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Rating: Summary: A Good Action Story! Review: A good action packed novel. It was not quiet as exciting as Crossfire and Countdown. A Japanese billionaire loses his family (mother,father,wife,and child) in the atomic bomb blasts in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The billionaire,many years later starts making plans for revenge. His plans include Ernst Spranger and his lesbian sidekick(both are ex Stasi). This group of ex Stasi agents steal the components to assemble a nuclear bomb. Our hero Kirk McGarvey enters the picture and promptly disrupts the scene for the bad guys. McGarvey does battle with this group all over the globe. He also does battle with the goons who belong to the Japanese billionaire.The daughter and ex-wife of McGarvey are also kidnapped by the Stasi renegades. This just adds to the action of the book. The book finally reaches a screeching finale. You will be greatly entertained by this book.
Rating: Summary: After Countdown and Crossfire, this one was disappointing Review: Hagberg is Sean Flannery's cartoonish alter ego. Or, actually, Flannery is Hagberg's highbrow alter ego - as Hagberg is his real identity. And Hagberg shows his true identity almost to a fault in this thriller. Countdown and Crossfire were tight ropes of action that just kept coming. This one has the action coming at you too but its a bit more uneven. And the Japan-bashing, at a time when Chirstie Yamaguchi couldn't even land a photoshoot for a Wheaties box, was a bit irresponsible. None the less, its a breeze to read.At issue, a Japanese computer magnate who's bent on destroying the U.S. for its use of nuclear weapons on his homeland. Yes, a unique plot - hardly ever used before. Much of the action and many of the plot twists are as cliched its main plot, but when McGarvey goes into blitz mode, it doesn't matter because plot and reality often get shredded with the goons - and that's ok, its why I read Hagberg, remember, Flannery is his highbrow self. While I was not overly impressed with this outing, Hagberg more than redeems himself in Dessert Fire and Highflight, two of his absolute best, regardless of pen name. Bottom line, I'd read it, but read the other four I've mentioned in this review, then catch up with this one. Comments, email me
Rating: Summary: After Countdown and Crossfire, this one was disappointing Review: Hagberg is Sean Flannery's cartoonish alter ego. Or, actually, Flannery is Hagberg's highbrow alter ego - as Hagberg is his real identity. And Hagberg shows his true identity almost to a fault in this thriller. Countdown and Crossfire were tight ropes of action that just kept coming. This one has the action coming at you too but its a bit more uneven. And the Japan-bashing, at a time when Chirstie Yamaguchi couldn't even land a photoshoot for a Wheaties box, was a bit irresponsible. None the less, its a breeze to read. At issue, a Japanese computer magnate who's bent on destroying the U.S. for its use of nuclear weapons on his homeland. Yes, a unique plot - hardly ever used before. Much of the action and many of the plot twists are as cliched its main plot, but when McGarvey goes into blitz mode, it doesn't matter because plot and reality often get shredded with the goons - and that's ok, its why I read Hagberg, remember, Flannery is his highbrow self. While I was not overly impressed with this outing, Hagberg more than redeems himself in Dessert Fire and Highflight, two of his absolute best, regardless of pen name. Bottom line, I'd read it, but read the other four I've mentioned in this review, then catch up with this one. Comments, email me
Rating: Summary: Not Clancy, but still pretty good Review: I read this mainly because I had read Hagberg's earlier stuff, and couldn't help but note the similarities between him and Clancy. A pretty good handle on the action sequences, and he convinced me that he knew how to write a good old-fashioned action/adventure novel. Many people seem to be making comparisons between Hagberg and Clancy, but I think he reminds me more of early Ian Fleming. Our leading character is much more a spy ala James Bond than he is a Jack Ryan. That isn't to say his writing suffers, not at all, Hagberg has delivered a fantastic adventure story, much of which is totally unbelievable, but then when was James Bond believable? I get into 007 because he's FUN more than anything else, and that is why Kirk McGarvey is Da Man! A chip off the CIA's block and a pretty exciting one, too. Just when you think it's over and the story is fizzling to nothing, watch out! Hagberg is the real deal and even if he never gains the popularity of Tom Clancy or Ian Fleming, he IS a fun author to read. Give him a try, he just might surprise you.
Rating: Summary: Not Clancy, but still pretty good Review: I read this mainly because I had read Hagberg's earlier stuff, and couldn't help but note the similarities between him and Clancy. A pretty good handle on the action sequences, and he convinced me that he knew how to write a good old-fashioned action/adventure novel. Many people seem to be making comparisons between Hagberg and Clancy, but I think he reminds me more of early Ian Fleming. Our leading character is much more a spy ala James Bond than he is a Jack Ryan. That isn't to say his writing suffers, not at all, Hagberg has delivered a fantastic adventure story, much of which is totally unbelievable, but then when was James Bond believable? I get into 007 because he's FUN more than anything else, and that is why Kirk McGarvey is Da Man! A chip off the CIA's block and a pretty exciting one, too. Just when you think it's over and the story is fizzling to nothing, watch out! Hagberg is the real deal and even if he never gains the popularity of Tom Clancy or Ian Fleming, he IS a fun author to read. Give him a try, he just might surprise you.
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