Joe Bloggs

Unrealistic

Revisado: 03-18-24

The assassin's origin story is about as realistic as being raised by wolves. The origin story wouldn't be a big deal except the author kept coming back to it about every other chapter and beating you senseless with it. It got so bad that I skipped ahead more than a few times. In a genre that expects a measure of the exceptional, this author manages to go way too far.

The writing itself is very good which makes the book somewhat tragic in a strange way. I loved the descriptiveness and the weaving of the tale, it just got too ridiculous. In his attempts to explain why Peter Black is the way he is, the author goes too far and I just stopped caring and just wanted to be done with the back story once and for all. But alas the author felt the need to keep reminding us every other chapter with a trip to Peter's messed up childhood.

I don't know if I should say this or not, but much of the writing reminds me of Greg Isles writing. I guess I said it, but let me say that I write that as a compliment. This book had so much more potential, but for me it is nearly ruined with the constant reminders about how Peter's life was pure hell and his crazy training from the time he was eight.

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Masterful

Revisado: 09-22-22

The tale continues and does not disappoint. There are a few twists and turns in the plot, and some are predictable while others are not. There were many times that I really hated to get where I was going in the car because it meant I had to stop listening. I will definitely listen to the next book in this series. Bernard Cornwell has really grabbed my attention as a writer to listen to. I think a lot of the setting and details have great historical accuracy as well, which is really something I desire and require in this sort of a book.

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The Inside Scoop on Green Beret Training

Revisado: 04-29-22

A really good story about an officers journey to become a Green Beret and the training he went through. The book kept me interested from start to finish. In my opinion we are in a period of time when units like the Green Berets will be more and more important to the USA, and this book does a good job explaining what they do and why.

The only thing I found lacking, and it isn't the authors fault at all, is the fact that Tony Schwalm is an officer and his perspective is that of an officer. It would be interesting to hear from the enlisted, although the officers perspective is probably a broader and more comprehensive view.

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A Cut Above Most Other books of this Genre

Revisado: 03-02-21

I'm always searching for the next great series of this genre and this book is just what I have been searching for. Many books are just okay, but this one rises above most and into that rarified air reserved for only the best of the best. One of the problems of this genre is explaining how and why the character has great powers given him by his government. Some derive their powers from the director of the CIA, some from special commissions headed by POTUS, some from special private companies that work for the CIA or other agencies, some from the underworld and you get the picture. The mechanism here is a special program run by POTUS and it works very well. No need to get complicated about it, lest the illusion be diminished. Steel is everything we want and look for in this sort of Tier 1 hero and maybe more importantly nothing we don't want. The author keeps it relatively simple and everything works brilliantly. Looking forward to the next 2 books and hopefully many more to come.

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I give this one a B

Revisado: 08-23-20

I enjoyed the book the way I enjoy a decent B movie, don't get your expectations up too high and it won't disappoint. Overall my opinion is this book does not measure up to many others in the genre, although it comes close at times. The main character has an apprentice that as far as I can tell only serves to make the main character look better. Other than that, the apprentice idea makes very little sense and the author provides very little explanation as to why the main guy would burden himself in such a way. Another thing I like is the author didn't feel the need to write in an impossibly "bad ass" female, although there is one woman who accomplishes quite a bit she falls short of superhero status which was a welcome change from so many other books being written today. The good: entertaining, interesting The not so good: tends to fall into "secret squirrel" territory from time to time. By this I mean the reader is asked to suspend disbelief a little too often and on perhaps a few too many points. An example is some computer guy he pays to give him answers and the dude always comes through with just the right information. Overall this book entertains so I give it a B.

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Story? What Story?

Revisado: 11-14-19

Never has so much action been so mind numbing boring. I mean this book feels like the LT Colonel of the USMC wrote it himself and Mark Greaney just put a little polish on the turd. It's one action scene after another after another and just about everyone dies some horrible death, nothing wrong with that but that is all there is. Imagine one of those action movies that is just action and no story and that is this book.

I cannot imagine where all of the 5 star ratings are coming from. I'm a huge Grey Man fan but this is crap. It's a big red turd.

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Not Believable

Revisado: 11-14-19

Preachy
Plastic Banana/Cardboard Characters
Unrealistic in the extreme

The Rooster Bar races towards disaster faster than a greedy billionaire can scoop up the loan money of sucker law students.

Right away Grisham runs into a structural problem, his characters are so sad and pathetic that they drop out of school because their school is shit and they won't be able to pass the bar exam. But these same former students need to be smart enough to outwit federal agencies and a billionaire and practice law on the sly. So right away I'm saying to myself "WHY?" and the answer is obvious, because Grisham believes that he can write anything and it will be believable. Once the suspended disbelief barrier is broken it never gets repaired and the rest of the book is just "oh yeah, what will he write next?".

The 2 male characters are blue pill as hell if you know what I mean. They happily sleep with a slut of an assistant prosecutor who screws as many men as possible for sport and to win an ongoing bet with her slutty roommate. The 2 men also practically worship at the feet of their female partner in crime even though she is practically worthless to their ventures. They remain beta orbiters of this law student chick.

And the book preaches about the horrors of ICE and how they deport the poor illegal aliens even though they have been in the USA for so long. I suppose he thinks some sort of squatters rights should apply in the immigration system?

I gave it 3 starts because it is written halfway decently if you ignore all of the structural flaws and the preaching.

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Screwed by the FBI

Revisado: 06-24-19

This is a story about how the FBI caught a few bad guy insider traders and screwed a few guys that mostly did not deserve the harsh punishment they got. It's a decent story I guess, but it also reeks of frustration and righteousness on the part of the FBI.
The author points out how the "bad guys" never showed regret or shame or even regret of anything other than getting caught. You sort of have to remind yourself that insider trading only screws over other traders and doesn't even affect long term investors. Once you realize this, you have a different perspective than the author.

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Poison Apple Kills It

Revisado: 06-24-19

Mark Greaney is really writing at another level. The Gray Man books are a notch better than most every other book or series in this genre. In my opinion The Gray Man series is just a little better, and there hasn't been a let down book yet. Anthem is back with Violator (The Gray Man) and its a bullet riddled thrill ride right from the start. The plot has plenty of twists, although to the astute reader complete surprises are rare. Hightower is also back to raise a little hell of his own and he gets a new call sign that he really doesn't like for some comic relief. The story is completely unique and inventive, unlike so many other books. It is, for the most part believable, although it is a book of fiction so some creative license is warranted and expected. I highly recommend this book. It is readable on its own or as the latest installment in the Gray Man series.

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Putin is the Devil

Revisado: 06-12-19

In case anyone was wondering just how cruel and unjust Russia is today, this book will break it down for you. The story begins with Bill Browder's life and career, his unlikely rise to the top of the international investment community food chain and then gets into how Russia attempted to ruin him. At the heart of the story is a family man and lawyer in Russia who was tortured and killed just for being Browder's lawyer and not copping to crimes he never committed. It's both a heartbreaking story and a warning about Russia and similar governments. This is one of the important stories of our day because it is 100% real and the threat is every bit as real today as it was a few years ago.

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