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I just finished reading "Aim High" and "Patriot Plan" by Devin Kerins and I'm wondering if any one else has read these yet? I picked them up because I had read his ancedotal books on his career as a paramedic. I was a little apprehensive because these were novels and I didn't know if he could pull me, but I have to say I absolutely loved them. The best way I can think to descibe them is a parody of terrorism/action novels - filled with a perfect blend of both juvenile and high brow sarcastic comedy, and engaging characters written in such as way as I didn't know if I should be cheering for the good guys or the terrorists. It's predictable in the sense that you know the good guys will triumph, but that is the only thing I found predictable about these books - that includes the dialogue, the jokes, character flaws, the action, and even the locations.

For those that haven't read or heard of them (as I suspect many haven't), "Aim High" tells the story of a group of Air Force generals who seek to secure defense contractor jobs by throwing a surprise drill on a random base. A bit thin, but it sets in motion hilarious misadventure after misadventure. Real terrorists are directed to attack the base on the same day as the exercise to steal experimental weapons, but the misfits on the base think that its all part of the drill. It has bumbling and loveable terrorists - yes, I said loveable. These guys are neurotic, hapless, yet somehow endearing. The Air Force base is made up of similarly goofy, unlikely heroes. In fact, I would say that is this the first book I read where there isn't a 'straight man' who knows all the answers and all the right things to do.

"The Patriot Plan" picks up where "Aim High" leaves off. No surprises, the terrorists are caught at the end of "Aim High" and are now awaiting trial. In an attempt to get the terrorists out, a group hires an assassin to murder the prosecution's witnesses. However, the assassin always seems to be arriving too late as the witnesses find a way to accidentally kill themselves. Eventually, they resort to the old fashion method of just trying to break the terrorists out of jail. Meanwhile, a group of self-proclaimed patriots who are suffering from failure to launch decides to attack the trial to prove a point. The ways in which these guys try to get money to finance their terror plot literally had me laughing out loud, much to the annoyance of those around me on my plane.

What I love is that they have all these separate plot lines that somehow come to an effortless head, intersecting in funny and action filled ways. The characters are memorable. The dialogue is easy and fun. And best off, the book doesn't take itself too seriously. I felt Devin knew what he wanted to do, to parody people like Tom Clancy or Clive Cussler, and went out and did it in an endearing way. I thoroughly enjoyed the books. I downloaded it on Kindle for $0.99, and for that price you can't beat the fun you get. The actual books are like $15, and I can't see spending that much - they're good, but let's face it... they're not that good. Although, since I tend to believe these are self published, I can't fault him for a price like that. If you want a hysterical, fast-paced read that will leave you wanting more, give them a try (on Kindle haha).

Wow! I was totally surprised to see someone else read these too. A friend of mine recommended these to me while I was in Afghanistan. They cracked me up! The characters were great. You can really see how he made fun of a lot of the characters that seem to be standards in espionage books these days - the omnipotent terrorist handler, the jilted lover, the haunted CIA agent. And the character flaws were off the wall, I loved it.

Devin's writing reminded me a lot of Christopher Moore, or even a military version of 'Reno 911'. Yet behind all the jokes was a well structured story. I agree, a little light on the overall premise of the exercise somehow leading to defense contractor jobs, but you never know what to expect. The strip club scene in Aim High had me in tears, as did the raid on the self-storage container place.

I'm really hoping there are more coming from him. Definitely worth the dollar for a few great laughs.

Christopher Moore! That's it! I couldn't remember who it was reminding me of.

I read "Aim High" but haven't gotten to "Patriot Plan" yet. I thought "Aim High" was great fun. I wouldn't say it was the great American novel, but if you're looking for a fun, fast read you can't go wrong with this. I find his mastery of 1980's pop culture entertaining, if not a little disturbing haha. I concur, the raid on the self-storage place was hysterical. I was reminded of authors like Carl Hiaasen or Tim Dorsey in the way he created off-the-wall characters that have separate plot lines that seem to intersect easily for chaotic and funny results.

I saw Devin also has another novel, "Lotto Fever" that doesn't seem to be in the series. Have you read that?

Jimmy you have to read The Patriot Plan!

And 'Lotto Fever' is pretty funny too. It's technically not part of the series, although it does have some of the same characters (the self-absorbed reporter and his cameraman). Considering Devin started as a paramedic, it was almost a given he would write a comedy about EMS. This was pretty simple, but every bit as fun as his other books.