2-3-4 Challenge Book Discussions #2 discussion

Savannah von Hopf has no choice. To save her uncle's life, she goes in search of Ken "WildCard" Karmody, a guy she barely knew in college who is now a military operative. She must convince him to help her deliver a cache of ransom money into the hands of terrorists halfway around the world. What she doesn't expect is to end up in WildCard's arms before she can even ask for his help.

WildCard has always had a soft spot for beautiful women. But when he discovers Savannah's hidden agenda, he is determined to end the affair. But Savannah is bound for Indonesia with or without his protection, and he can't just walk away. When her plan goes horribly wrong, they are trapped in the forsaken jungle of a hostile country, stalked by a lethal enemy. As time is running out, they scramble to escape, risking their lives to stop a nightmare from spinning even further out of control. . . .

Author’s Book Page: http://www.suzannebrockmann.com/books...

Settings
San Diego, California
Jakarta, Indonesia
Parwati, Indonesia
Berlin, Germany

Prologue
20 Chapters

Character List
(view spoiler)[
Recurring Characters
Kenny (WildCard) Karmody: Petty Officer Third Class, SEAL Team 16. He’s a computer specialist.
Savannah (Van) von Hopf: Lawyer from New York whose uncle has been abducted in Indonesia. She has blond hair and blue eyes. Her grandmother Rose is a WWII hero.
Thomas (Tom) Paoletti: Lieutenant Commander, SEAL Team 16. engaged to Kelly.
Kelly Ashton: Tom's fiancée, a doctor.
Casper (Jazz) Jacquette: Executive Officer, SEAL Team 16.
Roger (Sam) Starrett: Lieutenant(jg), SEAL Team 16 leader. He’s now married to Mary Lou and father of their daughter, Hailey.
Mary Lou Starrett: Sam's wife and mother of their daughter, Hailey.
Mike Muldoon: Ensign, SEAL Team 16.
Danny Gillman: aka Gilligan. Petty Officer, SEAL Team 16.
Mark (Jenks) Jenkins: Petty Officer, 2nd Class, SEAL Team 16.
Jay Lopez: Medic SEAL Team 16.
John (Nils) Nilsson: Lieutenant, SEAL Team 16. Language expert. Married to Meg.
Frank O'Leary: Chief, SEAL Team 16 sniper.
Wayne Jefferson: SEAL Team 16 sniper.
Stanley Wolchonok: Senior Chief, SEAL Team 16. He’s married to Teri.
Teri Howe: Navy reserves, Lieutenant (jg),helicopter pilot. She’s married to Stan.
Kate Takamoto: Navy Lieutenant.
Max Bhagat: Head of the FBI Counterterrorism Unit.
Gina Vitagliano: College student/drummer on a European trip with her school band mates who was assaulted during the hijacking of her plane home from Greece. Max was the negotiator who created a strong bond with her.
Alyssa Locke: Former Navy sniper now a FBI agent in the Counterterrorism Unit. She and Sam were formerly in a relationship.
Jules Cassidy: FBI agent in the Counterterrorism Unit. Alyssa Locke's partner.
Laronda: Max's assistant.
George Faulkner: FBI Agent and the son of Rose’s friend.
Molly Anderson: Works in a religious mission in Indonesia.
Dave Jones/Grady Morant: American expatriate who lives alone in Indonesia near Molly's mission. He owns a plane and is a former Special Forces member and prisoner of war, now on the FBI most wanted list.
Adele Zakashansky: WildCard’s high school sweetheart who recently dumped him.

Non Recurring Characters
Ingerose (Rose) von Hopf: Savannah’s grandmother who was a double agent during WWII. Alex and Karl's mother, Savannah's grandmother.
Heinrich (Hank) von Hopf: Rose’s husband, a former Austrian prince and a secret member of the opposition against the Nazis.
Alexander (Alex) von Hopf: Hank and Rose’s son and Savannah's uncle. He’s Karl's twin brother.
Karl von Hopf: Hank and Rose's son and Savannah's father. He’s married to Priscilla and is Alex's twin brother.
Priscilla von Hopf: Savannah's mother.
Bob Heath: Alex's assistant.
Chelsea: Molly’s biological daughter who she gave up for adoption at age sixteen. Chelsea has a newborn named Caroline.
Jonathan (Jon) Fielding: Vice president of Grumman, an aircraft manufacturer who Rose worked for and knew of her double agent role. He’s married to Evelyn.
Evelyn Fielding: Jonathan’s wife and Rose’s friend.
Billy Bolten: Molly's seminary colleague at the mission.
Gordon (Gordie) MacKenzie: Member of the SAS.
Dwayne: School teacher, wants to date Alyssa.
Herr Schmidt: Spokesman from the university in Berlin who recruited Rosie to spy for the Nazis.
Tunggul: Indonesian thug.
Nang-Klao Chai: Biggest drug lord in Thailand.
Joaquin: Young boy Dave helps Molly take to a hospital.
Delvin Parker: Recording studio engineer.
Akeem: Delvin’s assistant.
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(hide spoiler)]

I'm just over 1/3 of the way through and of the three storylines it is the one set in WWII that I like the most - this is the opposite of the three other books.

Ken and Savannah are both (view spoiler)[idiotic, immature and TSTL. A Navy SEAL who does not pay attention to what is going on around him? Really?! This is not only embarrassing but unprofessional. (hide spoiler)]

Molly and Jones have a lot of potential. Unfortunately, Brockmann is once again (view spoiler)[focusing on the age differences. Yes, she is a few years older, so what?! Mention it and move on! (hide spoiler)]

Rose and Hank - (view spoiler)[this reminds me of the movie Shining Through with Melanie Griffith and Michael Douglas. I'm thinking he might be a double agent too. Time will tell... (hide spoiler)]

I just started this but gave up on the library audiobook copy. The narrator is awful, sounding like she’s just “reading” the book. I coughed up $7.49 for the new Audible version (I own the Kindle book). The difference is amazing.

Who is the narrator on the version you prefer? My library has both.

Patrick Lawlor & Melanie Ewbank. The other one is Norma Lana and she’s pretty bad in this book. I searched her on Audible and there are only three books with her listed, a bad sign.

Great! I'll get the Patrick and Melanie version.