenn Beck and I'm not the only one concerned here. I honestly feel that if somewhere, sometime soon if I read about Brad Thor being the target of Terrorists, well, let's just say it won't surprise me (read the book and you'll understand).

The book, though is a hum-dinger of a story. Easily Thor's best-to-date. Like other reviewers, I like when events in history are tied in with current storylines, and I REALLY like it when its done right...and I am happy to say Thor really nails it with this latest installment. Action on top of intrigue firmly attached to a healthy dose of adrenaline mixed with a Titanic-sized load of action and you have an idea of how well constructed 'The Last Patriot' truly is. I have enjoyed these books a lot since I first began them, but this one seriously places the bar at a level that is amazingly high compared to the previous Tales of Scot Harvath--and THEY were great, if that tells you anything.

One thing I enjoy in particular about Harvath is that no matter how death-defying his exploits end up being, I always find myself thinking that were I under similar circumstances, and I had Scot's talent, what Thor describes is pretty much dead-on with how I feel I would act and say--or at least what I'd like to THINK I would act and feel if our roles were reversed--which I am glad they aren't.

For those who are fans of how Cussler takes historical events and weaves a seamless tale of adventure into a modern tale of action, you honestly owe it to yourself to give Brad Thor a try--and while you don't HAVE to start at the beginning to appreciate each book, I personally feel that by starting with 'The Lions of Lucerne' you will get a much better appreciation not only for the character of Scot Harvath, but you will get a ringside seat to Thor's growing talent for storytelling that just gets better with each book...no REALLY.

Kudos to Thor for not just a good addition to this series, but EASILY the best to date by a country mile...and that's saying a LOT.

Former Navy SEAL thirty-seven year old Scot Horvath has left Homeland Security to get out of the covert operations business and start a fresh new life away from mass murdering terrorists who claim their ideology is blessed by God. He wants a normal life and feels as he closes in on forty undercover operations is a younger persons game. He also remains shook up that his significant other former Naval Explosive Ordinance Technician Tracy Hastings lost an eye and almost her life and almost died at the hands of some rabid avenging assassin.

They talk at a Paris café when Scot notices an Arab setting off an IED that targets University of Virginia Professor Anthony Nichols, who as he vanishes turns out to be a lot more than a highly regarded history teacher. The two retirees soon learn of the discovery of a seventh century version of the Koran in which the Prophet Mohammed informed his disciples of a radically different vision than that found in the Koran of today; if the lost revelation is published the Jihad extremists would lose much of their religious claims. Clues lead to President Jefferson's war on the Tripoli pirates and the third president's notes in an original copy of Don Quixote. Although they expect to learn more investigating Monticello, the American in Paris and President Jack Rutledge must end their estrangement caused by the incidents in his last assignment (see THE FIRST COMMANDMENT) while the Muslim extremists want the two Americans stopped.

This is an exhilarating thriller mindful of the Da Vinci Code but different that will hook the audience from the moment that Scot and Tracy learn of the lost revelation and never slows down until the final incredible spin. A critical key to this engaging tale is that the romantic relationship between the lead couple is limited as the inquiry and safety supersede everything. Brad Thor provides a strong insightful tale that links seemingly unconnected historical dots leading to the contemporary sleuthing by Scot and Tracy; accompanied by enthralled fans of the series.

Harriet Klausner

Thriller authors generally need a real world enemy to wrap their story around. Few are like Michael Chrichton who invent everything. No, for most thriller authors, it is the threat of the moment that matters. Nazism and Communism have had their day, but today belongs to radical Islam.

Brad Thor has cranked out several very good thrillers, but "The Last Patriot" is one of his best.

Former Navy SEAL, Secret Service agent and Presidential troubleshooter Scot (with one "t") Harvath is in Paris with his girlfriend Tracy Hastings, who is still recovering from injuries received in her job as a Naval demolitions specialist. Scot observes a car being stolen and another car pulling into the vacated parking space. His intuitive sense of action is aroused and he pulls Tracy away from the cafe where they were sitting. Passing a bookstore, a stranger in a hurry bumps into them and starts crossing the street. Scot senses trouble and covers the stanger with his own body as a car bomb goes off.

Borrowing liberally from Dan Brown's "The DaVinci Code", Thor plunges Harvath into a labybrinth of clues, assasins, plots and counter-plots as a search for the prophet Mohammed's rumored last revelation which has the potential to change the nature of Islam.

The action never stops. A former CIA assassin, Matthew Dowd, now a dedicated convert to Islam and a stone-cold killer is murdering his way toward the secret. The President's man is looking for the secret. Soon the CIA and FBI are involved. Thomas Jefferson's 1805 war against the Barbary pirates is invoked as other aspects of Jefferson's wide ranging interests and genius. The plot moves from one bit of violence to another, with nary a thoughtful moment in between. In other words, this a perfectly satisfying thriller, an American flag waver.

Thor's characters have a bit of depth. Scot Harvath's exploits just make you want to stand up and cheer (provided you support the United States and its goals). Thor is particularly aggressive in his views of radical Islam and the poltically correct multiculturalists in the United States and elsewhere who are yielding democracy to a theocracy.

As noted, the plot borrows heavily from "The DaVinci Code" with the protagonist having to piece together bits of a puzzle while the bad guys are trying to kill the good guys. From time to time, Thor asks the reader to accept a jump in logic or an implausible happening, such as hairbreadth escapes. But Thor is a strong enough writer to carry the reader over the occasional chasm.

The ending, however, is on the weak side and a real stretch. I don't know if Thor ran out of time or ideas, but the last few pages weren't nearly as satisfying as those that went before.

Still, for thriller fans, "The Last Patriot" is a wonderfully jingoistic, red, white and blue story, filled with All-American heroes and nasty bad guys. Great fun reading!

Jerry

A thriller with format similarities to "Davinci Code"...as much character development as one should expect from a book with this much action...miraculous escapes from danger not as far-fetched as Cussler...building to an exceptionally good ending. Unlike the author of "Davinci Code" and to Thor's credit, he includes a disclaimer after the epilogue - as to which parts of his book are fact and which are fiction.

Thor wrote this book, wondering "if there was a way I could combine the historical relevance of the Koran with Thomas Jefferson's experience with the Barbary pirates to create a thriller that would be relevant today." He then builds the book around the murderously competitive search for a previously little-known final chapter of the Koran - one that condemns violence. It seems Mohammed was assassinated over this chapter, which subsequently disappeared. Too many of his contemporaries were making their livings by looting and pillaging.

According to Thor, the tendency to violence by some radical Muslims is enabled by the policy of abrogation. That is - if two verses in the Koran conflict, the later verse takes precedence. If a last sura were found advocating peaceful co-existence, it would abrogate the earlier violent suras. According to the story, the discovery, publication, and authentization of this chapter would deal a death blow to the radical elements of Islam and force moderation in the religion.

There are items of interest to the religious scholar scattered throughout this book - for example: the moderate Muslim scholar who didn't think the Koran was perfect. Instead, he thought it contained errors of fact about human physiology, the stars and planets, and other mistakes one would expect in a book written by a man in the 600's. In another chapter, the author mentions the so-called satanic verses - where Mohammed, in an arrangement with his family's tribe, claimed it was legitimate to pray to three pagan goddesses as intermediaries to Allah. Later, he said the devil made him do it. Salman Rushdie named a book after these verses, subsequently having to live for years in hiding with armed guards. As a result of publicity from the fatwa, Rushdie probably sold a lot more copies of "Satanic Verses" than he would have otherwise. Whether political pressure had anything to do with it, the fatwa on Rushdie was eventually withdrawn.

This book would make an excellent movie for any studio with big enough cojones to consider it. No group should get a free pass from scrutiny just because it happens to be a religion. Most Christian would tell you that criticism has not seemed to hurt their cause through the years. As Thomas Jefferson said, "Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost."

DB

Well Mr. Thor your book was a winner. The intertwining of fact with fiction was a highlight and took the novel to great heights. Now the only problem is all of the radical Muslums that will be upset. Know what? So What? It takes men like you to stand up and say what most of us think but in todays world are scared to say. Keep up the good work and give us more of the same. As we said in the Navy "Outstanding"

I have read all of this author's books and as this is, as I write it, the 104th review of this book on this web site, I will spend little or no time on the story line. My view is that those that didn't like the book were either unnecessarily hard on the author or are politically out of sync with the lead character and take it out on the author with a low rating.

Nearly 85% of those who have read and reviewed the book enjoyed it and I count myself among them. Even the main villain in the book could think for himself and was not a mind numbed killing robot.

Thor has taken some liberties with history, but has also relied on some aspects of it to spin a very interesting scenario which, once again is left to Scott Horvath to deal with. In my humble opinion the book deserves the high ranking and plaudits that it has received and I am happy to recommend it to one and all.

In "The Last Patriot," our hero Scot Harvath picks up the story six months after the conclusion of Brad Thor's previous novel, "The First Commandment." Agent Harvath and his lady love Tracy Miller are hanging out in Parish trying to forget about their violent past and build a new life together.

Unfortunately, the past has a nasty way of catching up with such people, especially when it involves unresolved issues about duty, honor and safety. Harvath and Miller are quickly hurled back into the espionage business after witnessing a car bombing outside a quiet Parisian bookstore. And we're off!

The plot line is a bit more complicated this time around: Harvath must help the White House locate a long-lost document from the early days of Islam that will supposedly overturn the very theological foundations of modern Jihadism. The text makes many references to Thomas Jefferson and the Barbary Wars from the early 1800s ("to the shores of Tripoli"). It's a potent mix of history, religion, detective work and high-tech mayhem involving the usual characters from Washington, Colorado and beyond.

I'm only giving this one four stars because it lacks some of the clever humor and repartee of Thor's other thrillers. (Example from his previous novel: "Our sensors indicate you are wearing a silk thong with the words 'Go Navy' inscribed with purple sequins.")

Also, this latest novel lacks some of Thor's usual oddball characters such as "The Troll," a 4-foot-tall genius midget from The First Commandment. Furthermore, I think Brad Thor may be overreaching his narrative skills a bit with the heavy intellectual content in this latest novel. He's right that Islam is desperately in need of a Reformation from within, but I'm not sure he'll convince many moderate Muslims with this cloak and dagger approach, particularly when it means blasting your way through a mosque.

On the theology side, I wish the book was about twice as long, including a much more thorough explanation of Mohammed's lifetime and his approach to "revelation." I also wish the newer characters, such as the UVa historian Nichols, were fleshed out a bit more. Leaving that aside, most fans of the genre will be delighted by The Last Patriot. It's a perfect beach book for summer 2008. Thor is a good writer and I hope his next novel weighs in at about 600 pages.

WARNING: This is not a politically correct treatment of Islam, the Koran or this legacy of the Prophet Mohammed. Those with delicate sensitivities on this topic should probably stay away.

In the Uranah Valley of Mount Arafat in Mecca Mohammed shares with his devout followers a final revelation. Days afterward he is assassinated.
Thomas Jefferson,U.S. Misister to France is charged with making peace with the Muslim pirates of the Barbary Coast.
Scot Harvath has left the clandestine life. In Paris Harvath saves the intended of a car bomb,Professor Anthony Nichols. Because of his life saving act Harvath becomes party to cracking the true secrets of the Koran. There is proof that the final writings of Mohammed have not been brought to light. If this evidence can be obtained militant Islam can be defeated. But there are powerful forces aligned to stop this search.
Muslim groups have the services of Matthew Dodd who has become a Muslim going by the name pf Majd al-Din. He was a former CIA assassin who was
one of the deadliest. He staged his death and dissapeared. He is now the
enforcement arm of the militant Muslims. Harvath and Nichols are following evidence that could lead them to the needed information that
they are seeking. On every corner they have to do battle with Matthew Dodd. This book is action packed throughout. I found it especially
interesting to learn Thomas Jefferson's history with the Muslims. This is
another page turning book from Brad Thor.

One Moment Changes Everything: The All-America Tragedy of Don Rogers
Like most of you, I don't have the time to read as much fiction as I would like. But I plucked it off the shelf on a whim, and it turned six hours trapped on a plane into six hours of time well-spent. I won't ruin the plot, but inside The Last Patriot you'll find crisp, clear writing, bizarre plot twists, and loads of excitement. Some remarkable characters, too. Clancy has nothing on this bloke. Thor has a lot of talent, and we are the lucky beneficiaries of what I believe is his best work.