Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940161203842 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Rogue Phoenix Press |
| Publication date: | 03/14/2019 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | NOOK Book |
| Sales rank: | 591,057 |
| File size: | 688 KB |
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Drone Strike
4.7 out of 5
based on
0 ratings.
6 reviews.
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A great thriller must rise on the shoulders of its main character. He must carry the novel by being clever, worldly, and above all else, likable. These are the attributes of Anthony Provati, the 34-year-old Italian American protagonist in Joe Giordano’s excellent new novel - DRONE STRIKE.
Fans of the author know Anthony Provati well. Giordano introduced readers to his main protagonist in a previous engaging thriller, APPOINTMENT WITH ISIL. We got to know Provati as a native New Yorker who owns a tiny art gallery in Soho. Always pressed for money, he finds himself in schemes and predicaments that have worldwide repercussions.
In DRONE STRIKE, Provati is settled in an idyllic existence with his girlfriend Nori on the Greek island of Santorini. The good life, however, is not to be had after an earthquake strikes the region and Nori suffers a severe head injury. Although medical care is free in Greece, we learn that the public hospitals there are grossly mismanaged. The best option is a private hospital for Nori to receive round-the-clock care. Provati is desperate to pay for it all. He takes a job as a sailboat captain to transfer illegal migrants from Greece to Italy. Unbeknownst to Provati, one of the passengers is an ISIL terrorist.
Great fiction can enlighten readers beyond mainstream coverage of world events. Giordano has extensively researched the Middle East, Islam and the history of terrorism. He gives us two key characters - Karim and Miriam, victims, in different ways, of Middle East violence. Miriam is a Syrian Christian, who was raped by ISIL thugs, after they killed her family. She met Karim at a Turkish refugee camp and together they made their way to Greece. Much of the story revolves around Karim, a chemical engineer from ISIL-controlled Iraq. An American drone strikes a car of terrorists near his house. He is thrown back from the blast and sees his home destroyed. His wife Farrah and two children are found dead amidst the rubble. How to make sense of the tragedy leads him to follow the words of one, Al-Nasir, an ISIL leader: “Like buzzing flies, Americans wave off reports of murdered Islamic women and children. They switch their televisions to reality shows and wallow in their morally bankrupt existences…You’ll continue to suffer for your loss, but Americans remain indifferent.”
Giordano takes the reader on a grand tour of the Middle East war zone. We follow Karim to a Jihadi camp in the Iraqi desert that trains suicide bombers. He travels through Syria with a fake passport. The Mediterranean becomes the main setting as Karim claims refugee status in Turkey, only to sneak into Greece and then on to Italy.
Personal tragedy is the central chord that unites the characters in DRONE STRIKE. At root is faith and the mystery of God’s intervention; an important theme in the novel since Middle East violence is religious based.
Giordano is rightly hailed as a thoughtful and creative author who gave us a dynamic character in Anthony Provati. The author has now exceeded himself with DRONE STRIKE. This is an exceptional novel that is as thrilling as it is illuminating.
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This is the third book I read by author Joe Giordano and the second in the Anthony Provati Thriller series. As in his previous books, Giordano's writing is bold and intelligent, with well developed characters both for the protagonist as well as the antagonist. In Appointment with ISIL we get to meet Anthony Provati, an American Italian with a Mafioso uncle in a thrilling story with mobsters jumping off the page at every turn.
In Drone Strike, the story takes on a different atmosphere with Karim's story starting in Iraq taking up most of the plot with Anthony coming in much later in the story. Although Karim is training to be a terrorist, we get to see the human side to him, the heartbreaking pain of losing his family to a drone strike by the Americans, his kindness toward Miriam, a woman who also suffered terrible losses, and his skewed vision of justice perpetrated by an organisation that brainwashes its members.
The fact that Giordano can bring the reader to sympathize with the innocent victims caught up in the evil plots of men who live to kill in the name of God is a testament to his skill as a writer. I did find the brutal killings and rape of the women (not explicit) at the hands of sadistic men very hard to read so if you are a sensitive reader, take this into consideration.
Unlike the first book in the series, this one felt much more serious and ultimately it was a sad story, with an ending that left me with questions about what would happen next. Of course, this makes me believe there could be another book in the series coming up. The Italian connection was also not as strong in this book with few scenes connected to the Mafia. I did enjoy the different settings in a variety of Mediterranean countries and it's clear the author has first-hand experience with the cultures and was able to translate this beautifully in the novel.
If you are a fan of fast-paced thrillers with unforgettable characters and a believable plot, you won't be disappointed with this series.
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Karim loves his family and is doing everything to keep them safe in Iraq. But an American drone strike kills them and he if full of hatred. The Islamic State in the Levant convince him that the best way to get revenge is to perform a terrorist attack on American soil. This begins a long journey for Karim to revenge for the loss of his family.
Karim then meets Miriam, a woman that has lost her family to the same men encouraging him to attack the Americans. He does doubt his mission since his shared pain and loss brings him closer to Miriam. But he is still going through with the plan. Anthony Provati is called in to stop Karim which starts a chase that will cross the globe.
This is an action packed thriller that makes you think. Karim is not your typical bad guy. He has lost his family and consumed by grief. Then someone comes along and sounds like they care but all they are doing is twisting his pain into their agenda. I liked his relationship with Miriam and thought this was a great addition to this story.
I did read Appointment with ISIL and really liked Anthony. Unfortunately he doesn’t really make much of an appearance until the middle of the story then things really take off. It makes the beginning of the book not really feel like an Anthony Provati story.
Now, having said that this is a great book and one that I recommend checking out. It makes a great point that not all bad guys are your classic movie bad guy. There are shades of grey in this world and people that are not really your friend but just using you for their gains.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.
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Wow. This is the type of book that is so life like that you are afraid to like it (or admit out loud that you liked it).
It was very real life – like, this could be happening in every day life, today, and we wouldn’t have the slightest idea because well, that’s just how it works.
The story follows Karim, a normal family man in Iraq, who’s family is killed by an American drone. This attack turns him vengeful and in his journey to get revenge, he becomes an ISIL terrorist. (Seems legit. Who wouldn’t want revenge for their families’ death?)
Karim’s journey follows him as he sneaks out of Iraq and makes his way to the US. The characters involved, the secret organization, the reach that ISIL has – astonishing.
The entire journey had me on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next; what party would be involved in the next step; how the next step was going to play out.
Aside from Karim, there were several other key characters that we get involved in and play their own role in the entire journey.
If you like real life suspense; this book is right up your alley. Suspense, thrill – an edge of your seat terrorist journey.
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Drone Strike is the second installment from the Anthony Provati Thriller series. I have not read the first book and feel this could be read as a stand alone. It tells the story of an Iraqi Karim losing his wife and children because of an American drone strike. He seeks revenge and is recruited to be part of a terror attack against the United States of America for The Islamic State. Anthony Provati has to find a way to keep this from happening. The reader will be taken from all over the globe from the Middle East, Central America and United States.
I found Drone Strike to be a great read. I usually have a hard time following plot lines in a thriller and do not normally read thriller. However, I enjoyed reading this one. It is action packed and fast paced but not so much so that it is difficult to catch on what is going on. There were some scenes were quite violent that I did not care for. There were other scenes that made me see through the eyes of others around the world that put current events into perspective.
I am giving Drone Strike four and a half stars. I would love to read the previous book in the Anthony Provati Thriller series to see what happened prior to this one, as well as, read any other books that release after this one. I recommend this for readers who enjoy a suspense filled novels that will keep them on the edge of the seat.
I received this book from the publisher. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.
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Drone Strike is a first rate thriller and page turner till the very end. Joe Giordano does a masterful job of weaving several subplots together seamlessly. Nothing is black and white in this story. You will find yourself falling in love with Mariam, Renata, Anthony Provati and most of all, the very complicated character of Karim. I’ll leave it at that. Could be a great movie. For now, Drone Strike is a great book!
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