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antoinetteo's review
adventurous
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
tracy_lianne's review against another edition
5.0
This is an excellent story. I can't wait to continue the series!
papidoc's review against another edition
3.0
Promising start to a new series. Former head of an organizations specializing in recovery of trafficked children is set up and sent to prison. Upon his release, he begins investigating how it happened and who was responsible, with the help of some old and new friends. Writing a little more "tell about" than I would like, but maybe the author will improve as the series goes further. Lightweight entertainment, suitable for reading while on a plane or in a car.
fotoshopguy52's review against another edition
3.0
Enjoyable for the most part, but too much graphic violence,
3.5 Stars
3.5 Stars
jennchandler's review against another edition
4.0
A slow start, but it picked up, and the ending was satisfying enough.
liberrydude's review against another edition
4.0
Your typical over the top techno defense thriller with all the stereotypes. The idealistic former Marine officer is sent to prison for trying to save the world. He emerges from prison in a rigged release that is basically a death sentence. Do I really want to continue reading this?
Yes. An action packed tale in which one wonders who is being rescued? The rescuer might be the one being rescued as he embarks on a quest for the truth and some payback. Shades of Tom Clancy and Robert Ludlum. Looking forward to the second installment in this brand new series.
Yes. An action packed tale in which one wonders who is being rescued? The rescuer might be the one being rescued as he embarks on a quest for the truth and some payback. Shades of Tom Clancy and Robert Ludlum. Looking forward to the second installment in this brand new series.
jennchandler's review against another edition
4.0
A slow start, but it picked up, and the ending was satisfying enough.
abibliofob's review against another edition
4.0
I had to get this one and read it quick since I got approved for book number 2.
Why did I not read this one sooner? I don't know but wow what a great rollercoaster of an adventure. I have to start the second really soon. Strong recommendation from me to y'all.
Why did I not read this one sooner? I don't know but wow what a great rollercoaster of an adventure. I have to start the second really soon. Strong recommendation from me to y'all.
wyrmdog's review against another edition
4.0
Sometimes I want a cheeseburger and I don't want anything crazy different, but I want that burger from a place I don't go all the time. Sometimes it's good and sometimes it's not so good. At the end of the day, it's still a cheeseburger and I love cheeseburgers. I may have found a new burger joint.
The Rescue is like a cheeseburger from a new place. I know what to expect; I get what I was expecting, and it's different enough to be pretty tasty. Most fiction of this type isn't going to break new ground, and it shouldn't. If it did it might end up being a different genre altogether. Or to play with my metaphor some more, it'd probably be a fish taco.
Interestingly, it was Harlow and her crew that kept me engaged despite all the action going to Decker. Decker is an okay character, the same sort of hyper competent super-surrogate we usually get in these books, but with a level of self-awareness that, while not monumental, dwarfs many of his fictional peers. Harlow introduced an avenue into the story that was far more interesting than dismantling the conspiracy that ultimately drove the book. There is a story there that's worth building on that just...wasn't. Not yet, anyway.
There's no sex at all, which given some of the men's adventure fiction I've read, is probably a blessing, and the violence and gore is no-nonsense. No dwelling, no skipping, no glorifying. It just is.
But what surprised me was the inclusion of compassion and forgiveness. Most characters like Decker have compassion only for women and children and forgiveness not at all. I didn't see it coming, and though the author does his best to ensure that we know it was a grudging move, it feels like getting a peek into Decker's true self. I suppose I will see as I read more and I am prepared for a betrayal of that assessment. Still, it was a welcome turn that no other book like this seems to have even considered.
So in spite of the kinda flat characters and mad-libbed plot, I am intrigued enough to keep going. I hope that Harlow's crew gets more page time and that Decker finds a personality beyond 'framed action hero with a mostly dead family.'
The Rescue is like a cheeseburger from a new place. I know what to expect; I get what I was expecting, and it's different enough to be pretty tasty. Most fiction of this type isn't going to break new ground, and it shouldn't. If it did it might end up being a different genre altogether. Or to play with my metaphor some more, it'd probably be a fish taco.
Interestingly, it was Harlow and her crew that kept me engaged despite all the action going to Decker. Decker is an okay character, the same sort of hyper competent super-surrogate we usually get in these books, but with a level of self-awareness that, while not monumental, dwarfs many of his fictional peers. Harlow introduced an avenue into the story that was far more interesting than dismantling the conspiracy that ultimately drove the book. There is a story there that's worth building on that just...wasn't. Not yet, anyway.
There's no sex at all, which given some of the men's adventure fiction I've read, is probably a blessing, and the violence and gore is no-nonsense. No dwelling, no skipping, no glorifying. It just is.
But what surprised me was the inclusion of compassion and forgiveness. Most characters like Decker have compassion only for women and children and forgiveness not at all. I didn't see it coming, and though the author does his best to ensure that we know it was a grudging move, it feels like getting a peek into Decker's true self. I suppose I will see as I read more and I am prepared for a betrayal of that assessment. Still, it was a welcome turn that no other book like this seems to have even considered.
So in spite of the kinda flat characters and mad-libbed plot, I am intrigued enough to keep going. I hope that Harlow's crew gets more page time and that Decker finds a personality beyond 'framed action hero with a mostly dead family.'
raymaane's review
4.0
a ride from beginning to end. At times I felt like the story was too long, but it never dragged - does that make sense? Probably not. Non-stop action from beginning to end. I'm ready for the next one.