A Worthy Successor to 'Full Black'

I love thrillers where the main character kicks butt... and Scot Harvath does a lot of that in this book!

It picks up right where 'Full Black' left off - smack dab in the action with Scot Harvath. For this reason I highly recommend you listen to 'Full Black' first to set this one up.

This volume centers around a conspiracy that - though some of its elements may sound farfetched - rings with a lot of truth and may just give you chills at how close to reality it could actually be. As usual, Armand Schultz brings the characters to life and keeps the book interesting even through some of the longer infodumps. This book also fleshes out some of the backstories for some of the characters too.

While I still have to give Flynn the nod for writing truly epic thrillers that bring everything together just right, Brad Thor gives him a run for his money. If you like Flynn, you will probably like this, too. Definitely recommended.

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Frightening because it is true...

Brad Thor is a master of faction (real fiction) and this book will make you quake in your boots because it is actually true but in a fictional setting. I think I am going to start a tin foil hat company, those might actually go into style when these programs are turned on the American people.

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Why is Brad Thor stuck on Armand Schultz?

Would you try another book from Brad Thor and/or Armand Schultz?

I will always buy Brad Thor's books, but it wasn't clear to me until his tail-end interview with Armand Schultz, how high Brad is on Armand. A small part of my complaint is just the interview itself, which once again disappointed me re when I thought the book was going to end later. When will Brad learn?

But the real issue is why Brad favors Amand Schultz over George Guidall,especially since in the past Brad has signed up George Guidall to narrate almost as many books.To this listener, at least, that there is no comparison. Armand is OK, but that is about it. His portrayal of Scot Horvath's voice is dramatically weaker than portrayed by George Guidall. Armand makes Scot sound like a young recruit just out of his teen age years.

With George Guidall, Scott's voice is clearly that of a tough, strong, seasoned operative. And in general, in terms of switching between men's and women's voices, and really any voices, George Guidall is quite simply, incredible.

If it is a matter of cost, Brad, you should pony up the extra amount and so delight your listeners. If it is George's availability, that is understandable, but you should work at this issue - hard.

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Thor addresses privacy without sacrificing action

This is different from some of Thor's work, primarily related to the message on which he chooses to focus (privacy in America vs. foreign terrorism for most of his works). That's not a spoiler - there’s a quote from one Senator Church at the beginning that sums up that part of the theme.

Thor includes plenty of his trademark action to keep the story moving along while providing fascinating information about the concept of “privacy” in America. The action sequences are spectacular (and, warning: addictive!) and the narration complements the story perfectly.

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A different Scot Harvath series novel

With the 16th novel in the Scot Harvath series by Brad Thor being released in exactly two months, I decided to write a brief review of one of one of the earlier novels in the series. The new novel is titled Use of Force and is currently available for pre-order at Audible.. The narrator has not been announced so I hope that Armand Schultz will be replaced, possibly by George Guidall who did narrate 4 earlier novels in the series.

In most of the novels in this series Harvath has worked outside of the US. In The Lions of Lucerne, the first novel in the series when Harvath was in the Secret Service and on the personal protection detail of the president's family, over half of the book was set in Europe tracking down the people who had attempted to kill member of the president's family. Black List, released in 2011 is set in the US and deals with issues of personal privacy invasion by government. The Scot Harvath series is among the very best of espionage thrillers.

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Scott Harvath on the Black List

Everyone in the world seems to be gunning for Scott Harvath, Brad Thor's superhero character of all time. After his girlfriend is shot and killed, he goes to ground to try to figure out what's going on and who added his name to the "black list", a list of people to be executed by the US Government. He finds himself cut off from everyone with back-stabbers everywhere. If he makes a phone call, uses the Internet or sends an e-mail, shortly afterward there is a hit team there to take him out. He finds it almost impossible to stay hidden and "off the grid" since anything he does, says or sends is immediately visible to data aggregators at an NSA contractor gone rogue. His only allies are his long-time friend "the dwarf" and a couple others. And, he's apparently got the US government, law enforcement and military against him. How will he ever overcome this huge problem? A good edge of your seat listen. Recommend!

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Harvath, "Older Wiser and still a machine"

What a masterpiece of truth woven into a fictionary plot of suspense and cunning. Thor is in the ranks of the great fictional thriller writers of this genre. I will follow him even after the disaster i felt in the Athena Project.
He is creative and so well researched; be ready to have google in one hand, and the book in the other. It is just a matter of connecting the dots while sitting on a rollercoaster of suspense.

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Frequent Listener

Enjoy this series by Brad, I was looking forward to the next book after Full Black. Armand did a great job with the narration as always, kept the pace up, voice inflections for different characters were good. While I gave the story a 4 star rating, there was still something missing from this book versus the others I've read or listened to. I guess if I had to put my finger on it I'd say it was not as believable as the others in the series. While a black list is believable, I don't think the government in all it's glory can be circumvented as protrayed in this version. Yes I know it is fiction, but up until this book most were fairly relevant to the times and believable. This one not so much to me.

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Weak Story

What would have made Black List better?

Better story, more detail, less cliches

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

major disappointment...have always enjoyed Brad Thor novels, this one seriously lacked punch.

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Mitch Rap, Jack Reacher, be careful.

Where does Black List rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

In the top 10%. I have read over 2,000 going back to cassettes and this fairs very well.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Interested, but not on the edge of my seat. None do that to me, but some are good enough to draw me back immediately after I deal with an interruption. This book had that quality.

Which scene was your favorite?

I can't say that I had a favorite "scene".

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, because it is too long. However, I listened to it mostly while spending an entire day, trimmimg trees and mowing grass. Saturday and Sunday, with some interruptions was all that was needed to listen to the entire book.

Any additional comments?

I have listened to a few Brad Thor books. He is consistently good.

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