Reviewed by: Keith Nixon
Genre: Thriller
Approximate word count: 90-95,000 words
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Author:
Sean Black
is the author of the best selling Ryan Lock thriller series. As research he
trained as a bodyguard, worked in a prison and has undergone desert training.
He grew up in Scotland, but spent some of his childhood in the US. He now lives
in Ireland.
Description:
Byron Tibor
is highly trained undercover special forces agent. But his most recent mission
in Afghanistan catches up with him. Suffering from post traumatic stress
disorder he enters a military programme to produce the guilt free soldier...
Appraisal:
I've had
Sean Black on my TBR list for some time and I'm very glad to have finally got
around to his work with Post. This is
a thoroughly enjoyable read that has several major twists and turns that keeps
the reader guessing through to the end. The premise, PTSD and a set of military
enhancements to 'develop' enhanced soldiers could so easily have become something
standard and dull, but the opposite is the case here. It reminded me slightly
of a book I read quite a few years ago called Weapon by Robert Mason (eventually a film, I think) - but Post is far superior.
Post opens with a very stressed out man
in a bank who kills himself. The police and military are all over the scene
within moments, it's all very shady and the author creates a powerful tension
and mystery that left me wanting to know more. Then we switch to Afghanistan
and we meet Byron during his undercover op in Afghanistan. It's a major style
change, and the first of several. We follow Byron as he undertakes his op and
the repercussions...
Then we hit
what at first seems to be a disjointed scene. Byron thinks he's in Afghanistan,
but discovers he is actually outside Las Vegas. If this sounds confusing, good.
I don't want to give any more of the plot away. At this point I thought Black
had lost it, but pushing through discovered this was all part of the plan.
Byron's past and present memories are mixed up and he sets out to make sense of
it all. Again, excellently done.
Overall
this is a superior thriller that raises questions in the reader's mind about
humanity and ethics, the power of government and how soldiers are treated. The
characters are excellent as is Black's sense of place. High tension, powerful
mystery cut through with a military theme. The conclusion is satisfying and
draws everything together with perhaps the potential for a sequel? I hope so.
Format/Typo Issues:
No issues.
Rating: ***** Five Stars
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