Sunday, March 17, 2013

Retribution by Andy Harp




In the pitch-black cargo hole of the Pakistani airline freighter crossing the Atlantic, a wooden crate filled with levers for a weaving machine also has another object buried inside. If it makes it to its delivery point, an American city will become uninhabitable for a century.

In this chilling thriller, Retribution is more than the story of a deep-cover mission to stop a terrorist with a core stolen from an Islamabad nuclear weapon. Here, the operative does much more to flush out the target than a hunt and chase. He becomes a carrier of a highly contagious strain of a deadly disease.

In this oh so authentic story, author Andy Harp draws upon his experiences as a Marine who has served across the globe to create a uniquely real novel filled with breakneck thrills and plot twists. With action that flies from New York to London, from Peshawar deep into the mountains of the Hindu Kush, and from Islamabad to Chicago, Retribution weaves political conspiracy and a perilous, intelligence operation, hi-tech military technology and deadly current events, all with the crucible of a determined Jason Bourne like character in conflict with just as determined a killer, into a classic “mission” thriller that delivers the kind of nail-biting suspense, realism and a kicker surprise at the end that is in the style of Ludlum, and the best of Thor and Flynn. The story is engrossing, the hero is remarkable, and the personal cost he pays for both his survival and success changes the man.


The book starts out with a bang (literally—an embassy bombing), and sets up a motive for one of the players, along with the plot that containing the attack on the USA.  And, as if stopping an Islamic group that wants to make Al Qaida look like wimps, there’s an American terrorist group targeting Muslims around the globe.

At the beginning of this book, I found it a bit difficult to keep track of who the players were.  The hero shows up in the second chapter with no explanation of who he is or what his role will be. Once I got past the beginning and figured out who was whom, and who did what, it was a good read with a great race against the clock at the end.

Finally, I found some redundancies in the writing.  There were sentences like, “He took his coat off and brushed the snow off his coat.”  I suppose it’s the editor in me, but things like that niggle at me and detract from my enjoyment of books.  Despite its glitches, however, I do recommend this book.

Length:  546 Pages
Prices: 
Kindle:  $4.99
Paperback:  $13.99

Thanks for visiting.  RIW

1 comment: