Use of Force: A Thriller

Brad Thor

Jun 2017 · The Scot Harvath Series Book 16 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

From the #1 New York Times and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author Brad Thor comes “his very best” (The Washington Times) thriller, following covert operative Scot Harvath as he is called upon to stop an ISIS-led plot to destroy the Vatican.

As a storm rages across the Mediterranean Sea, a terrifying distress call is made to the Italian Coast Guard. Days later, a body washes ashore. Identified as a high value but missing terrorism suspect, his name sends panic through the Central Intelligence Agency.

Where was he headed? What was he planning? And could he be connected to the “spectacular attack” they have been fearing all summer? In a race against time, the CIA taps an unorthodox source to get answers: Navy SEAL turned covert counterterrorism operative, Scot Harvath. Hired on a black contract, Harvath provides the deniability the United States needs, while he breaks every rule along the way.

Teeming with fascinating characters and electrifying intrigue, Brad Thor does it again and proves why he is known around-the-world as a master of thrillers.

Ratings and reviews

The same result from a Brad Thor novel. I've read every book since I discovered him back in high school (11 years ago). Thor definitely has a skill of creating a compelling storyline with good characters but it's either his desire to release a book a year, laziness, or perhaps the fact that his readers enjoy a half baked plot with simplistic resolutions and conclusions that quickly rap things up in the last 20 pages. The final chapter had 5 paragraphs of explanation that if woven into the novel could have made for far more complete writing. Every book I finish of Thor (since Full Black) I'm left disappointed and with this same feeling that this will be the final book of his I read. I guess blind loyalty to the character is what keeps me reading although I know what to expect in the end. Overall, this isn't a bad novel and it had the potential to be his best but it's done so quickly and underdeveloped that I'm just left shaking my head at the end.

Brad Thor knocks another one out of the park. He continues to design well researched plots based on current political climates around the world. The attention to detail in the story is amazing, from the plot locations, to the weapons and gear, and the methods of the various groups involved in the story, it's the details that build a picture in your mind and keeps you hooked and unable to stop reading.

3.5 stars. Use of Force is the seventeenth book in the Scott Harvath series. This can be read as a standalone. But I recommend that you read the entire series so you fully understand the storyline and characters. There is violence. The book blurb adequately describes the storyline so I'm not going to repeat that all of that info here. This book includes not only more of the usual that you get with a Scott Harvath story, but still has some surprising twists and turns. The unfortunate part of being a long running series, is that the storyline gets somewhat repetitive. Will I continue to read future books in the series? I've read all of them so far so of course I will.

About the author

Brad Thor is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-three thrillers, including Dead Fall, Black Ice (ThrillerFix Best Thriller of the Year), Near Dark (one of Suspense Magazine’s Best Books of the Year), Backlash (nominated for the Barry Award for Best Thriller of the Year), Spymaster (named “One of the all-time best thriller novels” —The Washington Times), The Last Patriot (nominated Best Thriller of the Year by the International Thriller Writers association), and Blowback (one of the “Top 100 Killer Thrillers of All Time” —NPR). Visit his website at BradThor.com and follow him on Facebook @BradThorOfficial, on Instagram @RealBradThor, and on X @BradThor.