Wow! This book is SO GOOD! My favorite book of the year, by far.
So after “In the Blood” the wait for this book, felt interminable, but now having read it, I can say it was absolutely worth the wait.
Book 5 ended with one of the most shocking cliffhangers I have ever read, where Reece is arrested out of nowhere for the murder of his friend, and kindred spirit, the President of the United States.
Only The Dead starts out finding Reece at his lowest point in the series since the murder of his wife, daughter, and unborn son in book 1. He is imprisoned in a manner that would drive not just weaker men, but MOST men to insanity.
After several months Reece is able to find his way out, and is enraged. There are people who will do anything to keep him quiet and from uncovering truths that date back over 50 years, including threatening the well being of those he cares most about, and if you have read even one of the Terminal List books you know that the carnage wrought by Reece will be absolute, and in this he does not disappoint. As he does his best to finish what his father started in the shadows of Vietnam, he uncovers an audacious plot that could alter the worlds pecking order permanently.
Jack Carr has a style of writing that personally I love. Somehow through works of fiction he conveys who he is, what he values, and how he thinks and views the world in a way that makes you think, while at the same time doesn’t feel like proselytizing. They never make me feel as if he wants me to believe the same thing he does, but instead that he wants his readers to educate themselves, and form educated opinions on their own, and if you pay attention every book includes suggestions for other books, both fiction and non-fiction. There are very few writers that can entertain and educate well simultaneously, but Carr has that innate ability.
To sum up why this author and this book are so great; after reading it I’m left with the thought that if I could sit down and have a conversation with one living person, Jack Carr would be at the very top of my list.
If you like the book(s), you will also enjoy his podcast, and of course the Terminal List TV show, which is great. Although there is no way I will ever read one of the books and picture Katie as Constance Wu.