Special Forces veteran Pono Hawkins races from a Tahiti surfing contest to France when he learns that an ISIS terrorist he’d thought was dead, Mustafa al-Boudienne, has an Iranian backpack nuclear weapon and plans to destroy Paris. Pono was once Mustafa’s prisoner in Iraq, and is now the only one left alive to identify him. When Pono reaches Paris he finds that his closest comrade has been … comrade has been kidnapped, and that the date to destroy the city is fast approaching. Joining forces with allies from US and French intelligence, and with a fearless and brilliant French agent, Anne Ronsard, with whom he soon falls in love, Pono sets out against impossible odds to catch and kill Mustafa and his terrorist cell before they can destroy the most beautiful city on earth. As they dig deeper into the terrorist networks, their own lives are more and more endangered, while the terrorists change tactics again and again to outwit them as the time to save the city runs out.
Spanning a fast two weeks in and around Paris, Goodbye Paris is a window to today’s France, its elegance and poverty, humanism and fanaticism, beauty and despair, to the still-magical French countryside with its white castles and dark forests, the food, wine, and joyous ironic people, the magic of the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame Cathedral, and the tragic fate awaiting them.
Third in the best-selling Pono Hawkins series after Saving Paradise and Killing Maine, Goodbye Paris takes us into never-before revealed depths of covert action on three continents, to insider secrets in the war against terrorism, into intense memories of combat in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere, and to the depths of love when everything seems lost.
Based on the author’s years of experience with terrorism and Middle East wars, and his deep knowledge of French and US intelligence and military operations, Goodbye Paris is a stunning thriller, an entrancing love story, and an exciting account of anti-terror operations from Paris and Morocco to Afghanistan.
Goodbye Paris is a hallmark Mike Bond thriller: tense, exciting, and alive with real details and places, and that will keep you up all night.
EDITORIAL REVIEWS
“There’s tension, turmoil and drama on every page that’s hot enough to singe your fingers.” – New York Times Bestseller, Steve Berry
“A rip-roaring page-turner, edgy and brilliantly realistic.” – Culture Buzz
“Exhilarating.” – Kirkus
“Another non-stop thriller of a novel by a master of the genre.” – Midwest Book Review
“A stunning thriller, entrancing love story and exciting account of anti-terror operations.” – BookTrib
“Doesn’t stop until it has delivered every possible ounce of intelligent excitement.” – Miami Times
“Fast and twisty, and you don’t know how it’s going to end.” – Arizona Daily Sun
“Thrills… crisp writing and intelligence.” – St. Louis Today
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This is the first time in reading this author. As I get along in life I find I am sprouting out also in other directions in reading with thrillers being one of the directions as this author seems to have written. The story line called out to be read and picked it up I did.
He does have one of my favorite character profiles as in special forces as Pono is. It seems a “ghost” I would call him has risen with him having to handle it. Rest assured he does not leave out the love department out of this with Anne being part of that area. He is able to meld these characters into a plot that takes us into high gear spiking our emotions. A stunner ride with this I soon realize being already into this series.
This is fast with it not leaving behind anyone. I do sometimes though get disappointed in Pono but the basis of the story is the danger and pop. This author does know how to drive a adventure written as a thriller.
Goodbye Paris is the third installment from Mike Bond’s Pono Hawkins series. I have not read the first two books from the series and feel as though this one can be read as a stand alone. It is my first experience with Mr Bond’s writing and it will not be the last.
Goodbye Paris is about Pono Hawkins, a Special Forces agent veteran. He finds out a once thought to be dead terrorist, Mustafa, is alive. Mustafa is planning to destroy Paris. Pono teams up with other agents to catch Mustafa and his fellow terrorist friends before it is too late.
I enjoyed Goodbye Paris. This thriller took me on quite a “hang on to my seat” ride. It is so packed with action, twists and turns. My head was spinning with how fast paced the plot was. It is definitely a five star read. I would love to see what had happened prior in the series. Great read!
I received this book from the publisher. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.
This book sounded really good but I thought it was just ok. I didn’t really care too much for the characters and even less about his threesome. Fans of adventure espionage might enjoy it. I think I’m done with that genre. Thanks to the publisher for the early copy
I received a copy of this story from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
DNF: 20%
I love Paris and the French so something set there was intriguing. But from the beginning, this book was all wrong for me. I had to stop because it was too painful to slog through it. I don’t always review books I didn’t finish because I don’t think that’s necessarily fair but this wasn’t a matter of personal taste. The writing wasn’t as good as I was hoping it would be. There were weird sentence fragments, strange jumps in time, and unnecessary description. Also, habits you would expect from a character with a Special Forces background – military time, observational skills, etc – were used sporadically. The narrative was more like watching a movie than it was being immersed in the story. Lots of telling, not enough showing.
Another issue I had with this book was social/political. There was a machismo attitude lurking in the words that I didn’t appreciate. And the characters seemed incapable of making up their mind whether they liked Muslims or not. It was confusing and really detracted from the story.
I’m disappointed in this.
A scary take on how very messed up the world can become. Trust is in short supply as terrorism and politics continue to destroy people’s lives. Pono is trying to save his kidnapped friends but in order to do that he has to fight through the sinister and secretive levels of the security services. The author really looks at the anger in humanity for all the wrong reasons.