The Fifth Assassin by Brad Meltzer

Pages: Paper

Genre: Fiction

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Reviewer Virginia Armstrong

JAGS: 6

In The Fifth Assassin, it seems a copycat assassin is on the loose on the streets of Washington D.C. and Beecher White is on the case. Targeting clergy in the area, the killer is imitating the assassinations of former U.S. Presidents to the very last detail. Beecher, a historian working at the National Archives, must now figure out if the original Assassins from history past were working alone, or if a larger conspiracy was involved. He has his work cut out for him as he races to unmask the killer before the fifth assassination can take place.

As figures from his past begin to show up on the scene, and bitter memories rise to the surface of his mind leaving him vulnerable and open to danger, Beecher must determine if one of these former friends is actually the killer.

The Fifth Assassin kept me guessing. My mind was continuously wondering how the puzzle was going to be pieced together. The further I read into the story, the better I got to know and understand the characters and the reasoning behind their actions. At one point, I was torn between the guilt of rooting for the villain and didn’t want to perceive them in a negative light. This latest Brad Meltzer sequel to his earlier work The Inner Circle, takes you on an adventure into the past the details involving the assassination of former U.S. Presidents.

This was a better read than I anticipated.  The ending definitely leaves you wanting more.

 

Internal Security by David Darracott

Genre:  Fiction

Published by:  Lighting Rod Books

Pages:  Paper Back

Rating:  7 JAGS

In Internal Security, a terrorist explosion on Daytona’s sandy beach kills hundreds of students and the race for control for the strength of the most powerful nation on the planet begins in this exciting thrill ride. Tom Darden is a second rate reporter working for a third rate news organization who investigates the attack on American soil. What he uncovers is the story of a life time, but to get the truth out to the American public, he has become target number 1 by a shadowy secret organization working to take control of the U.S. Government. There is no one Tom can trust as he looks for clues from the east coast, all the way to the battle fields of the Iraqi war.

Tom must put country first, above all else, which could ultimately destroy the fabric of America. The evil forces that he is up against will stop at nothing to turn the country into a police state and worse, a forced dictatorship to keep any opposition at bay.

With Internal Security, David Darracott hit it out of the park. He has taken the headlines from today’s news and turned it into a page turning work of fiction that rings a certain truth that could fuel conspiracy theorists for decades. This roller coaster thrill ride will not only leave you wanting more, but will raise the bar for suspense fiction from this point forward. Watch out Brad Thor and Brad Meltzer, because David Darracott is a contender.

The 500 by Matthew Quirk

Genre: Fiction

Published by: Little Brown

Pages: Hard Cover

Ratings: 4 JAGS

One part Grisham’s The Firm, (Especially the tail end of Chapter 14 where you can’t help but picture Tom Cruise and the Quaker Oats actor in a heated exchange.) one part Wall Street the movie, The 500 is an action packed thriller that reads like Joseph Finder’s novel Paranoia. 

Mike Ford, recent Harvard Law School graduate and son of a grifter con-man, is courted by the powerful Washington DC think tank The Davies Group. The 500 of Washington’s most powerful members and game changers of the U.S. government use The Davies Group to lobby and monopolize power and policy. Mike realizes his rise to the circles of Washington’s elite comes with a price, and with that, a world of cons, marks and ultimately death that he has been trying desperately to leave behind.

Great last minute airport or poolside read. With a release date of June 5^th, Matthew Quirk’s The 500, is being championed as the next Brad Meltzer and David Baldacci. The screen rights have also been picked up by 20^th Century Fox. This is a definite quick vacation read.

The Last Patriot by Brad Thor

Brad Thor’s heroine character Scot Harvath is once again forced into a covert operation to protect the US in the latest installment in The Last Patriot. This espionage tale of intrigue has America facing its toughest opponent still to date, fundamentalist Islam, with a twist of US history and America’s third president, Thomas Jefferson. Scot Harvath must trust unlikely allies in a race to protect one of the world’s most important archeological finds that could help win the war on terrorism.

Standard Thor novel which is typical of a government conspiracy that beats the likes of Brad Meltzer, rivals the imagination and storytelling of Robert Ludlum, but stands alone in originality and storyline. An excellent thriller to read while waiting for the laundry to get done, or your delayed plane to arrive-A definite pick up new, used or borrow from a friend.  Brad Thor’s plausible thriller of real life issues leaves the reader wondering how much truth can be borrowed from the headlines before it becomes all to real.

6 JAGS

The Inner Circle by Brad Meltzer

Typical Meltzer Government conspiracy novel. The Inner Circle is a story about an archivist who stumbles on a secret within our government that reaches all the way up to the Oval office. Murder, mystery and intrigue, this story pales compared to previous works by Meltzer.

The historical facts usually that dominates a Meltzer novel is interesting and compelling to look into. A bold story that relies heavily on historical fact instead of imagination that leaves you wanting more information about our government and the Office of the President of the United States than the telling of this weakly plotted story line.

 Purchase used or wait to see if you can borrow from a friend or maybe pick up at a flea market.

3 JAGS