John Ryder (3)

What Would Job Do? For those unfamiliar with the Biblical story of Job, Job was the most honorable man on Earth. One day, God and Satan decided to test Job to see if he would ever turn his back on God, in any situation. And… that is where the tie to this book comes in. Meet Jerome. Jerome is a stand-up guy that generally tries to help people where he can and is known to all – certainly to his superiors at work – as an absolutely honest man. So what is this man going to do when he wakes show more up to guns pointed at himself and his wife, and his wife kidnapped to ensure his compliance with the scheme of the kidnappers? Well… you’re going to have to read this explosive yet realistic (within reason, this *is* fiction) tale to find out. Very well crafted, this book does a tremendous job of keeping you in the heads of both Jerome and his wife, Alicia, as they try to stay alive long enough to figure a way out of this mess. This is one of those books that will keep you guessing and racing to the end… even as it has a few unconventional elements that might make you think there is no possible way the author can keep the tale going that much longer. He does, and you’ll be glad he does. Very much recommended. show less

Solid Action Thriller. If you haven't been reading John Ryder... you need to be. This is just the second time I've read a book from him, and he has clearly established a pattern of solid action thrillers with heroes who are conflicted and yet have solid and even innovative ideas on how to do their jobs. The house scene early was truly brilliant in what Ryder has Roche do to prepare the scene, and a few other actions late were nearly as good - if a *touch* more typical.

Indeed, the one flaw - show more which again I'm chalking up to "maybe British people don't know their way around guns as well as Americans do" and even "most Americans also think this, but it is a myth" - is one point where even as Ryder uses the correct terminology - "suppressor" rather than "silencer" - he still gets the actual effects more Hollywood than real-world. Without giving a whole hell of a lot away, Roche is across the street when a suppressed shot goes off inside a building. *Roche doesn't hear the shot.* In *reality*... everyone within at least a quarter mile is hearing that shot, even with it occurring indoors and even if they are indoors themselves.

Still, this was the only actual flaw in the writing and story here, with everything else being more "no one is perfect and this actually makes the story seem even more real" level. Truly an excellent action thriller, and one you won't want to miss. Hell, even as this book is (currently?) listed as a standalone... let me say right here right now that I for one would like to come back to this world. :D Very much recommended. show less

First Shot by John Ryder
A Grant Fletcher Thriller #1

We meet the girl, briefly.
We meet the girl’s beau
We know she is taken
We know he is not

And then

We meet the man sent to rescue her
He is there as a favor to her father
To rescue her if he can
Will he?

Intense, intricate, and intriguing this story tells of abductions leading to disappearances that are taking place in small town Georgia. People don’t comment, the law doesn’t follow-up, and there is something definitely rotten in Daversville, show more Georgia.

What I liked:
* Grant Fletcher: a man with principles willing to do what was required to find Lila and return her to her father. I also liked that he loved his wife and loves his daughter
* Special Agent Zoey Quadrado: focused career FBI agent with a backstory that indicates why this case is so important to her
* The pace, plotting and writing
* The action scenes
* Trench – could see him in a book of his own
* The fact that there will be another book in this series to look forward to

What I didn’t like:
* The twisted abductors
* Knowing that there are people out there as evil as the twisted abductors

Did I like this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Yes
What I would like more of: Fletcher’s relationship with his daughter and who takes care of her while he is away

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

4.5 Stars show less

The Hostage by John Ryder

Powerful first paragraph that gripped and made me wonder just what Jerome Prentice would do to save his wife. Would he steal for her? Kill for her? Just what laws would he be willing to break to keep her safe?

What I liked:
* Jerome: loving husband, intelligent, invested at work, professional, methodical, detail oriented, and more capable than he knows.
* Alicia: Jerome’s wife, lawyer, works for the same company as Jerome, not cowed, willing to do what it takes.
* Ed: show more Jerome’s best friend, computer guru, called in to help out when Jerome found himself in a tight place.
* The idea for the plot
* The twist at the end
* Finding out who was beHhind the kidnapping and pressure put on Jerome
* That the hero and his wife came out okay at the end of the story

What I didn’t like:
* The bad guys and what they were trying to do
* That I couldn’t invest myself in the nitty gritty details of the story...the financial stuff went over my head and held little interest for me...so the book in that section dragged
* I felt it was not as believable as it could have been and had some difficulty investing in the characters and outcome as a result

Did I enjoy this book? It was okay but I enjoyed the author’s previous books read much more
Would I read more by this author? Yes

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

3-4 Stars show less