Rating: 
Summary: Save Your Money On This One
Review: If there was a zero to give for a rating on this book, that's what I would give it. Trite, stupid, ridiculous, uninteresting. Characters are impossible to like. The author should go back to his television show, maybe he does better at that. An author, he isn't. In my opinion.
Rating: 
Summary: Good News, Bad News
Review: If you like Ludlumesque chasing around Europe, Brad Thor's your man and Lions is your book. But be ready for a pretty far-fetched plot, one that involves treason by 2 U.S. Senators, the head of the Secret Service and the Vice President. The fantastically well-armed and organized bad guys become The Gang Who Couldn't Shoot Straight when they are gunning for our hero, Agent Harvath--there must be 10 times when they shoot at him and miss. The book is fast-paced, but lacks the believability needed to truly capture the reader.
Rating:
Summary: Looking for a thriller with a twist?
Review: If you, in a space of 2 weeks, had 27 attempts to kill you, by the world's finest and best trained assassins, and you survived every attack, coming through without even being critically wounded, you would either be: 1) very, very, VERY lucky, or 2) you would be superhuman, testosterone-fueled Scot Harvath - America's best Secret Service Agent.
Though the first few chapters are 'slow out of the gate', this thriller takes off fast and furious. Brad Thor's first novel has all the characters needed: a squirrelly V.P., scoundrel Senators, Swiss mercenaries, conniving rich, befuddled FBI and a very beautiful Swiss agent named Claudia .
You cannot help feeling that Brad Thor wrote this prose with a screenplay in mind (Brad Thor is host of the PBS TV series 'Traveling Lite'), you almost can hear a director yell "cut" at certain places in the story. And though
Scot Harvath is the superhero, he fails both the plausibility and reality check. But read on, the action keeps you engaged until the too predictable ending.
A solid airplane read for those that need lots of action and escape. Recommended .
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining rather than realistic
Review: International thrillers can be one of the most entertaining of fiction writing. They are typically found in airports and poolsides all over the world. They can also make the authors, who write them well, extremely wealthy as the books are parked on the bestseller lists for weeks at a time. Their names such as Robert Ludlum, Nelson Demille, Ken Follet, Trevanian, Tom Clancey and, of course, Ian Fleming are household words. In an effort to enter into this august body of writers enters Brad Thor with his debut novel and it is a good one.
THE LIONS OF LUCERNE introduces the reader to Scot Harvath, ex-Navy SEAL and currently a Secret Service agent in charge of protecting the President and his daughter on their ski vacation in Utah. A dramatic kidnapping of the President occurs by terrorists culminating in a devastating avalanche. Scot is the only agent who survives the attack and, as such, is the scapegoat in the apparent lapse of security. Discharged from his duties, Scot takes it upon himself to locate and rescue the President. What ensues is a cat and mouse game between, not only Scot and the terrorists, but between Scot and the FBI and CIA. As with any good international thriller, locales change between the ski slopes of Utah to the nation's capital and the gorgeous scenery of Switzerland.
In writing an international thriller, the primary objective of the author should be to simply entertain the reader. If an important issue such as arms control or oil exportation can be interjected into the plot, all the better. It would be wonderful if the characters can be truly lifelike, however, the books are plot driven rather than character driven giving the author much latitude. Brad Thor understands all of this and, as such, has given us a wonderfully entertaining book that in sheer entertainment, makes up for the lack of realism. It would be frivolous to judge the book on it's comic book characters or the pure banality of the terrorist's objectives in carrying out the kidnapping. The logic that Scot uses to determine the need to seek answers in Switzerland based simply on a piece of chocolate is truly a major stretch as is his discovery of the President's location. The use of the locale is contrived but quite effective.
As a debut thriller writer, Brad Thor is quite successful. However, I would expect to see some improvement in his subsequent books. The plots should be a bit more plausible. The evidence driving the investigation should be a bit more logical. The characters could use an injection of realism. He must do all this while maintaining the same high level of octane in the breakneck speed of his plots. We may have a worthy successor to the great Robert Ludlum.
Rating:
Summary: EXCITEMENT + CREDIBILITY -
Review: It is one of America's worst case scenarios - the President of the United States has been kidnaped. On Utah's snow covered slopes during what was to have been a restorative interlude for POTUS 30 Secret Service agents have been executed and the Chief Executive abducted by one of the most feared Middle Eastern terrorist groups - the Fatah Revolutionary Council. There is one Agent who lived, a young ex-Navy Seal, Scot Horvath. It was under his watch that the horrors took place; he has messed up to the nth degree. Chagrined, disgraced, Horvath doesn't believe the Fatah group is responsible, and sets out on a one man mission to find the guilty parties. His work is muddled by a waffling Vice-President and apparent ineffectual thrusts by the Secret Service, the CIA, and the FBI . Terrorists soon make public their demands - $500 million. Meanwhile Horvath, who has been targeted by a mysterious cell of high powered government and business officials, heads for Switzerland where he believes he'll find answers among a no-holds-barred gang of mercenaries, the Lions of Lucerne. With boundless luck and sheer determination Horvath soon finds himself on a collision course, propelled toward a showdown with the terrorists inside the glacial Mt. Pilatus. Readers who don't mind trading ounces of credibility for pounds of excitement will line up for The Lions Of Lucerne. - Gail Cooke
Rating:
Summary: A satisfactory action book
Review: Lions is a book about a courageouse agent, rescuing kidnapped US president. This premise is not very realistic, as is the novel itself. But it's a fun James Bond - like yarn. Everything is large scale, bigger than life, etc. Nevertheless, the charactes are likeable, the scenery is nice and the action swift. This is no Forsythe or Le Carre, and it's less intricate than Ludlum, and has no geopolitics, so Clancy comparison is strange. Lions should be compared to Bond or Jon Lands' Blaine McKracken - and Scott Harthath is on the level with those guys. Bottom line: Basically, this book is a Hollywood action blockbuster on paper - not very intelligent, but swift and pretty.
And, let's face it, we still like such movies.
Rating:
Summary: A bit predictable, but still good.
Review: My wife picked this book up for me at the local supermarket when I was jsut about done with the latest Vicne Flynn book. She knows I like books about special forces and terrorists, so away we go. First off, I enjoyed the book. I kept going, fairly fast paced. I enjoyed the mentioning of airsoft (I own an airsoft MP5A5). It's obvious that Mr. Thor has traveled to the places he described, especially the towns in Switzerland. When I found out that Thor is a travel writer and produces a travel show for PBS it was even more clear. It often seemed like he was giving more descriptions of locations as filler (something Anne Rice does too much with New Orleans). The one real trouble I had was a lot of the book was too predictable. I told my wife of the start of a plot point, and she was able to predict, easily, what was going to happen in the next thirty pages. Despite this, I'd go get the book and read it. It's a page turner.
Rating:
Summary: "Thor's Debut A Winner"
Review: Scot Harvath is one cool, capable hero. A ex-Navy SEAL, an ex-member of the U.S. Ski Team, and now a Secret Service agent who takes it upon himself to save the kidnapped U.S. President when everyone else is looking in the wrong direction. The best thing is Harvath is not a superman-type hero. He's got the same worries and fears that anyone would have in his situation. Plus this guy just gets messed up throughout this book. Buried under an avalanche, shot, beat up, thrown into a freezing river. Still, Harvath's never quit attitude sees him through the situation. Lots of great action scenes, especially in the beginning when a group of mercenaries carry out their brilliant plan to kidnap the President. Good suspense and good flow to the story. I'm looking forward to more Brad Thor books in the future.
Rating:
Summary: I'll pass
Review: Some books just don't hook a reader. After 50 pages I was done with this Harold Robbins wanna be. Too many hard to take characters, money, and silly thoughts from passing characters did me in.
Rating:
Summary: Embarrassed for myself, Brad Thor, and Nelson DeMille.
Review: Sophomoric writing in general, banal dialogue that seems to go on forever, plot contrivances bordering on the ridiculous and plot holes you could drive a Hum-Vee through, and a lead character, and by association an author, so bigoted and misogynistic that he should only be found at a Trent Lott for President rally, not as the hero of a novel. The authors comments about women and Middle Easterners, disguised as dialogue, are repulsive in the extreme. It is my hope that Mr. Thor will not write another book, but if this tripe has already gone into a paperback printing, he's probably sitting at his word processor right now. Hope it crashes.
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