How good is Brad Thor? When grouping together today’s best thriller writers there’s Thor, and then there’s everyone else. Sitting atop the genre, Thor, known for blending fact and fiction–a style his fans have taken to calling faction–has been on a serious hot streak the past few years.
Scot Harvath, Thor’s series protagonist, has been well developed over the past fifteen novels. Readers have seen Scot do everything from trying to save the president (The Lions of Lucerne), to taking on a radical billionaire who believes it’s his duty to drastically reduce the world’s population (Code of Conduct).
After deviating slightly from his typical terrorist-hunting brew of political thrillers, to write about plots that involve top-secret lists of “potentially threatening” U.S. citizens compiled by the government (Black List), and the federal banking system (Hidden Order), Thor proved that there’s nothing he can’t do in the world of high-octane thrillers.
His latest novel, though, featured the return of Harvath going back to doing what he does best–tracking down terrorists and taking ’em out.
Foreign Agent, Thor’s 2016 release, was a blistering, high-powered and relentless thriller that followed a pissed off Harvath as he went after ISIS terrorists and shady Russians who conspired to take out a group of American CIA operatives. A massive hit, especially among longtime fans of the series, Foreign Agent proved that both Harvath and Thor have a lot of gas left in the tank.
So, with fifteen hit novels in the bag and the best long-running franchise in the genre still going strong, the question is: How will Thor, who seems to get better each and every year, top himself in 2017?
Well, judging by the explosive plot details Thor just released about his next book, Use Of Force, he’s still got a few action-packed tricks up his sleeve!
From Thor’s official website:
“As a storm rages across the Mediterranean Sea, a terrifying distress call is made to the Italian Coast Guard. Days later, a body washes ashore.
Identified as a high value terrorism suspect (who had disappeared three years prior), his name sends panic through the Central Intelligence Agency.
Where was he headed? What was he planning? And could he be connected to the “spectacular attack” they have been fearing all summer?
In a race against time, the CIA taps an unorthodox source to get answers: Navy SEAL turned covert counterterrorism operative, Scot Harvath.
Hired on a black contract, Harvath will provide the deniability the United States needs, while he breaks every rule along the way.
Packed with pulse-pounding action, fascinating characters, and electrifying intrigue, Brad Thor does it again and proves why he is known around-the- world as the ‘Master of Thrillers.'”
We’ll give you a second to let your catch your breath and slow your heart rate down, just go ahead scroll down to read our take on Use Of Force once you’re ready…
Okay, so the first thing that jumps out here has to do with the ending of Foreign Agent. No spoilers from us, so don’t worry about that. But, those who’ve read Foreign Agent will recall that the story comes to a close with Scot Harvath in a different place than where he started, both literally and figuratively. Evidently, though, none of that will keep Scot from answering the call when a terrorist is on the loose at the same time the CIA is hearing chatter about a “spectacular” attack.
It’s also obvious that Harvath isn’t dialing it back at all in regards to keeping his aggression in check, especially when an attack is on the line.
The part of the plot synopsis that says “he breaks every rule along the way,” reminds us of a quote from Thor’s Code Of Conduct, which explains the Carlton Group’s (the private security team that Harvath works for) hiring process designed to assemble the best intelligence operatives available, noting that they each “broke all the rules with only one goal in mind–to keep America and her citizens safe, to matter what the cost.”
There’s also this cool little teaser video that Thor released a day before the plot info, which you can watch below.
Use Of Force is scheduled to blast it’s way into bookstores on July 4th, 2017, but you can pre-order it right now by clicking here.
Newsletter EXCLUSIVE: Revealing the story behind USE OF FORCE tomorrow. Sign up now: https://t.co/QzMMtptP9y #amreading pic.twitter.com/I5jabqKhk6
— Brad Thor (@BradThor) December 6, 2016