Greetings Everyone,

I just finished reading The Terminal List, and I wanted to share my thoughts.

Reece had no time for reflection. Bullets cascaded into the room from directly across the hall. AK fire. Reece knew the sound well. The rounds were being sprayed into the room without any real discipline, racking across the back wall and cutting across the upper body of the screaming prostitute, silencing her forever. Reece grabbed a frag grenade from a pouch on his belt, pulled the pin, and sent it carrying into the adjacent room.

Written by Jack Carr, The Terminal List follows Navy Seals Lieutenant Commander James Reece in a heart-pounding adventure. After discovering that the United States government is behind the assassination of his team and family, Reece stops at nothing to take down all tied to the operation. With a decade’s worth of skills in warfare, Reece’s revenge quest leads him to some of the most powerful officials in the White House.

The Crew Reviews YouTube show introduced me to Jack Carr, and I’m grateful. The Terminal List is a great read with consistent pacing, political/military intelligence, and a storyline that’s reminiscent of a Metal Gear Solid video game. Carr’s military background is also evident in his writing, with his use of weaponry, combat training, and soldier psychology that educates and keeps the reader engaged.

To begin, the tone and pacing for this revenge plot stayed the same from beginning to end. Carr’s attention to detail was thorough but not over-the-top; he didn’t drag the story, but he also didn’t feed you each puzzle piece right away either. Each event is stretched in a way that makes the anticipation for the next more exciting, which gave me James Patterson vibes.

I also liked James Reece’s character. Developing a character throughout a revenge plot takes some skill because the reader typically is more invested in the character’s just-due and not necessarily their evolution. But since this book is the intro to several in the Reece chronicles, I understand why his arc is so important.

My only issue was internal. I’m very impatient when reading thrillers, so I would’ve preferred more straight-to-the-point action sequences and less detail at times. But I probably wouldn’t have enjoyed the book as much or respected Carr’s writing style, so no harm done.

I will be checking out book two, True Believer, so be on the lookout for that review as well.

Until Next Time…