Brad Thor
Author of The Lions of Lucerne
About the Author
Brad Thor studied Creative Writing at the University of Southern California under renowned author T.C. Boyle. He created and hosts an MTV-style travel series called 'Travelling Lite'. It debuted in 1997, and 23 episodes and two seasons later, the show now appears worldwide, including UK, France, show more Spain, Japan, Korea, Kuwait, Brazil and the US. His Emmy Award-winning company, Thor Entertainment, has recently won a Platinum "Best of Show" Aurora Award and a Communicator Broadcast Award of Distinction. Brad Thor lives in Park City, Utah. He is the author of the bestselling Scot Harvath series of books. His title's Black List, Act of War and Foreign Agent made The New York Times Best Seller List. (Publisher Provided) show less
Image credit: Brad Thor at Build Studio on June 27, 2017 in New York City
Series
Works by Brad Thor
Brad Thor Collectors' Edition #3: The Last Patriot, The Apostle, and Foreign Influence (The Scot Harvath Series) (2014) 6 copies
Brad Thor Collectors' Edition #2: Blowback, Takedown, The First Commandment (The Scot Harvath Series) (2011) 6 copies
Brad Thor Collectors' Edition #1: The Lions of Lucerne, Path of the Assassin, and State of the Union (2014) 6 copies
Brad Thor Collectors' Edition #4: The Athena Project, Full Black, and Black List (The Scot Harvath Series) (2014) 3 copies
Dead Fall by Brad Thor 1 copy
Code of Silence 1 copy
Cold Zero 1 copy
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Thor, Brad
- Legal name
- Thor, Bradley George, Jr.
- Birthdate
- 1969-08-21
- Gender
- male
- Education
- University of Southern California (BA)
Sacred Heart Schools
Francis W. Parker School - Occupations
- television host
novelist - Short biography
- Bradley George Thor Jr. (born August 21, 1969) is an American thriller novelist. He is the author of The Lions of Lucerne, The First Commandment, The Last Patriot, and other novels. His latest novel in the Harvath series, Backlash, was released in June 2019. Thor's novels have been published in countries around the world. He also contributed a short story entitled "The Athens Solution" to the James Patterson-edited anthology, Thriller. Thor also makes frequent appearances on Fox News and The Blaze.
The Last Patriot was nominated for "Best Thriller of the Year" by the International Thriller Writers Association. His novel Blowback was voted by National Public Radio listeners as one of the "100 Best Ever" Killer Thrillers.
Thor was born and raised in Chicago, and lived in Park City, Utah for eight years.
Thor is a graduate of the Sacred Heart Schools, the Francis W. Parker School (Chicago), and the University of Southern California (cum laude), where he studied creative writing under author T.C. Boyle.
Thor is a member of The Heritage Foundation and has spoken at their national headquarters on the need for robust missile defense. - Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Places of residence
- Park City, Utah, USA
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Antiparos, Greece - Associated Place (for map)
- USA
Members
Discussions
presidential candidates, skiing, inauguration, conspiracy in Name that Book (July 2012)
Reviews
Rating: 2.5* of five
Look, I know I'm not a Brad Thor demographic denizen. I'm so far left of the Democrats that hailing frequencies frequently fail to open, while Thor is a darling of Aynholish people with whom I share nothing but the right to trial by a jury of my peers. His politics appall me. His writing, though, isn't bad. He crafts a sentence that leads to another in an agreeable and steady way.
Well, gawddam if he shouldn't, since this is his SEVENTEENTH Scot Harvath novel. The appeal show more of shoot-'em-ups is they draw lines and fill in borders with clear, dark colors. People Thor doesn't like are "the Tajik" or "the street thug." Depersonalizing those one wishes to deprive of complexity and therefore humanity is effective. The reader isn't troubled to learn pesky things like names, only labels applied for the brief moment that construct is allowed to exist before dying at some noble American's skilled and dextrous hands or lushly described armaments.
These books are covered by the right to free speech. They do not directly incite the reader to violence against those he is likely to see in his insular life. Instead they validate the less-than-humanity of groups, ethnicities, social outcasts that Thor knows his readers don't want to see as more substantial than paper targets at the shooting range. As such, they contribute to a national crisis of empathy among the lowest segments of society: The political conservatives, the white nationalists, the evangelical apologists for the crimes of the others.
I read it. I can't say that, as a plotting and writing example, it was any worse than most and considerably better than many books that fly off booksellers' shelves. But I feel defiled by the contemptuous, arrogant, and entirely unwarranted high opinion these characters and their readers have for themselves and each other. show less
Look, I know I'm not a Brad Thor demographic denizen. I'm so far left of the Democrats that hailing frequencies frequently fail to open, while Thor is a darling of Aynholish people with whom I share nothing but the right to trial by a jury of my peers. His politics appall me. His writing, though, isn't bad. He crafts a sentence that leads to another in an agreeable and steady way.
Well, gawddam if he shouldn't, since this is his SEVENTEENTH Scot Harvath novel. The appeal show more of shoot-'em-ups is they draw lines and fill in borders with clear, dark colors. People Thor doesn't like are "the Tajik" or "the street thug." Depersonalizing those one wishes to deprive of complexity and therefore humanity is effective. The reader isn't troubled to learn pesky things like names, only labels applied for the brief moment that construct is allowed to exist before dying at some noble American's skilled and dextrous hands or lushly described armaments.
These books are covered by the right to free speech. They do not directly incite the reader to violence against those he is likely to see in his insular life. Instead they validate the less-than-humanity of groups, ethnicities, social outcasts that Thor knows his readers don't want to see as more substantial than paper targets at the shooting range. As such, they contribute to a national crisis of empathy among the lowest segments of society: The political conservatives, the white nationalists, the evangelical apologists for the crimes of the others.
I read it. I can't say that, as a plotting and writing example, it was any worse than most and considerably better than many books that fly off booksellers' shelves. But I feel defiled by the contemptuous, arrogant, and entirely unwarranted high opinion these characters and their readers have for themselves and each other. show less
Rising Tiger, Brad Thor, author; Armand Schultz, narrator China perceived its power and influence as failing. To maintain or increase its power, it was necessary to foment chaos in the world, to bring attention to its greatness, not its weakness. To advance this effort, China chose to use India as its diving board, and using research and espionage, it staged attacks causing death and destruction, worked on new, more harmful, barbaric weapons of war (one of which is suspected of causing the show more Havana Syndrome), and committed cold-blooded murders, while remaining in the background. Instigating hostility between the United States and India, when an American is murdered in Jaipur, enabling a plane that crash killed the Indian chief of Defense Staff of the Indian Armed Forces, General Mehra, with fingers that potentially fingered Pakistan as the engineer of the heinous tragedy, using violent enemies of the West from many countries, it used its energy to foment distrust with possibly disastrous responses. Yang Xin worked for the Chinese Intelligence Bureau. He aided the Science and Technology Commission in their effort to develop more sophisticated weapons that used directed energy. It was part of the effort to make China a more influential and powerful leader on the world stage. To bring glory to China, he created chaos, he tested weapons on innocent people, people who came from countries viewed as threats, countries that were democracies. His methods were criminal. Scot Harvath, a former Navy Seal, now a covert intelligence operator, is sent to India to investigate the death of his friend, Eli Ritter, an intelligence officer murdered in Jaipur. Asha Patel is working for RAW, in the Special Operations Division, on a secret mission, to find out who brought down the helicopter that killed so many innocent people. Although unknown to each other, their lives and work will eventually intersect. Most of the “good guy” characters are very engaging and credible. Their dialogue is authentic and witty, clearly representative of the real, verbal exchanges of people from different cultures who enjoy working together. Vijay Chabra, an ex-police officer, now a United States Embassy investigator, works alongside Harvath. His comments are pitch perfect as are the comments of Onkar Raj, Asha’s superior, who works alongside her, and Special Secrtary Gopal Gupta, soon to retire. Even villains like Aga Sayed, Basheer Durrani, Carbon, and the Kumar family, who will do anything for a fee, blackmailing or disappearing all those who get in the way, receive the justice they deserve, in the end and react realistically when confronted. Some, may view the novel as almost a fairy tale, as all the threads get knitted together in what might be considered, a not very plausible happy ending. The saving grace is the constant action that interrupts a dialogue that is sometimes overwrought with unimportant information. There is a great deal of violence, some rather savage and cruel, as well as the willful disregard for rules in the black ops operations, which some may find appalling. The author involves multiple countries in his effort to illustrate China’s underhanded efforts. Using the United States, India,Turkey, Pakistan Afghanistan, groups called the G-Company and another called the Carlton Group, he has woven a novel about China’s underhanded efforts and the people, both good and bad, that must prevent the intended tragedy. Could this presage our future? As China tries desperately to become the “Rising Tiger” of the world, Rishi Puri becomes known as “the Rising Tiger” of India, and he seems destined to become their next Prime Minister. He is a man very much interested in improving US/India relationships and in joining the effort of America to create an Asian version of NATO, a peacekeeping alliance. The very thought of that strikes fear in the hearts of the Chinese, as the thought of Ukraine joining NATO enraged Russia and Putin. One can’t help but wonder if this multi-level espionage thriller that Thor has written, is a book about our future, as we witness the temper tantrums of China and Russia today, North Korea and Iran, Saudi Arabia and others, as they posture themselves in a show of prowess, when they believe their autonomy seems threatened. show less
Scott Horvath has returned to Washington, D.C. from a six-month around-the-world honeymoon with his new wife, Solvi, just in time to celebrate the Fourth of July. Nothing but some hot dogs, cold beer, fireworks, and relaxation for him, right? Not so fast!
Horvath has barely gotten his bearings when he and Solvi stumble into a group that opens fire on protesters outside the vice-president's residence. Scott leaps into action, and Solvi, on leave from the Norwegian Intelligence Service, leaps show more with him. That's bad news for the gunmen, who are well armed and armored. The fight spills into the Norwegian Embassy, and we are off to the races.
Before you know it, Scott is called on to protect someone who had a hand in saving his life, and Solvi is called back into service by the Norwegian Prime Minister, who is visiting for a NATO summit. The shooting, Scott's mission, and Solvi's job are all related to an operation whose tentacles reach deep inside the U.S. government. This leaves Scott not knowing who to trust and the clock ticking on ever-escalating danger.
This is one of the best thrillers of the year and is arriving just in time for the Fourth of July! Thor starts off with a bang, and the action just keeps ratcheting higher. The conspiracy at the heart of the story is so believable that it wouldn't be surprising to see it in tomorrow's headlines. Thor builds suspense as Horvath tries to see how everything fits together and how he can stop it, all while not knowing who amongst the FBI, CIA, and Secret Service he can trust. The action is relentless, with Horvath, Solvi (a bad ass in her own right) and a pair of FBI agents, Carolan and Fields, who are entertaining enough to star in their own series! (hint, hint)
This book has great pacing, characters, and story. This is a book and an author who will have you coming back for more!
I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher. show less
Horvath has barely gotten his bearings when he and Solvi stumble into a group that opens fire on protesters outside the vice-president's residence. Scott leaps into action, and Solvi, on leave from the Norwegian Intelligence Service, leaps show more with him. That's bad news for the gunmen, who are well armed and armored. The fight spills into the Norwegian Embassy, and we are off to the races.
Before you know it, Scott is called on to protect someone who had a hand in saving his life, and Solvi is called back into service by the Norwegian Prime Minister, who is visiting for a NATO summit. The shooting, Scott's mission, and Solvi's job are all related to an operation whose tentacles reach deep inside the U.S. government. This leaves Scott not knowing who to trust and the clock ticking on ever-escalating danger.
This is one of the best thrillers of the year and is arriving just in time for the Fourth of July! Thor starts off with a bang, and the action just keeps ratcheting higher. The conspiracy at the heart of the story is so believable that it wouldn't be surprising to see it in tomorrow's headlines. Thor builds suspense as Horvath tries to see how everything fits together and how he can stop it, all while not knowing who amongst the FBI, CIA, and Secret Service he can trust. The action is relentless, with Horvath, Solvi (a bad ass in her own right) and a pair of FBI agents, Carolan and Fields, who are entertaining enough to star in their own series! (hint, hint)
This book has great pacing, characters, and story. This is a book and an author who will have you coming back for more!
I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher. show less
Black Ice is the 21st Scot Harvath spy thriller from Brad Thor. I have read every book in the series and loved them all. However, Black Ice was a slow read with little suspense. In this installment of the series we have Harvath enjoying a summer off from work with his girlfriend Solvi. She is also a spy but for her own country, Norway. Near the end of his vacation, Harvath is told he must return to Washington ASAP or resign. He agrees to go back to Washington but as he leaves his favorite show more Oslo cafe, Harvath sees a man he killed enter a cab in front of the cafe. Harvath had confirmed the death of the Chinese spy before informing his bosses and knew he was dead. Now he wonders whether he killed a double or if he had just seen a double.
For the first time for a Brad Thor novel, I was frequently able to put the book down. Normally I would read his books in one sitting. It took me several days to get through it. When I read about Scot's girlfriend Solvi, it was apparent that the author was a man. Scot is always the catch, not the other way around. Scot's job is always more important than the women's job. The women are submissive to the man. I am not sure why this irked me now. Maybe the pattern is more apparent after 21 novels. I also wonder if men are his target audience.
I must also wonder whether I was not in the mood for a spy story or whether something was off in the writing. All I know is that I wasn't as interested in this installment of the series as I have been with prior novels. Perhaps Thor should switch up his formula for the series to breathe new life into his plots and characters.
I am sorry to have to rate Black Ice 3 out of 5 stars. Thor usually gets a 5 star rating from me. show less
For the first time for a Brad Thor novel, I was frequently able to put the book down. Normally I would read his books in one sitting. It took me several days to get through it. When I read about Scot's girlfriend Solvi, it was apparent that the author was a man. Scot is always the catch, not the other way around. Scot's job is always more important than the women's job. The women are submissive to the man. I am not sure why this irked me now. Maybe the pattern is more apparent after 21 novels. I also wonder if men are his target audience.
I must also wonder whether I was not in the mood for a spy story or whether something was off in the writing. All I know is that I wasn't as interested in this installment of the series as I have been with prior novels. Perhaps Thor should switch up his formula for the series to breathe new life into his plots and characters.
I am sorry to have to rate Black Ice 3 out of 5 stars. Thor usually gets a 5 star rating from me. show less
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Statistics
- Works
- 46
- Also by
- 2
- Members
- 23,232
- Popularity
- #907
- Rating
- 3.8
- Reviews
- 413
- ISBNs
- 597
- Languages
- 10
- Favorited
- 63
