Finished: Ted' Bell's 'Patriot'

Finished Ted Bell’s ninth Alex Hawke novel over the weekend. Was pretty proud of myself too, because I’m easily intimidated by thick books, but tackled this 700-pager  like a trooper and am a better man for it.

Intelligence officer Alex Hawke takes on power-hungry Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is wielding a terrifying new weapon, in the latest adrenaline-fueled thriller in Ted Bell’s New York Times bestselling series.

In corrupt Russia, an erratic Vladimir Putin is determined to forge his country into a formidable superpower once again. He intends to redraw the map of Europe, and will go to impossible extremes to realize his fantasies—including shooting down a civilian airliner packed with tourists bound for China. Kremlin scientists have developed a radical new weapon that could forever alter modern warfare. NATO, locked in a tense standoff over Ukraine, Poland, and Estonia, knows Putin will not hesitate to use it. But there is one man who can bring the world back from the brink: Britain’s foremost intelligence asset, Lord Alexander Hawke.

It probably could’ve been a hundred pages shorter if he took out all the descriptive crap I skip over, but it really was a page-turner. Alex Hawke is a bit like James Bond, has some cool big-boy toys and lots of friends in bad places, including Vlad Putin. So it gets a little outrageous in places, but nothing wrong with that. Living in reality ain’t all it’s cracked up to be either.

I gave it a 7- out of 10 on the Haugenometer, just because it was fun and flew by. Amazonians mostly agreed with a 3.7 out of 5. You can pick this book up for less than 6 bucks, so you might as well.

If I remember correctly, and I probably don’t, this is the only Hawke novel where he doesn’t have a girlfriend, wife or even a one-night stand. One crazy assassin lady put the moves on him, but he had better things to do. Don’t we all?

Getting caught up, while in Dante's hell

While I have a stack of books I could be reading, I'm waiting for the latest Ted Bell book to be delivered by the Amazon fairy. So I've been stuck for three days in Dante's seldom talked about tenth circle of hell where you've finished one book, but don't want want to start another, because you're waiting for an even better book.

Fortunately I have several anthologies with short stories that are perfect for such occasions and fell in with Nathaniel Hawthorne. First was "Young Goodman Brown" and then a must-read for all gardeners "Rappaccini's Daughter."

"Young Goodman Brown" "is often characterized as an allegory about the recognition of evil and depravity as the nature of humanity."

It is kind of a dour story about Mr. Brown and his dreamlike journey into the forest where he discovers, or thinks he discovers, that most of his family and friends are hypocrites and not as pure as their Puritanical beliefs would portend.

As for "Rappaccini's Daughter," Wikipedia sums it up well: "It is about Giacomo Rappaccini, a medical researcher in medieval Padua who grows a garden of poisonous plants. He brings up his daughter to tend the plants, and she becomes resistant to the poisons, but in the process she herself becomes poisonous to others."

Before those shorts I did knock off three novels which I was remiss in blogging about. They were:

Dean Koontz "The City" - I knocked this thick one off in about four days because it was so good. Gave it a 7 on the Haugnometer. Goodreaders a 3.8 of 5.

Of the two Koontz books I recently read, I liked this one the best. Maybe it's just because it reminded me a little of Odd Thomas.

Here is the riveting, soul-stirring story of Jonah Kirk, son of an exceptional singer, grandson of a formidable “piano man,” a musical prodigy beginning to explore his own gifts when he crosses a group of extremely dangerous people, with shattering consequences. 

Lawrence Sanders "McNally's Dilemma" - The McNally books are always a joy. This is the point in the series where Vincent Lardo takes over the writing of the Archie McNally stories due to Sanders' death. Gave it a 6, only because it was good but didn't wow me. Goodreaders were okay with it too, at 3.77 of 5.

After finding husband number two in a precarious position with an attractive young lady, Melva Williams pulls the trigger --- and readily admits to the crime passionnel. To shield her gorgeous daughter from the press and paparazzi, she turns to her longtime friend Archy McNally.

Dean Koontz "The Silent Corner" - The kick off to a new series featuring Jane Hawk, suspended FBI agent. I gave it a 7 of 10 and Goodreaders seem to like it even better as it checks in with a 4.01 of 5.

“I very much need to be dead.”These are the chilling words left behind by a man who had everything to live for — but took his own life. In the aftermath, his widow, Jane Hawk, does what all her grief, fear, and fury demand: find the truth, no matter what.