Harlie’s Book Blog – Review of A Bridge to Treachery

This is a review of  A Bridge to Treachery that appeared in Harlie’s Book Blog in December 2012.

Review:

OH. MY. WORD.  I’m in love.  Lou Christopher is one of the most intriguing, intense and focused men that I have read this year.  *sigh*  After years in the military he starts working as an investment broker.  When a lucrative account is dangling in front of him that would set him and his wife for life, there is a catch.  They need him to go back to his military roots and help stage a terrorist attack.  Yes, a terrorist attack.  Wow, how prevalent is that today?  Well, when is double crossed and his team is dead, he is the hunted.

Lou is a great hero.  Anything for his country and his family.  Sounds like another hero I know and love.  Lou and Jack Ryan have things that I could compare side by side but this is Lou’s story, not Jack Ryan’s and it definitely shows.  Mr. Crane has created a character that I can relate to and feel for in his characterization.  What does a ex-military man do when the tour is over?  How does he provide for his family and find a job that he even likes?  Lou is faced with that so when he’s asked to stage an attack, he jumps at it.  Money is money, right?  He quickly finds out that his “mission” is a political conspiracy that leads to his team dead and him being the hunted.

Good lord, after a slow start in the beginning, the book never stops.  The pace is fast, dialogue crisp and the action never stops.  Just when you think you’ve figured it out…you are dead wrong.  I love that in a suspense/thriller.  I want to be on a ride that never stops and keeps me glued to each and every page. 

Mag is one strong woman.  Growing up in the military she knew what she signed up for with Lou.  Plus, she is the first one to smell a rat in this whole “mission”.  Little did she know at the time that she would put herself out there for Lou and his safety.  She reminded me a little of Kathy Ryan in her strength of character and her love for Lou.

I realize that I have made the Jack and Kathy Ryan references to Lou and Mag.  It is a huge compliment to Larry Crane for creating a husband and wife in a political thriller/suspense novel that I can actually care about.  They are not youngsters and have real people concerns about how they are going to live after life in the military.  Its relatable and makes their relationship more real.

Be warned though the action moves from Lou’s military background to the present.  I never felt lost in the switch but some people might.  Of course, this from someone that has read “The Hunt for Red October” and couldn’t care less about a submarine, I appreciated reading about Lou’s background in the military and how it shaped him as a person today.

A Bridge to Treachery has it all for this reader.  The twists, turns and OMG moments kept me glued to the Kindle.  I’ve even bought a copy for my dad’s Nook so he can read it.  Its really his fault that I love books like this…thanks Dad!

One of my top ten books of 2012 and I smell a sequel…  *wink*