True Believer: A Novel (Terminal List, Book 2)

“THIS IS A NOVEL of redemption,” Jack Carr writes in the preface chapter of True Believer. What followed was a brief description of the current battle many veterans, me included face with transitioning to civilian life from active duty military. This set the tone for me, set me at ease knowing that while I’m reading this incredibly well written novel, I’m not alone in this feeling of questioning myself if my life still has that same meaning and same purpose as it once did when I wore that uniform.TRUE BELIEVER from Jack Carr, the former Navy SEAL who came out of nowhere last year with his acclaimed debut The Terminal List. Jack spent 20 years as an operator himself, starting off his career as an enlisted SEAL sniper, then transitioned to an officer worthy of leading troops into combat. Keep in mind, this is the author of the book, not his protagonist. Two years ago, I had the opportunity to see Brad Thor at one of his tour stops and he mentioned Jack Carr, describing him as opposite of himself. Saying, “he was an author that wishes he was a SEAL, while Carr is a SEAL that wants to be an author.” Well, fast forward two years and Carr is standing tall amongst the best in the thriller community, quickly establishing himself with his debut novel and his follow up, TRUE BELIEVER is even better. So, buckle up, pour yourself a strong cup of coffee, if I may recommend, Black Rifle Coffee Co. A veteran owned and operated business to help keep you awake because putting down this thriller is a tall order.Jack introduced to the world James Reece. A man forced to kill out of pure rage, bringing death and chaos to those who wronged him in the most terrible way imaginable. The Terminal List saw James Reece lose everything that he held close to his heart and by the end of the book, he was 100% certain he was on his way to join his family due to a brain tumor. Well, True Believer picks up with Reece having liberated a sail boat, and made his getaway, as one of the most wanted domestic terrorist in the country. Still experiencing the frequent headaches, and unsure how much time he has left, he ends up spending a few months aboard that boat eventually seeking refuge with an old friend. Where he quickly puts his talents to good use, those talents however is what gets him noticed and as he knew was the possibility, someone came for him. Assuming whoever came for him had the entire area surrounded by a team of commandos and not having the heart to kill anyone that doesn’t deserve to be killed, Reece just approached the property where he was staying and discovered one man. A former SEAL brother and current CIA intelligence officer who came to recruit him instead of kill him.Reece was selected as the best person to succeed in this mission due to the relationships he has established on a prior deployment overseas and the people involved. Not giving Reece too much of a choice, by offering freedom or jail time to not only Reece but those that assisted him in his mission of revenge in the first novel. Also, his friend plays him a certain voicemail, we as the readers already heard at the end of The Terminal List, but Reece did not. Reece agrees to help and from there the two get on a totally non-luxurious CIA jet, citing that he must not rate the luxury of the G550 quite yet. From there, Reece and Navy SEAL Senior Chief Freddy Strain go to an undisclosed location to train and get ready for their mission. Jack didn’t choose to not tell us where this place is, instead the US government did in its amendments. You may have heard, anything Jack writes must go through a strict vetting process by the DOD due to Jack’s security clearance from his time as a Navy SEAL. There are quite a few completely blacked out words, sentences and even an entire paragraph.True Believer has no shortage of action, Jack proves again how well he knows his weapons, their proper use, real world tactics used by elite tier one operators. With dialogue that clearly shows his personal battlefield experience. As a reader, I can always tell which author researched a certain topic, took great notes and pieced together a scene as oppose to those that actually lived that lifestyle. Things that are vital in a fire fight, “speed, surprise, violence of action and situational awareness” are just a few things I took note of while reading this novel. The weapons used were all described in great detail, giving you the reader a much better understanding of how and why certain things are necessary, especially when one takes a shot from two klicks and is deadly accurate. The Terminal List set the bar high, delivering what many prominent people in the thriller genre world have compared to Vince Flynn’s debut, Term Limits. A praise I very much agree with. With True Believer, Jack has once again brought a thriller that will be compared to the very best this year has to offer. Earning himself a Blast Radius of a Nuclear Bomb a perfect 10/10 rating.

I love how Carr advanced Reece in this one. He's setting this up to be the next great thriller series, and you can tell. Immediately bought the next one after finishing this one. Also, I loved the references to Mitch Rapp and Scott Harvath. You have to love it when the next great thriller writer pays homage to the greats that came before him. Much respect.

If you enjoyed reading or seeing the Terminal List and wondered what’s next for everyone’s favorite Frogman then get the True Believer.It carry’s forward James Reece’s plight in life!

I have both the audio and the kindle book. When I couldn’t listen, I was reading, and vice versa. This book’s plot line keeps you engaged and pining for what comes next. Carr takes the time and effort to further develop James Reece’s character, which makes the reader want to meet this guy and salute him (and hug him… and have a beer with him). A great read and cannot wait to read Book 3!

I don't want to get into trite comparisons with other authors, but I've been an avid Clancy fan for many decades. Carr is every bit as good as Clancy and, in my opinion anyway, much easier to read and follow. I found myself having to take notes in some of Clancy's novels to keep the characters straight but Carr really keeps the focus on the stuff that matters. I've already convinced several people to pick up book 1 only so they can immediately move on to book 2 and join in this journey with me. I can't wait to complete this and move on to book 3!

Well written and easy to read. Looking forward to more. Really enjoy it the series so far. Highly recommend these books.

A great read that keeps you wanting to not put it down.

great edge of your seat book

I am an avid reader but I had always avoided reading military thrillers so far because I found them too over-dramatic and over the top. But I watched The Terminal List TV show on Amazon Prime and loved the writing and character development. Hence bought this book as I knew from the promotional material of the TV show that the writer is ex-military.The story is very good and plausible. There's no hyperbole or ridiculous twists every single page. The detailing is excellent. Nearly 10% of the text is redacted as per US Government policy but it's still quite coherent. If you like thrillers that have a sound plot and plausible storyline, this is the book is highly recommended for you. I liked it so much that I've already bought Savage Son (the next book in the James Reece series).

"We've got a former Russian GRU colonel clearly at odds with the current regime and very connected in DC, a turned CIA Russia analyst on the run, a Syrian general tied to Assad and (...) brokering mercenaries out of Syria (...), all connected to a rogue CIA Ground Branch sadist running a former friend (of Reece) who thought he was working for the US government."Klingt gut, ist gut. Jedoch mit Einschränkung.Der Anfang, Reece on the run, beginnt etwas zu entspannt. Friedlich um die Welt segelnd, landet der most wanted domenstic terrorist James Reece letztendlich in Mozambique auf der Gaming Farm von Rich Hastings. Dort arbeitet er Monate bis ihn Freddy Strain, ein Freund und former Seal, der in "Terminal List" eine capture/kill mission gegen Reece leitete, aber in einem ambush seitens Reece samt seines Teams verschont wurde und nun für Langley arbeitet, findet, aufsucht und mit dem pardon des Präsidenten in der Hand, zu einem neuen Job überredet. Er soll Mo Farooq aufspüren, der für die blutigsten Terror attacks der frühen Geschichte (mit) verantwortlich gemacht wird.Für Reece ist es eine Chance auf einen Neuanfang. Wie sich aber natürlich herausstellt, ist nichts, wie es scheint und am Ende steht er vor einem Sarg.Jack Carr ist ein Seal und er ist stolz darauf. Das gefällt mir außerordentlich außerordentlich. Das spürt und sieht und liest man mit jedem einzelnen Wort. Die Gefühl und das Wissen gestaltet die Bücher und die Story highly authentisch.James Reece ist ein authentischer neuzeitlicher Warrior.Manchmal jedoch, im Eifer des mentalen Gefechts, übertreibt Carr ein wenig. Zu viele acronyms, zu viel Info in einem Satz, zu viel Mozambique und zu viel Tee chit chat eines Nato Generals mit seiner Frau kurz bevor sein Auto in die Luft fliegt. Das muss nicht sein. Es zieht die Geschichte unnötig in die Länge, stört die Action und lässt zu wenig Raum für die Entwicklung des Characters eines James Reece. Daran ändert auch ein glossary am Ende nichts. Es unterbricht den Lesefluss. Ok, man gewöhnt sich im Laufe der Geschichte daran, aber nein, hilfreich ist es nicht. Und warum in einem publizierten Thriller Wörter und Passagen geschwärzt sind, ist mir schleierhaft. Das muss auch nicht sein. Ein Jack Carr hat solche offensichtlichen Pseudo-Spielereien nicht nötig. Deswegen "nur" vier Sterne obwohl ich gerne fünf Sterne gegeben hätte.Beeindruckend ist auch, die gegenseitige Unterstützung der Autoren untereinander. Product Placement von Brad Thor und Mark Greaney und anderen. Gefällt mir, solange sie unauffällig und dezent, wie dazu gehörend platziert sind. Das ist hier der Fall. Es fällt nicht direct auf. Sie ist einfach da.Lange Rede, kurzer Sinn. Jack Carr versteht sein Handwerk. Er schreibt wunderbar authentisch, geradlinig und ohne Schnörkel, dabei teilweise brutal offen in "es ist wie es ist" Manier und dann wieder nachdenklich und verletzlich. Gerade am Ende vor dem Sarg. Ein anderer Reece, menschlich und zutiefst getroffen. Man möchte ihn umarmen.Auf jeden Fall freue ich mich auf den dritten Teil. Definitiv freue ich mich auf den dritten Teil.

James Reece, dispatching the bad guy’s the way only a special operator can. A great insight on how the the shadow world makes its moves

The tactical combat was exciting, the hero was a man flesh and blood with a heart for the family he lost, but the story was flat.You kill him, I kill you, then he kill him, I kill you. Then add in a lot, I mean really tons of tactical and combat details especially about the armaments, that made up the story.The details about the arms were good, but too much of them become tedious. It was like going into a museum of armaments and wars, let’s learn how to invade a country. There are so many fictional stories about insurgency and terrorism which didn’t need so much details to create the same exciting story. This is just too much for me.

Great book. First and third are better. This book spends a lot of time setting up what’s gonna be the next 3-6 novels. So most of it is like a introduction cause even tho it’s not exciting per say it’s interesting and detrimental for you too understand the next few novels. Worth the read and some of the best books around these series. Savage son gets a 4 stars again cause the beginning is bit boring at times and most the book is like a Introductory itself. Gets good when Freddy shows up in Africa. Around the 2-250 page mark.