John Gilstrap

Lethal Game by John Gilstrap
Jonathan Grave #14

Another stellar story starring Digger & Boxer as they once again fight the good but rather bloody fight to right wrongs they are faced with. Intense, well written, drew me in and kept me reading throughout.

What I liked:
* Jonathan “Digger” Grave: intelligent, lethal, committed to causes that require a special type of black ops type operative, caring, wealthy, gives back, rights wrongs
* Brian “Boxer” Van de Muelebroecke: big, quiet, show more lethal, good friend and lethal colleague of Digger who works with him to right the wrongs
* Gail “Gunslinger” Bonneville: brilliant, ex-FBI HRT member, ex-sheriff, bright, capable, vigilant, talented, lethal, and part of the team doing secretive things with Boxer and Digger
* Venice “Mother Hen” Alexander: mother, daughter, hacker extraordinaire, gets lost when working, intriguing, great asset to the team
* Roman Alexander: son of Venice, fourteen, had a rough time in a previous book, integral to this story and growing up through all he experiences
* The plot, pace, writing, and intensity
* The dual locations of where action was taking place
* The communication between team members
* Being able to thoroughly dislike the bad guys
* Rooting for the demise of the bad guys
* That good eventually does overcome evil
* Hoping there will be another book to look forward to

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* Knowing that there are evil people who do evil things and too often get away with it
* The loss of so many innocent lives
* Having to wait for the next book to be available

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Definitely!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kesington Pinnacle for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars show less

This series continues to impress. Unlike other "end of world" series Gilstrap focuses on the political side and the positive. The main character, Senator Victoria Emerson, decided at the last moment not to enter the government bunker during an eminent nuclear strike because her sons were not to be allowed in with her: select government personnel only. She and her family, along with the two military officers whose final duty was to deliver her to the bunker, take off in an attempt to get as show more far out of DC as possible before the missile hits. They find refuge in a small town and Victoria's down-to-earth, common sense leadership skills take center stage. It's not her intent to lead this community but it does seem to be her calling. Those left in the world are frightened, some to the point of violence and cruelty others to get what they need and others who will cower and concede just to live another day. Victoria doesn't believe it needs to be this way and a peaceful society can be rebuilt through a lot of hard work and cooperation.

The second half of the story has been those government officials tucked safely away in their bunker with all their needs being met, but no way to interact with or help the survivors, and their petty in-fighting believing they still hold a position of power.

This third book brings Victoria back to the bunker away from the "Eden" she's helped build. The security of the bunker has been pierced by a group of marauders who take for themselves and terrorize others for what they have. Parsons is the leader of these marauders and has made himself judge, jury and executioner of the remaining members of Congress. Victoria and her loyal followers aim to bring peace and justice to their holdout and the refugees surrounding it.

Again, I truly enjoy this series not just for the action and survival stories but the morality and focus on what it would take to truly rebuild a society and for the better. The characters and setting are so well presented they are nearly tangible.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. show less

Blue Fire by John Gilstrap
Victoria Emmerson #2

Apocalyptic dystopian world book two reminded me that human beings are really just animals…some animals are much nicer than others and so are some humans. In book one the world changed drastically. Some people ended up in a bunker set up by the government, some ended up dying almost immediately, and some ended up doing their best to survive. Some humans became opportunists and predators, some became the prey, and some worked together to try to show more stay safe and create communities that would sustain and survive. This book continues the tale of the Emmerson family with snippets about how those in the bunker are faring…and it kept my interest from first page to last.

What I liked:
* Returning to Ortho to see how Victoria Emmerson, two of her sons, and the rest of the community were doing
* Finding out how Adam Emmerson and his partner, Emma, were doing
* Thinking about what it would be like to be in the shoes of various people in the story
* Wondering what I could contribute to a group trying to survive…which work detail I would be able to assist (there would probably be more than one)
* Watching how the group in Ortho began to create a sense of community and how capitalism came into play
* The real feel and believability of the story
* Thinking about why some would prefer to work together while others would feel the opposite
* Comparing this story to those of the same genre that I read decades ago…the first few books written by Wyndham were in my father’s library and made a huge impact
* That even those who were “good” sometimes had to do “bad” things
* Thinking about how government, community, laws and such would change
* Considering what skills would be essential in a world so changed
* Thinking about the impact such a situation would have on people – all ages and societal levels of people
* Thinking about what would and would not have “value” in a world changed so much
* The plot, writing, character development, and continuation of the story
* Wondering how many books there will be in the series – there is at least one more – White Smoke – have to wait a year for it to be published, though.

What I didn’t like:
* Exactly who and what I was meant not to like
* Knowing I have to wait a year to read what happens next

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Definitely!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars show less

This book clinches it. John Gilstrap is now, officially, one of my favorite authors. Bobby and Susan Martin are on a recovery camping trip. The baby they wanted for so long was stillborn and there is a lot of healing to do. Then, out of the night comes a filthy 3 year old boy, screaming and terrified. And behind him comes a man with a gun. Bobby wrestles the guy in a fight to save their lives and ends up killing him. The pocket of the dead man reveals he was a cop. And, that's in just the show more first 25 pages!! John Gilstrap now has three novels. Go get one now and read it. show less