I received another review on Dead Reckoning. Thanks, Steph
I am a huge fan of thriller and suspense novels and read them all the time. Unfortunately, after a while many of them start to feel the same, like many authors (especially new ones) are using the same recycled plot over and over again. But I love how these books totally break the mold, but stay true to the spirit of the genre. I am so interested in this element of the “Director” the entity that is part of these stories and hope we see more about that aspect. I really liked the first book, “Dead and Dead for Real” and this follow up was just as amazing, if not more so because everything in this one is so much bigger and worse! Right from the start it’s one thing after another that is basically the United States’ worst nightmare – the war is carried out on different fronts and the nation is collapsing. Again, I was captivated by the way Clayton weaved so many interesting characters and twisted frighteningly plausible storylines together to create a story that I couldn’t put down until the final conclusion. I was glad to see Katherine. and Nick and Freddy (and the ‘other one’) back, and it was good how we are filled in on the events of the other book, but you don’t need to have read it to understand and enjoy this one. It is self-contained. (But read it because its awesome!) It was fast-paced, action and high-stakes drama packed, and with snappy dialogue and free from many clichés that riddle this genre. I was curious to see how this would all work out in the end, and I wasn’t at all disappointed--- the author makes so very profound observations on the state of the nation in general, and its parallels to modern times is not lost on the reader. An intelligent and thought-provoking read that is different from much out there, and probably best suited for mature readers. So glad there will be more of these books to come! (5 stars) Stephen Beacher—Goodreads; Barnes & Noble; Indie Book Reviewers