Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsA new thriller Hero!
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 13, 2019
Pacific Northwest author Jack Patterson writes with the verve that accompanies good journalism: he has written articles for some of our major newspapers such as The New York Times and is the recipient of many journalistic awards. That acumen is evident in his book THE WARREN OMISSIONS (five have dealt with sports, Patterson's obsession since childhood), a mystery thriller with the JFK assassination and controversy at its core. Continuing his highly successful thriller series, each series named for the chosen title character, Patterson opens his new series – a Titus Black Thriller, Book 1 – and we are introduced to yet another ongoing highly skilled creation of a character that we want to follow. Titus Black is a black ops agent whose skills and derring-do match any of those committed to books to this date – he explores possible secret operations to upend corruption.
One of the many positive aspects of Jack Patterson's books is ability to engage the reader from the first paragraph and then sustain that level of interest until the story is complete. Nowhere is that gift more important than in writing mystery thrillers. For a taste of this new series (a very timely one), the opening of the book follows: ‘Titus Black checked all his scuba gear one final time as the lockout trunk filled up with water. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves. Missions that involved time in the ocean ranked last in his list of favorite assignments. “How are you doing in there?” asked Christina Shields, Black’s handler at the secret black ops program Firestorm, in her sultry voice. “It’s a day at the beach,” Black said. “For most people, that’d be a good thing,” she said. “But I know you’re not like most people.” “Give me a mountain with five hostiles on the ridge any day.”’ And in that short opener Patterson has our complete attention held to the last page.
The synopsis: ‘Titus Black is a survivor. Even after getting ousted from the CIA, Black managed to land on his feet. And while his government may have quit on him, he’s not about to quit on it … even when he’s falsely accused of murder …When black ops agent Titus Black embarks on a rescue mission, he comes back with more than just a left-for-dead pilot—he comes back with questions about an alleged secret operation that threatens to shatter trust in the U.S. military. As Black and the clandestine organization he works for start to unravel the mystery, he finds himself caught in the crosshairs of a plot to silence him. But if Black intends on getting justice and exposing the corruption, he must avoid capture and save the one man who wants him dead more than anything … the President of the United States.’
Another first class thriller from the talented Jack Patterson. Grady Harp, October 19
