MAY 2018 - AudioFile
Paul Michael’s slightly weary, slightly deep voice is apropos to this contemporary thriller set mostly in France. Michael’s articulation of a variety of foreign characters never stumbles, and his expressiveness helps make them distinctive and believable. Many are thugs, some are upper class, and the variety is keeps things lively. The story concerns a freelance fixer, somewhat like John D. MacDonald’s Travis McGee, who dashes from one dangerous venture to another—except this guy, Simon Riske, has ties to governments and international intrigue. It’s an old-fashioned story of a purloined letter that might get into the wrong hands. Action! D.R.W. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
#1 bestselling author of Fade and Rising Phoenix Kyle Mills
An out-of-control joyride for those who like their heroes flawed, scarred, and on the edge. Reich has created an irresistible character that will leave readers both wincing and cheering with every page.
Books We Love Parade
A fast, wild ride with no less than the balance of power in the Western world at stake.
New York Times bestselling author of Blame Jeff Abbott
It's To Catch a Thief meets Jason Bourne: a stylish, jet-propelled thriller full of intriguing characters and surprising twists. Simon Riske is a character I'll want to meet again.
author of The Cutaway Christina Kovac
"The Take is impossible to put down: non-stop action, a mysterious letter, and a fascinating, complicated, and sexy hero whose tool bag of wit and strength help him fight his way through the dangerous back alleys of glittering European capitals. An engrossing thriller.
Booklist
There's plenty of action, interesting bits of tradecraft, and well-sketched locales in London, Paris, and Marseille. Best of all is Reich's succinct prose style.
New York Times bestselling author of The Switch an Joseph Finder
A beautifully constructed heist is only the beginning of this spectacular thriller, which sets thief vs. thief, spy vs. spy, and even cop vs. cop. The Take is dazzling fun that surprises to the last page, with a hero who deserves an encore.
New York Times bestselling author of The Red Hunte Lisa Unger
"The Take is a slick, elegant, and gripping spy thriller of the first order. With a brilliant heist, a twisting web of secrets and intrigue, and an adrenaline-fueled plot, Reich whisked me out of my world and into his from the explosive first pages. Simon Riske is my favorite kind of hero—flawed, dark, and utterly intriguing. Fabulous!
#1 bestselling author of The Lost Order and The Pa Steve Berry
Make sure your seat belt is fastened and your tray table is up, this is one hard and fast battle royale. Tension, turmoil, and drama ooze from every page. There's not a wasted word in this high octane game-changer.
New York Times bestselling author Steve Barry
Tension, turmoil, and drama ooze from every page. There’s not a wasted word in this high octane game-changer.”
From the Publisher
"Make sure your seat belt is fastened and your tray table is up, this is one hard and fast battle royale. Tension, turmoil, and drama ooze from every page. There's not a wasted word in this high octane game-changer."—Steve Berry, #1 bestselling author of The Lost Order and The Patriot Threat
"A fast, wild ride with no less than the balance of power in the Western world at stake."—Parade, Books We Love
"The Take is a slick, elegant, and gripping spy thriller of the first order. With a brilliant heist, a twisting web of secrets and intrigue, and an adrenaline-fueled plot, Reich whisked me out of my world and into his from the explosive first pages. Simon Riske is my favorite kind of hero—flawed, dark, and utterly intriguing. Fabulous!"—Lisa Unger, New York Times bestselling author of The Red Hunter
"It's To Catch a Thief meets Jason Bourne: a stylish, jet-propelled thriller full of intriguing characters and surprising twists. Simon Riske is a character I'll want to meet again."—Jeff Abbott, New York Times bestselling author of Blame
"A beautifully constructed heist is only the beginning of this spectacular thriller, which sets thief vs. thief, spy vs. spy, and even cop vs. cop. The Take is dazzling fun that surprises to the last page, with a hero who deserves an encore."—Joseph Finder, New York Times bestselling author of The Switch and Judgment
"There's plenty of action, interesting bits of tradecraft, and well-sketched locales in London, Paris, and Marseille. Best of all is Reich's succinct prose style."—Booklist
"Likable, rascally, and suave, Riske is as distinctive as Reich's other series lead, Jonathan Ransom."—Publishers Weekly
"Reich's stylish and action-packed thriller introduces an appealing new protagonist. . . . Recommend to fans of Daniel Silva."—Library Journal
"The Take is impossible to put down: non-stop action, a mysterious letter, and a fascinating, complicated, and sexy hero whose tool bag of wit and strength help him fight his way through the dangerous back alleys of glittering European capitals. An engrossing thriller."—Christina Kovac, author of The Cutaway
"An out-of-control joyride for those who like their heroes flawed, scarred, and on the edge. Reich has created an irresistible character that will leave readers both wincing and cheering with every page."—Kyle Mills, #1 bestselling author of Fade and Rising Phoenix
MAY 2018 - AudioFile
Paul Michael’s slightly weary, slightly deep voice is apropos to this contemporary thriller set mostly in France. Michael’s articulation of a variety of foreign characters never stumbles, and his expressiveness helps make them distinctive and believable. Many are thugs, some are upper class, and the variety is keeps things lively. The story concerns a freelance fixer, somewhat like John D. MacDonald’s Travis McGee, who dashes from one dangerous venture to another—except this guy, Simon Riske, has ties to governments and international intrigue. It’s an old-fashioned story of a purloined letter that might get into the wrong hands. Action! D.R.W. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2017-10-31
A reluctant agent pursues a mysterious document through multiple layers of deception and misdirection.Prince Abdul Aziz ibn Saud's motorcade is ambushed in Paris, and most of hell breaks loose. Tino Coluzzi, a member of the Corsican Mafia, has robbed the prince not only of 600,000 Euros, but also of a letter—a letter that Vassily Borodin, director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, hopes to use to oust the Russian president. The prince, who also happens to be the chief of Saudi Arabia's secret police, has acted as Borodin's agent in acquiring the document, and Coluzzi is acting as the agent of an as-yet unnamed American. The American wants the letter; Coluzzi gets to keep the money. But Coluzzi is greedy and decides to keep the letter too, which sets in motion two new agents. Borodin's is Valentina Asanova, a beautiful Russian assassin; the American, now named Barnaby Neill, calls on Simon Riske, an American living in London with a business restoring high-end sports cars. Riske has a shadowy background and possesses unusual talents and skills. He's been in banking and also in a French prison; he was a street hoodlum, but a fellow-prisoner Jesuit priest gave him college-level instruction and a not-so-formal education in self-defense. He is an expert pickpocket, first seen stealing back a valuable stolen watch. Though he is reluctant to work for Neill, he agrees when he learns that Coluzzi is the thief—he has a long-standing grievance against Coluzzi. Nikki Perez, a Paris police detective, meets with Riske in Paris, and though at first she has her own career to tend to, eventually she becomes an ally. All Riske's talents and skills are called upon as he tries to retrieve the letter and get a measure of revenge against Coluzzi. He even figures out the deeper game being played. Riske is a likable character, as is Perez, but neither is really compelling, and the rest are pretty predictable: the blonde Russian assassin, an inscrutable CIA mandarin, a blustering French police captain. The evocations of Provence are nice, the plotting is competently handled, but in the end there's not enough sizzle.Solid if underwhelming jaunt through France.
