Derek

Balanced and well argued

Revisado: 01-07-25

Excellent read. It was balanced and well argued with lots of evidence. Highly recommend to anyone interested in statistics or forecasting.

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Honest & Forthright

Revisado: 08-29-24

McMaster tells it straight without hyperbole. He begins with this quote, "To tell the tale plainly is now much more difficult than to tell it treacherously.” -G. K. CHESTERTON

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Best Gray Man Since Back Blast

Revisado: 02-22-23

Burner is the best Gray Man since Black Blast! The book features a great plot that weaves current events, plenty of action, and the characters we’ve grown to love. Frankly, I’d been disappointed in a lot of the recent editions of the Gray Man and haven’t bothered writing reviews. That stopped with this new release!

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Elegant Narrative - Answers to Compelling Questions

Revisado: 11-09-21

This book answers many of the big, important questions about the war rather than being a straight narrative. It’s written in an elegant style that is entertaining and invigoratingly fresh considering the near ancient topic. It’s worth a read if you’re interested in World War 1.

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Masterful Account of the Last Month of Nazi Government

Revisado: 09-09-21

Masterful account of the last month of the war written by a modern German historian who is completely frank about sentiments and atrocities. What I liked about this book compared to most others that focus on the bunker story is that the reader gets a behind-the-scenes view of what the leaders were talking about and what regular Germans were saying and doing.

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Agent in (last) Place

Revisado: 02-22-18

To say that this book is Mark Greaney‘s best ever (as some initial reviews have stated) is truly unfair to Mark. He is my favorite writer in this genre and I own every volume he’s published. “Agent in Place” is dead in the middle of the pack between the Tom Clancy books he authored and the weakest Gray Man titles.

That said, I thoroughly enjoyed the book, especially his treatment of the Syrian Civil War. He animated this conflict including how mercenary groups are coordinated and deployed.

Unfortunately, the suspense that grips the reader in the other Gray Man adventures was lacking. There was a drought of likable characters as the author introduced a, “heart of darkness” style litany of bad actors (including some that are supposed to be sympathetic). That doesn’t make the book bad, just not as fabulous as some of the others.

Technical aspects of the production such as the narration were excellent (as always).

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the series. Although, you may want to start with, “Back Blast” if you’re a first timer.

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The Ultimate Grant Biography by the Ultimate Biographer - Chernow’s Best Yet!

Revisado: 10-15-17

I thought I knew about U.S. Grant before reading this biography and I was wrong! The arch of Grant’s life story is well known, but there are many gaps in other biographies. Ron Chernow masterfully fills in the missing details from many sources to create a rich story that captures the human side of a man referred to by both his friends and enemies as a sphinx. This is his best biography yet!

I walked away feeling as if I personally knew Grant, his challenges, decisions, successes and failures. I feel a new respect and admiration for his courage and quest to do what is right. The author emphasizes the General’s good faith efforts to help the downtrodden that are so often overlooked. He was victorious in many battles, but his honorable approach to freed slaves, Native Americans and people in distress make him worthy of being called a hero. Grant is truly the most misunderstood president!

The narration is solid despite the fact that a lot of things can go awry in 50 hours. I get irritated when narrators botch names and places as it messes up the flow of the story. I was impressed that Mark Bramhall was able to get the pronunciations correct unlike the majority of narrators of Civil War titles on Audible.

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Great Book, Overshadowed by its Perfect Predecessor

Revisado: 02-16-17

I stayed up all night to finish, "Gunmetal Gray!" The story is fluid, with a heavier emphasis on action/adventure than espionage compared to the last 2 books. It is an enjoyable read, although it suffers from the fabulous success of the previous Gray Man, "Back Blast."

Without giving away spoilers, I loved the interplay between the shadowy criminal organizations, spy services, hacking, government commandos and exotic locales. Frankly, I liked it so much that I would have enjoyed a few more hours worth of details.

Jay Snyder did a superb job with the narration. His many voices, accents, and tones make the characters come alive. If they ever make a movie, they better dub in his voice to make sure the movie is as realistic as the book!

P.S. Not that it matters, but "Back Blast" was the best action/adventure/espionage thriller that I've read since Ian Fleming's most outstanding achievement, "From Russia with Love." It occurred to me while writing this review that the 5th James Bond book and the 5th Gray Man book were also the best in each series. Both books were hard, if not impossible acts to follow!

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Short Reminder - Cute Format

Revisado: 01-17-17

Whether you love or hate Arianna, this dinky, little book has a good message. The author plays off the children's classic, "Goodnight Moon" to suggest that readers practice good sleep hygiene by leaving their smart phone charging in another room. If you're intrigued, she mentions early on that she's written a full length treatment on the importance of sleep. It was worth the 7 minutes I spent listening. There was nothing included that you haven't read in articles about quality sleep, but the composition brought a smile to my face throughout the presentation.

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Excellent Book with Solid Narration

Revisado: 12-12-16

I wish I had read this book sooner! I put off buying and reading it because the reviews were not stellar. Admittedly, like most biographies, this book begins with the Fleming family history, which is a little bit slow. But, the book picks right up as soon as they start telling Ian's story. Skip to World War II if you want to get right down to the most interesting times in Ian Fleming's life. There are no slow spots during or after the war.

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