Danger Close (A Jericho Black Thriller Book 3)

Danger Close #3 – A short story set in 1979. More on Will Kessler and his transition from his past to his future. His life changes with the murders of his mother and grandfather and the shooting of his girlfriend. He does a job that gets him a shock of a lifetime and changes his future. 5*

The Jacob Mitzak Series and the Jericho Black Universe:
The Jericho Black Universe: The following well written books are all part of this universe and take place in a timeline from 1910 until 1980, as of January, 2019. The fourth book Retribution starts in 1980. All the storylines are carried throughout this series of books. The storylines are intriguing, suspense filled and so mesmerizing it’s hard for the reader to put down the book(s). I chain read all but Among Wolves, which I had already read and made me interested in reading the rest of the story. There are plenty of twists, kinks and surprises in all the additions. The pace is steady and fast, no bogging down with trivial fillers. The emotions range across the scale and even the harden reader goes “Oh my gosh.” occasionally. Nothing graphic, you just forget how depraved the human race is, especially in the pack (or herd) formation.

The characters are interesting and believable, and their dialog realistic. The reader is drawn into the stories and the author’s descriptions are clear and interesting. Most of the characters appear in all the stories or are mentioned for themselves or in past events. The characters run the gamut on personalities, frailties, strengths and levels of depravity and goodness. Nothing is graphic but everything is clear so the reader can make the violence as graphic as their imagination needs. History is a rich character that adds depth and understanding to the stories, which begins during WWII. I know a lot of this history and found the author did a great job with his historical presentation. Mr. Vezina did research his subject matter. After Among Wolves, the editing was much better with very few errors outside of comma usage, or lack of, in the others that I read. In a couple of the books, Mr. Vezina offers a PDF timeline for the JBU. There are more books than what I have read so far. Best to read in sequential order; keeps the excitement flowing and no spoilers that way. I purchased all but The Lion of Israel. I recommend the following order for reading these books.

Never Forget, Prequel – The beginning of the JBU. Starting in Auschwitz, this introduction of Aleks Rosen, Saul Greenbaum and Jacob Mitzak. Along with some the rest of the characters that will come and go throughout the series. There are a couple of twists and surprises, along with an interesting showing of foresight, determination and survival through a horrible time and place in world history. 5*

The Jacob Mitzak Series:
The Hammer of Israel – This is my second favorite of this series; Among Wolves remains number one with me. Mainly about Jacob Mitzak and Jane Sutcliff and their metamorphoses from their experiences from WWII until 1952. There is a lot of violence, none graphic, but what their characters, their determination and their instincts for survival place upon them and the jobs they are able to perform. There’s a special lady that will surprise the reader when she’s spotlighted. 5*

The Butcher’s Bill #2 – Set mainly during the first 10 days of August, 1952, this action packed, suspense filled addition to the Jacob Mitzak Series is difficult to put down. The multiple storylines that course in and out of this series and the Jericho Black Universe are totally mesmerizing. I cannot stress enough to read both series in sequential order since they both interweave a thick tapestry of intrigue, suspense and rollercoaster rides that make it difficult to put any of these books down. I contacted the author to review his books and received this through Booksprout. Read this after the first book, then continue with Jericho. 4*
The Jacob Mitzak Series end.

Among Wolves #1 – This is my first read by this author and I liked the story. The well thought out story line follows a young boy through his discoveries about his grandfather’s Nazi SS past and the causes of his mother’s hatred. He’s able to make his own decisions about the right way of life for him, earning him his grandfather’s respect and costing him his mother’s love. The young man contributes to the war of hatred after learning a secret about his father. Along his journey, he is supported by many surprising people. The characters are interesting and believable, and their dialog realistic. The reader is drawn into the story and the author’s descriptions are clear and interesting. History is a rich character that adds depth and understanding to the story, which begins after WWII. I know a lot of this history and found the author did a great job with his historical presentation. Mr. Vezina did research his subject matter. This well written story could have been a five star if the author had only edited the story. Missing commas, lower case proper nouns and titles, inconsistencies and various other defects distracted the reader because there were so many. Many affected the meaning of the sentences. 4*
UPDATE: Among Wolves is updated and changed somewhat according to the author. The update hasn’t made it to Amazon as of 01/30/2019.

Education #2 – A cliffhanger that continues in book #3 Retribution. The story is set in 1979 and picks up with Will and Susan and their future together. Playing heavy parts in this story are many of the characters from Never Forget and Among Wolves. Fast paced and filled with a few twists for everyone. Needs better editing. 5*

The Lion of Israel (A between book, but read after Danger Close) – This short story introduction is for Ariel Sutcliffe and her contributions to the JBU. Her story, her strengths and her weaknesses, along with some of her jobs and where she is heading. A good, but flawed character that is tested with a special job. This book I found on Booksprout. 5*

Retribution #4 – This book starts one year after Education ends. Over a span of less than four months, this action packed, intriguing, well written story finishes Education’s cliffhanger and sets up the next book. There are interesting, new characters introduced. There is always something to stop the flow of the storylines with twists and surprises continuously throughout the pages. The characters, their dialog, the action and the storylines are all realistic and no Hollywood is anywhere present. I strongly recommend reading all the books sequentially to get a complete understanding and full enjoyment of this series. Sometimes it does not pay to do a good deed. Needs minor editing. 5*

Outfoxed #5 – Begins in November, 1980. We’re back with the Jericho Black gang and another action packed, suspense filled book full of old and new storylines meshing together. There are plenty of twists, and some humor, as the search for Nadir Fox continues as he gives The Box his commands or else. The author continues with his well planned storylines, his realistic characters and dialog, and plenty of excitement to keep the reader glued to the pages. Again, he sets up the direction for the next book in the series. I contacted the author to review his books and received this through Booksprout. 5*
The Jacob Mitzak Series and the Jericho Black Universe end.

This is another book by this great author who is fast becoming a favorite of mine in this genre. He puts just enough detail in so that it reads realistic whilst at the same time doesn’t over do it so that you feel bored or confused. The same with the characters and the dialogue between them, realistic and believable! The plot is interesting and easy to follow, it’s another wonderful addition to an amazing series. Although I received an ARC version via Booksprout as usual with this series I loved it so much that I went ahead and got the book as well. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

that makes it sound so clinical, when really, the training that shaped Will Hessler was very mission involved.
His language skills help a great deal, and his familiarity with the NS movement and phrases help as well with certain factions.

Seems to be a bit of a kiss of death for him to be fond of a girl – dead is a trend with them. He does seem a bit scarred by this, but the unit psychiatrist seems pleased that Will is normal in showing some more typically human response to the deaths.

Still we wait for the rescue of Dr. Jane Sutcliffe. when next we see her, it seems she may have a few old foes taking their pound of flesh, or a least, they are eagerly awaiting the opportunity in the interim.

A bloody, ongoing trail of struggles and intrigue.

I enjoyed reading the series on Kindle Unlimited, and am eager to see what happens next.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.