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The Risk Agent (Grace Chu & John Knox #1)
A Chinese National working for an American-owned construction company is grabbed off the streets of Shanghai in broad daylight. His one-man security detail goes missing as well.
Rutherford Risk is a firm specializing in extraction: the negotiation for, and the recovery of hostages. Private investigation is illegal in today's China. Operating within her borders will be diff...more
Rutherford Risk is a firm specializing in extraction: the negotiation for, and the recovery of hostages. Private investigation is illegal in today's China. Operating within her borders will be diff...more
Hardcover, 420 pages
Published
June 19th 2012
by Putnam Adult
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The first in a stunning new international thriller series; suspense readers can get ready for a truly non-stop tale of intrigue.
The Rutherford Risk firm’s main objectives are finding and negotiating deals for the return of kidnapping victims that are being held as hostages. The latest job they’re hired for is to find a Chinese gentleman, Edward “Lu” Hao, along with his security man, who are working for an American multinational called, The Berthold Group.
This kidnapping happened in China, where...more
The Rutherford Risk firm’s main objectives are finding and negotiating deals for the return of kidnapping victims that are being held as hostages. The latest job they’re hired for is to find a Chinese gentleman, Edward “Lu” Hao, along with his security man, who are working for an American multinational called, The Berthold Group.
This kidnapping happened in China, where...more
Risk Agent, by Ridley Pearson is a very interesting thriller/espionage story. It pairs a male American ex-military (or as good as) with a female Chinese accountant (and ex-military officer) to track down two kidnap victims and important financial information belonging to an American company operating in China.
The chinese setting and cultural differences make for an interesting backdrop. The story is layered like an onion with each layer pulled back only to reveal another mystery. The protagonist...more
The chinese setting and cultural differences make for an interesting backdrop. The story is layered like an onion with each layer pulled back only to reveal another mystery. The protagonist...more
i am battling with i liked it, which sounds too strong and it was ok which sounds weak so i am going to give it 2 stars for the goodreads rating 2.5 stars for those who read these lines. it was a fun story and i was able to turn the pages without too much difficulty but it was a book of this ilk without any holy moleys to be said for it. for me, i need the holy moleys from these suspense mystery action who's the guy behind the guy behind the twist behind the gal behind the guy behind the origina...more
#1 in the Grace Chu & John Knox series. I was torn between 3 and 4 stars, if you are a fan of modern China, add a star. Pearson certainly does a masterful job of plotting and pulling the loose ends together. Two hanging threads that I was preparing to criticize in my review were wrapped up in the last third of the final chapter with a smooth segue to a sequel. My complaints are then restricted to two: one, the homage to Shanghai, which is, however capitalistic, part of the China that I belie...more
You may also read my review here: http://www.mybookishways.com/2012/07/...
Ridley Pearson was given the chance to spend a year in Shanghai with his family, and his experience with, and appreciation for, China and its people is evident in The Risk Agent, the first book in a new series. When a Chinese citizen, Lu Hao, is kidnapped, along with his American security detail, Clete Danner, John Knox is called in to help by Rutherford Risk. At first, he’s dubious and hesitant to take the job, but has a...more
Ridley Pearson was given the chance to spend a year in Shanghai with his family, and his experience with, and appreciation for, China and its people is evident in The Risk Agent, the first book in a new series. When a Chinese citizen, Lu Hao, is kidnapped, along with his American security detail, Clete Danner, John Knox is called in to help by Rutherford Risk. At first, he’s dubious and hesitant to take the job, but has a...more
For this reader, Ridley Pearson is an author whose books I pick up without even glancing at the flyleaf. I enjoy his writing and just know I'm in for a good read.
The Risk Agent is Pearson's latest release.
The American firm of Rutherford Risk specializes in 'extraction' - the recovery of kidnap victions and hostages. Chinese national Lu Hao is kidnapped, as is Cletus Danner - the American who was keeping an eye on Lu Hao. This operation is going to require some finesse.......and some unique oper...more
The Risk Agent is Pearson's latest release.
The American firm of Rutherford Risk specializes in 'extraction' - the recovery of kidnap victions and hostages. Chinese national Lu Hao is kidnapped, as is Cletus Danner - the American who was keeping an eye on Lu Hao. This operation is going to require some finesse.......and some unique oper...more
A Chinese man Lu Hao, working for an American construction company, The Berthold Group, in Shanghai disappears off the street along with an American who was shadowing him for the company. It shortly comes to light that they were both kidnapped, and the ransom demand must be paid within 7 days. Rutherford Risk, a hostage negotiating firm with an office in Hong Kong, is retained by Berthold to find out what happened. Because it is illegal for a non-Chinese firm to engage in private investigation i...more
Sep 11, 2012
Pr Latta
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Pr by:
Audiofile Magazine
Shelves:
amateur-pi,
asia,
audio,
better-in-audio,
good-for-teens,
red-flag,
sense-of-place,
series,
strong-women,
suspense,
violent,
women-detective
[audio] Having not read Pearson, I jumped at this first title in a new series that got a nice review at Audiofile Magazine and I'm glad I did: waiting for #2. Admittedly, there are challenges. I felt like a needed a road map (I have no familiarity with China) as well as character map. Had I been reading the book rather than listening, I'd have been looking up locations and references to places as well as jotting down the relationships of the characters. But once I got involved I thoroughly enjoy...more
I was drawn to Ridley Pearson not because of a review, a cool cover or a clever blurb, but because he plays bass guitar in the Rock Bottom Remainders (where the lead and rhythm guitarists are Dave Barry and Stephen King). Because of that connection, I picked up a couple of his books and enjoyed them.
The Risk Agent combined an author I liked with some story elements I'm using in my current writing project, so I expected to devour it.
Instead, I found it an ok read, but didn't love it. The basic pl...more
The Risk Agent combined an author I liked with some story elements I'm using in my current writing project, so I expected to devour it.
Instead, I found it an ok read, but didn't love it. The basic pl...more
Location, location, location. Most of what's fresh & interesting about this novel by a dependable thriller writer is the setting in China. The politics, culture, business ethics and language complexities all add nuances to the pell-mell story of what would otherwise be a straightforward hostage-recovery assignment given to a contract employee for a global security outfit called Rutherford Risk. In Shanghai, almost everything undertaken by agent John Knox and his Chinese "Emma Peel," Grace Ch...more
I discovered Ridley Pearson when I was working in Seattle. He wrote a series of detective novels set in Seattle, but he also had a connection with St. Louis, which was a double geographic enticement. I bought a book, and was hooked. I've read all his books (well, not the young adult ones. I don't qualify, on either account, according to my wife). I wait for his next book and if he comes to town on tour, I go listen to him, He talks good too. His Killer series departed from city setting to the st...more
This is the first book in the "Grace Chu and John Knox novels" series and the first book I have read by Ridley Pearson. It is a fast-paced, page-turner set in Shanghai complete with many bilingual characters. The Chinese setting includes aspects of the culture, including pleasantries, saving face, and family ways of relating. The Americans in the story are either greedy and manipulative, or hard as steel with a "no man left behind" attitude. The unlikely pairing of Grace Chu and John Knox create...more
The Risk Agent by Ridley Pearson is a fictional mystery/thriller taking place in China. The book is the first of a new series.
The Rutherford Risk firm has a problem. They are trying to negotiate for a hostage which was taken in Shanghai, but are not allowed, by law, to investigate. The firm recruits two outsiders to bypass the Chinese laws, a dangerous game even when playing by the rules.
American Jon Knox, a civilian with military training, and Grace Chu, an accountant wi...more
The Rutherford Risk firm has a problem. They are trying to negotiate for a hostage which was taken in Shanghai, but are not allowed, by law, to investigate. The firm recruits two outsiders to bypass the Chinese laws, a dangerous game even when playing by the rules.
American Jon Knox, a civilian with military training, and Grace Chu, an accountant wi...more
An intriguing thriller centered on a kidnapping on the streets of Shanghai. A small team of private investigators tasked with recovering the victims soon discover that this is not a typical case of snatch-and-ransom. Like a well-constructed matryoshka nested doll, there are plots within plots. The action runs from gritty back streets to the elite world of high-finance. While the novel features plenty of violent action, the fight scenes are never gratuitous; violence is a way of life in some corn...more
I forget that Ridley Pearson writes grownup books because I love his series Peter and the Starcatchers so much. But this was really good with lots of action, a cool hero, John Knox, ex-military, and heroine, Grace Chu - who have great chemistry but thankfully do not have sex. Grace is a forensic accountant wo used to be in the Red Army so that gives her a good reason for some of the unusual skills she possesses. Loved the seting of China as I don't see a lot of books set there and it felt realis...more
I have long been a fan of Ridley Pearson. I have loved his consistent serious approach to crime fiction and I have until now been of the sort that buys his new books with nary a thought to what's inside. That ends with The Risk Agent. Pearson himself has become a Risk. This was pedestrian at best, far beneath his usual work and I suspect that old Ridley was just trying to use up all the wonderful material he'd accrued from his time in China. I'm glad that a small portion of the money I've given...more
Having enjoyed both the Lou Boldt and Walt Fleming series of books, I was eager to meet Ridley’s newest protagonist John Knox. As it turns out there are two protagonists in the Risk Agent. Meet John Knox, a self-employed civilian with plenty of military/combat/covert training, and Grace Chu, former Chinese military now accountant.
These two civilian operatives pair up on the streets of Shanghai as they try to locate a kidnapped reporter and purported blackmailer, while balancing their actions aga...more
These two civilian operatives pair up on the streets of Shanghai as they try to locate a kidnapped reporter and purported blackmailer, while balancing their actions aga...more
I found the book confusing, full of clichées, too much zipping back and forth in and around the city on scooters, motorbikes and in taxis without really getting anywhere.
A slight-figured female is taking on menacing Mongolians around every street corner to protect a white foreigner, whilst risk managing is being attended to in stereotypical dens, brothels and backrooms with everybody who is not Chinese, called an 'expat'.
A disappointing product from Mr. Pearson.
After him having spent a year the...more
A slight-figured female is taking on menacing Mongolians around every street corner to protect a white foreigner, whilst risk managing is being attended to in stereotypical dens, brothels and backrooms with everybody who is not Chinese, called an 'expat'.
A disappointing product from Mr. Pearson.
After him having spent a year the...more
John Knox, an owner of an export firm with access to Shanghai, and Grace Chu, a forensic account who is a Chinese national, are sent by Rutherford Risk, a security firm, to find an employee of a US construction firm and his security guard furnished by Rutherford, who have disappeared. Knox and Chu, the protagonists, learn to respect their differences and methodically work to extract the kidnapped men. The novel is fast paced, but not as much so as other Pearson novels. The novel shows knowledge...more
First Line: Lu Hao, a slim, well-dressed man in his twenties stood on the roof of a subcompact car the size of a toaster, peering over a ten-foot-high concrete-block wall and into the parking lot outside an aging tannery.
When a Chinese National working for an American company and his security detail are kidnapped on the streets of Shanghai, Rutherford Risk is called in to handle the recovery of the hostages. Private investigation is illegal in China, so handling this matter will be a very delica...more
When a Chinese National working for an American company and his security detail are kidnapped on the streets of Shanghai, Rutherford Risk is called in to handle the recovery of the hostages. Private investigation is illegal in China, so handling this matter will be a very delica...more
Grace Chu an American educated Chinese national now a forensic
accountant after serving in the Chinese army. Johnn Knox an American
who parlayed his military experience during the first Irani war into
a lucrative import/export business which provides him with the cover
to work undercover operations throughout the world. They meet for the
first time in Shanghai when the security firm they work for is hired
to retrieve a kidnapped employee who is critical to the success of a
multi billion dollar real es...more
accountant after serving in the Chinese army. Johnn Knox an American
who parlayed his military experience during the first Irani war into
a lucrative import/export business which provides him with the cover
to work undercover operations throughout the world. They meet for the
first time in Shanghai when the security firm they work for is hired
to retrieve a kidnapped employee who is critical to the success of a
multi billion dollar real es...more
The setting for this novel is Shanghai where John Knox is teamed up with Grace Chu to recover a Chinese national and Grace’s relative and an old friend of John’s who have been kidnapped and held for ransom. They are pitted against the person behind the kidnapping, the Chinese police and a group of Mongolian heavies. There is much running around the districts of the city and numerous confrontations, some lethal, before the pair are able to arrive at a solution. This is the first of a new series b...more
I received this book from LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program.
While I have enjoyed several of Ridley Pearsons books featuring Lou Boldt, I found this book difficult to get into. I never really cared about the main characters - John Knox an American mercenary type person and Grace Chu - a Chinese ex-military forensic accountant. I also had a lot of trouble keeping all the secondary characters straight and frequently got confused about who was who. I did really enjoy the Chinese setting for the...more
While I have enjoyed several of Ridley Pearsons books featuring Lou Boldt, I found this book difficult to get into. I never really cared about the main characters - John Knox an American mercenary type person and Grace Chu - a Chinese ex-military forensic accountant. I also had a lot of trouble keeping all the secondary characters straight and frequently got confused about who was who. I did really enjoy the Chinese setting for the...more
This novel is the beginning of a new series for Ridley Pearson and I think it will be a hit! Because this story was set in China and had many characters, the reader must be totally focused on the book. It could be confusing in parts and I found myself doing some re-reading. The story opens with the kidnapping of a Chinese employee of a huge American corporation. Because Americans are forbidden from investigating any crimes in China, the company engages the services of a "private" firm. With much...more
John Knox and Grace Chu are paired up in China to find Chu's relative that has been kidnapped and Knox's friend has been kidnapped as well. Chu is looking into the financial aspect of the kidnapping and Knox is the brawn. The pair of them have to sort through a tangle of information and keep themselves safe. And still rescue the two individuals that have been kidnapped.
This book started out a little slow for me but after about a third of the way through, I couldn't put it down. I loved the chara...more
This book started out a little slow for me but after about a third of the way through, I couldn't put it down. I loved the chara...more
Ridley Pearson is such a fine author, so I was excited to read the first book with new protagonists Grace Chu and John Knox. I feel like the base premise of this plot could have been good, unfortunately it turned out to have too many confusing and unnecessary characters, our "detectives" had a lot of conclusion-jumping going on to connect the plot points and you can't really go to that well too many times in a good suspense/mystery novel . I will be reading the next one in the series in June; I...more
I meandered away from Ridley Pearson a few years ago. He has me back with this super thriller. It looks to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship if this is a start of a new series.
Grace Chu and John Knox are more than a mere forensic accountant (Chu) and a wandering procurer of folk art and treasures (Knox). Thrown together to make up a team to rescue two kidnap victims in China where nothing is as it seems, including the two main characters.
Intrigue and action abound throughout, leaving...more
Grace Chu and John Knox are more than a mere forensic accountant (Chu) and a wandering procurer of folk art and treasures (Knox). Thrown together to make up a team to rescue two kidnap victims in China where nothing is as it seems, including the two main characters.
Intrigue and action abound throughout, leaving...more
Not his best work but a mostly enjoyable read. Most of the secondary characters get only a cursory treatment and then it is an inconsistent one. There are events that seem to take place only because the author was stuck in a situation and needed to figure out away to get out of a box he wrote for himself. The ending seems to be setting up for a series but unless he improves to the point of his earlier works I doubt I would spend any $ on the next book in the series.
This book had several strikes going against it: 1. It wasn't part of the Lou Bolt series 2. It was set in China [I prefer the good old USA or at least a country I've been too].
After reading the first chapter I knew I needed to make a list of the characters so I could keep them straight [a younger more with it person doesn't probably need to do this but for us old farts.....]
Despite all this the book was pretty darn good!!!
After reading the first chapter I knew I needed to make a list of the characters so I could keep them straight [a younger more with it person doesn't probably need to do this but for us old farts.....]
Despite all this the book was pretty darn good!!!
It was a pretty good book. Apparently the author spent some time teaching in Shanghai, China. The novel clearly shows he learned a considerable amount about China, its people and culture. It comes through in the book, mostly in an informative way that fits with the plot. As one who has spent a lot of time in China over the years, the retort, "It is the Chinese way," or similar phrases got a bit tedious at times. It well worth reading.
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Ridley Pearson is the author of more than twenty novels, including the New York Times bestseller KILLER WEEKEND; the Lou Boldt crime series; and many books for young readers, including the award-winning children's novels PETER AND THE STARCATCHERS, PETER AND THE SHADOW THIEVES, and PETER AND THE SECRET OF RUNDOON, which he cowrote with Dave Barry. Pearson lives with his wife and two daughters, div...more
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Jul 06, 2012 01:39am