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Black List (Scot Harvath #11)

by Brad Thor (Goodreads Author)

4.1 of 5 stars 4.10 · rating details · 2,849 ratings · 398 reviews

A stunning masterwork of action, intrigue, and ingenious plot twists. #1 New York Times bestselling author Brad Thor returns with his most explosive thriller ever. Somewhere deep inside the United States government is a closely guarded list. Members of Congress never get to see it—only the President and a secret team of advisers. Once your name is on the list, it doesn’t c...more

ebook, Nook Book, 381 pages

Published July 2012 by Atria Books

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Dec 17, 2012 Brian Bixler rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

There is only one direct allusion to "1984" in Brad Thor's "Black List," but an Orwellian world permeates every page. Thor creates a terrifying scenario of what would happen if the government's data-mining capabilities were turned on the American citizenry. By chapter 20, I was ready to take down my Facebook page, dismantle my cell phone and move to a cave somewhere.
When one character, a cyber genius, begins describing street lights with the ability to record video and audio of all who pass by,...more

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May 31, 2013 Terri Lynn rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adventure, fiction, mystery-suspense-thrillers

I don't know why exactly I decided to read this. It was recommended to me on Goodreads but I have never read any Brad Thor novels and I am admittedly turned off by "heroes" who think having a career going out murdering people for the military or government agencies like the CIA or other official thug groups is just fine as can be with the justification that the USA is the god of the universe and in charge of everything on the planet.

Surprisingly, I liked it! I didn't like Scot at all but I enjo...more

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Apr 29, 2013 Soumyaditya Ghosh rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The idea of a surveillance state is not new-been around since Orwell's work-and possibly from much before that.However,it was the movie "Minority Report" that firmly planted the notion of a convergence of electronics and artificial intelligence leading to a dystopic society where crime is "predicted" before it takes place and intervention is made on a proactive basis-a digital dystopia where no one has any privacy from the Big Brother.....Through this book the author has shown how the real world...more

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Apr 28, 2013 Drick rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, murder-mystery

Scott Harvath is a employee of a private spy firm, The Carlton Group, that has been targeted as treasonous. The basic premise of the book is that internet surveillance has gotten so sophisticated that no one is safe. Adaptive Technology Solutions (ATS) is potting a "cyber Pearl Harbor" that will put the U.S. in turmoil and give ATS absolute power over all the citizens of the U.S. Thor prefaces the book by saying that all the technology mentioned int eh book is in existence and could be used in t...more

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Apr 06, 2013 Mysterious Ed rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: action

#11 in the Scot Horvath series. Ex-Secret Service agent Horvath is now working for a private company dedicated to saving America from her enemies. Some of those enemies are domestic and powerful and have managed to put Horvath and the other members of his firm on a national hit list. A page-turning adventure that delves deeply (and distractingly) into the topic of intrusion into personal privacy.

Scot Horvath series - Somewhere deep inside the United States government is a closely guarded list. M...more

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Jan 07, 2013 Frank Hughes rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

My second try at a Scot Harvath novel was more rewarding than the first. As opposed to "The Last Patriot", where the hero rarely seemed in real danger, the heroes in this book are in mortal danger and on the run from the very beginning, and Thor winds the suspense professionally throughout. The central plot is scary and believable, a cautionary tale that gets you thinking on how much information the government and other entities are collecting about you and already using to manipulate your choic...more My second try at a Scot Harvath novel was more rewarding than the first. As opposed to "The Last Patriot", where the hero rarely seemed in real danger, the heroes in this book are in mortal danger and on the run from the very beginning, and Thor winds the suspense professionally throughout. The central plot is scary and believable, a cautionary tale that gets you thinking on how much information the government and other entities are collecting about you and already using to manipulate your choices and thinking. "Black List" moves very fast and has lots of action, although the ending is weak and rushed, as if Thor realized he'd set up too complicated a scenario and decided to unwind it quickly. We've been told of how the villain and his organization have files on everyone for their own safety, but those files seem to be forgotten by the book's end.

I continue to have problems with the video game-influenced world in which Harvath operates. Like "Call of Duty" and other first person shooter games, there always seems to be a cache of high tech brand name weapons and ample supplies of ammunition just lying around whenever Harvath needs it. (This sort of thing was lightly parodied in "Skyfall" when James Bond arrives at his ancestral home expecting a well-stocked gun room, only to find everything has been sold to a collector in Idaho.) This "stash of weapons" motif appears to run through all Thor's novels.

Another problem I had comes at a key point in the novel where [spoiler alert] Harvath becomes aware that a four man kill team has penetrated the ranch where he is hiding. He and a friend openly drive around confirming his suspicions. He decides not to return to the safe house and instead ambush the killers from behind. Really? Four highly trained operators have penetrated the property and not one of them is watching when the target drives off AND then no one notices that he doesn't return to the house? I found it convenient and hard to believe. Professionals, aware of their target's prowess, would have kept the target house under constant surveillance.

And though he pays lip service to conscience, Thor's heroes are not above stooping to a little bloodthirsty sadism when it serves their ends. (less)

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Jan 02, 2013 Martin rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Just wrapped up Brad Thor’s latest thriller, Black List, and found it nearly impossible to put down. Another Thor masterpiece, filled with fast-paced action, plenty of intrigue, and multiple plot twists that disrupted my sleep patterns and forced me to miss a meal or two. Scot Harvath is back, and he, along with the rest of the Carlton Group, is being hunted. Driven underground, Harvath calls in favors from an assortment of familiar friends to help him unravel the plot against him. Thor has cons...more

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Sep 21, 2012 Relic rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

You know, when you or I get into a car, we get into a car. And about 999 out of a 1000 authors would just write 'they/he/she got into a car'. Good enough, lets move on to the action.

Not good enough for Brad Thor. Characters don't get into cars. They 'transition' into cars. They also never 'resume' an interrupted activity, like you or I would. They 'transition back' to what they were doing. A chicken never crosses the road--it transitions. Considering the amount of time characters spend in this b...more You know, when you or I get into a car, we get into a car. And about 999 out of a 1000 authors would just write 'they/he/she got into a car'. Good enough, lets move on to the action.

Not good enough for Brad Thor. Characters don't get into cars. They 'transition' into cars. They also never 'resume' an interrupted activity, like you or I would. They 'transition back' to what they were doing. A chicken never crosses the road--it transitions. Considering the amount of time characters spend in this book blowing each others heads off, I'm surprised Brad Thor just didn't write 'then BLAM! Horvath transitioned his skull into a million pulpy--etc.' That happens all the time in this book, and is an endless source of joy and contentment for Brad, positively gushing over one head shot after another, when not obsessed with the thrill of slitting throats, which are always described in a useful, how-to kind of way. Here using 'transition' for 'shot' 'kill' 'murder' 'slit' 'blood' etc...would have saved him a lot of time he could have better spent trying to master basic prose, or developing character out of cliches, or walking his dog, or writing one-liners for Glen Beck.

Transition is clearly his favourite word, and the entertainment the reader derives from the endless variety of uses he puts it to almost compensates for the fact that Brad Thor is another of those total hacks that somehow have lucked into the magic formula to make the big time. When his characters are not transitioning, and sometimes when they are, they live life (until they're blown away) in an endless series of acronyms. When agents or ne'erdowells look around to see if the coast is clear, they don't just look, like you or I would, they 'perform a PDQ' or 'XYZ' or 'Toys'r'Us' or what the hell--(pardon me, since I listened to this in audio format I can't fetch up any specific passage, but will try to give the flavour) and, after transitioning the ocular sockets to and fro, will then CRS the street, WLK up to the front door and RNG the bell. Since virtually all the characters in this book are either military or intelligence personnel, this kind of stuff is absolutely inescapable, and if that isn't bad enough, our friend Brad is more than happy to bring the narrative to an absolute halt to explain what the latest mystery letters stand for. Example:
Horvath: "Are you transitioning to the restaurant?"
Cramer: "Only if it's a BYOB."
Thor: A BYOB means bring your own bottle, which is the procedure agents use when trying to get smashed in a small or cheap eating establishment where the wine list, if any, consists of paltry and unappealing choices that....yada, yada, yada, yada...

A real author would just let his characters get on with their lives and the story and cut out this kind of BS.
Thor: BS is the popular designation for--

Sorry, see what I mean. Where were we?
(less)

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Aug 17, 2012 Alec rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In a change of pace from the typical Scot Harvath novel, Brad Thor has changed his protagonist's role from the hunter to the hunted in this novel. I thoroughly enjoyed this twist. Like most of these types of novels, the action starts early, is fast paced, and goes all the way through to the end. Unlike most of these types of novels, the action seemed semi-realistic and believable.

The scariest aspect of this novel is the premise upon which it is based. We, as a society, generate massive amounts o...more

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Aug 15, 2012 Dale rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A question of who will find whom first.

Published by Simon and Schuster Audio in 2012.
Read by Armand Schultz
Duration: 12 hours, 3 minutes.

Brad Thor changes things up a bit for his long-running character Scot Harvath in this installment. Usually, Harvath is out in the world at large fighting international terrorists. Harvath's unique talents and dogged determination make him a very powerful weapon in the world of counter-terrorism.

In Black List , Harvath and a member of the Athena team (the all f...more

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Jul 28, 2012 Malissa Thurman rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks

This audiobook was released on Tuesday and I was done on Friday. It did not disappoint. It was a great up and down ride and had me fully engaged from the start. This is my 3rd book in the series. I really wish I had started from book 1, because I don't think I would enjoy going backwards. I so love Scott and Troll as they have been in the last couple books. I have to say I was glad the Athena Team got a little play time in this novel. The Athena Team was my first Brad Thor and the reason I becam...more

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Jul 14, 2012 Lorca Damon rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

From GoodeReader.com eBook Reviews:

Verdict: 5-Stars

I sincerely hope that Brad Thor is just a great fiction writer because if he’s not, if he’s simply writing the truth, America is in a lot of trouble. According to Black List, the real bad guy is our own government. Worse, the people who are charged with keeping us safe are often in more danger from internal orders than the terrorists they hunt.

That was the feeling I got throughout Thor’s book. While it starts out as a great story about secret ag...more

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Jun 12, 2013 Carolyn rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: thriller

I read thrillers because I believe in redemption, that good will trump evil. Like most reads in this genre, the body count is high, the predators & prey alike work 24/7 & have no life outside of their respective objectives to destroy or stay alive & save the world. There is no love lost among the one-dimensional bad guys, while the good guys have a modicum of camaraderie.
The subject explored for this thriller certainly is topical: just this week a self- described whistleblower who h...more

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Oct 12, 2012 Jeffrey rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2012, thriller

In Brad Thor's latest, Scot Harvath, is ambushed in Paris and barely escapes with his life, while his partner is killed and many of his fellow operatives for Carlton are also wiped out. Someone has put out a hit order on Harvath.

Meanwhile, the Troll, the master thief and computer hacker is contacted by a friend's sister with a computer memory card containing information about an organization known as ATS. ATS, which has close ties to the NSA, and is practically a shadow government, is a huge sec...more

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Nov 30, 2012 Matt rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook

Thor, the master of his genre, has done it again. Turning his main character from covert hunter to black listed (pardon the pun) hunted, the high-paced action keeps the book moving and regular Thor readers are sure to enjoy the latest installment. Add to that the return of The Troll, that slightly off centre major/minor character and you have a jam packed book that is sure to be talked about for years to come. Insight into a truly shocking amount of surveillance at the fingertips of the United S...more

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Nov 13, 2012 Monnie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Although I really, really do enjoy reading Brad Thor's thrillers, they can get a bit ponderous when he takes off on several pages of ranting about one or more of the issues that are near and dear to his heart. Here, for instance, it is the potential for government misuse of personal information that's being collected as a result of ever-advancing technology: cell phones, social media websites, security cameras in retail establishments and such. But unlike the last few books, his message came thr...more Although I really, really do enjoy reading Brad Thor's thrillers, they can get a bit ponderous when he takes off on several pages of ranting about one or more of the issues that are near and dear to his heart. Here, for instance, it is the potential for government misuse of personal information that's being collected as a result of ever-advancing technology: cell phones, social media websites, security cameras in retail establishments and such. But unlike the last few books, his message came through loud and clear - and it's an important one about which everyone in this country should be aware - but I didn't get the feeling that I was a child on the receiving end of a lecture as I usually do.

The book begins with the unexpected and horrifying death of a colleague (and potential love interest) of Scott Horvath, a savvy and highly skilled counterterrorism operative who works for a private security firm. Horvath himself narrowly misses being killed, and he's unaware that a similar attack has been made on the firm's leader, Reed Carleton. As the plot progresses, he learns about the murders, and attempted murders, of other operatives - that include his boss (who may or may not still be alive). Soon, Horvath discovers to his horror that the attacks are coming from somewhere inside the U.S. government; he and his colleagues have been put on a secret list of people to be eliminated at all costs - and no one's name is ever removed until that happens.

Even worse, if that's possible, is the awareness that there's much more at stake than their lives. Apparently, the inside-government group is planning some kind of attack that could bring the United States to its knees for many years to come - one somehow related to technology. So not only do Horvath and a less-than-handful of trusted friends have to go off the grid to save their own lives, they must race to find out what's about to happen - and who's behind it - before it's too late.

Even if you aren't concerned about the potential loss of personal privacy that can come with advancements in technology (and in all likelihood, you will> be after you finish), this book is a real page-turner. I must say I wasn't thrilled with the conclusion - I guess I've never been totally comfortable with the notion that the end justifies the means. Still, what happens fits with the events that transpired earlier as well as what Horvath and his team are about.

I don't know whether you'll agree with me or not, but I'm confident that once you start this one, you'll be hard-pressed to put it down!(less)

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Aug 06, 2012 Bruce Snell rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Book Eleven in the Scot Harvath series by Brad Thor - 3.5 stars. This book opens with an attempt to kill Harvath, his boss, and their entire company of operatives. As we get deeper into the book we learn that this is part of a planned coup in an effort to overthrow the US government.

While the story is thin, the background paranoia is compelling. The book is Thor's attempt to point out just how great the ability is for the government to spy on US citizens. In a preface Thor claimed that all the...more

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Apr 01, 2013 Steve rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is Brad Thor’s 2012 version of Scot Harvath’s latest adventure. As most of the author’s previous installments do, this one picks up right where Full Black left off. In fact, if you want to know what happened to Riley Turner in Paris in the closing pages of Full Black, you don’t have any choice but to jump on this latest episode.

Just like some of our favorite Hollywood action heroes and other fictional characters, Harvath and his colleagues at the Carlton Group never have to worry about juri...more

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Sep 23, 2012 Jackie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The best (and also scariest) part of this book is that the storyline hit too close to, "Holy creepers this could actually be happening." If I had a paranoia disorder of some sort, I would have thrown this iPad out at about page 100, and moved to a remote desert island as soon as I finished. it is very unnerving to think of how much of our lives depend on technology, and how closely we are being watched with that technology. Having said that, I will now put my head back in the sand, and review th...more

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Feb 20, 2013 Vicki rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Black List, the 11th of the Brad Thor series featuring ex-Navy SEAL Scot Harvath, this mystery/thriller loses none of the electrifying urgency to resolve a deadly chain of events before our courntry as we know it is forever gone.

When Scot is blindsided by a deadly attack at a safe house in Europe, he finds himself on a mission to discover just who it is that wants him dead. He soon discovers that there is a behind-the-scenes quasi-governmental group that has been amassing power and influence fo...more

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Aug 13, 2012 Dan Starr rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is my first book by Brad Thor and I think Black List is not only good, it's stunningly great. I could not put it down, the action was non-stop, intensely fast paced.

#1 New York Times bestseller, a stunning masterwork of action, intrigue, and ingenious plot twists.

Somewhere deep inside the United States government is a closely guarded list. Members of Congress never get to see it—only the President and a secret team of advisers. Once your name is on the list, it doesn’t come off . . . until...more

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Aug 19, 2012 Joel Anderson rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Once again, the Carlton Group finds itself in the middle of a potential terrorist attack...this time, the attack originates from a group within the US and closely tied to important government agencies and even the nature of the attck is unknown. Even worse, it seems that operatives attached to Carlton are among the early targets. Who can they trust and how can they communicate without tipping their locations to those pursuing them? How do you remain alive and mobile enough to work on foiling the...more

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Aug 14, 2012 Alain Burrese rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

I just finished Brad Thor's newest book “Black List” and must say that I really enjoyed it, just as I've enjoyed all of his tales about Scot Harvath. He's one of my favorite thriller characters to read about, and I'm glad Thor keeps writing about him.

This book includes the action you expect, and once again Harvath proves to be someone you just don't want to cross. Thor puts him in situations and it is always fun to see just how he'll tackle the problems he's faced with. The supporting characters...more

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Aug 07, 2012 Xeburnout rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

First I'd like to focus on Mr. Thor's writing. Everyone who writes Thrillers (at least the top tier ones) all have great heros and they all have pretty good villains but what I really like about his books is almost every character is wonderful. There could be someone who only shows up in one chapter and I think to myself I wish he would write a book with this person as the main character. I know the formula is to write a book and if it sells well, than that's "your guy". All following books are...more

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Jan 14, 2013 Andrew Huff rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Once you get past the preachy monologues where the author tries to cram in all the real-world facts he has researched, the blatant product placements, and the usual plot issues with this genre, this isn't a terrible read.

Maybe if I wasn't so familiar with some of the "Oh my gosh!" revelations, I'd feel a little differently. Regardless, the non-fiction in the fiction elements could be handled so much better than this.

The first two-thirds of the book were much better than the last section--it felt...more

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Aug 15, 2012 Larry rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Off to a great start. Always lots of action and this one is no ho-hummer. Can't wait to get into it more. Great book. Finished it in four days. Brad Thor is an outstanding thriller author. If reading this book doesn't scare the h--- out of you nothing will. I am referring to how intrusive our government can and may be. I realize this is only fiction, but writers like Brad do a tremendous amount of research and their books are based on fact and not just their own imagination. Of course they embel...more

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May 21, 2013 Joseph Lewis rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the first Brad Thor I’ve read since his debut novel, which I did not care for. Thor’s gotten a lot better. He’s become an okay writer and demonstrated to me his well publicized rep for great plots is deserved. One thing I’m realizing about Thor is he’s a hard worker - much of the reason I didn’t like his first novel was all the research was just dumped into the novel, almost like he was trying to use of space.

In Black List Thor does a good job combining his research into high tech with...more

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Jul 27, 2012 Ed rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

To think that the electronic capabilities detailed in the book are not only plausible, but in actual development, is slightly unsettling at times. The freedoms that we, as a country and culture, are willingly giving up seem so minor until you look at the big picture. It is something to think about.

As always, Brad Thor weaves a thrilling tale of counter-terrorism and modern espionage. Black List picks up right where Full Black left off. I was a little upset with what happened to Riley. I am looki...more

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Jul 25, 2012 Duane rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Great read! Fast-paced and action-packed. Just the way I like them.

The author calls his writing style "faction" because he writes a fictional story using real facts - in this case, it was about the surveillance apparatus of the U.S. government. If the technology he talks about in this book is true, then I need to find a way to get off the grid!

The main character - Scot Harvath, continues to impress with his cunning and lethality. The story is a multi-threaded one that follows several of the cha...more

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Oct 23, 2012 Michele rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The plot and characters are fleshless, like the Human xrays in Tom Wolfe's 'Bonfire of the Vanities' and unsatisfying, leaving the reader hungry for any real thoughts or moments that occur in real life. The plot revolves around a company called Adaptive Technology Solutions, that developes internet based solutions for all of the branches of the Industrial Military Complex in the U.S.. It has decided to overthrow the U.S. government via control of the internet, utilizing the NSA's capability of i...more

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About Brad Thor

In January, I kicked off an exciting challenge--The Ultimate Reader Experience-- by inviting readers old and new to start or re-start my Scot Harvath series together; reading one book per month in order.

And to make it even more interesting, I have personally revisited each book to bring you enhanced content that will enrich your reading experience, give you a behind-the-scenes look at each novel,...more

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Books by Brad Thor

The First Commandment (Scot Harvath, #6)

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Quotes from Black List

“You know when I told you the joke about how a friend will help you move, but a real friend will help you move a body? I was only kidding.” — 8 people liked it

“You can't kill an American Citizen without benefit of a trial."
"I can if you're on the list, traitor."
"LIST? What list? What the hell are you talking about?"
BLACK LIST, July 24” — 4 people liked it

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Black List (Scot Harvath #11)

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