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jacki_f's review against another edition
3.0
This is another high octane thriller, the kind that Kernick does so well. I read it while away for a long weekend and it was the perfect mindless yet gripping holiday companion. It follows on from Siege, and whilst it's not necessary to have read that book first, you'll probably enjoy this one more if you have. The ending also sets itself up for a sequel to continue the story further.
What I like about Simon Kernick's books is the way that he juggles several characters and storylines which all come together in the end. There's always lots of twists and turns and the action is fast. All his trademark attributes and characters are here, but for whatever reason I felt like the formula was showing more than usual. The introductory action sequences which you know will tie back to the story but you don't initially know how. The character who won't be what he seems to be. Tina Boyd acting rashly as usual. It all felt a little like I'd read it before.
It's a fine balance for author who write multiple thrillers, finding a way to make each book different without changing it so much that they lose the formula for success. I just felt that this time around, Kernick perhaps hadn't pushed himself as far as he could have.
Having said that, I reiterate that it's a perfectly entertaining thriller which I tore through in no time flat and enjoyed. I look forward to Kernick's next book and seeing what happens next!
What I like about Simon Kernick's books is the way that he juggles several characters and storylines which all come together in the end. There's always lots of twists and turns and the action is fast. All his trademark attributes and characters are here, but for whatever reason I felt like the formula was showing more than usual. The introductory action sequences which you know will tie back to the story but you don't initially know how. The character who won't be what he seems to be. Tina Boyd acting rashly as usual. It all felt a little like I'd read it before.
It's a fine balance for author who write multiple thrillers, finding a way to make each book different without changing it so much that they lose the formula for success. I just felt that this time around, Kernick perhaps hadn't pushed himself as far as he could have.
Having said that, I reiterate that it's a perfectly entertaining thriller which I tore through in no time flat and enjoyed. I look forward to Kernick's next book and seeing what happens next!
erinnejc's review against another edition
3.0
Good story, with good characters. Enjoyable novel that was well written.
laus3012's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed reading this; I'm a big fan of action and find Simon's writing style gripping and easy to read and it flows well. The only slight thing I found frustrating was the indestructibility of one of the main characters; everyone else in the climax were killed but she wasn't even injured; this was after a number of other incidents she escaped from.
However, overall it was a good fast paced thriller and even with a number of characters and scenarios it didn't get confusing.
However, overall it was a good fast paced thriller and even with a number of characters and scenarios it didn't get confusing.
catscodeandcake's review against another edition
4.0
Good, escapist fun.
Your typical high octane thriller, British style. What it lacks in characterisation it makes up for in pace, gunfights and mayhem.
Your typical high octane thriller, British style. What it lacks in characterisation it makes up for in pace, gunfights and mayhem.
vbeebe's review against another edition
4.0
For the past few weeks I've been looking for a good thriller/mystery to fill up some of my time. I basically inhaled [b:Lexicon|16158596|Lexicon|Max Barry|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1356080172s/16158596.jpg|20077336] and was hoping for something similar. Similar this was not, but still pretty enjoyable.
Ultimatum is a fast paced read about a terrorist attack, and preventing said attack, in London. The action starts right in the beginning of the book with a South Asian man being blackmailed to deliver a backpack bomb to a high trafficked coffee shop. And the action just keeps going from there. More bombs go off. A prisoner from a previous attack is willing to talk and give up the names of the organizers. The only real mystery to the story was where the final attack would take place and if the good guys would stop the bad guys. That being said, it was still suspenseful and kept me riveted.
One thing that I really enjoyed was that the action all takes place over the course of one day. It increased the stress and urgency of the story to have a timeline that was very strict.
The story is told from multiple perspectives, but the story line that I found most interesting was that of the inside man, Jones. Maybe because he was operating with the bad guys and it wasn't clear if he was going to be safe, but his story line was by far the best. Using home grown terrorists was also more interesting than the alternative. The entire plot of blaming it on immigrant and "Islamic Command" seemed as if it would unravel fairly quickly though if anyone got caught.
I didn't know until after I finished that this book was a part of a series, so it's clearly not necessary to have read any of the previous books. Perhaps I would have seen more character development of the central lead if I had read previous book.
If political thrillers are your bag, this is definitely worth the read.
Ultimatum is a fast paced read about a terrorist attack, and preventing said attack, in London. The action starts right in the beginning of the book with a South Asian man being blackmailed to deliver a backpack bomb to a high trafficked coffee shop. And the action just keeps going from there. More bombs go off. A prisoner from a previous attack is willing to talk and give up the names of the organizers. The only real mystery to the story was where the final attack would take place and if the good guys would stop the bad guys. That being said, it was still suspenseful and kept me riveted.
One thing that I really enjoyed was that the action all takes place over the course of one day. It increased the stress and urgency of the story to have a timeline that was very strict.
The story is told from multiple perspectives, but the story line that I found most interesting was that of the inside man, Jones. Maybe because he was operating with the bad guys and it wasn't clear if he was going to be safe, but his story line was by far the best. Using home grown terrorists was also more interesting than the alternative. The entire plot of blaming it on immigrant and "Islamic Command" seemed as if it would unravel fairly quickly though if anyone got caught.
I didn't know until after I finished that this book was a part of a series, so it's clearly not necessary to have read any of the previous books. Perhaps I would have seen more character development of the central lead if I had read previous book.
If political thrillers are your bag, this is definitely worth the read.
rjgibson2806's review
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
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