Rating: 
Summary: Another Winner For Grant Blackwood!
Review: Blackwood's first book "The End Of Enemies" was an outstanding
book. His second book is another fine book. In this book our agent Briggs Tanner is once again the hero.Twelve years earlier Tanner had been sent into China to help Heneral Soong defect to
the west.The escape was broken up by the secret Chinese police
the Guoanbu.Tanner barely escaped with his life. Now Soong wants to defect again.It is up to Tanner to go back in after him.During
his rescue journey the world is perched on the brink of a major war.Tanner is forced to pull off a daring rescue under trying conditions.The ending of the book is also very good. Read this new book and discover an outstanding author. You will be pleased.
Rating:
Summary: I couldn't put it down!
Review: I couldn't put it down! Janet Burns, Seattle, WAI picked up The Wall of Night on the advice of a friend who loves thrillers and had read Blackwood's first book, The End of Enemies. To be honest, suspense-thrillers are generally not my sort of book, especially since most of them appear to be geared toward men rather than women. But, trusting my friend's advice, I gave Wall of Night a shot. I'm glad I did! From the first page I found myself drawn into the story, wondering how the different plot pieces and characters fit together, and how it was all going to turn out. I spent a good portion of my weekend finishing the book, but it was time well spent! As I turned the last page, I was surprised to find my heart pounding. Once done, I gave the book to my husband (a fan of Clancy, Cussler, Grisham, and all those) and he too promptly found himself unable to put it down. Once he's finished, we're picking up a copy of Blackwood's first, The End of Enemies. Like a lot of people, I enjoy finding new authors and books that I can fall in love with, but it's especially fun when the book comes from out of the blue. If you like thrillers, you'll love The Wall of Night, and if you love good stories but aren't so sure about thrillers, try this one. You might be pleasantly surprised.
Rating:
Summary: Second Time's a charm.
Review: I enjoyed Blackwood's End of Enemies...it was fast paced, exciting and well written, so I had high expectations for his follow-up novel, The Wall of Night. My expectations were exceeded. The writing is tighter, the plot even more compelling, and Blackwood seems to have developed an even greater ability to place you in the action ( see the Fighter jet scene). No Sophomore jinx here. Tanner once again shows himself to be a fully developed and engaging hero. His loyalty to Soong is both laudable and believable and the pain he feels after one of the plot twist'a is palpable. The Wall of Night is a great read, but if you haven't read Blackwod's End of Enemies, I'd start there. You'll appreciate the growth of Tanner's character and Blackwood's skill as a writer.
Rating:
Summary: Another winner!
Review: I found Blackwood's second Tanner novel even better than the first, and I can only see Blackwood's books getting better and better in the future! Tanner is a man with a past, and in The Wall of Night he's given an opportunity to make right something in his past that went terribly wrong. Briggs Tanner is a refreshing everyday hero who isn't "super human" or "all action". He's an average man with a very above average job. He's humble. And I find that very appealing in a character. I can only hope that we see more novels from Grant Blackwood featuring Briggs Tanner. I want to learn more about him and his life while watching him as he continues to do jobs that others aren't willing, or have the training, to do. Espionage/Thrillers usually aren't the kinds of books I read, but for Blackwood I will continue to make the exception. Highly entertaining reads!!
Rating:
Summary: Even more suspensful than End of Enemies
Review: I literally read the last 200 pages of this book in one night staying up until 3 am to do so. Espionage and entrigue all over the place, this book is great. However, I have to hope that Grant based some of the events of this book on reality or other fiction (particularly the early escapades of the Zi's), because if he thought about that on his own, then he is really one sick cookie.
Rating:
Summary: Even more suspensful than End of Enemies
Review: I literally read the last 200 pages of this book in one night staying up until 3 am to do so. Espionage and entrigue all over the place, this book is great. However, I have to hope that Grant based some of the events of this book on reality or other fiction (particularly the early escapades of the Zi's), because if he thought about that on his own, then he is really one sick cookie.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding!
Review: I loved Blackwood's first book, The End of Enemies, so I was chomping at the bit to get to this one. But to be honest, though, I was ready for some disappointment. Two reasons: First of all, it seems like a lot of great first novels are followed by mediocre ones -- as if the author just didn't have another good one in them. Second, given how much I enjoyed Enemies, I didn't think there was any way the second could be better. I was wrong! Wall of Night is adventure and intrigue at it's best! Briggs Tanner returns, this time going back into harm's way to rescue a friend/defector he'd thought was long dead. Along the way, he finds himself in New Zealand, Jakarta, China, and finally.... well, I won't ruin it for you. Mixed in with the main plot there's a family who's been mysteriously murdered n Washington, ruthless spies playing hide and seek, a submarine on a secret mission, commandos surrounded by bad guys in hostile territory, un unpredictable Russian megalomaniac, and a sleazy US president. To top it all off, Blackwood knows his stuff. He knows how to put you right there, in the middle of the action. Plenty of twists, turns, and surprises. And of course, the good guys (no bias intended, ladies) win in the end, but it's not a rollover victory that leaves you thinking, "Oh, come on...." It's touch and go until the last page. (Which contains another surprise.) In the end, I stayed up till three in the morning to finish the story, but I didn't regret it a bit. I downed some coffee and went to work, but my mind was still on the pages of The Wall of Night.
Rating:
Summary: He just keeps getting better!
Review: In a word, WOW! Having read Mr. Blackwood's first book, The End of Enemies, my expectations for The Wall of Night were high--I was not disappointed. Before finishing the prologue it was clear TWoN would require full concentration to follow the rich plotting. If that sounds like work, it's not ... the characters, pace, etc., automatically engage the reader's full-attention-mode. If you're looking for a fast-paced, addictive (as in very hard to put down) story, here is one available at a bargain price. The only downside is that book number three is not yet available.
Rating:
Summary: He just keeps getting better!
Review: In a word, WOW! Having read Mr. Blackwood's first book, The End of Enemies, my expectations for The Wall of Night were high--I was not disappointed. Before finishing the prologue it was clear TWoN would require full concentration to follow the rich plotting. If that sounds like work, it's not ... the characters, pace, etc., automatically engage the reader's full-attention-mode. If you're looking for a fast-paced, addictive (as in very hard to put down) story, here is one available at a bargain price. The only downside is that book number three is not yet available.
Rating:
Summary: Read this book!
Review: Like most of the other reviewers, it seems, I was anxiously awaiting this book after devouring Blackwood's debut novel, The End of Enemies. I wasn't disappointed. This is suspense/adventure/thriller fiction at its BEST, and believe me, I've read them all, from the best of Clancy to the worst rehashed, rambo-ish stuff out there. Why did I like this book so much? It's hard to answer that in just a few short sentences, but I'll try: 1) Great plotting. Blackwood knows how to weave stirring subplots around a central story line. You can't wait to find out what's happening to who, or where they are now, or how it's all going to fit together. And in the end, it all does fit together -- tightly, neatly, and satisfyingly. 2) Great characters. Briggs Tanner, the hero from The End of Enemies, is back along with all the others (Including some new villains that I loved hating). Tanner is a hero you can sink your teeth into, the kind of good guy you want on your side -- and the kind the bad guys don't want against them. Don't misunderstand: He's far from the trite, tough-as-nails, "testosteroney" superman you see in other books, but rather a smart and resourceful (and very human) protagonist who's got a personal stake in winning the day. 3) Great pace. Blackwood knows how to write a page-turner. I can't tell you how many times I told myself I was going to put The Wall of Night down "after the next page" only to find myself keeping going. You always want to find out what's around the next corner. For me, that's the definition of "un-put-downable". Here's the thing: I read a lot of fiction and with so many books being published every year, so it's hard to choose sometimes. The Wall of Night (and, yes, The End of Enemies) was a no-brainer for me. No question about it, I'm putting Blackwood's books on my "gotta get" list.
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