CHOKE POINT

Brad Thor's Latest Thriller

Full disclosure; I received a free advanced copy of CHOKE POINT from Brad Thor’s publisher, Atria, even though I’m under no obligation to read or review it. I also purchased an audio copy of the book because switching from hard copy/eBook to audio is the fastest way for me to “read” books. Highly recommend.

This is Thor’s twenty-fifth Scot Harvath novel which itself is hard to believe. More disclosures - while I’ve read a lot of these Harvath thrillers, I’ve not read all of them. That’s on me. The good news is you don’t need to read them all to enjoy a Harvath thriller. Thor tells you all you need to know for the current book.

In CHOKE POINT, (no spoilers,) Harvath is dispatched to Thailand to help chase down a bomber who killed and injured hundreds, including Americans, in a Bangkok explosion. The bomber, a former EOD tech turned Navy SEAL, is a gun for hire. He’ll work for anybody if the price is right. And he’s apparently the best in the business.

Concurrently, back in the Washington, D.C. area, somebody or somebodies are out to kill an ex-Marine, (I was warned off of writing there is no such thing as former Marine,) turned defense analyst with PTDS who is a China hawk. Early on, we suspect China’s fingerprints are all over both plots.

Back in Thailand, Harvath and the CIA are quick to identify the bomber, but that doesn’t mean he’s easy to find. Relationships between the Americans and the local security services and police both working the case? Yeah, about what you expect. And that deadly explosion seems to be the beginning of a sustained and on-going operation. But to what end? Harvath is quick to realize that all is not what it appears to be.

Could the bombings be a false flag operation designed to divert the West’s attention away from what’s really happening? Something bigger? The master bomb maker takes Team Harvath on a trip across Thailand for a final cat and mouse showdown to stop the last act of his overarching plan. (Well, somebody’s overarching plan. He’s just taking their money.)

Back in D.C., we’re lucky a couple of smart female feds, one from the Secret Service and one from FBI, are on the case as they scramble to figure out who is trying to kill the former China hand and his ex-fiancée. Do they get there in time? You’ll have to read the book.

A couple of favorite data points I found in the story. Parts of the book take place in the Philippines - a country I grew up in during the Vietnam war, and have returned to three times. That, and the descriptions of other Southeast Asian countries in the area are timely as I finish the edits to my latest book GRAY GHOST: An Air America - CIA Thriller that takes place in 1968 Laos. (Shameless plug I know, pre-order here.)

There are several references to, and a few characters from the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), a lesser known but hugely important federal agency where I served for a couple of years before the FBI. And, Thor ropes in the January 6th pipe bomb case and gait analysis, another topic those of you who follow me here on Substack and X know I am deeply interested in. (I’m thinking about writing my first non-fiction book about this case, but there’s a lot more to come in upcoming criminal and civil trials.)

Verdict: Five Stars. Not a hard call for a Brad Thor - Scot Harvath thriller. A well- known protagonists, two parallel stories that race along briskly, timely global ramifications, inter and intra-agency conflicts, satisfying conclusion, all equal the perfect vacation read this summer!

Later,

F.X.