Finished January 2024 – Kindle Edition
The Terminal List is a military/espionage thriller written by retired Navy Seal Jack Carr. After elite Navy Seal commander James Reece loses his entire platoon in a disastrous mission and his family is killed in a murder for hire, he uncovers a vast deep state conspiracy. Using the skills he acquired from years of service in the military Reece makes it his personal mission to uncover the conspiracy and end the life of everyone involved. The title of the book comes from a list Reece makes of people he wants to kill. This is a fast paced, edge of your seat novel full of twists and unexpected turns.
I didn’t like everything about The Terminal List. For starters, Reece operates outside the law and legitimate authority. He turns off the warnings of his conscience in the name of vengeance. Some of the scenes in the book are brutal and difficult to stomach. Reece views himself as already dead. His only concern is eliminating everyone on the terminal list before his own life comes to an end. The Terminal List is fundamentally about vigilante justice, something as a Christian I view as wrong.
I did enjoy the expertise of Jack Carr. He writes with authority and understanding on the ends and outs of special operations warfare and intelligence gathering. I also think the theme of skepticism towards the deep state is warranted. Not that I believe there is a conspiracy going on in our government exactly like the one portrayed by Carr, I do think we have a massive bureaucracy of unelected technocrats forming an illegitimate fourth branch of government.
I read the Terminal List for fun. Based on how much I enjoyed the novel I give it a 6.5 out of 10.
Page Turner Book Blog by Kyle Page 