The Apostle: A Thriller

Brad Thor is one of the preeminent writers of thriller today, and his best-selling books are too numerous to count...so instead of talking about his past successes, let's get straight to his newest novel: The Apostle: A Thriller, shall we? The book, in short, is about an American physician who gets kidnapped while working in Afghanistan. Ah, the scene is set, but this doctor has connections. He, and his family, are politically connected to America's new President, and turn to him for help, but the ransom being asked is too steep for the President, and he decides to launch a covert operation to get the American physician back instead.

The premise, along with the characters, are rather interesting - they have a passionate view on the current state and try to convince others to come to that point of view. It would seem that The Apostle has mingled in current affairs with a fictional tale. The President in the story is another interesting facsimile of our current Commander in Chief. A quote from the book "the new President had been very aggressive with his first 100 days. Campaigning on a platform of change, and he had done just that when he stepped into the Oval Office, and not necessarily for the better." The President, in the book, had single handily eviscerated the central intelligence of the country.

Much like all of Brad Thor's novels, he bases them on current headlines but allows the reader to decide which is which. Is the President in the book based off of our current President? The Apostle informs, implores, and entertains the reader in a way that only a few authors can. He has created another bare-knuckled thrill ride that seems so believable, it could have been taken from the headline news. I really enjoyed this novel (as I've enjoyed all Brad Thor's novels) I guarantee everyone will walk away from this reading experience knowing more about global terrorism, central intelligence, and other aspects of our country that you didn't know before.

But I personally think the true message of the book (or at least what I took it to be) As Americans there is quite a bit of frustrations with the higher offices of the country. We have got fantastic men and women in the militaries that are putting their lives on the line to protect our citizens, to protect our country, and to protect Lady Liberty, and yet, they are forced to deal with some of the worst management and leadership...and they shouldn't have to. This book really is a voice for the people who can't speak of these matters due to the red tape and bureaucracy. The Apostle: A Thriller is an incredible novel that you don't want to miss...another great book I'd recommend is: Conquest: The First Horseman (The Four Horsemen Series, Book 1) a remarkable tale of heroics and bravery.

I have read everything Mr. Thor has written, and generally I am a fan. While I disagree with his politics, I have made the decision to set that aside because, in most cases, the man writes a solid and enjoyable thriller. I enjoy that he goes into more technical detail about the technical gear than the average author. As a military and shooting aficionado, I appreciate that. However, this book just did not cut the mustard.

First, the politics. It's my own fault, to be sure, that I continue to read his books when I disagree with the politics. That said, I finished The Last Patriot only days before I started The Apostle, and the difference was startling. Whereas normally the conservative elements of the book are undertones and general worldviews, in The Apostle they were shoved at the reader in a manner that was nearly unpleasant. Wow, a president who uses the tagline "change" and isn't such a nice guy. Subtle, Mr. Thor. I respect and understand the politics that have run throughout the Scot Harvath books, even if I don't agree with them. In this case, though, they actually took attention away from the real story, and that was frustrating.

Second, the plot. Brad, what happened? Normally I find your plots detailed, in some cases intricate with shades of Ludlum at their best. This book had such a straightforward plot I was rarely surprised, even when I was enjoying the action.

A last criticism...Red Bull...enough is enough is enough.

Now, with the bad there is a great deal of good. Again, the technical details were enjoyable, especially the appearance of a certain "spectre". Brad knows his military jargon. In addition, I find Scot likable in all cases, even when I don't entirely understand his motivations as a character in this particular book.

Would I buy the book again? Yes. It is one of Thor's weakest, but he is a great author who has written some fantastic thrillers, and I feel attached to Harvath as a character. I will hope to see the pulse-pounding return in the next one, with a little more plot development and a dash less politics on the side.

I started out reading Brad Thor a few years ago, and while I didn't always agree with his political bent, the books were captivating, well written, and provided a degree of suspense. So I was excited to see that Thor had a new book out, and bought it right away.

I now am reasonably convinced that this is the last Brad Thor book I'll ever buy. There are, as many reviewers have already commented, the constant product placements (largely for Red Bull). There is the fact that every description of a gun or a weapon or a piece of technological equipment that is mentioned anywhere in the book is prefaced by the manufacturer's name. (I'm surprised there weren't footnotes with websites and a link to a "Click to Order" button!)

I understand that different people have different political views, and that not everyone agrees with mine. I also do read some authors whose views I disagree with. However, I have to say that when Thor launched into his ill-informed tirade against Islam, I felt sick. His "facts" are poorly researched and reflect a highly prejudicial view of the world.

I don't want to spoil the book for people who want to read it, but I think it's fair to warn readers that the following quote, taken from page 206 of the hardcover edition, reflects the tone that Thor takes in this book. If you like, or don't hate, this sort of writing, fine. But if you'd prefer to avoid such a work, be warned:

"The truth was, with it came to Islam, it had been violent since its inception." "[Harvath] knew from studying the religion that there was no such thing as peaceful and moderate Islam. The entire religion was a mess and needed a complete gut re-hab.... Harvath was content to go door to door and eliminate as many trouble-making members of the 'religion of peace' as was necessary."

My personal recommendation is to NOT bother with this book.

First and foremost I am a Brad Thor advocate. I have purchased all of his titles and have enjoyed his artistry as he paints exciting plots using dynamic characters that literally jump off of the page. Each effort has lived up to my expectations....except The Apostle. it seemed he went through the paces of a ...have to effort...one that was intended to fulfill a commitment from his publishing house. the story line and build up to this book baited my interest and anticipation to another exciting journey, unfortunately after an excellent beginning it ran out of steam and what could have been a very compelling effort turned into a lack luster, predictable and indifferent product.

Brad Thor's eighth novel featuring special-forces hero Scot Harvath provides decent entertainment value along with an in-depth and realistic look at the conditions U.S. troops face in Afghanistan, but it is plagued by a flawed premise and lackluster writing.

When the daughter of a wealthy presidential supporter is kidnapped in Afghanistan, Scot Harvath is called upon to comply with the ransom demands by breaking a captured terrorist out of prison. Unwilling to compromise his patriotic principles by aiding the enemy, even under orders from the commander in chief, Harvath assembles a team to help him carry out a revised mission--free the terrorist, but instead of exchanging him for the American hostage, use him to ascertain where she is being held, then free her and return the terrorist to the Afghan authorities. True to form, Harvath is determined to right a wrong and save the day while upholding the fundamentals of conservative American foreign policy.

As a military adventure story, the book mostly succeeds. Thor is good at writing exciting action scenes, and the book is for the most part fun and easy to read. The problem is that in trying to manufacture a believable reason why the U.S. president would so blatantly misuse his office's authority by ordering a terrorist freed in exchange for the life of a political ally's child, the story becomes overcomplicated. By the time the reader has made it through the background investigation by a Secret Service agent into events that politically indebted the president to the hostage's mother, the story is all but finished, rendering the background basically moot and the tidy conclusion ultimately unsatisfying. The book would have been better had it focused on a simple search-and-rescue operation. Of course, then there might not have been reason enough for Scot Harvath to rise to the challenge in the first place.

Thor actually traveled to Afghanistan and was embedded with a military unit as part of his research for writing The Apostle, which lends a degree of authenticity to the characters' experiences. One tidbit that stands out is the acronym TIA--"This Is Afghanistan"--used to explain seemingly incomprehensible differences between American and Afghan sensibilities.

Unfortunately, the book's positives are balanced, if not outweighed, by the negatives. Lack of character depth and the plot's overcomplexity significantly detract from the well-researched story and genuinely suspenseful military action scenes. In the end, The Apostle serves as an example of what could have been a timely, compelling book held to mediocrity by a few avoidable flaws.