Blog Tour Review: Retribution by Anderson Harp

Retribution
Author: Anderson Harp
Publication: Pinnacle (February 25, 2014)

Description: In the pitch-black cargo hole of the Pakistani airline freighter crossing the Atlantic, a wooden crate filled with levers for a weaving machine also had another object buried inside. If it makes it to its delivery point, an American city would become uninhabitable for a century.

In this chilling thriller, Retribution is more than the story of a deep-cover mission to stop a terrorist with a core stolen from an Islamabad nuclear weapon. Here, the operative does much more to flush out the target than a hunt and chase. He becomes a carrier of a highly contagious strain of a deadly disease.

In this oh so authentic story, author Andy Harp draws upon his experiences as a Marine who has served across the globe to create a uniquely real novel filled with breakneck thrills and plot twists. With action that flies from New York to London, from Peshawar deep into the mountains of the Hindu Kush, and from Islamabad to Chicago, Retribution weaves political conspiracy and a perilous, intelligence operation, hi-tech military technology and deadly current events, all with the crucible of a determined Jason Bourne like character in conflict with just as determined a killer, into a classic “mission” thriller that delivers the kind of nail-biting suspense, realism and a kicker surprise at the end that is in the style of Ludlum, and the best of Thor and Flynn. The story is engrossing, the hero is remarkable, and the personal cost he pays for both his survival and success changes the man.

My Thoughts: RETRIBUTION reminded me a lot of Tom Clancy at his best. With short chapters told from multiple viewpoints and the fast pace, thriller fans will be swept up in this exciting story. The hero of the story is William Parker - former Marine, former deep-cover agent, language savant. Parker lost his parents when Flight 103 was brought down over Lockerbie. When he gets a chance to go up against a terrorist who was part of that and who is now planning a new jihad, he instantly agrees.

They come up with a ingenious plot involving a fact acting type of meningitis and Parker playing the role of a journalist who is approached by the terrorist to tell his story. Of course, it couldn't be that simple. A plot to steal nuclear materials and launch terrorist attacks on Chicago and political intrigue in choosing Saudi Arabia's next king add complications. Further complications are added by a CIA operative who doesn't want Parker's mission to succeed for reasons I never could figure out.

Unlike Clancy, Harp doesn't include long infodumps about geopolitics and weapons' specifications. He keeps the story (stories) moving. It did seem to me that there was more graphic violence in this one than I remember in Clancy.

Fans of thrillers will be excited to find a new author to fill the shoes of the late Tom Clancy.

Favorite Quote:

I must be crazy.

Parker rarely had self-doubt. He had learned some time ago that doubt can never be a benefit to anything. But in only a few days he had gone from being a private citizen to a deep-cover agent.

It it weren't important, I wouldn't be here...

I received this book from Meryl Moss Media Relations for my stop on the blog tour. You can buy your copy here.