Foreign Influence

May 31, 2010
In Thor's formulaic ninth Scot Harvath thriller (after The Apostle), the ex–navy SEAL has lost his job with the disbanding under a new presidential administration of the Apex Project, a Department of Homeland Security secret antiterrorist program that didn't worry about obeying any rules. Fortunately, Harvath lands on his feet with the Carlton Group, funded covertly by the Department of Defense, with an identical mission. After a bus full of Americans is blown up in Rome, Harvath travels to Europe to track down a man known as the Troll, who's been implicated in the bombing. Meanwhile, John Vaughn, a Chicago cop who somehow moonlights as an attorney for private clients, seeks to identify the Middle Eastern–looking man who ran down a woman with his cab. Predictably, Vaughn uncovers a plot against civilian targets in Chicago. Bumbling CIA agents make members of the secret Carlton Group look even more heroic. Fans of TV's 24 may enjoy the over-the-top setups, but even they might wish for a little more sophistication.

Brad Thor's ninth political thriller opens with the screeching sounds of a terrorist bomb blast in Rome that kills a busload of American tourists. Simultaneously, Chicago police search for a Middle Eastern cab driver involved in a hit-and-run accident and uncover related U.S. targets. The Carlton Group, a new black-ops antiterrorist program, accountable only to a secret military panel, sends their best black-ops agent, Scott Horvath, to Europe to kill their prime suspect, the Troll. Armand Schultz's masterful narration sets an adrenaline-laced tone in a chase that never lets up, but it requires close attention. His gritty, descriptive portrayal of torture, even without sound effects, is not for the squeamish in this over-the-top thriller. G.D.W. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine


This thriller starts off with rapid-fire action around the globe. The story then hones in on black-ops agent Scot Harvath, from the mysterious antiterrorist organization the Carlton Group, as he gets a call from the Troll, a shadowy character who has been framed for a series of bombings. George Guidall narrates with an air of menace that may chill listeners as Thor's hero uses a mix of deceit and toughness to interrogate suspects. Those interrogation scenes and the discussions of Muslim attacks are imbued with a ruthless attitude toward the war on terror. As an action yarn it works, but the rhetoric justifying the tactics is often strident and culturally polarizing. J.A.S. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine