BOOK REVIEW: Breacher

TITLE: Breacher
AUTHOR: Jack Lively
PUBLISHED BY: General Projects Ltd.

This is Book 2 of the Tom Keeler series.  From the first page, I was immediately hooked by this gripping, rapid paced thriller. After reading the first Tom Keeler story and really enjoying it, I had no hesitation in straightaway jumping into the second book in the series.

Set in an Alaskan fishing village, a place often overlooked for scene-setting in crime thrillers, our hero is back from finishing a season as part of the crew on a four-month-long fishing trip.  A woman asks for his help as her son is missing and the local police don’t seem to be interested. Keeler doesn’t have to get involved, he has a plane ticket booked, looking forward to a permanent vacation; he could be away from Alaska and out of trouble but the confident, laconic, highly-trained operator decides otherwise and becomes involved in the case about the missing boy.

This second thriller doesn’t disappoint; with slightly cynical, tongue-in-cheek humour, there’s plenty of action, violence and murder. It is an easy and pleasurable read with well-developed characters and an enjoyable writing style. It is packed with suspense; an edge-of-your-seat thriller that will leave readers breathless at times in anticipation of the next twist in the plot; a page-turner of a book which draws the reader in and will have them wanting to stay up all night to finish it.

The characters and compelling plot are believable and Lively successfully brings them to life in an easy-to-follow story with the action taking place over approximately three days. Our hero is prone to homicidal violence but nevertheless generally liked by all; a female protagonist with similar traits keeps him on his toes and an assortment of ruthless baddies who are into world domination get their come-uppance. Keeler is a force to be reckoned with, leaving dead bodies in his wake of violence; the baddies get what’s owing to them with non-stop mayhem which is not for the faint-hearted. Readers will be kept on their toes working out who is following and intimidating who.

Keeler is an enigmatic character, ex-military, a multi-talented killer and he’s retained all his skills. There are lots of twists and turns with dynamic action and excellent pacing and I found it very difficult to put the book down. Readers won’t be disappointed as it is excellent entertainment and definitely up to the same standard as Book 1, Straight Shot.

Readers who like action and believable characters will be delighted with this second instalment of the exploits of ex-Special Forces operator, Tom Keeler. We learn more about Keeler in this novel and the story will leave readers wondering what will happen in future escapades. Hopefully, Lively is planning a third.

It is a great action thriller, well written and well researched with interesting information about Alaska within the storyline; definitely a recommended read.

Reviewer - Anne Pritchard