Book Review | The Extinction Agenda (Book One) by Michael Laurence

Book Description:

An FBI agent fights to stop a conspiracy to unleash a deadly virus on the world in this propulsive, exhilarating new thriller

The discovery of a deadly virus being smuggled across the border pits FBI Special Agent James Mason and his strike force against an unknown adversary hell-bent on humanity’s destruction. In a desperate effort to contain the pathogen, they launch a predawn raid, only to find that their enemy knows they’re coming…and it’s not about to be taken alive. An explosion rips through the building, killing the majority of Mason’s team, including his partner and mentor.

Tormented by guilt, Mason returns to his home division, but he can’t seem to let go of the tragedy. He remembers seeing something inside the building before it went up in flames, something that convinces him that not only is the virus still out there, it’s merely the first stage of an even more nefarious plan. Obsessed with unraveling the plot, he launches his own investigation and uncovers a shadow organization on the brink of enacting its genocidal agenda, one carried out by a sinister mass murderer who’s been photographed at the epicenter of seemingly every historical pandemic…without appearing to age. An evil man who attempts to derail Mason’s investigation by murdering his wife.

With the help of his longtime friends—Gunnar Backstrom, a corporate espionage gun-for-hire, and Ramses Donovan, a sin merchant of questionable morality—Mason’s hunt for his wife’s killer leads him from a dark union at the dawn of the twentieth century to a network of Nazi collaborators and a conspiracy against mankind more than a hundred years in the making. Fueled by anger and driven by the promise of vengeance, he must overcome a monster preparing to unleash his virulent wrath upon an unsuspecting world if he’s to have any hope of exposing a deep-state entity that’s rooted in every facet of our society, an entity known only as…The Thirteen.

This is book one in the series of “The Thirteen”. And it’s a great start to what I can tell you is a wild ride! The book starts out with Agent James Mason on a mission. He located what appeared to be a location that is housing dead or dying bodies of humans which have been used to test a virus. He encounters the person responsible for killing those immigrants and as this man with the “blue eyes” detonates a bomb, Mason loses his partner. It has lasting effects on him and a year later, he goes rogue, to determine what is really going on with that situation.

Further into the book, it appears his wife may be having an affair, and though she’s been insistent on meeting with him to talk about some things important to his case, she ends up being killed before being able to share her intel with him. This only angers Mason further, and pushes him to keep using the limited resources he has, to track and interrogate this man with the “blue eyes.”

Through a few extra characters that have access to satellites and intel, and a woman who has had first-person contact with this target, Mason is able to make some progress and learn some crucial points to this global threat, and it hits a little closer to home that he previously realized. And even with the biggest threat taken out, he begins to realize just how much more is at stake.

The suspense and writing is very easy to follow. And I cannot stress the significance of Laurence’s quotes throughout the book.

We are living currently through a pandemic of COVID-19 which according to conspiracy theorists has many proofs rooted in time and through leadership of certain countries. They insist this pandemic was planned and has much to do with those in power who have the money and resources to accomplish global shutdowns and governmental control. This book truly hits home for some of us as well!

Here is one quote that is written at the beginning of chapter 70, when the story really starts to unravel and the gloves comes of:

“Exactly. Fear. If they’re [people are] suitably afraid, people will line up for you to inject anything you want into their bloodstreams. They’ll relinquish any freedoms.”

Very scary to read, as America has raced to get the COVID-19 vaccines into the arms of its residents, as well as other countries. Much fear has had so many rushing to “get better” and “think of others”, but do we even know what are in these vaccines and what their outcomes will be?

I’ll leave you with a chilling quote from someone who always comes through speculation during times like these:

“Some even believe we are part of a secret cabal working against the best interests of the United States, characterizing my family and me as ‘internationalists’ and of conspiring with others around the world to build a more integrated global political and economic structure – one world, if you will. If that is the charge, I stand guilty and am proud of it.” – David Rockefeller, Memoirs 2002.

This is a fiction book, but seems to be prophetic or at least speculating in the right direction…

I’ve chosen to postpone my other book reviews at this time to continue with Book Two: The Annihilation Protocol, so stay tuned for that. And then immediately following, I will continue with Book Three: The Elimination Threat, which will be available August 2021!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own and I appreciate the opportunity to receive an advanced reader copy to do so. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Book Review | Need to Know by Karen Cleveland

need to know

Book Description

In pursuit of a Russian sleeper cell on American soil, a CIA analyst uncovers a dangerous secret that will test her loyalty to the agency—and to her family.

What do you do when everything you trust might be a lie?

Vivian Miller is a dedicated CIA counterintelligence analyst assigned to uncover the leaders of Russian sleeper cells in the United States. On track for a much-needed promotion, she’s developed a system for identifying Russian agents, seemingly normal people living in plain sight.

After accessing the computer of a potential Russian operative, Vivian stumbles on a secret dossier of deep-cover agents within America’s borders. A few clicks later, everything that matters to her—her job, her husband, even her four children—are threatened.

Vivian has vowed to defend her country against all enemies, foreign and domestic. But now she’s facing impossible choices. Torn between loyalty and betrayal, allegiance and treason, love and suspicion, who can she trust?

A classy spy novel with intrigue, doubt, and fierce loyalties.  This debut novel by former CIA analyst, Karen Cleveland, grips and doesn’t let go.  The main character, Vivian, tracks Russian sleeper agents for her career, and at the end of chapter one, realizes they are much closer to home than she thinks!  Hacking into a recovered laptop from a known Russian source, she uncovers five covert agents who are sleepers and she is about to expose them.  But what must she do when one of them is related to her?  The book immediately gets the reader thinking ethically and to what extent we might bend the rules.

By chapter six, she makes a decision that affects everyone in her family, her four children and husband included, and the story takes off.  Can she protect her family from those who really wish harm, or is she trapped?  And will she be able to move on when lies are built on lies?

If you love spy stories, or possible real life fiction, this book is for you.  I will admit at some points, I struggled with some of Vivian’s decisions, but her motherly ways influence her in ways I might not have chosen. However, the end is satisfying, and some of the conversations throughout the book aren’t predictable, but flow as if characters are actually having a conversation, which is rather refreshing.  For a debut novel, I would definitely read more by this author.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Random House Publishing through NetGalley.  I was not required to write a positive review.  The opinions expressed are my own.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 (http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html): “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Movie Update: http://deadline.com/2017/02/charlize-theron-need-to-know-cia-spy-novel-universal-pictures-karen-cleveland-1201924366/

Book Review | The Switch by Joseph Finder

the switch

This was a fun and fast-paced novel! Michael Tanner went through LAX airport and unfortunately after the TSA check, picked up the wrong laptop.  No big deal, right?  Just switch back with the original owner.  However, the original owner is Susan Robbins, a US Senator with some very confidential information on her laptop, with password protection, encryption… oh, and a sticky note with the password written on it inside of the laptop case!  When Will Abbott realizes his mistake, he is frantic to get it back!

Abbott, the chief of staff, is in charge of retrieving the laptop, and there is definitely an intense need to get the laptop back. What exactly is on it that people will die to protect? You’ll have to read to find out.

Tanner’s life turns upside down as Abbott sends people after him and he goes on the run. I thought the story was easy to follow, I loved the suspense and Tanner is a likable character. There are some extreme moments and I love how the author kept the pace fast. If you like government fiction, grab this!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the Penguin Publishing Group. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own and I appreciate the opportunity to receive an advanced reader copy to do so. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

 

Book Review | Subject 375 (or The Spider in the Corner of the Room) by Nikki Owen

 

subject 375

Dr. Maria Martinez is being accused of murdering a priest, and is awaiting trial in prison while the details get figured out.  Sadly, she has no recollection of the event.  She also has Asperger’s and is incredibly intelligent.  While in prison, she meets with a few therapists and others who try to help her determine what really happened the night the priest was murdered.  Could she really have killed him and then forgotten about it?  Did she commit the murder, or is she being set up?  And if so, by whom?  Who is Subject 375?

This story moves around quite a bit, as it jumps from present to Maria’s early childhood and back again.  And sometimes it seems as if her “memories” may have been fabricated.  She questions everything and everyone so often, you wonder midway through the book if she has a type of paranoia or some other type of mental illness.  The characters she encounters are well-defined.  Some relationships seem strained, but the reasons for people distancing themselves from Maria is explained later in the book.  I enjoyed the suspense and recommend it for anyone else who does, especially when it’s a trilogy, with two more books to come.  Can’t wait to see how this unfolds!

I would like to thank NetGalley and Blackstone Audio for the opportunity to receive an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.  It’s my privilege and honor to do so.

Book Review | The God’s Eye View by Barry Eisler

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Barry Eisler captured my attention within the first few pages by citing names stripped from today’s NSA headlines. I was interested in the book simply because I love a good mystery, but I’m even more drawn to a conspiracy driven mystery that seems to give a glimpse to hidden networks and clearances mere civilians will never see. I work for our nation’s government, and also am prone to wondering if there is more than meets the eye.

This story follows an NSA employee who knows too much and sees things she’s not supposed to. Of course, she must be dealt with, and the person in charge of ordering that, appears to be someone who would not normally be suspected-unless of course, he has something to hide. I didn’t find the plot to be unbelievable. Interlaced in the story are code names for projects and programs that the NSA has in place, and the possibility for these to be a reality, made me question whether this book was fiction or non-fiction.

I loved the suspense, the romance, and the outcome. Worth the time to read, and I would be interested in reading more of Eisler’s work.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from NetGalley.  I was not required to write a positive review.  The opinions expressed are my own.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 (http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html): “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”