Takedown: A Thriller [Paperback]

Brad Thor's "Takedown" focuses on the conflict between Islamic extremists and their enemies in the west. Mohammed bin Mohammed is al-Qaeda's master bombmaker as well as the head of its committee on weapons of mass destruction. An American covert action team kidnaps Mohammed from his hiding place in Somalia and brings him to a secret location in New York City. Abdul Ali, a man implicated in a number of terrorist attacks and high-profile assassinations, is determined to get Mohammed back. He enlists the aid of a villainous dwarf known as the Troll to put together an extraction team to rescue Mohammed.

Meanwhile, thirty-six year old Scot Harvath, a former Navy Seal and counterterrorism operative for the Department of Homeland Security, crosses the border into Montreal to nab Sayed Jamal, an Algerian-born terrorist. Although Scot is a patriot, he has grown tired of the red tape and secrecy that hamper his ability to carry out his job. In addition, Scot would like to have a personal life and start a family someday, but as long as he continues to travel all over the world on highly secret missions, his time will never be his own.

Soon, terrorists stage a series of attacks on the infrastructure of New York City. Besides claiming many innocent lives, these attacks insure that all of the major emergency services are tied up with search and rescue missions. Meanwhile, Abdul Ali and his hired band of fierce Chechens are busy with a mission of their own--to find the place where Mohammed bin Mohammed is being held and bring him to safety.

This novel features enough explosions, weaponry, and chase scenes to please any action-adventure junkie. The villains are merciless fiends who commit unspeakable acts in an effort to bring the United States government to its knees. The author implies that America is currently losing the war on terror. As long as there is bureaucratic infighting and too much emphasis on the rights of suspected terrorists, Thor seems to be saying, America will be unable to defeat al-Qaeda. The book's epigraph is "exitus acta probat": "the ends justify the means."

"Takedown" has an enormous cast of characters, including former soldiers who accompany Harvath on his quest to stop Abdul Ali. One of them, Tracy Hastings, was maimed when a bomb that she was trying to defuse in Iraq accidentally detonated. Tracy and Scott form a bond that soon blossoms into romance. At almost four hundred pages, the book goes on a bit too long and is so frantically busy that there is little room for character development. However, its courageous heroes and "ripped from the headlines" plot will undoubtedly earn "Takedown" a receptive audience among fans of contemporary thrillers.

Well, I bought this book last Saturday, promptly laid down the current book I was reading, and started to read "Takedown". It took me about 2-1/2 days to finish it and I have to say it was great. Definitely one of the best action/thrillers out there. I have read all five of Brad's books and would place this one as number 2 (Lions being #1).

I have read other authors to include Vince Flynn, David Baldacci, John Grisham, Dan Brown, Tom Clancy, Alex Kava, Clive Cussler, Robert Ludlum, Ken Follett but my top two favorites have to be Brad and Vince. Both are awesome military style/good guy writers and I highly encourage everyone to read both authors books. I anxiously await Scot Harvath's next adventure and hope he avenges the death of someone (I won't ruin the story for those who haven't read it) at the end of Takedown.

To a previous reviewer, I don't think it was the Troll who is the murderer but someone else who Scot knows.

In regard to the poison pen reviewers, who seem to infest Amazon like fleas on a dog (and write reviews using psuedonyms), I would note that you should read an entire novel before attempting to review it. Some novels start out slow, but the action builds up. This one kept me up late.

The author has written a great action filled novel. United States agents capture an international terrorist in Somalia, using a covert operation, and take him to a location in New York City. In the meantime, Scot Harvath has been on a secret operation in Canada to capture another terrorist, also taken to New York in a covert operation.

Terrorists mount a massive suicide mission against New York City to try to free the terrorist mastermind, needed to complete evil plans. Harvath finds himself on the scene, mounting a counter operation using a team put together on the spot including an old friend. Events are complicated by a lack of cooperation between agencies, and the fact that there is a mole somewhere aiding the enemy.

Then there is the information source known as the Troll, playing all sides for his own profit. Everyone has their own agenda, some of which are not obvious to the players in the game.

The white hats eventually win this round, but at a high price. The Troll is still out there, and an unknown enemy is stalking Harvath. Final events set things up for a sequel.

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