This is the third Carr book I've read, but I found out that this is further along in the series. This was a bit stronger than the second, as usual Reece is focused on revenge for the death of a friend. The last chapter does not bode well for his future, as the powers that be are finally going to exact some payback for the bloodbath of The Terminal List. ( )

(I'm befuddled by the other reviews and tags shown for Jess Kidd's "The Night Ship" -- they have nothing to do with the book I just completed and seem to be for a far different title by a completely different author. Methinks there is a flaw under the Librarything hood. The ISBN matches Jess Kidd's book; it has nothing to do with Jack Carr's "In The Blood.")

"The Night Ship," focusing on a young girl sent to join her merchant father upon the death of her mother, recounts the journey of the Dutch East India ship 'Batavia' from the Netherlands to the Dutch colony of Batavia (present day Java in Indonesia) in 1629. Parallel to that historical event, Kidd interweaves a more contemporary story of a young boy sent to live with his grandfather, a fisherman living on a small island near where the 'Batavia' foundered.

The young girl, Mayken, is curious, adventurous, creative, caring, and bold; the young boy, Gil, is shy, perhaps queer or trans or both, reticent, quiet, caring, and yet curious, especially about the history of the 'Batavia.' A shared hag stone (witch stone, adder stone) provides a tenuous link between the two. Both suffer insular and challenging communities -- the closed and strictly hierarchical community of the 'Batavia' and the isolated and hardscrabble community of the island. The tensions and human brutality in both communities slowly build over the course of the novel and come to open conflict with a rush over the last quarter of the novel. I found myself spending more time researching the horrific story of the historical voyage of the 'Batavia' as I did reading this fictionalization.

This is a very different story and structure from Kidd's previous novels. Her previous novels were firmly rooted in her Irishness; this is a bold departure that shows Kidd's versatility and development as an author. It's brilliant. ( )

The story begins with a bang and the thrill continues until the final chapter. Although the plot premise was taken from recent news stories about the Ukraine War, don't assume that this is all you will get from reading the book. The Ukraine War is merely the framework for the story. The reader gets an original, spine tingling story with plenty of action from the author's imagination.

The series main character is Scot Harvath. He has always been bold, brash and lethal. In Dead Fall Harvath is surprisingly underequipped with weapons and doesn't have his usual team of spies to help him. Dare I say that he seems somewhat humble from finding himself in this situation? I was not surprised, though, to see him finding the resources that he needs to get the job done. The reader sees more of Harvath's intelligence here as he figures out what each of his steps are going to be in order to finish the mission.

The Ravens are Thor's fictional version of the Wagner Group. While we all have read about Wagner's barbarity from the news, the information we get about the Ravens is complete. The reader learns more about their movements and how they make decisions. Even the barbarity of their treatment of the Ukrainians has much more detail than what we read in the news concerning the Wagner Group.

Dead Fall is a gripping novel and I highly recommend it. ( )

Least favorite in the series by far. This one had some good moments but I feel some characters need to have forward momentum and growth. Have not seen that from James Reece. Plus I hate cliffhangers. It’s the cheapest way to get people to buy the next book. ( )

Another journey with an intriguing character, James Reece, righting wrongs at every turn and getting his revenge. It is interesting to see how Jack Carr ensures that Reece/Mr. Donovan has out maneuvered the terrorists well in advance and in a way that they have no comprehension what is about to happen to them.

Fast paced and keeps the pages turning. ( )