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Absolute Zero

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James Patterson’s BookShots. Short, fast-paced, high-impact entertainment.

Fear the man who has nothing left to lose…

Cody Thurston is working his usual shift at the rough East London pub he calls home. When a group of out-of-towners walk in looking for trouble, Thurston sends them on their way using some not-so-gentle persuasion.

As a former special forces operative in the Australian military, Thurston can handle trouble. But these men are more dangerous than he realises, and the actions they take will leave Thurston homeless, alone and seeking revenge.

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First published October 5, 2017

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About the author

James Patterson

930 books354k followers
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James Patterson is the most popular storyteller of our time and the creator of such unforgettable characters and series as Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Jane Smith, and Maximum Ride. He has coauthored #1 bestselling novels with Bill Clinton, Dolly Parton, and Michael Crichton, as well as collaborated on #1 bestselling nonfiction, including The Idaho Four, Walk in My Combat Boots, and Filthy Rich. Patterson has told the story of his own life in the #1 bestselling autobiography James Patterson by James Patterson. He is the recipient of an Edgar Award, ten Emmy Awards, the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation, and the National Humanities Medal.

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5 stars
222 (28%)
4 stars
284 (37%)
3 stars
206 (26%)
2 stars
40 (5%)
1 star
14 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
Profile Image for Deb.
811 reviews27 followers
June 19, 2019
I will give this a 3.5 star rating. It is a short novel that didn't quite get where it wanted to go. It was enjoyable, but nothing spectacular.
5,305 reviews61 followers
September 13, 2017
A short novel, co-authored by Ed Chatterton, in the James Patterson anthology The Moores are Missing (2017). This ebook was originally published in Great Britain in 2016. An exciting read. The protagonist is Aussie ex-Special Forces; a decade later he is a bartender in a downscale London pub. After drug runners seeking revenge burn down the bar, cause two deaths and frame him. He escapes from police custody and tracks the villains down through Iceland and the US. Non-stop action but there is no tie-in to the prologue and although you expect him to be more than a vet tending bar and getting pissed off there is no character development. Thrilling long novella, but it could have been more.

Thriller - They slaughtered his friends and framed him for murder. Now Special Forces veteran Cody Thurston is a fugitive who will stop at nothing to complete one last mission: revenge.
Profile Image for John.
1,458 reviews36 followers
June 1, 2021
Far and away the best BookShot I've read to date. Yes, Patterson's breezy style remains on full display, but ABSOLUTE ZERO is a surprisingly muscular thriller that takes all the action of a Tom Clancy novel and packs it into 150 pages. Sure, there's no room for character development or a complex plot, but who cares when your main character is a cross between Rambo and John Wick? This novella was meant to convey excitement to the primitive part of your brain the way that French fries convey ketchup to your mouth. Nothing sophisticated about it, but damned if it doesn't hit the spot.
Profile Image for Wendy.
564 reviews18 followers
July 26, 2017
Good read! I liked this book so much more than I thought I was going to. This is not a book that I would normally enjoy but I couldn't put it down.
Profile Image for Sean Harding.
5,666 reviews33 followers
February 17, 2018
The book is titled Absolute Zero and if you could you would give it the same rating.
This one is longer for these book shot things at 181 pages but the just makes it more painful as an unlikeable hero despite being an Australian, and named Thurston - come on - seems to delight in slaughtering his way to justice.
There is not much to recommend here - it has been done in different ways elsewhere much better.
This will give you absolute zero interest and benefit.
Profile Image for Meiwilli.
1,634 reviews5 followers
July 27, 2018
Absolute Zero is an extremely violent tale and grows more violent the closer it draws to its conclusion.

A chance meeting while bartending at The V with some really shady characters in a London pub proves to be a deadly encounter of happenstance for former special ops Cody Thurston when he is not only accused of killing his boss/friend Barb Connors but of raping and murdering his co-worker/friend Sofi Girsdottir. Though none of the characters, ("Black Goatee", "Giant"), are really likable--in fact, all are on the seedy side making one's skin crawl, the story is compelling and does what it's supposed to do by drawing you into the web of adventure that follows.

Thurston reverts to special forces mode while on the lam and on a mission of revenge against the formidable "Miller". Thurston has several close calls but the one that is most memorable is his night in a lama barn covered in lama feces and straw after almost freezing to death after a dunk in the falls.

Austrailian vs. American ends with a Star Trek analogy and icy "absolute zero" conditions. Very fast paced with a lot going on and can be hard to follow at times. One of Patterson's better BookShots.
Profile Image for Lu Etchells.
Author 6 books55 followers
December 22, 2020
Well bloody Hell, it only went and happened - I found a JP story I actually enjoyed.

No, that's not quite fair - I really, really enjoyed Absolute Zero.

It still has the same flaws the other two shorts I've read so far by JP have, questionable character development (and you could do more with the word limit) BUT the difference with this one was it actually had a story.

And even better than that, it was fast paced. In fact, it was so thrill-a-minute page turner action that I struggled to put it down.

Having read some other reviews of the Moores Are Missing anthology, many seemed to slate this, the third offering, as the worst of the bunch. Just goes to show you can't please everyone, but for me personally, this story made it worth paying the RRP for the three.
Profile Image for Teresa.
779 reviews13 followers
August 25, 2024
Absolute Zero was the very best book from the bookshot trio included in The Moores are Missing. Ed Chatterton has written a great short story, with whatever editorial work by James Patterson, and it has resulted in a great read. Australian Cody Thurston is ex-military. When what appears to be bullies visit a bar he frequents, his world as he has created it totally changes. We learn just how resourceful, well-trained, and talented Cody Thurston really is as he takes revenge on a huge drug and terrorist ring ranging from the United States to Iceland. Absolute Zero moves along quickly and is so intense I had to take breaks! This really needs to be a series. Where is Cody now???
Profile Image for Gina.
771 reviews17 followers
May 31, 2019
Absolute Zero (ebook)
by James Patterson (Goodreads Author) and Ed Chatterton

I'm pretty sure Patterson just lends his name to these books to help newer authors, and these "Bookshots" are perfect for reading while you wait for a doctor, or your car, etc. It took me most of the month to read exactly because I read it while waiting in various situations.

They are short, around 120-180 pages; some are good, some meh, some not good.
I was really impressed by Ed Chatterton's story and I will be looking for other books by Chatterton.
2,081 reviews6 followers
September 15, 2018
By far the best of the Patterson Bookshots I have read and not at all like his typical books as this feels more like a Brad Thor or Vince Flynn novel. Cody Thurston is a former Australian special forces soldier working at a bar in London when he gets involved in a heap of trouble and is framed for murder and is forced to travel the world to clear his name.
Profile Image for Scott Rees.
92 reviews
December 15, 2017
One of the better more recent bookshots in my opinion. With a hero you can get behind and an action packed ending that lasts more than a couple of pages instead some of the blink and you miss it drop off endings of some of the recent books. Great book
1,201 reviews6 followers
September 21, 2018
Cody is an interesting character and this is a short story. He used to be in the military and when someone comes after some friends he is out for revenge. Look out for this guy because he should die many times over but somehow makes it out most of the time. Interesting.
Profile Image for Becca.
3,160 reviews43 followers
October 7, 2018
Damn what a book! Holy crap I was on the edge of my seat! I love Patterson's books! I kept hoping the 'good guy' would make it but he almost didn't. Dude has nine lives and he used all of them. But took out trash when he did.
Profile Image for Matt.
618 reviews
March 10, 2019
Not a bad book, these book shots are a great idea to get to know the author and characters. This started off slow but took off mid way through.
Easy to follow despite the short chapters jumping around a bit on the story.
Typical ending of the “good guy” slotting everyone and getting away.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
1 review
April 13, 2019
Another excellent Shotbook story from James Patterson. It was a real page turner from start to finish of not just revenge but justice too. As with all James Patterson books once you start reading, you can't wait to see how it ends.
65 reviews
January 28, 2024
Starting with 5 stars...

- 1/2 star Why does Patterson et al. always pick Russians as bad guys? Try another former Communist country next time. How about Czechs?

- 1/2 start Occasional continuity problems; occasional cheesy, hackneyed clichés.
Profile Image for Jan.
5,021 reviews83 followers
August 12, 2017
I think I have figured out that I need to read these shpt books and not listen to them. I listened to this one, and as fast and furious as they are, a lot of it washes past me when I read them.
Profile Image for Julie.
276 reviews
August 14, 2017
Former Special Ops guy takes on the bad guys.
Profile Image for Jennifer Brown.
2,743 reviews90 followers
September 12, 2017
Absolute Zero was a little longer than it needed to be and kept losing my attention.
Profile Image for Violet.
177 reviews
October 23, 2017
Is like to see this main character in his own full length novel!
Profile Image for Rachel Seivard.
21 reviews
November 2, 2017
This book was harder to get into than his other books and short books. I am not exactly sure why, but I honestly did not find myself enjoying the book as I have other James Patterson books.
Profile Image for Eternalknitter.
5 reviews1 follower
February 4, 2018
This was an excellent, fast paced read. Thurston was a man of many talents. How he survived was amazing!!!!
Profile Image for Eva.
672 reviews9 followers
June 20, 2018
Crazy good read! Starts with a BANG and never slows down. Action, strategy, and a fantastic plot that will keep readers hooked.
Profile Image for Durinda.
196 reviews26 followers
July 6, 2018
Another great Bookshots read. Loved the story line, brutal at times. Page turning drama from one page to another.
Profile Image for Mike Harrison.
39 reviews1 follower
September 15, 2018
A bit too violent and brutal for my taste but netherless so gripping and exciting with such an interesting story line
Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews

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