Cold Shot: A Novel (a Jonathan Burke/Kyra Stryker Thriller)

Mark Henshaw, if you're reading this, please stop now... and get working on your next book. I loved Red Cell, and I love Cold Shot even more. Henshaw's books combine the best of Clancy spy technography with Bernard Cornwell-esque action. His main characters are more rounded and interesting than the typical vigilante super heroes common to the espionage/thriller genre. Those other books are fun in a "rah rah red meat" kind of way, but Henshaw's two main characters, Stryker and Burke, are a little more sophisticated and real. Authenticity of detail oozes from every scene, and the action is exciting and plausible. With Red Cell, Henshaw enlightened us to the threat posed by China, which no other writer has done so well. With Cold Shot we are exposed to Iran's nuclear ambitions in the western hemisphere, working in concert with a post-Chavez Venezuelan government. Kyra Stryker and Jonathan Burke must uncover the plot. And then they are roped into stopping it. This is the first book in a long while that was compelling enough to keep me up long past my bedtime

Your Library Card Has Expired By Bob Gelms I have this “thing” about reading authors chronologically, especially thriller writers who have recurring characters. These days writers and publishers have learned that the reading public who come late to the party, might not want to buy the first three books in a series if they all depend on the previous installments to understand the current episode. Almost all writers these days who have recurring characters and write a series, write the books in a standalone way so you do not have to have read the previous books to understand what is going on in the current one. When I come late to the party, as I have in the case of Glenn Cooper, I always wonder what the early books are like, in particular the very first one. Debut novels are so important. A writer spends his whole life writing the first novel and then gets a year, maybe a year and a half, to write the second one. In my limited view of the literary world, I find debut novels most interesting. Such is the case with Mr. Cooper. After I read Mr. Cooper’s fourth and fifth novels, I couldn’t resist the temptation to go back to his first book, Library of the Dead. This book is where Will Piper is introduced to the public. Piper has a three book run but this is the first one. It’s a barrel of fun. Will Piper is disgusting. He is a womanizing drunkard but at the same time, and you know there is always an “at the same time,” he is the best serial killer profiler in the FBI. He is just a few years away from retirement and has contracted retire-itis. Then, along comes the Doomsday Killer. This killer sends a postcard with the drawing of a casket and the date of death to the intended victim. There is one big catch. None of the victims are related to each other in any way. The ways in which they died have no relation to one another. There is neither evidence of one single killer nor any killer for that matter. The FBI agent who was assigned to the case, Agent Mueller, had a stroke and Will Piper is reluctantly assigned by his supervisor to take over. She thinks Piper is over-the-hill and too soaked in booze to be of any use anymore so she assigns a newbie agent, Nancy Lipinski, to get him over the rough spots. Nancy is familiar with the case as she was assigned to it with Agent Mueller. Do me a favor and suspend your disbelief when reading this because there is one surprising revelation after another. There was an earth-shattering discovery by a group of British soldiers right after WWII on the Isle of Wight under an ancient monastery at Victus. The monks there in the 8th century had made an astonishing discovery about one of the residents. In 1947, Winston Churchill turns over the find to Harry Truman who has it stored in Area 51. Then the Doomsday killer starts his spree in 2009. All these events are related and I developed a compulsion to keep turning the pages. The book has a fulfilling ending. It also points to the future. It takes on somewhat of a supernatural bent that I found interesting not objectionable. There is a compelling discussion throughout about fate and predestination that is driven by the events of the story so there is a bit of a theological bent to the whole thing as well. It is getting cold out at night and soon you will be stoking the fireplace and I can’t think of a better book to read by a roaring fire with an adult beverage than Library of the Dead. I am now on the hunt for books two and three in the series, The Book of Souls and The Keepers of the Library.

I started reading this at 5 p.m. and finished it at 3:30 a.m. This book wouldn't let me put it down -- even for dinner. Cold Shot starts with a bang - literally. From the streets of an Iraqi town to the tarmac of a Venezuelan airport, the story flows at an ever-faster pace as two CIA analysts-turned-field-agents race to prevent a nuclear-tipped showdown. But unlike too many stories where "only one person can save the world," Jon and Kyra have literally thousands of helpers, seen and unseen, to guide them on their desperation mission. How that help is deployed is part of the fun of this story. Author Mark Henshaw is a consummate storyteller with a delightful sense of humor that appears at just the right places. His characters are well-drawn and complete, his plot is highly believable, and he shows an understanding of the way politics are played -- both in the US and elsewhere -- that could make some wonder if his lineage doesn't have a Machiavelli hidden in it somewhere. Cold Shot is a great book on its own. But if you get a chance to read Henshaw's Red Cell first, you will be doubly rewarded.

Both "Cold Shot", and "Red Cell" are truly 5 star, exceptionally great books and rank at the top of the genre. They are very hard tout down, and the excitement just flows in a very natural way. It is really wonderful to have the equipment described in sufficient detail to understand it but without being overwhelmed by it. Also,the action seems very realistic and believable. The characters are a delight to get to know, all with enough flaws to make them believable and sympathetic. Another great characteristic is the way the first two books carry through certain aspects of the story line despite their being quite different in location and missions. All in all Henshaw is an author whose books I'll be reading as long as he continues writing as in these first two. Bravo!

Absolutely loved this book. The author continues to deliver thrilling, page-turning, excitement (I truly couldn't put it down). But in addition, he has also woven a lot of depth into the excitement. The characters and their relationships grow deeper in this book, and I found myself caring about them as much as I did the plot. Characters are revealed deftly, and their complex backstories are fascinating. My greatest complaint is that I have to wait until spring for Henshaw's next book.

No dislikes a very good read keep me interested very hard to put down.

This books is too long even though it provides has a lot of actions. The main story happens in Venezuela when a couple of CIA spies has to confirm if the Iran brings the weapons into this country illegally by ship. I just don't like the politicians in this book, make me want to get it over with as quickly as possible.

Not the best book I have ever read but I enjoyed it all the same.