The Rescue

The Rescue has been getting a ton of early praise. Unfortunately, I won't be joining that party train, so feel free to boo me if you must.

This book and I were simply a bad match. All the things I love in a book just aren't here.

The biggest problem for me revolves around the absence of character development. For me to invest in a story, I have to care about, or at least get to know, the characters. That doesn't happen. Instead, we have a ton of narrating characters, some who matter a lot more than others, and we don't learn much about any of them, aside from how well they shoot.

The entire book is plot-driven, relying on a lot of action, all the time. And this brings me back to the lack of character development. I didn't feel any balance show more between the characters as people and the constant action propelling things forward.

And, finally, the action was over-the-top superhero kind of stuff.

This book is being compared to Lee Child's Jack Reacher Series. It is absolutely not comparable. Jack Reacher's character is, from the start, complex and well developed. Readers fell in love with Jack Reacher first, and the plots second. Those books have balance. This one does not. The Rescue relies on action only, which is fine if that's your thing. It's just not mine. show less

I rarely give a book 5 stars but this non-stop thriller introduces male and female heroes one can really attach to, and who seemingly can deal with any crisis. The author’s credentials speak for themselves & his ability to tell a realistic story. The main character was framed for a botched hostage recovery, which forces him into action to uncover the truth with help from a splendid group of women kidnap survivors. 1st in series I plan to keep reading.

3.5 stars (some sites do not allow half stars so rating may vary). This was my Amazon First pick for March 2019.

It's action-packed, that's for sure. I do agree with some other reviewers that there isn't a lot of character definition in this novel--it didn't really bother me much while reading it however.

Ryan Decker is dealing with the fallout of a rescue mission gone bad that sent him to prison. Though attempts have been made on his life while he's incarcerated, Decker has survived. He's unexpectedly freed from prison only to have an attempt made on his life that same day! One of the girls Decker saved from a life of trafficking comes to his rescue--she and her team.

It was good to see a group of capable women in a thriller--they do show more have slightly different skill sets than Decker, and it's never really explained how they came by some of them. Some can be taught, but others . . .

Careful as they tried to be, however, it was silly of them to go grocery shopping without disguising themselves. With all the skills they have, no one thinks or or can manage that? Or how about ordering from Amazon or InstaCart etc. and having it delivered to the house rather than risking going out?

As with most thrillers, you do start to wonder how many times one man can survive such attacks and not be injured.

I did appreciate that the profanity was kept to a minimum and there were no sex scenes (though there was some narrative about sex trafficking as part of the plot). show less

This is a compelling and generally well written story let down by a couple of irritations - though no doubt I notice them more than most. Though not a hard and fast rule in writing, the author is in the habit of writing “said Decker” instead of “Decker said”. One would not write “said he” (except Shakespeare and his ilk) but rather “he said”. The same logic generally applies when using a character’s name. As someone who appreciates good writing, this annoys me, but it may not annoy others as much. One more criticism is his lack of imagination when it comes to characters expressing themselves. It is always "said Decker", never "asked", "stated", "explained", "remarked" or any of a dozen other variations on this theme. show more

These things aside, it *is* a good story, so go for it. Enjoy! show less

Fast-paced all-action thriller which stretches credulity if you stop to think about the plot. Characters are mostly stereotypical of the genre and there are few plot surprises or twists.

Tried listening to the audio book when i got it on kindle unlimited, couldn't get into it.

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