Mike S

The Lions of Lucerne, published in 2002, was the start of what has become a prolific series of novels in the spy novel/political thriller genre set around the character Scot Harvath, written by author Brad Thor. It is similar to the Mitch Rapp series in that Harvath is not a spy. He is an ex-navy seal who is now on the presidential Secret Service detail. The plot of the novel involves the kidnapping of the fictional President, Rutledge while he is on a ski vacation with his daughter. Harvath is injured in the kidnapping and then sets off to find the President, while on the run from the law when he gets too close to the truth, and the planners and organizers of the kidnapping start going after him. The hardcover version of the book is just over 400 pages, but the pace of the story is good and does not drag out. It does have what seems to be the requisite twists and turns in the story that most novels in the genre do. Some of them are a bit silly, but for the most part, they work and do not detract from the overall story. There are a lot of action sequences in the book with some character setup and development in between them. Overall, the book is very good. If you are a fan of the genre, it is definitely worth the time to read.