The Bricklayer

A new STAR author in the realm of Grisham, Patterson and Child.

I read a great deal but have never before been motivated to do a review. It is a first novel on a par with Grisham's "A Time To Kill". Noah Boyd obviously has authentic knowledge of the FBI's inner workings and presents a compelling story that feels real,
is easy to read, hard to put down and leaves one anxiously waiting for his next book.

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

INTRIGUING, SUSPENSEFUL DEBUT OF A NEW THRILLER

Didn't get much sleep the other night because after reading the first pages of THE BRICKLAYER, I simply couldn't put it down. A former FBI agent who writes under the pseudonym Noah Boyd has crafted an intriguing suspense filled tale that ricochets from stunner to stunner and introduces an enigmatic yet affecting new hero, Steve Vail.

Vail is a former FBI agent who left the Bureau because he didn't care to take orders and was let go for insubordination. No one would have argued that he was one of their best but he simply did not fit the expected mold. Vail has gone to Chicago where he makes a modest living as a bricklayer and sculpts in his spare time.

While Vail lays bricks the FBI is feeling heat - an attractive woman reporter who had "done the expose of the FBI and the United States attorney's office in Los Angeles" steps out of her shower and is shot dead. The killer places a blue piece of paper on her chest on which is written "Rubaco Pentad." Her death is followed by the murder of an FBI agent who has gone to deliver a million dollars in order to stop further killings. Who or what is behind the increasing demands for money and the killing of prominent citizens?

The FBI is stumped until Deputy Assistant Director Kate Bannon remembers Vail, and convinces her superiors that he may be the one, the only one who can help them. She goes to Vail's Chicago apartment and convinces him to come back for just one more case. Upon his return he has to put up with ambitious Bureau chiefs who aren't too happy to see him but more importantly he has to deal with the sinister Rubaco Pentad who have just demanded three million dollars and they want Vail to make the drop.

What follows is a series of heart stopping scenes in which Vail pits himself against a group who seem less interested in money than in killing him. Ingeniously laid traps make it clear that a mastermind is behind the Pentad, a mastermind who knows a great deal about how the FBI works and is out to disgrace the Bureau.

Noah Boyd spent 20 years with the FBI but went head to head with his superiors when he wrote a book "unflattering to the FBI." That wasn't all - he next wrote a magazine article detrimental to his boss. Sound familiar? That may well be one of the reasons why THE BRICKLAYER is so effective - Boyd writes of what he knows and does so with authenticity.

- Gail Cooke

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Good Read - Recommended

This is a serviceable clone of Lee Childs' Jack Reacher series. I enjoyed it enough to read the second in the series (which might have been a bit better.) The plot is a bit formulaic, and the hero is a little too competent to be believable (just like Reacher) but that's what I'm looking for in a book like this. It was fun to read and kept me guessing how it would turn out without any obvious red herrings or give-aways.

If you like this, definitely read the second in the series.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Loved It!

Absolutely Loved it! Give this one a chance, you will not be disappointed. A great first novel with a main character I am sure we will see in many books to come!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Great Read!

Great book! Noah Boyd has written a page-turner. I couldn't wait to see what would happen next. My husband and I both enjoyed the book. I have recommended it to friends and purchased copies for gifts.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

One Badass Bricklayer

I won an advanced copy of this book in a giveaway, otherwise I probably wouldn't have read it. This type of book isn't what I usually read, so while it certainly wasn't a bad book, I didn't find it particularly enjoyable.
It took me a while to understand some of the jargon, and I found it difficult to follow some of the action. There was plenty of action, suspense, and red herrings to keep me entertained. The ending did suprise me.
Not my kind of book. I don't think I'll read the rest of the series, but I recommend it to fans of the genre.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

AMAZING!!!!!!! GET IT NOW!

Wow this book is right now my favorite book... Get it now!! don't read any more reviews just get the book. It has so many twists and turns it keeps you hooked.

Great

Real page turner. Loved it

EXCELLENT RECOMMEND

THIS BOOK IS NEVER ENDING ACTION WITH A LITTLE ROMANCE. MY HUSBAND RECOMMENDED THIS BOOK AND I LOVED IT !

Hyper Action

1st novel in the Steve Vail series

Noah Boyd's debut thriller is truly exciting, some described it as an explosive and truly spectacular entrance into the world of thriller novels; I couldn't agree more with their assessments. The author, a former FBI operative himself, provides the sparks, colour and the gritty details to make it a most captivating and stunning read filled with non-stop action.

Steve Vail is the new man in town, an ex-FBI agent whose job was terminated 3 years previously for not following the line. His handle "The Bricklayer" comes from his new job but his old profession is the one dearest to his heart.

The story opening is highly cinematic with bank robbers being thrown through glass windows. It proves to be an explosive start to a roller coaster-ride that entertains the reader to the end. The storyline moves briskly with FBI deputy Assistant Director Kate Bannon persuading Steve to take back his badge and assist them in finding a rogue agent suspected of absconding with two million dollars of federal money. The agent went missing while delivering a ransom to the "Rubaco Pentad" gang; a group that has already killed some prominent people and threatens to continue unless their demands are met...Steve accepts the challenge and when the gang learns the FBI has a new member they request he make the next drop. Steve runs into a myriad of obstacles that have him jumping hoops with astonishing ability.....His Rambo action mixed with Jack Bauer's agility has him narrowly evading all traps. The final plot twist is a script right out of "Mission Impossible".

This hyper action novel is a little farfetched and rather ridiculous at times but I found it highly entertaining. I like the interaction between the two main characters; it has a romantic tone of a 40's film noir. I can see endless possibilities in the bond between Steve and Kate. The pacing of this multilayer plot is very well done; there are just enough twists in the suspense to keep the reader on the edge throughout. This is a solid first novel and I am looking forward to reading the next instalment "Agent X".

Jack Bricklayer

The first blurb on the back cover is from author Lee Child, and it is no wonder that he liked the novel. It''s the spitting image of one of his Jack Reacher novels. Steve Vail could be Reacher's twin. The story is well told and keeps the reader's interest. The ending, however, would not suit Reacher, and it did not suit me. Once we found out who was 'really" behind everything, I was disappointed.

Move over Jaqck Reacher

Absolutely brilliant. Move over Jack Reacher, Steve Vail is now "The Man".
When FBI, Deputy Assistant Director Kate Bannon reveals that she recognizes the behavioral traits of a missing hero, while watching the video of a botched bank robbery-botched, thanks to the intervention of one of the hostages-she is tasked with bringing the former renegade agent Steve Vail one last time.
The Bureau is being targeted, perhaps from within, by a domestic terrorist group who call themselves the Rubico Pentad and who have already targeted, kidnapped or killed several upstanding members of society and the FBI has been unable to put a stop to them. They are ready to do whatever it takes, even if it means bringing back Vail for a limited performance.
Heading out as a one-man destruction squad, Vail soon uncovers who is behind the destruction and innuendo that has handicapped the FBI. That it makes his former employers look bad is just a feather in his cap. Working on his own agenda, even after being dismissed by the officialdom whose judgment he made look inferior, he gets the job done right down to the bitter end.

A surprisely great new Author Noah Boyd

I purchased this book as something different to read, and was surpirsed in how much I enjoyed the FBI theme. I usually read Jack Higgins & John Lescroart and would definitely recommend this to others. I pass books along to several different family members and all seem impressed with this new Author.

WELCOME, Noah Boyd!

Noah Boyd writes in my favorite genre...spies and federal agents in action. Ex-FBI agent Steve Vail will be a great character to follow in future novels. Witty dialogue,fast-paced,intense action make this fun reading.Can't wait for the next one!

The Bricklayer

Very enjoyable easy read. I saw the author, Noah Boyd, on Don Imus' morning show. His personal story is intriguing (FBI) and the foundation for the book. The main character in the book is interesting and likable. Definitely a recommendable read and hope Mr. Boyd will consider authoring another book!

Former FBI Agent turned Author -- and it WORKS!

I'm not going to say something as cliche as "I couldn't put this book down!" But I will say it never strayed far from me on the nook, and it was over far too soon.

A lot of it is a little formulaic if you read books like these -- you know, guy who outsmarts everyone but wants nothing to do with anyone gets roped into crazy scenario and winds up paired up with the incredibly hot chick and together they go off and solve the case (and possibly each other in the process) -- but I guess we read these cuz we like the formula, right ?

Noah's debut definitely left no doubt as to his mastery of the formula. And although the ultimate outcome, being part of the formula, wasn't ever really in question, the twists and turns along the way make, as the previous reviewer wrote, Noah Boyd one of my new favorite authors of this genre.

New Author to add to your favorites list

Former FBI agent that doesn't play by the rules turned brich layer? Sound a little zenish? Actually Steve Vail turns out to be one smart guy that isn't so much a rogue, but more a cowboy. In some teams a cowboy doesn't work, but this is one situation where a oowboy not only works but saves the day. Boyd, a former FBI agent himself brings a sense of realism to his writing providing an insiders view into the mind set of the FBI. Vail thinks outside the box and works there too making him a rogue in the eyes of his superiors. Deputy Assistant Kate Bannon is enlisted by the director of the FBI to recruit Vail for an assignment that involves hunting a criminal that so far has managed to outsmart and outmanuver the feds. Kate rides along with Vail throughout most of the book and sees him as yes a cowboy, but much more, possibly one of the best agents she's ever worked or trusted her life with. Of course there are other beaurucrats who find Vail and his methods distasteful even though he manages to do what they can't. I found myself really liking Steve Vail and Kate Bannon as they threw themselves in harms way to catch a killer. We all hope there are guys out there like Vail, that don't play by the rules in the name of protecting and serving us all. Honestly, I couldn't put this book down. The suspense, the dialogue, and the whole premise of the story wrapped me in and wouldn't let me loose until the final page. I really hope I see more of Boyd and Steve Vail in the future. This one is not to be missed.

Great New Book

I could not put the book down.

The Brick Layer is exciting!

The Brick Layer is a fun and exciting read that keeps the reader from putting the book down. Written with excitement from the first page to the last it is a book anyone would enjoy. I am looking forward to future books from Noah Boyd!

Disappointing

After the Hype this book was getting I guess I was expecting too much. Typical unrealistic plot with very predictable dialog. This was the authors first book. I don't think I will invest in his second.