And the insult to injury will be that it collapses in a manner far more stupid and less entertaining than it will in the book. 📚
twitter.com/robkroese…
Tag: books
After a day of work, then lawn maintenance and tree trimming, baptized the latest Kroese Koozie with some Topo Chico hard seltzer and street tacos. 🌮
Can’t wait to read @robkroese’s latest book. 📚
The book that introduced John Milton to the world is currently on sale for just a buck. If you love thrillers and haven’t read Mark Dawson’s stuff, now is a great time to try it out. 📚
Speaking of Gabriel Allon, how fortuitous that the day after I finish @NickPetrie‘s latest, @danielsilvabook’s arrives.
I will have more to say why later, but though I didn’t serve, I feel like @TheJasonAnspach and @RealNickCole wrote Forgotten Ruin just for me. Great, fun read, with more than meets the eye. Thanks, gents. 📚
Just finished @bentleydonb’s first foray into the Clancyverse, Target Acquired. Holy. Freaking. Crap. Don just umped the ante for all the authors blessed to continue the adventures of Tom’s characters. Well done, sir. 📚
I deleted my StoryGraph and GoodReads accounts today. I’m just not really using either, and they had become just one more place I needed to keep track of my reading. For stuff I have read, I maintain a list on my site, and I’m going to use BookTrack for keeping track of to-reads, wishlist, etc.
Better late than never, I guess: my review of @bentleydonb’s latest book, The Outside Man: www.retrophisch.com/2021/05/1…
TL; DR: Buy it and enjoy.
In his debut novel, Don Bentley introduced the world to Matt Drake, a new kind of thriller hero, yet one still recognizable to fans of the genre. Without Sanction was a runaway bestseller, and I was glad to have followed the advice of so many on social media and give it a read. Drake takes the next step on his journey in the follow-up, The Outside Man.
I’ll be honest: I loved this book. In a private message exchange, I told Bentley I thought this was his Empire Strikes Back to the Star Wars of Without Sanction. The first novel sets the stage, but this one 
turns the volume all the way to 11 and takes Matt Drake, and his creator, to the next level.
After the events of the first book, this one opens with Matt being ambushed in broad daylight, on the streets of Austin, Texas, no less. There is a terrorist with a score to settle against Drake, backed up by professionals from the Middle East. Our hero manages to survive, but the ambush provides more questions than answers, and Drake is once again plunged into a world he thought he was desperate to leave, but finds his soul needs for him to truly be a part of. The villain we caught whispers of in Without Sanction is fully revealed here, and he is formidable. Worse, he knows exactly where to hurt Matt Drake the most.
One of the things I appreciate about Drake, and Bentley’s writing of him, is that he is fully human. He gets hurt, wounded, injured, and those have real-world consequences that affect how Matt continues his mission. Coupled with his vow to rescue an innocent from a sex-trafficking ring, and his snarky sense of humor, on more than one occasion one is left wondering, “Just how is Matt going to get out of trouble this time?“ As a thriller author, this is exactly what you want in your toolbox, to keep your readers on their toes and guessing what’s next.
Without Sanction was a firm entry into the thriller genre for Don Bentley, but The Outside Man vaults him into the band of my must-read authors, joining Daniel Silva, Mark Greaney, Lee (and now Andrew) Child, Nick Petrie, and Jack Carr. If you’re a fan of the genre, or just someone looking for a great read, The Outside Man is a must-buy.
5/5 fins
It’s getting late in the day, but it’s still @robkroese’s birthday! Celebrate by buying any (or all) of his books, they’re all quite great.
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