Book Review: Shadow of Doubt (Scot Harvath Series #23)

 

Shadow of Doubt, published in 2024, is the 23rd book in the series of action-thriller/spy novels by Brad Thor centered around the character Scot Harvath. The storyline in this one ties into the storyline of Harvath's revenge against the Russians and its fallout, which has carried over into several novels. In this one, a high-ranking Russian defector goes to Norway, where Harvath's fiancée, Solvi, becomes his handler. The CIA learns of the defection and puts pressure on Harvath to pass them information. Harvath learns that there was another Russian operative responsible for the death of his wife, and the defector is willing to provide the identity of the person, but wants something in return. There are a few side stories as well that tie into the main storyline, including a Russian conspiracy in France and the risk of nuclear weapons being used in the war between Russia and Ukraine.

The hardcover version of the book is a little over 350 pages. Thor manages the storylines fairly well. My only fundamental critique is that he inconsistently jumps between them; sometimes a new chapter is a different storyline, and sometimes one storyline gets multiple chapters before switching to another. That can make things a bit hard to follow, but thankfully, the chapters are relatively short (most are five pages or less), so the storylines are not impossible to follow. The book has a good blend of action and suspense. While many of the books in the series are stand-alone and do not require reading the prior books to know what is going on, it does help to have read the novels from Spymaster onward. Ultimately, if you are a fan of action thrillers, spy novels, and/or the prior books in the series, this one is worth reading.