John Gilstrap

Zero Sum by John Gilstrap
A Jonathan Graves Thriller #16

Intense, intricately plotted, intriguing story that I hope brings us closer to the demise of corrupt power brokers at the highest levels of the government ~ Fingers crossed and eagerly waiting to find out what happens next.

What I liked:
* Jonathan “Digger” Grave: intelligent, lethal, committed to causes that require a special type of black ops operative to provide justice, caring, wealthy, gives back, rights wrongs, sees the bigger picture
* Brian “Boxer” Van de Muelebroecke: big, quiet, lethal, good friend and lethal colleague of Jonathan’s, works with him to right wrongs, quirky sense of humor, can fly anything, enjoys a good fight
* Gail “Gunslinger” Bonneville: brilliant, ex-FBI HRT member, ex-sheriff, bright, capable, vigilant, talented, lethal, and part of the team doing secretive things with Boxer and Digger, recovering from an injury, seems to be having questions
* Venice “Mother Hen” Alexander: mother, daughter, hacker extraordinaire, brilliant, intriguing, great asset to the team that can provide anything required anywhere
* Irene “Wolfie” Rivers: FBI Director, mother, guardian of orphaned nephew, works with people she doesn’t trust, knows of the corruption in government, trusts Jonathan and his team, intriguing and has a spin-off series coming that I look forward to
* Sissy & Grayson Buchannan: twins, took a dangerous risk, kidnapped on vacation, resilient, survivors
* Big Roxie and her smaller assistants: drones with special abilities that I would never want to be a _target of
* Being able to hate the bad guys and root for their demise

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* Thinking about how evil so many were in this story and what they were willing to do for personal gain
* Having to wait for the next book

Did I like this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series/by this author? Definitely

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington-Pinnacle Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars… (more)

I'm almost finished with this one. I've really liked the series so far. But I have to ask does anyone else not like Gail? She's becoming a one note character. "The Law!" "The Law!" Maybe she should stick to the normal PI/Security stuff his company does and the leave the rescuing hostages to Digger, Boxer and Venice.

If I've got to listen to her complain about shooting someone who's pointing a gun at her one more time...

One last nitpick. Why are the women being held hostage such... The mom from the first book was a wet noodle she was such a pacifist. Then the mom here would have probably walked meekly to her grave telling her son to mind his manners.… (more)

Harm’s Way by John Gilstrap
Jonathan Grave #15

Missionary stories were big when I was little and at one point I thought it might be interesting to be one. I have since reconsidered and if I had not done so, this book would definitely make me never want to take my chances in a mission field!

What I liked:
* Jonathan “Digger” Grave: intelligent, lethal, committed to causes that require a special type of black ops operative, caring, wealthy, gives back, rights wrongs, sees the bigger picture
* Brian “Boxer” Van de Muelebroecke: big, quiet, lethal, good friend and lethal colleague of Digger who works with him to right the wrongs, quirky sense of humor, can fly anything
* Gail “Gunslinger” Bonneville: brilliant, ex-FBI HRT member, ex-sheriff, bright, capable, vigilant, talented, lethal, and part of the team doing secretive things with Boxer and Digger
* Venice “Mother Hen” Alexander: mother, daughter, hacker extraordinaire, gets lost when working, intriguing, great asset to the team that can provide anything required anywhere
* Jesse “Torpedo” Montgomery and his father Davey “Chief” Montgomery: strong ties though love-hate relationship that rears its head from time to time, both capable and necessary on this op
* Irene “Wolverine” Rivers: Director of the FBI, hires Jonathan and his team for the ops they undertake, a bit of a dark horse but seems to be on the side of what is right
* Max Greenwich: on the mission trip to appease his brother Mikey, intelligent, able to see the trouble they were in when kidnapped, strong, resilient, smarter than many of the missionaries he was with
* That the plot seemed relevant to current affairs
* That it made me think, care about the outcome, and wish that things were different in our current chaotic political climate

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* Thinking about the bad guys and wondering why they made the choices they did…
* Knowing I have to wait for the next book in the series – the teaser has me eager to read the book

Did I enjoy this book? Yes, though it had a bit of a sad ending
Would I read more in this series? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books – Pinnacle for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars… (more)

Jonathan Grave and his trusty right hand, Boxers, are asked by a former commander to run down a former member of their old unit who's gone rogue, murdered several CIA agents and leaked classified information. When they locate their former comrade the story he tells them is too crazy to believe. Someone is plotting to overthrow the US government by a series of high-level assassinations. But their former comrade in arms is convincing.
What follows is an action-packed, pyrotechnic thriller in the hills of West Virginia.
I like Gilstrap's characters, the humor he infuses his stories with, and the way he moves his plot along. While, here, his heroes never seem to be in any real danger, the story is satisfying.… (more)