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papidoc's review
2.0
I don't even know why I finished this book. I stopped reading two other "thrillers" 30 pages in at around the same time because they were poorly written and, frankly, boring. This wasn't quite as bad, but bad enough not to waste your time. There are no good guys, just people who are self-centered, valueless, and amoral, regardless of which side they're on...and there seem to be at least four "sides."
Ostensibly, the good guy is a retired special operator of an off-the-books operation, as is his wife. He gets drawn back into the fray against his will, though he seems very willing to go back. He has no moral hesitancy about his actions, and the people around him even less. I had hopes this would be better than the run of the mill thriller, but I won't be reading any more in the series.
Ostensibly, the good guy is a retired special operator of an off-the-books operation, as is his wife. He gets drawn back into the fray against his will, though he seems very willing to go back. He has no moral hesitancy about his actions, and the people around him even less. I had hopes this would be better than the run of the mill thriller, but I won't be reading any more in the series.
jwillis81's review
3.0
Overall, I thought this was an enjoyable thriller. The writing flowed well and the narrative was fast-paced and entertaining. The author did a particularly good job of juggling multiple storylines and keeping things interesting while he jumped around from story to story.
The characters, however, weren't particularly memorable, and neither was the story. It felt fairly predictable, and there weren't a lot of surprised or unexpected twists and turns to keep things interesting. I usually prefer thrillers that throw a couple of curve balls here and there, but this one was pretty straightforward.
The characters, however, weren't particularly memorable, and neither was the story. It felt fairly predictable, and there weren't a lot of surprised or unexpected twists and turns to keep things interesting. I usually prefer thrillers that throw a couple of curve balls here and there, but this one was pretty straightforward.
gbdill's review
1.0
This is the second Konkoly book I have tried to read in less than a month. The other book being, "The Jakarta Pandemic". Both of which I could not get into or finish. Now, I absolutely love adventure, thriller, black ops type of novels. But, these two Konkoly novels seem rather boring with little or no action, but a lot of dialog that seemed to drag on. At this point I will give up on trying what seems to be a seemingly popular author and instead stick to the Vince Flynn and Brad Thor books that I have in most part enjoyed.
sdgevaert's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
ghostroom217's review
4.0
Steven Konkoly's second offering, Black Flagged, breaks from post-apocalyptic territory and hits the ground running as his first installment within the thriller genre. Konkoly plays on his strengths and keeps the plot moving at a crisp pace, sticks to exposition dialogue rather than interpersonal exchanges, and deftly juggles a generous handful of compelling characters without muddling up the proceedings.
The main character, Daniel Petrovich, is a trained killer, shows no remorse for his actions, yet remains sympathetic, as if his actions were forced upon him. Konkoly argues that they are, but the reader doesn't understand the true meaning of this until the final pages.
Without spoilers, the two scenes I most enjoyed occurred in a Whole Foods grocery and, later on, at a CIA safehouse in a Georgetown brownstone. The action is vividly described in just enough detail to keep the momentum going and the sense of realism sharp.
If I had a quibble about this book it would be the character of Edwards, the misogynistic FBI agent. Though he's great fun to hate, it's hard to believe he could rise to such a level in the agency, especially since all his colleagues seem to see right through him and despise him. This in turn, in her dealings and responses to Edwards, tips Konkoly's hand that Jessica Petrovich, Daniel's wife, is not all that she seems to be.
I'm not generally a fan of the continuing character genre (my one enthusiastic exception being John D. MacDonald's Travis McGee books), and Black Flagged is definitely an introductory volume, but I am looking forward to the next book in the series. I read somewhere that it's supposed to be a trilogy and that makes me hope there'll be something of a story arc that weaves its way through all three.
The main character, Daniel Petrovich, is a trained killer, shows no remorse for his actions, yet remains sympathetic, as if his actions were forced upon him. Konkoly argues that they are, but the reader doesn't understand the true meaning of this until the final pages.
Without spoilers, the two scenes I most enjoyed occurred in a Whole Foods grocery and, later on, at a CIA safehouse in a Georgetown brownstone. The action is vividly described in just enough detail to keep the momentum going and the sense of realism sharp.
If I had a quibble about this book it would be the character of Edwards, the misogynistic FBI agent. Though he's great fun to hate, it's hard to believe he could rise to such a level in the agency, especially since all his colleagues seem to see right through him and despise him. This in turn, in her dealings and responses to Edwards, tips Konkoly's hand that Jessica Petrovich, Daniel's wife, is not all that she seems to be.
I'm not generally a fan of the continuing character genre (my one enthusiastic exception being John D. MacDonald's Travis McGee books), and Black Flagged is definitely an introductory volume, but I am looking forward to the next book in the series. I read somewhere that it's supposed to be a trilogy and that makes me hope there'll be something of a story arc that weaves its way through all three.
b00kgrl's review against another edition
4.0
The book was non stop action. The reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because there was a lot of back and forth with characters and locations. It was a bit hard to keep up with. I kept having to back track to figure out where I was. It took me longer to read because of that. Overall, not a bad read if you're wide awake and clear headed.
hyrmn's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
readingbooksinbed's review against another edition
4.0
A little slow to start but picked up nicely. I was able to predict one twist but the rest surprised me. So glad they are more books in this series.