When his first assignment goes completely sideways, Ben Poter suddenly finds himself knee-deep in a plot to attack the United States on American soil.
With no agents on hand to investigate what many in the bureau believe to be a hoax, the FBI turns to Boston-based staffer Ben Porter to follow-up about a call involving a sailboat that may have been hijacked. Check the scene, talk to some people, sign off, come home. Those were pretty much his orders, but for Ben, who has no field training or experience, a number of things just don’t quite add up.
Relying more on gut instinct than anything, Ben begins asking questions that annoy most everyone else, including his no-nonsense boss who wants the complaint cleared, done, and out of the way. But when the trail he’s following leads to a potential planned attack against the president, who is slated to stop for an appearance in Boston, the threat is suddenly deemed credible and Ben finds himself smack-dab in the middle of a wild manhunt to track down a terrorist cell before they can strike a blow on America’s homefront.
Armed with a strong prose, a finely plotted story, and authentic-sounding dialogue, Chris Rosow makes his presence immediately felt within the genre. Reading more like a seasoned thriller than a simple debut, Rosow mixes vivid details with snappy wording as his hero, Ben Porter (who also serves as the story’s narrator) steals the show and holds every scene he’s in with both authority and a general likeability factor that’s hard to explain without giving away the story. Likewise, a worthy antagonist and a potential molehunt help the suspense reach Joseph Finder-levels, all of which is capped off with a final twist that’s not to be missed. If you’re looking for the perfect beach read this summer, here it is.
There’s a hot new hero on the thriller scene in Ben Porter—a perfect match for fans of James Patterson and David Baldacci—and Chris Rosow, who has major breakout potential, is an author worth keeping an eye on.
Book Details
Author: Chris Rosow
Series: Ben P0rter #1
Pages: 380 (Hardcover)
ISBN: 1734714700
Publisher: Quadrant Publishing
Release Date: April 17, 2020
Real Book Spy Rating: 8.5/10
Praised as “One of the hardest working, most thoughtful, and fairest reviewers out there” by #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Scottoline, Ryan Steck has “quickly established himself as the authority on mysteries and thrillers” (Author A.J. Tata). Steck also works full-time as a freelance editor and pens a monthly thriller column for CrimeReads. For more information, be sure to follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He currently lives in Southwest Michigan with his wife and their six children.