Book Review: Act of War (Scot Harvath Series #13)

 

Act of War, published in 2014, is the 13th novel in Brad Thor's long-running series of international action thrillers. The plot involves a potential attack on the United States orchestrated by China. Part of the book is set in North Korea, and part is set in the United States. Harvath has to unravel a series of mysteries that point to a coordinated attack against major US cities nationwide.

The hardcover version of the book is just over 350 pages long. Thor has found the tone of the series and sticks with it. It has a good blend of action and suspense. Thor does mix some politics into the storyline, but the political characters are mostly in the background (as opposed to those in the Mitch Rapp series, for example). Some new characters are introduced in this book, and characters from prior novels, such as Sloane, Reed Carlton, and Nicholas (A.K.A., "The Troll"), also appear. Ultimately, if you like the prior novels in the series, you will probably like this one. You can follow the story in this book even if you have not read any of the prior novels, but it does help to know who the major characters are. It is definitely worth the time to read.