Jeff Sexton
Brutal And Effective Violence That Jack Reacher Would Be Proud Of. Admittedly I stepped into this book not realizing when I signed up for the blog tour that this was number 27 in a series, so there are likely elements to this tale that I completely missed out on.
That noted, the tale as told works within itself to tell a complete tale + a couple of open ended teasers (not really "cliffhangers" as at least one other reviewer described them) such that it *is* possible to enjoy this book for itself, but obviously if you are an "absolutely no spoilers of any minute kind" type of reader... eh, start all the way back at book 1 here. :)
As for the story told... I wasn't joking in the title of this review. I've read more graphic violence than this (hello, Code Alpha by Joseph Massucci and Without Remorse by Tom Clancy), but this is certainly up there. Hell, even the modern Mortal Kombat games with their ultra-realism and X-ray moves sometimes seem less graphic than some of the violence White gives us here. And yet the expected quippy banter is still present as well, providing just enough smiles to keep this from going to near slasher level action.
Set during a Cat 5 hurricane, some of the stuff described seems a bit implausible... but then, this is an action book, so meh, already suspending disbelief for the rest of the plot, might as well suspend it a bit more there. Otherwise, the hurricane doesn't provide much "atmosphere" to the book, but *does* provide quite a few set pieces for the action sequences to look that much cooler.
Ultimately, this is one of those books that as long as you approach it as you would say WWE or the Fast and Furious franchise - ie, just go with the flow and enjoy the spectacle - it absolutely works. If you're looking for anything more serious than that, you're going to be disappointed.
Very much recommended.