You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
For what it is (blow-em-up "America, Fuck Yeah" action book), it's written quite well
You know, once you have read a fair few books in this genre, you can predict a few things and you know how and where things are going. Without Sanction kind of throws the genre-specific tropes into a well and narrates a complex story well enough
For starters, the lead character Matt Drake isnt the next Mitch Rapp. Conflicted, haunted by ghosts from his pasts, our lead is kind of a wreck barely holding it together through his competence. Post a mission gone bad, hes cut off and running away from his own past. When he is brought back in for the trope-ical "One Last Mission", little does he know that hes getting in the way of political interests on the eve of the American Presidential election. What follows is a cat and mouse game between the spooks, the army and interests within the political arena and the mouse is Matt Drake
This is not an action packed slug fest -this trades some of the action thrills for political and scheming thrills and how our lead manages to navigate through all of them (most of the times unsuccessfully) - the lead is also not an unrealistic hero like Rapp - he takes more than his share of blows right through and the twist at the end is also pretty well done.
Overall, enjoyable and unpredictable in a good way
For starters, the lead character Matt Drake isnt the next Mitch Rapp. Conflicted, haunted by ghosts from his pasts, our lead is kind of a wreck barely holding it together through his competence. Post a mission gone bad, hes cut off and running away from his own past. When he is brought back in for the trope-ical "One Last Mission", little does he know that hes getting in the way of political interests on the eve of the American Presidential election. What follows is a cat and mouse game between the spooks, the army and interests within the political arena and the mouse is Matt Drake
This is not an action packed slug fest -this trades some of the action thrills for political and scheming thrills and how our lead manages to navigate through all of them (most of the times unsuccessfully) - the lead is also not an unrealistic hero like Rapp - he takes more than his share of blows right through and the twist at the end is also pretty well done.
Overall, enjoyable and unpredictable in a good way
this was entertaining, and despite it being framed as the usual kind of action man novel (which i enjoy), i appreciated its depth. also i love frodo.
It may have taken Don Bentley a very long time to write this, but boy did he do it well. This book is one of the best ones i've read in a long time and since it is the first in a series we can only wait anxiously for the next. No pressure... I have to thank #Edelweiss #Berkley and #PenguinPublishingGroup for giving me the pleasure of reading Without Sanction. The first book about Matt Drake. It will be on the shelves on March the 3rd. I really strongly recommend this. Please @bentleydonb keep them coming.
Without Sanction took me a bit by surprise. Matt Drake, is a Defense Intelligence Agency operative. Drake retreats, wracked with guilt and PTSD, haunted by his experience and now living in self-exile after his Syrian contact and family, who Drake vowed to protect, are brutally murdered. Under duress, Drake is ordered to return to Syria on a one-man operation to return with a Pakistani bioweapons expert and a kidnapped marine. With a concurrent subplot involving politicians making life-or-death decisions, everything and everyone, it seems, is conspiring against the success of the operation. Matt Drake is a multi-faceted main character operating entirely against all odds and, despite the wisecracking under pressure, James Bond he ain’t. It’s a solid start to a new series featuring a complex main character, and I felt like I’d gone through the wringer by the time I finished it. Recommended.
By the first 17 pages, I was in love with this book. Clever dialogue, clearly defined characters, realistic settings. It achieves real emotional impact. He invokes aerial warfare with the authenticity only an actual combat pilot can bring. This is a military thriller that acknowledges all the gray areas, and government power struggles, and the morass that is Syria today. I can’t wait for his next book!
I rate this book 3 stars, but am torn about that rating being a little low. This is a solid entry in the political/military thriller genre, but for some reason I had a hard time getting into the story. Part of the issue could be that I’ve read so many books in this genre that this one seemed to recycle many of the same old tropes without really providing a fresh angle or reason (for me) to get invested in the story and characters. I would recommend any fan of the genre give this book a try.
‘-how can I help?’
A true masterpiece in the genre. If I ever need rescuing forget about all of the other guys. I want Matt Drake.
*dnf*
A nice attempt, I just got bored by the beginner premise of the book, and could not find the spark to care about Matt Drake and his the thriller itself.
A nice attempt, I just got bored by the beginner premise of the book, and could not find the spark to care about Matt Drake and his the thriller itself.
I’ve been wanting to listen to this for a while and I’m so glad I made time for it this week. I didn’t realize from the description that the political facet was going to be as much a part of the story as the spy thriller perspective. I have no complaints as these two aspects weaved around and within each other to create an incredibly enjoyable ride.
Bentley opted to pen all of Matt Drake’s chapters in 1st person while all of Peter’s were in 3rd person. I absolutely loved this technique. It made it easy to distinguish the changing perspectives and added an additional depth to their characters and interactions.
While there were times I felt that Drake’s commentary was a bit repetitive – overall I felt that the pacing was well done. I may have occasionally been able to guess the direction the plot or characters were going, but it wasn’t without surprise or unique finesse. I enjoyed the many hurdles that Drake had to accomplish and that he wasn’t a superhero with perfect luck and unbeatable skills. He was a real man who had to overcome obstacles and imperfect executions.
The political wrangling was delightfully frustrating. Given the current times, I especially appreciated that all the political characters were completely fictional and it didn’t feel as being “inspired by” real people.
While Drake is overall successful in his mission, there are definitely doors opened to what promises to be an engaging series. I am absolutely looking forward to The Outside Man in 2021.
Narration:
This was my first time listening to Jack Armstrong. I really enjoyed his main narration, Drake & Peter’s voices, and his emotional deliveries. Unfortunately his secondary characters left a lot to be desired, especially those from “foreign” countries. Whether they were Syrian, Russian, or from Utah – they had the same accent. Even then they weren’t always consistent. I would be willing to listen to other narrations from him that don’t require these kinds of dynamics, but I’m pretty sure I’ll read the next book in the series.
Bentley opted to pen all of Matt Drake’s chapters in 1st person while all of Peter’s were in 3rd person. I absolutely loved this technique. It made it easy to distinguish the changing perspectives and added an additional depth to their characters and interactions.
While there were times I felt that Drake’s commentary was a bit repetitive – overall I felt that the pacing was well done. I may have occasionally been able to guess the direction the plot or characters were going, but it wasn’t without surprise or unique finesse. I enjoyed the many hurdles that Drake had to accomplish and that he wasn’t a superhero with perfect luck and unbeatable skills. He was a real man who had to overcome obstacles and imperfect executions.
The political wrangling was delightfully frustrating. Given the current times, I especially appreciated that all the political characters were completely fictional and it didn’t feel as being “inspired by” real people.
While Drake is overall successful in his mission, there are definitely doors opened to what promises to be an engaging series. I am absolutely looking forward to The Outside Man in 2021.
Narration:
This was my first time listening to Jack Armstrong. I really enjoyed his main narration, Drake & Peter’s voices, and his emotional deliveries. Unfortunately his secondary characters left a lot to be desired, especially those from “foreign” countries. Whether they were Syrian, Russian, or from Utah – they had the same accent. Even then they weren’t always consistent. I would be willing to listen to other narrations from him that don’t require these kinds of dynamics, but I’m pretty sure I’ll read the next book in the series.