The Last Patriot (Scot Harvath, #7) in Langley suckers

Aug 09, 2016 Douglas Cavanaugh rated it it was ok · review of another edition

This book came highly recommended by a friend who runs a web site featuring spy/political thriller reviews and promotion. Because of that fact, I think my expectations of The Last Patriot were set too high. I’m sorry to report that after a month and a half of off and on reading (the author, book, and hero never managed to capture my attention), I must say I was disappointed by reading my first novel written by Bad Thor. I admit I haven’t read any of his previous books featuring Scot Harvath, and
This book came highly recommended by a friend who runs a web site featuring spy/political thriller reviews and promotion. Because of that fact, I think my expectations of The Last Patriot were set too high. I’m sorry to report that after a month and a half of off and on reading (the author, book, and hero never managed to capture my attention), I must say I was disappointed by reading my first novel written by Bad Thor. I admit I haven’t read any of his previous books featuring Scot Harvath, and in fairness, I will consider that some of those books may be superior to what was offered in The Last Patriot. I hope so.
There were pieces of a great story included in this work, but sadly, they were spread too far apart and separated by too many examples of mediocre writing and shoddy story-telling. The entire book left me with the feeling that the publisher was pushing the author to complete another novel while his name was still ‘hot’ regardless of the suspect quality of the story he was trying to produce. Having said that, I discovered there were some blue chip segments in the plot mixed in with some amateur-like writing that many first time, self-published authors I’ve read have topped.
What I did like: much of the plot evolved around a premise that Thomas Jefferson had acquired some dormant, secret information regarding the Koran and the final teachings of the prophet Mohammed. How Brad Thor introduced that part of the plot, and then re-inserted its significance during the recovery attempt was entertaining and lead to a thrilling ‘treasure-hunt’ type jaunt that surfaced just before the book’s conclusion. For a first time reader of Brad Thor, that part was a real treat – definitely the best segment of the book, in my opinion.
What I didn’t like: Unfortunately, there were quite a few examples. For the obvious starter, the name of the hero, Scot Harvath, for me, is a bit irritating to read over and over. The editor of the first book in the series should have recognized this and insisted the name be changed to one more enticing and reader-friendly.
Secondly, the plot as a whole was just ‘tired.’ Another story about an ex-Navy Seal who used to be chummy with the president of the U.S. from back in his secret service days who tags up with unsanctioned CIA agents who then run amok together in Washington D.C. in order to stop….wait for it…Muslim terrorists set on taking over the world! –Or in this case, trying to stop some radical Muslims from enabling all the other Muslims from taking over the world through attrition. And the main terrorist/protagonist is a former American CIA assassin who converted to life as a Muslim assassin because his wife and child were killed or something senseless like that. I’m sure plots like this might attract a certain breed of reader but if it weren’t the Jefferson twist thrown into the mix, this is just another ‘good guy ex-Navy Seal against the evil Muslim terrorist’ story that are a dime a dozen. Blah, blah, blah.
Oh, but that Muslim-convert assassin wasn’t just your average Joe assassin either. He managed to track down the best in the biz (read Scot Harvath) and somehow knew his every move with impeccable timing, which was flippantly explained away by the author with just a short sentence or two. In fact, he did it multiple times. And, not to give away the ending, in the final, crucial instance, it was never explained to the reader how that Muslim convert assassin managed to find and prevail against the president’s best with ease, even though a similar incident had just occurred to Harvath just a short time before. I mean, all within twenty-four hours! It seems the Muslim assassin guy was an ace until the very end of the book when, all of a sudden, he had a change of heart and became an incapable, drunken sod who was surprised twice in a matter of minutes, all the while knowing he was being pursued. If he had a change of heart and a subsequent death wish, he likely would have killed himself before the hero had a chance to arrive and the story’s ending would have been just as meaningful. But this is fiction, right? Not good fiction though - just average– nothing more than that.
The plot also contained a ton of dialogue that I would label just plain ‘hokey’ and equally as much pointless ‘tough talk’ in the story that left me rolling my eyes and shaking my head. He could have cut the girlfriend, Tracy, out of the book entirely, too, and she wouldn’t have been missed. Her character added nothing to the story except some unnecessary distraction and extra reading I didn’t need to waste my time on.
All this being said, I think if I had read this book knowing it was a first attempt by a self-published author, I would have been impressed and most encouraged. But to have read this book that was hyped on the front and back covers by major media outlets, and written by a celebrated author with a powerful support team in the industry, I honestly can’t give this book anything more than a “C.”
I may read some other books by this author in the future but not until I have read the work of other authors in this genre who deserve a chance to top this run-of-the-mill book.
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