As a fan of the thriller genre, its easy to like the very entertaining "Rogue" by Mark Sullivan http://www.amazon.com/Rogue-Mark-Sullivan/dp/0312378513/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1357916507&sr=1-1. Originally published in paperback, the novel has been re-released as a hardcover, and the reasons are obvious. The action is relentless, the story is fast paced and the hero is intriguing. Thriller fans are not looking for literary masterworks. If we wanted literature, we could read "The Great Gatsby" http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=The+Great+Gatsby. Thrillers are not going to be discussed with "Life of Pi" http://www.amazon.com/Life-Pi-Yann-Martel/dp/0547848412/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357916426&sr=8-1&keywords=Life+of+Pi in Thursday night book clubs. This is popcorn fair for fans of James Bond and the television series "24". The benchmarks of the genre are the hell for bent heroes, the adrenaline fueled action, and the pure entertainment value. Throw in a convincing, if outlandish plot, and enough action to keep you reading way past your bedtime, and you have the makings of a series. Trust me, when I read to 4:00 am, its got to be good.
Robin Monarch, orphaned at a young age in the worst area of Argentina, barely survived by becoming a thief. Now, after a stint in the US Army, he is employing his unique skills as a CIA operative. He puts together a team, at the request of his boss, John Slattery, to break into a scientist's lab and steal secret Al Qeada archives supposedly kept in a computer system. The mission goes south, and the factory ends up destroyed when the scientist comes to work early, but not before Monarch stumbles on to the fact that there is no Al Qeada archives on the computer but instead a massive "Green Fields" file containing information about a secret weapon system being developed by the scientist. Suspecting a double cross, Monarch quits the agency. Slattery, however, is not done with Monarch and still wants him to find the Green Fields weapon, which Slattery thinks has not been destroyed.
Several months later, Monarch is back to his old tricks of being a thief. While dating Lacey Davenport, the heir to a billionaire English noble, he breaks into a stateroom of Lacey's family friend and liberates a priceless emerald necklace and other jewelry from the woman. But shortly thereafter, while covering up his illegal activities, he and Lacey are caught in the midst of an assassination plot against a Russian gangster. Monarch steps into the fray, and using his unique skills, is able to foil the killing. The Russian, Belos, invites Monarch and Lacey to his Cypriot house to advise him on security measures.
Meanwhile, Slattery has learned that the Green Fields devise is in play, and that Monarch is with Belos, and sets in motion a plan to force Monarch, with Belos' help, to once again to try to steal the devise. But he has Belos make Monarch think the devise is the triggering mechanism for a nuclear bomb, instead of the actual Green Fields weapon that Slattery covets. Slattery does not want Monarch to go back to the CIA.
When Belos threatens Lacey's life unless Monarch steals the devise, Monarch gathers his old team together and goes after the supposed nuclear trigger. They must fight off Russian gangsters, ruthless Russian forces, Belos and Slattery yet again before stealing back the devise, rescuing the girl and saving the world from another scary weapon.
Careening between the back alleys of the poorest sections of Argentina, to firefights involving tanks and soldiers, to cat burglary and torture, Sullivan pulls out all the stops in this hyperkinetic action packed story.
Although Monarch may be too much like the legendary "Robin Hood" to be believable and the weapon system ultimately seems to have been a reject from some bad science fiction movie, the novel works if you do not think too hard and just read it for the thrills and action.
Its fun, its sleek, and very entertaining. What more could a thriller fan want late at night
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