“Atmospheric and taut, A Dangerous Breed is a winner.” — Allison Brennan, New York Times bestselling authorVan Shaw’s past and present collide when an ingenious blackmailer pushes him to the brink in this electrifying fifth novel in Glen Erik Hamilton’s gritty and emotionally powerful thriller series.An invitation addressed to his long-dead mother sparks Van Shaw’s curiosity about the woman he … invitation addressed to his long-dead mother sparks Van Shaw’s curiosity about the woman he barely knew. As he digs into young Moira Shaw’s past, he uncovers startling details about her life, including her relationship to a boy named Sean Burke—a boy Moira may have been seeing when she became pregnant. Could this Burke be the biological father who abandoned Van before he was born? Although Van knows all too well that some doors shouldn’t be opened, he decides to investigate the man—only to discover that Burke has an even darker family history than Van’s own.
But Van’s got more immediate problems. His friend Hollis is in a jam, and helping him out accidentally steers Van into the path of a master extortionist named Bilal Nath. Nath demands that the talented thief mastermind a daring heist targeting a Seattle biotechnology firm, or the blackmailer will destroy the lives of people Van loves. Will Van be forced to steal a viral weapon with the potential to kill thousands?
With Bilal Nath coercing him into a possible act of domestic terrorism, Van turns to his formidable crew of lawbreaking friends—including Hollis, Big Will Willard, and Willard’s sly and seductive niece Elana—for help. Yet even this team may not be enough. To outwit a brilliant sociopath, Van might just need a cold-blooded killer . . . a criminal whose blood may run through his own veins.
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From the first page, you’ll know you’re in for a thrilling ride! This is vivid and powerful writing that maintains its verve till the very end.
Glen Erik Hamilton offers readers a thriller tour de force. In A Dangerous Breed, the past collides violently with the present, and the result is a Pandora’s box of secrets spilled open. It’s taut, it’s compelling, and it’s so well written it’ll make other authors jealous. But here’s the kicker: At its core, it’s really all about family, and what could be more heartwarming? This is a bulldog of a story that, once it’s set its teeth in you, refuses to let go.
Van Shaw is one of the most interesting and loyal heroes in fiction today. Once again, Hamilton pens a complex, twisty tale that maybe Shaw’s most dangerous–and emotional — case to date. Atmospheric and taut, A DANGEROUS BREED is a winner.
This is a well written story. It’s a gritty thriller that entertains. Hamilton delivers.
A trip with his friend Hollis to get medical help for an injured man puts reformed thief and former Army Ranger Van Shaw in the sights of a dangerous man. Suddenly, Van is being extorted to break into a biotech firm and steal an unspecified item. Meanwhile, Van might be on the trail of his father for the first time in his life. If he finds him, does he want to know this man after all?
Normally, I enjoy these books and all the twists and turns they give us. This one left me unsatisfied. While the stories do reach logical and suspenseful conclusions, I can’t help feeling there should have been more. Neither story was developed enough for a full novel, but took time away from each other. Of course, the characters, new and returning, were excellent as always. While I was expecting more language and violence than the books I normally read, there was one particularly distasteful scene. This book is disappointing since I usually enjoy the series. This one is for fans only.
Fans of Harlan Coben and Joseph Garber will like this. The story is a realistic Mission Impossible-type adventure.
Glen Erik Hamilton’s ex-army ranger / reluctant safe-cracking professional thief, Van Shaw, is back for his fifth heart-pounding adventure. Set in Seattle’s rain-soaked harbor area, Van Shaw is doing his best to protect the family of misfits he clings to, having no one in his past to brag about, especially not his grandfather, career-criminal and namesake Donovan Shaw. Without spoiling the fast-moving action, which there is plenty of, it should be noted that Hamilton deftly weaves a story about Van’s mother, lost when he was only a child, and explores the notion of the families we choose versus the families we’re born into. Of course, there are also enough high-tech break-ins and character callbacks to keep readers of the series happily hoping for the next installment.
A very good author and the character and story development are wonderful
“A Dangerous Breed” opens with a prologue that leaves the reader with the tantalizing task of finding out how the character got into that perilous situation. The story continues in a first person narrative by Van Shaw. The action is driven by conversations, what Shaw says and what people say to him. His thoughts and comments are impartial, formal, and complete. He comments directly to the reader as if in an official report on the incidents that occurred.
The narrative continues with two concurrent stories. Shaw receives a letter for a high school reunion. That opens up his troubled past and unwraps many questions but a few answers. He decides to trace his roots, to learn his father’s identity. However, looking for the man who abandoned him and his mother thirty years before involves digging up long-hidden family secrets that might be better left hidden. The pursuit should be straight forward in this era of on-line family ancestry sites and DNA, but nothing goes smoothly for Shaw, especially not this search.
The second story starts when Shaw helps a friend get medical aid for an injured man, and this act of help leads to a demand for “something,” not money, in exchange for the medical assistance. What follows is a high tech cat and mouse game complete with electronic eavesdropping, electronic breaking and entering, and digital tracking. Shaw has professional acquaintances in every profession who can provide just about anything within a few hours’ notice, and he uses all these resources to extract himself from unimaginable situations. His first aid skills come in handy as he navigates this complex web of treachery and revenge.
The pace is fast, and the plot is complex, but interspersed are everyday activities such as running with Addy’s dog, Stanley, that bring realism and humanity to Shaw and the world he inhabits. In the past, Shaw felt like a black sheep, but after his search for family, he acknowledges that it is nice to know he is from a good flock. I received a review copy of “A Dangerous Breed” from Glen Erik Hamilton and William Morrow. The book is part of the Van Shaw Series, and there are passing references to events from previous books, but it is not necessary to have read them first to follow the action in this book. I recommend the entire series
Van Shaw, one of the most interesting protagonists in thrillers today, learns long-hidden truths about himself in this latest series entry, which combines tense and twisty action with some subtle reflections on the nature of family. Glen Erik Hamilton proves himself a master.
Summertime calls for great and distracting thrillers. You could not ask for more when reading A Dangerous Breed by Glen Erik Hamilton. Van Shaw is an ex-Army Ranger who now does favors for people who are in trouble. He uses whatever tools are available, and if violence is necessary he never hesitates. This time out Van is trying to get a better picture of his mom who died when Van was a boy. While on this mission, a deranged terrorist threatens Van if Van will not assist him in executing his plot. The characters are well-drawn and the dialog is entertaining. A Dangerous Breed unfolds with twists and turns and keeps you reading until the last page. A great summer and beach read.