“Raw emotion, nonstop action, and relentless pacing makes Backlash another one-night read from Brad Thor, who delivers the book to beat in 2019.” –The Real Book Spy #1 New York Times, #1 Wall Street Journal, and #1 Publishers Weekly bestselling author Brad Thor is back with his most gripping thriller yet! In ancient texts, there are stories about men who struck from the shadows, seemingly … there are stories about men who struck from the shadows, seemingly beyond the reach of death itself. These men were considered part angel, part demon. Their loyalty was to their families, their friends, and their kings. You crossed these men at your peril. And once crossed, there was no crossing back.
They were fearless; men of honor who have been known throughout history by different names: Spartan, Viking, Samurai.
Today, men like these still strike from the shadows. They are highly prized intelligence agents, military operatives, and assassins.
One man is all three.
Two days ago, that man was crossed–badly.
Now, far from home and surrounded by his enemy, Scot Harvath must battle his way out.
With no support, no cavalry coming, and no one even aware of where he is, it will take everything he has ever learned to survive.
But survival isn’t enough. Harvath wants revenge.
In the most explosive novel Brad Thor has ever written, page after captivating page of action, intrigue, loyalty, and betrayal will keep you hooked until the very last sentence.
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Brad Thor brings what military thriller readers want: vengeance, a high body count, the US is always right, terrorists are always bad.
He’s been perfecting this for a long time and kudos. This is another excellent installment in his series.
Having commanded a Special Forces team with a maritime specialty (all graduates of Danish Fromandkorpset Combat Swim School) and serving in 10th Special Forces, which is oriented for cold and high altitude operations (Winter Warfare training every year and graduating International Mountain Climbing School) I find his action reasonably accurate. However, I also find a lack of the intangibles of actual experience. No matter how much an author studies or researches, there is nothing quite like being there and living it. Kipling’s Unforgiving Minute.
A good book for the genre.
Good character development; could tell author spent time researching
Exactly what I wanted from a Brad Thor book, exciting and fast paced. He never disappoints, and keeps you glued to the pages and excited to continue reading. The only problem is that the book ends much too soon.
Hard to believe that Spymaster could be topped, but Brad did it with BACKLASH! Aside from the sizzling pace, Brad’s intimate knowledge of geopolitical tensions and modern Realpolitik explains why he stands alone atop the thriller genre.
A must-read for fans of political-military thrillers.
I love all of Brad Thor’s books, but this one was the best!
Another winner from Brad Thor in the Scott Harvath series.
“Backlash” is aptly titled, although another possibility might be “Payback Is Hell.”
In my best Lieutenant Joe Kenda imitation, I’m speaking for Brad Thor’s protagonist, Scot Harvath, the man delivering payback to some serious Russian thugs: “If you harm me or mine, I WILL find you. I will hunt you down, track you through the Ninth Circle in Hell, and I will rip your guts out with my bare teeth and eat them . . . ”
You get the picture, especially if you read and love Thor’s work as I do. That said, I review every book based on it’s merit. Thor’s protagonist is familiar to us from the Scot Harvath series, and well loved, but in “Backlash,” Thor finds a way to make Harvath sympathetic, even though he’s so angry he performs acts of dire brutality against his enemies. Early on, you will be rooting for Harvath (spoiler alert coming) despite his brutal scalping of his captors, who hit the ground, literally, when the plane on which Harvath is prisoner crashes in Russia.
Let the chase begin. The Russians want Harvath to pick his brains and then eliminate him, but early on we must ask, based on Harvath’s tendency to backtrack like a pissed off bear, “Who is chasing whom?”
The chase is simply too delightful. A term I dislike in reviews is “unputdownable.” But when I started reading “Backlash,” I had to force myself to stop reading, but when I did I couldn’t wait to get through my day and return to the story. What makes “Backlash” and Scot Harvath memorable and too, too fun for thriller lovers–is how Thor makes us FEEL the suspense. He doesn’t just narrate this simple story of revenge: he puts us in the snow with Harvath and makes us gulp and cry and cringe–and pray to God Scot makes it out of Russia alive.
As with all Thor’s thrillers, we never neglect plot, either. In addition to character development and the ability to plunge us into Harvath’s world, Thor is adept at keeping us as on top of where the story is, and where it’s going, as he is at grounding us in the action and suspense. The story begins when three people are murdered, one a Boston PD detective, one a Deputy Director of the CIA, and the third (unfortunately for the perps) the beloved wife of Scot Harvath, And from the point where CIA Director Bob McGee gets on board with Harvath’s rescue, until the last page in “Backlash,” Brad Thor delivers a virtually flawless plot. Mary McFarland Backlash
Absolutely loved it. Brad Thor is a master at keeping you on pins and needles at the edge of your seat. Always rooting for the goods guys and getting caught up in his fight.
Good read! Good guy action hero escape. Worth the time!
Awesome
Great book! I wouldn’t necessarily classify Backlash as a thriller. It was more in the Action & Adventure category. But, then again, the lines between thriller, action adventure, action thriller, etc. often become blurred.
There were no surprises or sudden plot twists. From the beginning, you know what happened, who the bad guys are, and where things were headed. From there, it’s an adventure of lots and lots of super action scenes of varying types.
And much like David Baldacci’s writing, the focus stayed on the main character chapter after chapter. Just a few chapters were devoted to other characters. I loved that. Good solid finish with no loose ends.
Backlash is one of the better stories in the Scot Harvath series. And I’ve read them all. Harvath seems to be getting his second wind as the series heads into its 20th book…which is good news for readers.
As usual, there is a moderate amount of foul language in this edition, but no sex scenes. Overall, I highly recommend this book, and the series, to readers who enjoy thrillers in the spy, covert agent, clandestine action genres.
My son in law got me hooked on Brad Thor who writes a genre I usually have little interest in. I am hooked on Thor’s books and this was no exception. While it is one of a long series, it is also a stand alone which is a great thriller. Highly recommend.
Another excellent Brad Thor book! If you like Vince Flynn & Lee Child reads, your a great candidate for Brad Thor’s books!
Doesn’t get any better than this. Plot and character development is exquisite. Addictive read.
I enjoyed the methods the main character used to almost escape until he met his next challenge.
Way too much killing. The revenge factor might be understandable but should not be glorified.
I can always count on Brad Thor to deliver another well-written action story.
Great ending!
A great read from beginning to end! The main character has a keen sense of justice, and is willing to go to extremes to see that justice is done…even if that means breaking the law. That’s enough for me to keep me reading. I found myself cheering him on in his mission to rescue the world from a bad situation. It was geographically accurate…the best I could tell.
Couldn’t put it down.