Jack Coleston

The Ulterior Motive is a great read for those who like Tom Clancy and David Baldacci.

The story is about a wealthy couple who work for the CIA. The wife, in this book, is the ‘bad ass’ operative and the husband, Stanley, is the analytical thinker who soon becomes the co-director of the CIA. Stanley's uncertainty about his job abilities and of his troubled relationship with his father, are continuously referenced in the story. His boss, a former General, dislikes him because Stanley was show more the president’s pick for the job, not his.

The chief protagonist in the story is the caliphate of a Jihadi organization that the author based on ISIS. The caliphate doesn’t care about his cause so much as the vengeance he seeks for the killing of his family by an errant American bomb.

As the story unfolds, you start to think that you know how it will end. The author throws in a few turns that, by the end of the book, leave you thinking “Wow!”

One great feature of this author is that he takes recent terrorist events to build the story. Although the story is obviously fiction, this inclusion makes the story more plausible.

I had trouble putting down this action thriller. The viciousness shown by all parties in the book, Muslims on Muslims or CIA against Jihadi captives, is realistic as recent news stories prove. Also genuine is the use of devoted Allah followers for personal gains and vendettas by Jihadi leaders. Despite this truthful savagery, I was taken by the story.

Hopefully, this is the start of a series. The chemistry between Stanley and his wife is too good to not fashion another story on. I would love to read that Stanley continues his efforts to out maneuver other Jihadist and Washington political enemies. show less

I received a copy of this book from LibraryThing in exchange fro a review.

A powerful non-stop thriller that keeps the adrenalin pumping the whole way through. From a ‘too believable plot’ to strong characters and descriptive locations, this story has it all. Thanks Jack Coleston for one of the best espionage/ thrillers I have read in a long tine.

An outstanding action thriller with a great plot and plenty of action. Contains very realistic issues that are well researched and current. The main characters (Stanley/Anna) are an excellent team to build a story or series around. Plenty of action and hard to put down. I would definitely recommend this book to family and friends. Will be looking for the next book by Jack Coleston.

I usually like these kinds of thriller books, but this one didn't do it for me. Way too many characters with names I couldn't even pronounce. And not enough descriptions for each character. I found myself lost trying to work out who was who. The story itself had promise, but I think if it was simpler, it might succeed more.