Review by MrunalT -- Shadow Game by A.M. Adair
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Mrunal Tikekar
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Review by MrunalT -- Shadow Game by A.M. Adair
[Following is a volunteer review of "Shadow Game" by A.M. Adair.]
Elle Anderson is highly intelligent. She is an expert marksman. She is skilled in martial arts and excels in ballroom dancing. She checks every box a modern spy could ask for. And now, her sabbatical is over. She is being sent by the CIA to lead an operation to destroy the world’s deadliest terrorist organization ‘Daesh’. Elle is psyched. She would once again be in the beautiful but now war-torn country of Iraq. The task assigned to her this time is a play with death. She would be up against fanatical, barbaric terrorists operating without any remorse. Would she be successful in her mission? Or would the enemy get the better of her? Shadow Game, by A. M. Adair, is the first book in a planned Elle Anderson trilogy. This is a fast-paced, action-filled thriller of an inside war against ISIS.
Adair has over 18 years of experience in the Intelligence Community. She is an active duty Chief Warrant Officer in the United States Navy. She has drawn from her experiences of touring Iraq and Afghanistan to imagine the material in this story. Naturally, the technical aspects of military operations are written with accurate details. Using Elle’s character, the author brings to life the dangerous and thrilling jobs of spies in military operations. It was refreshing to read about a powerful woman character dedicated to her mission without caring for her life.
The character development is good enough. Since Elle is the protagonist, readers get a lot of insight into her personality. Readers see her rock-solid determination, her ability to perform ugliest murders without flinching, as well as her caring heart and protective instincts for her teammates. But the side characters like Tex, Jack, and Eve occupy a very little frame. They are given important tasks and Elle shows them the respect they deserve every step of the way, but the characters are not as well-developed as Elle’s. I especially had a problem with Eve’s characters. At times, she is portrayed as a coy young girl desperate to impress Elle. She seems content with running small errands for Elle. I wished she was portrayed in a stronger light.
The pace of the book is perfect. The author is skilled at keeping the suspense alive, spiking it at right time to maintain readers’ interest. All the action sequences are perfectly narrated, providing even the minutest details and considerations of covert operations. The book is professionally edited. I did not come across any grammatical errors. To caution sensitive readers, the book has a considerable amount of contextual profanity. There are a couple of violent scenes and murders, and episodes of mistreatments of women.
Overall, I had no complaints about the book. This is a perfect thriller, written intelligently. I am committed to reading all the books in the trilogy. I am looking forward to reading about Elle’s operations. I am also keen on seeing how the author develops Tex’s character. I am rooting for him and would love to see him in a role as powerful as Elle’s. I gladly rate the book 4 out of 4 stars. I recommend the book to readers who enjoy stories of military operations and spy novels. Given the profanity and violent content, I do not recommend the book to young readers.
******
Shadow Game
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Elle Anderson is highly intelligent. She is an expert marksman. She is skilled in martial arts and excels in ballroom dancing. She checks every box a modern spy could ask for. And now, her sabbatical is over. She is being sent by the CIA to lead an operation to destroy the world’s deadliest terrorist organization ‘Daesh’. Elle is psyched. She would once again be in the beautiful but now war-torn country of Iraq. The task assigned to her this time is a play with death. She would be up against fanatical, barbaric terrorists operating without any remorse. Would she be successful in her mission? Or would the enemy get the better of her? Shadow Game, by A. M. Adair, is the first book in a planned Elle Anderson trilogy. This is a fast-paced, action-filled thriller of an inside war against ISIS.
Adair has over 18 years of experience in the Intelligence Community. She is an active duty Chief Warrant Officer in the United States Navy. She has drawn from her experiences of touring Iraq and Afghanistan to imagine the material in this story. Naturally, the technical aspects of military operations are written with accurate details. Using Elle’s character, the author brings to life the dangerous and thrilling jobs of spies in military operations. It was refreshing to read about a powerful woman character dedicated to her mission without caring for her life.
The character development is good enough. Since Elle is the protagonist, readers get a lot of insight into her personality. Readers see her rock-solid determination, her ability to perform ugliest murders without flinching, as well as her caring heart and protective instincts for her teammates. But the side characters like Tex, Jack, and Eve occupy a very little frame. They are given important tasks and Elle shows them the respect they deserve every step of the way, but the characters are not as well-developed as Elle’s. I especially had a problem with Eve’s characters. At times, she is portrayed as a coy young girl desperate to impress Elle. She seems content with running small errands for Elle. I wished she was portrayed in a stronger light.
The pace of the book is perfect. The author is skilled at keeping the suspense alive, spiking it at right time to maintain readers’ interest. All the action sequences are perfectly narrated, providing even the minutest details and considerations of covert operations. The book is professionally edited. I did not come across any grammatical errors. To caution sensitive readers, the book has a considerable amount of contextual profanity. There are a couple of violent scenes and murders, and episodes of mistreatments of women.
Overall, I had no complaints about the book. This is a perfect thriller, written intelligently. I am committed to reading all the books in the trilogy. I am looking forward to reading about Elle’s operations. I am also keen on seeing how the author develops Tex’s character. I am rooting for him and would love to see him in a role as powerful as Elle’s. I gladly rate the book 4 out of 4 stars. I recommend the book to readers who enjoy stories of military operations and spy novels. Given the profanity and violent content, I do not recommend the book to young readers.
******
Shadow Game
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: The Pursuit of Happiness by Paul Lucas Scott
