The Lions of Lucerne

Rating:
Summary: Edge of Your Seat Reading
Review: THE LIONS OF LUCERNE
AUTHOR: Brad Thor
PUBLISHER: Simon & Schuster
REVIEWED BY: Barbara Rhoades

BOOK REVIEW: Brad Thor's first book kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. It was very hard to stop the cassette because I wanted to know what was going to happen next. If Mr. Thor's next book, The Path of the Assassin due out in January of 2003, is as good as The Lions of Lucerne was, he has on very happy new fan.

The Presidential Secret Service detail, with ex-Navy SEAL Scott Harvath as the lead agent, has the job of guarding the President and his daughter while they have a ski vacation in Utah. Unfortunately, every agent is killed except Scott and the President is kidnapped. To make things worse, Scott is framed for the murders of the agents.

He flees to Switzerland to find the answers and discovers help in a beautiful Swiss Federal Attorney. Between the two of them, they fight to save the life of the President as well as their own. Discovering that some of the highest officials in the government are involved only makes that job all the more difficult.

Brad Thor writes with wonderful descriptive narration and up-to-date technical knowledge regarding weapons and mercenary tactics. He writes with the Nation's current terrorist threats in mind. If intrigue, suspense and "on the edge of your seat" reading is on your favorite reading list, be sure to get The Lions of Lucerne.

Rating:
Summary: The Ex-Navy Seal
Review: THE LIONS OF LUCERNE By Brad Thor
The Ex-Navy Seal

You'd have a hard time beating the start of this one. The president is kidnapped on a ski slop in Utah and a whole team of Secret Services men are killed while Scot Harvath is busy saving the president's daughter.

Scot finds himself breaking a several rules before he makes any headway finding out where the president is being held. The people holding the president are formable foes and have their own sect. Scott takes off for Switzerland where he has some information that the president may be held.

It looks like a collation in his own backyard is responsible for the kidnapping, and now Scott is charged with murder. The story builds up to bloody climax in Switzerland.

Rating:
Summary: Exciting hiller
Review: The President of the United States needs time away from DC to regenerate his juices for the upcoming fight with Congress on his pet project, the fossil fuel reduction bill that has big oil screaming for its death. He also wants quality time with his teenage daughter Amanda. So the President, his daughter, and the Secret Service go skiing in Utah when a rifle shot induces an avalanche that in turn leads to the abduction of the president. Though badly injured, Secret Service Agent Scot Harvath keeps Mandy safe.

Everyone assumes a Middle East terrorist group snatched the President except Scot. Being an ex-SEAL, he believes the scenario is too overt for the Mid East and looks elsewhere. He begins to track a convoluted trail to Switzerland, the American capital building, international big business, and the executive branch centered on the President who is not in Washington when the legislative debate on his fossil fuel reduction bill hits the floors of Congress. This coalition plans to succeed even if people must die to accomplish that deed.

Though an exciting political thriller, Scot turning into a James Bond type agent is hard to accept especially with his bias towards the Middle East. The story line is fast-paced and the coalition against the president is very powerful and surprisingly feels quite real. THE LIONS OF LUCERNE is a roaring tale though the audience never quite believes in the thoughts and actions of the hero.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: Page turner.
Review: This auther has a great style and puts out a book good to the last period.

Rating:
Summary: This is a GREAT book
Review: This book kept me on my seat and up at night the whole time. It taking place near my home was just a bonus for me. I recommend this book for anyone.

Rating:
Summary: Shows some promise
Review: This book started out with a lot of promise. The meeting of the conspirators and the well executed kidnapping of the President reminded me of the Ludlum of old. Scot Harvath, sole survivor of the kidnapping, is the only one to see through a paper thin attempt to frame Arab extremists for the abduction. Wanting to live up to his sense of duty he sets out to save the President single-handedly.

It goes downhill from there.

The series of vague clues and bizarre coincidences that lead Scot to Switzerland, Claudia (an ally), and the bad guys is overly far-fetched,to put it mildly. How many people do you know who keep a safe deposit box containing phony ID's, a weapon and a disguise just for yucks? The baddies are a crack team of elite Swiss mercenaries who can shoot and kill Secret Service agents who are skiing down a mountain but can't hit our hero when he is standing still. The story has way too many,"...the ground exploded around him..." type passages. Thor seemed in too much of a hurry to complete this story as the ending seems very rushed.

Overall, not a terrible read. I think and hope that Thor will improve with future efforts

Rating:
Summary: An Exciting Book!
Review: This book turned out to be very entertaining.In the snow mountains of Utah the President of the United States has been kidnapped and his secret service detail has been slaughtered.Agent Scot Harvath and the President's daughter are the only two survivors.Agent Harvath is framed for murder by the conspirators who have planned this kidnap mission.There are numerous government officials involved in this plot.Agent Harvath follows the trail to the mountains of Sweden where he finds an ally in the person of Claudia Mueller of the Swiss Federal Attorney's Office.The two of them tackle this huge conspiracy. This is a very exciting book that you will enjoy reading.

Rating:
Summary: A Great, Fast Paced Entertaining Read
Review: This book was exciting, fast paced and well written. Secret Service Agent Scot Harvath is the only survivor of a well executed kidnapping of the President. Frustrated with and suspicious of the investigation (for good reason!)he takes it upon himself to find the President. The only problem with this book was that I found myself turning the pages too fast in an attempt to find out what happened next.

If you like government conspiracy books and covert operation books, this one is a must read.

Rating:
Summary: Very Predictable
Review: This book was so stupid and predictabe, please people do not waste your time reading this piece of garbage. Thor should not even be a writer. What you guys should do instead of wasting your time on this book is put on a good Bond film.

Rating:
Summary: It was okay...
Review: This could possibly be the worst book of it's type that I've ever read. I can't even bring myself to list all its failings. Please avoid this book like the plague. Try Vince Flynn instead.