Trackers: Trackers, Book 1

Trackers is a book (and a series) set in a world where North Korea has taken down most of the United States with a “perfectly strategized” atomic bomb attack – high in the atmosphere – aka setting off an EMP. It is also a book about a serial killer. That makes this one of the most unique books I’ve read in… well either genre. That’s what, in my opinion, made this one such a great story.It wasn’t just another EMP/Post-Apocalyptic book where everything seems to work out for the good guys and all the bad guys seem to just do things with no good reason. Smith was able to write a story that was both believable but downright terrifying. Either one of the two stories that are interwoven would have scared me, but the combination of the two is what really got to me.The lead up to and the eventual attack by NK feels like it is torn right out of the headlines. Smith does a fantastic job writing Political Fiction without actually making it too political. I love that there were good and bad guys in the political part of the story – but we never hear or find out what side of the fence they sit on. We’re able to pick and choose what we want to believe and then color the story our way. It’s a gutsy move as an author, but I think it absolutely pays off.The serial killer/Native American folklore part of Trackers is what really sets this book apart from others in this genre. Smith was able to make a believable serial killer and one who was able to torment and terrify the townspeople of Estes Park. Really talking much more about this part of the book would spoil it, so just know you’re in for a totally unique twist.Raven is easily one of the most unique and interesting characters I’ve ever read. Smith does a great job including some Native American lore along with what people living on reservations would deal with (especially “half-blood’s” like Raven). He was a “troubled” kind of guy who had gotten in trouble with the police but ends up helping them out numerous times.Okay, so the only reason that this book lost .5. And if you’re reading this on any of the major sites (Audible, Goodreads, Amazon, etc.) it will get the 5 it deserves. Bronson Pinchot’s narration rubbed me the wrong way a few times. It was just times where a sentence would start off like this AND THEN GO INTO SOMEONE YELLING LIKE THIS (all while kinda sounding like you’re passing a kidney stone – aka through gritted teeth). It’s hard to describe and I almost feel guilty for pointing it out. But, the overall narration and feel of this book were uneasy – and that was done on purpose. The world is almost ending and people are being attacked by a serial killer. It’s an uneasy book.Overall, a great start to a series that I’m definitely interested to see how it continues. I’m really intrigued by where Smith will take us next!

Note: I never give books 5 stars because I have never read the perfect bookNote 2: This review is for the first four books in the Trackers series since I read them back to back and didn't take the time to write a review for each of them after reading them.I didn't find any spelling/grammar mistakes in the book. That doesn't mean there aren't any, but if there were, they didn't break my train of reading and so I didn't have noticed them.I had not previously read any other books by this author, but got the first too when they were on sale a few months ago. Once I read the ones I got on sale, they were so well done that I purchased the other two. I will be purchasing and reading other books by this author.The characters, and the story telling are what set this book apart from other in the genre. The author has done a very good job creating complex characters that are not perfect and don't always do the best thing, but they do what you would expect someone like them to do. The story is well told and moves along at a pace that is such that you don't feel that things are skipped, but also that doesn't drag on and make you wander if it will ever end. There are enough details for the reader to understand the location and situation without going over the top and distracting from the flow of the story.Overall I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys this genre and wants wants a fun, easy and enjoyable read that keeps your interest throughout the book with characters that are not typical and that you care about.For my complete review of the series see my review of the Trackers 4 book Trackers 4: The Damned (A Post-Apocalyptic Survival Series)

Estes Park police chief Marcus Colton, has a missing girl on his hands and knows there is only one person capable of finding her, and that's tracker Sam "Raven" Spears. Raven is the best and, even though he has been in trouble with the law, Colton knows Raven will do his all to help. Raven, Colton and Raven's dog set out to hopefully find the girl alive.Meanwhile, Major Nathan Sardetti, is on his way to visit his nephew when he is called back to base. A plane has entered US space and the pilots are not responding. The plane is coming up as a Chinese plane. Nathan is a fighter pilot and goes up to investigate. He is not far over Estes Park when he realises something is really wrong because, for 1 thing, it doesn't look like the plane it's supposed to be, and for another, it's rising steadily. Before Nathan and another pilot can do anything, there is a blast of light and the electronics and everything on board fail. Nathan has some time to eject before his plane crashes.Nathan's sister, Senator Charlize Montgomery wakes up to the news that there has been a nuclear bomb denoted in the atmosphere causing an EMP to happen. It's not just in one place, there have been a few bombs detonated and things look bad. While fighting to keep the US government going, she is also trying to find her son Ty, who was at a camp near where one of the bombs detonated. She is also worried about her brother, Nathan who she knew was on the way to Ty.After finishing this authors other series about Variants, I wasn't too sure how he could top that. But top it he did. Now this one isn't as action packed as the other series, but it is just as gripping and just as scary, not monster scary, but real thing that could happen scary! Especially with the tension that is happening with North Korea!!This has so much happening in it that it is impossible to put down. We not only have an EMP attack and all the ramifications that happen with that including Nuclear fallout, but we also have, what looks like a serial killer, running loose in Estes Park!! Plus, it doesn't look like an ordinary serial killer either, this killer seems to be trying to bring and old Cherokee legend alive. It's a legend that frightened Raven when he was young and it's even more terrifying now.One thing I've noticed about this author is his ability to create characters that you immediately connect with. Every single one of them were well written and developed and they are characters you can easily care about. The book starts with when Raven was a soldier, he had a secret mission in North Korea and it's stayed with him. Now that North Korea has attacked, Raven is racked with guilt that the mission he was on could have caused all this! I loved Raven, and his dog!!! I also loved Colton and how genuine he was. There are also a wider variety of characters, but those 2 were my favourite, though I'm starting to like Nathan too.Anyway, this book is incredibly scary because it's a threat that could happen. You can tel that the author did his research with how descriptive he is, not only with the EMP, but also the effects it has, and I particularly loved how descriptive he was with the Cherokee parts. It was fascinating!! I read this as slowly as I could because I wanted to savour it, and I have to say that I'm glad I went and bought book 2, because I seriously needed to dive straight in after finishing this one. With it's amazing characters and it's exceptional story telling, this is a must read!!!!

Seriously, when the two prologues scare the crap out of you because ALL OF THIS IS POTENTIALLY REAL, you know what you're about to read is going to be fun! And in traditional NSS fashion, 'T1' manages to get you caring about - or truly despising - a wide variety of characters almost from the get-go. His skill in bringing these folks to life is among the best in the business and that's coming from someone who reads all he can from folks like Blake Crouch and Scott Sigler! NSS structures his books in a way that the reader can not only wrap his head around what is happening but doesn't feel like the reality of the situation is being rushed or bent too far to make things happen. Even his heart-wrenching lack of hesitation to have good folks meet bad endings is at play here in the spirit of his best chapters from at very least the Hell Divers series! A great start to what I'm sure will be an awesome series!

Trackers is the latest novel by Nicholas Sansbury Smith, author of the Orbs series, the Extinction cycle, and Hell Divers. All of these feature a post-apocalyptic theme, and Trackers does as well. But this newest work doesn’t stop there; against the backdrop of calamity, the reader is brought along on a high-stakes chase for a serial killer. It is this added element that makes Trackers stand out, not just among other PA fiction, but also among NSS’s other works.The main characters are Raven, a Cherokee/Sioux former Marine, and Colton, the Sherriff of peaceful Estes Park, Colorado. Along the way, we also meet a fighter pilot, his U.S. Senator sister, and a cast of interesting supporting players. All must deal with the fallout (pun intended) of a high-altitude nuclear strike carried out by North Korea. This causes an electromagnetic pulse that wipes out much of the electricity in the country. Unlike many books in the PA genre, there really aren’t any character stereotypes in the bunch. Women aren’t there simply to give the men something to fight for; they’re strong in their own right. Raven’s sister Sandra and Senator Montgomery, for example, can more than hold their own in difficult situations. Raven, too, is more than just the perfunctory brooding ex-military hero. The simple fact that he’s a Native American sets him apart from other PA protagonists. And his racial background isn’t a stereotype unto itself, which was great to see. His heritage plays a role, but only because it’s relevant to the plot. When he teams up with Colton, there’s no Lone Ranger and Tonto dynamic. The two don’t even really like each other. Neither is without personal demons, making the relationship even more interesting.It speaks to how well-crafted the serial killer storyline is that at times, I actually forgot about the EMP. That’s not to say it is ignored in the narrative (the Senator’s storyline deals almost exclusively with it), but rather that the other aspects of the book were engrossing in themselves.Having read NSS’s work from Orbs to Trackers, it’s interesting to see him develop as an author. As good as Orbs was (and it was quite good), his later work seems more thoughtful and compelling. Trackers continues this trend. This is to be the first book in a new series, and I’m looking forward to the next volume.

The plot and the pace that this book is written are awesome. The characters idem. For sure I will read the 2nd book when it get release. Keep up with the good work Nicholas. Highly recommend.

If your have read any of the other books that Nicholas Sansbury Smith has written, this is something different and new. This book is AWESOME! The cast of characters in the story is great. The plot superbly done, and enough twists and turns to keep you guessing. The Author does such a great job, describing the setting of the story throughout the book, you can almost smell the pine trees, and fresh mountain air! And lets not forget the best part. There is enough, action and suspense in this book, that you will not be willing to put it down. I started it yesterday, and finished it today, had I not been at work and needed to sleep, I would have happily finished it in one sitting! Amazing story! (less)

This book has to be one of the most frighteningly real fiction books I've ever read. It would be so easy, given the current political climate around the world, for a very similar scenario to play out in real life.In Trackers Smith brings us a nuclear electro-magnetic pulse disaster story. But of course it's far more personal than that. The story homes in on a police chief and a tracker in Estes, Colorant, as they try to track down a serial killer - just as the EMP blast hits the country.One could tell from the get go that this story is close to Smith's heart. He has said as much - that it comes from his professional experience as well as from his personal life. And my goodness, but he brought these characters and their settings to life. One could almost smell the fir trees as one read the book, feel the biting chill in the air. One particular sentence, towards the end of the book, makes me chuckle every time I see it."...he was covered in so many evergreen needles that it looked like he’d covered himself in sap and then tried to climb every ponderosa in the forest."Evidence that Smith has a well-developed sense of humour.In Trackers you will get a gripping, harrowing story that will hold you spellbound long after you've finished reading. And definitely Smith's best book yet. The fact that it's somewhat shorter than his previous novels takes nothing away from the story told.