Path of the Assassin - Brad Thor - 3 Stars

[Olivermagnus]

I am a big fan of counter terrorism/political thrillers. Back in 2023 I read the first book of the Scott Harvath series, The Lions of Lucerne and enjoyed it, so decided to give the second book, Path of the Assassin, a try.

While waiting to assume his new job as the head of White House Secret Service, Scott is tasked to help identify and capture the terrorist who was responsible for the kidnapping of the President in the previous book. As the story continues, there are attacks in the Middle East on Moslem places of worship for which an extremist group called The Hand of God takes the credit. While these attacks move the Arab countries closer to war with Isreal, it is clear to some that a mysterious man known as Hashim Nidal is the one behind the attacks.

The president is determined to find the cause and avert a conflict. Aided by Meg Cassidy, a Chicago public relations company owner who seems to be the only person who can personally identify the assassin, they pursue their killer around the globe.

There was alot of action and every scene was described with such detail that it was easy to feel transported there. My biggest issue with the story was that I found it impossible to believe that a random witness would be trained to this level by members of the CIA and Delta Force. I know these thrillers strain credulity but that just made no sense. Overall, the book seemed a little too long and drawn out.

I'm not sure if I will continue this series. There are other espionage action main characters that I prefer, including Mitch Rapp, Gabriel Allon, and Evan Smoak.