Hostage Zero Review
The time was right for me to look for an action thriller, something to carry me along without making me think too much. Hostage Zero gave me the buzz I was looking for but it was much more than escapism. With no disrespect to the genre, I don't expect it to provide well-rounded, thoughtful characters, but that's exactly what author John Gilstrap delivers. In this sequel to No Mercy, ex-Special Forces operative Jonathan "Digger" Grave runs a private security firm, with a special ultra-secret business specialty of hostage recovery.
Jonathan has a special interest in a school for the sons of imprisoned men. When two of "his" boys are kidnapped, Jonathan pulls out all the stops to get them back. The mission takes him and his team to Colombia, to the doorstep of a "cocaine factory," and with non-stop excitement...well, no spoilers here, but the story tears along at a great pace and the people behave with a strength of purpose that overcomes all the many obstacles to their success. There is a strong theme of military tactics and values, but if you think that's not your territory (it certainly isn't mine) just wait and see how well this theme supports the characters' missions.
Several story lines weave together into a great, tight plot. Corrupt politicians, thoroughly bad drug lords, a man on death row, a falsely accused veteran living way off the grid, lost young boys so finely-drawn that you want to reach out and brush their hair back from their faces...and Jonathan, closed in on himself, anything to keep from feeling. This is a very well-written book, and it should definitely be a movie! I'll be looking for more in this series.
Linda Bulger, 2010
Hostage Zero Feature
- ISBN13: 9780786020881
- Condition: New
- Notes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
Hostage Zero Overview
Hostage rescue expert Jonathan Grave is used to working alone, and this time he'll have to go where even the government won't. An innocent man has been shot and two young people are missing. But tracking them down is just the beginning. To keep them and his covert team alive, Jonathan must plunge into the heart of an ugly secret that reaches into the highest corridors of power - and he must defeat enemies who are willing to kill again and again to keep the truth from being revealed.
Available at Amazon Check Price Now!
Related Products
Customer Reviews
One author who I wish would be more prolific! - T. Howlin - Virginia
The first time I opened a Gilstrap novel I was hooked. Unfortunately, it's a long wait between servings but his new book is well worth the wait. It is fast paced, well crafted with heroes and villains which are equally likable dis-likable. If you are tired of the typical serial killer mystery and fed up with weak characterizations, then try one of his books, it will be refreshing.
HOstage Zero by John Gilsrap - oldtoys3 -
I bought this Knidle Book without knowing about the author. Once I started reading the book, I couldn't put it down. He keeps you on the seat of your pants the whole time. I strongly recommend this book too anyone who enjoys a suspenceful story.
Loved it - hoping there's another soon - Tony Cuozzo - Redmond, WA USA
After burning through Gilstrap's No Mercy, I was thrilled to find another Jonathan Grave novel available and purchased it straight-away.
Gilstrap not only shows the world through the characters' eyes, he allows the reader to feel the characters' emotional reaction to what their eyes see. There were many times in the story when I knew what a character "must be feeling" before being explicitly told in the narrative.
Hostage Zero has a dynamic cadence. The preparation for an attack builds tension in an appropriately agonizingly slow rhythm...until hell breaks loose and the tension turns to anxiety for our heroes' well-being as the attack commences.
At one point, near the end of the story, I had my suspension of disbelief shaken. Evan Guinn, one of the students at the Jonathan Grave funded school for children of incarcerated parents, is thinking:
"He remembered Mr. Jonathan's words from one of the ridiculous Stranger Danger talks at RezHouse: 'It's better to die on the street than get in the car.'"
It stopped me cold, thinking that Gilstrap had self-indulgently turned Grave into a soundbite machine. By the end of the story, it was clear that this wasn't the case.
Frankly, I've been carrying those words with me, wondering why they hit me so hard.
I've since realized that it's essentially because the truth hurts and as uncomfortable as it makes me, the world is such that the dictum is probably accurate advice.
I eagerly await another Jonathan Grave story from John Gilstrap.
*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Sep 06, 2010 19:33:05
No comments:
Post a Comment