Kyra Stryker & Jonathan Burke #2
Mark Henshaw
Adult Thriller/Spy
416 pages
Touchtone
Available Now
Source: Finished copy from publisher for review
THE STORY (from Goodreads)
The USS Vicksburg is returning home when the crew comes upon a lifeboat bearing a dead Somali pirate who shows signs of torture. Questions immediately arise: Who is this man, and which ship did he come from? Who tortured him? Soon Red Cell analysts Kyra Stryker and Jonathan Burke have traced the dead man back to an Iranian ship currently bound for Venezuela, and the ship appears to have dangerous, radioactive cargo on board.
The Iranians plan quickly becomes clear, they're building a nuclear bomb in politically unstable Venezuela, away from the UN's prying eyes. Stryker and Burke must tread carefully, though, because diplomacy in Venezuela is tricky at best. A civil war is at stake if word gets out. Can they stop the Iranians before it's too late?
TRACY'S THOUGHTS
Hi Supernatural Snark Readers!
First of all, thank you, Jenny, for entrusting me with your blog today - I am humbled and excited to make my Supernatural Snark debut! :-)
I love thrillers. I especially love ones of the spy or operative variety. Having grown up watching James Bond movies (and I am talking about the old-school Sean Connery here...), I am a sucker for political or spy thrillers and fall in love with a man that is out to save the world. The late Vince Flynn, Brad Thor, and David Baldacci are some my favorites. I was especially excited when Jenny approached me to read Cold Shot.
Mr. Henshaw pleasantly surprised me in two big ways as Cold Shot progressed.
1.) Action, action, action! This book did not immediately capture me. But about 100 pages in, I was hooked. Mr. Henshaw is an active CIA analyst, and his attention to detail is tremendous. If you are not used to reading this type book on a regular basis, or do not have military background, some of the acronyms and terminology on types of weaponry and vehicles might be confusing. The level of potential confusing detail, however, is nowhere near the overwhelming nature of a Tom Clancy. If you don't know what a M4 is...who cares...it doesn't matter...keep reading (substitute 'gun' for M4) and enjoy the ride. Mr. Henshaw shines with his action sequences - I could not wait to turn the pages. The last half of this book is literally nonstop. The entire book is written in nine giant chapters, each representing a day in time, giving it a very '24' like feel, for fans of that TV show.
2.) Girls can kick ass! Mr. Henshaw did a tremendous job writing from the perspective of three very strong women characters in this book. One of the main characters, Kyra Stryker, I fell completely in love with. She is intelligent, physically strong, and vulnerable at the same time. The girl can kick-ass, and shed a tear when appropriate. Bravo Mr. Henshaw for featuring some major girl power in your writing.
While this book is #2 in a series, I did not feel any loss by jumping right in - Cold Shot can very easily be read on its own. There are pre-existing relationships between characters from book #1 (Red Cell) that might have helped me connect with the characters faster in the first part of the book, however, I was never lost because of it.
Overall, Cold Shot is a very good modern action thriller, with great insight into domestic and international politics. It has top-notch action, and I will definitely pick up Red Cell (Book #1) to see how these characters started their relationships with each other.
Rating: 3.5 to 4 out of 5
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This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a
review.
I received no other compensation and the above is my (or in this case, Tracy's) honest opinion.
