Book Review - Brad Thor's Black List

Brad Thor’s newest book asks the question:  Would you trade a little liberty for security?  If you don’t know by now, almost everything we say, type, do and don’t do, is recorded or watched by somebody—more often than not, the government.  Our smart phones and tablets, that we hold so dear, can be used against us to track our every move.  Though most Americans don’t really care if someone is watching or listening, they’re more concerned with what Jersey Shore member got into a fight, or which no-name singer went on to the next round.  But if you’re like me, always asking questions and trying to find the truth, than Brad Thor is the author for you.

Black List picks up where Full Black, left off.  And if you’re wondering: no you don’t have to read Full Black before Black List, though you should, since the protagonist Scot Harvath is in both—and is involved in all of Brad Thor’s books, one way or the other.

Since Full Black was the previous entry into Harvath’s life, I’ll be comparing the two as we go along.

Scot Harvath is the James Bond of America, really, without the accent.  He’s an ex-Navy Seal, who will do whatever it takes to keep America safe—and he always jumps through unbelievable—but grounded—hoops to prove it. 

In Black List, Scot uncovers a plot by a company that has ties to almost all secret and non-secret Government agencies, to demolish our way of life, by destroying the Internet as we know it.  The only way to do that is to remove Harvath from the equation, by putting him on the list—hence the name of the novel.  Harvath’s world and everyone he knows in it, is turned upside down, without the knowledge of knowing who, and who not to trust. 

Brad Thor’s Black List is a solid thriller, and once I got through introductions, became a page turner to find out what was happening next.  Did you realize, I said: once I got through the introductions? 

In every novel I’ve read by Thor, he’ll give you everybody’s background story—including a brief summary of Harvath—before moving on to the plot.  Now, with new readers, that’ll instantly bring them up to speed, but for fans like me, it tends to slow down the pacing a bit.

When writing, the first thing they (who are they anyway?) tell you is “show don’t tell”.  What that means is: if a character is funny, just don’t say he’s funny.  Have him tell a joke that’s good and people enjoyed.  That allows the reader to come to their own conclusions about the type of character in the story.

Well, Brad Thor will give as much background and character information as he deems necessary, until moving forward with the plot.  Sometimes, if it’s a new character, it can be upwards of three or four pages of info.  That’s great and all, because he wants the character to be fully defined in your mind, but I like the character’s actions to determine who he is.  But I guess you can’t win them all, because I don’t really read Thor, just for the plot.

This book—just like his many others—is heavily researched.  Thor finds, what he thinks is the next biggest thing and turns that into a story.  And if the Government watching everything we do isn’t big, Thor makes it bigger, by adding to it things like this:  “The same measures that keep you and your family safe today, could be used to track you down and imprison you, tomorrow.”  I’ll let you stew on that sentence for a while…

Scary, isn’t it?

In Full Black (the previous novel), the USA seemed on the verge of collapse, and there was an impending doom, always lingering over Harvath’s head, but in Black List, I didn’t have the same doomed feelings.  I think it has a lot to do with the computer science behind the novel.  In Full Black bombs were going off, killing Americans, and pissing me off.  But in Black List, there was this Internet takeover that Harvath saw as the end of the Country.  Now, don’t get me wrong…the Government taking over the Internet, and only allowing what they deem fit to grace the web, scares the crap out of me.  For one thing, I wouldn’t be able to express my opinions on stuff like this article.  But is it as scary as bombs?  I don’t know, maybe to some.  I just didn’t have this feeling as though it’s all going to end in this one, and maybe I should have.

The ending was good, but in Full Black, the revenge at the end was bitter sweet, and I felt it.  It made me happy as I closed the book.  Black List ended, and I just closed the book…if you know what I mean.

Black List is a good thriller, and with all the information Thor always gives, the book is worth the price of admission.  I recommend it to everyone who searches for the truth.  But if you haven’t read Full Black, then go get it right now…I’ll wait.  In the meantime, I eagerly await Brad Thor’s next book.

3 out of 5 stars