The Courier: A Ryan Kealey Thriller, Book 6

Let me start by saying that Andrew Britton was one of my favorite authors. And I am truly thankful to his mother and publisher for allowing Ryan Kealey to live on thru Andrew's manuscripts being finished by a ghost writer. With that being said, I felt like The Operative was missing something when it was released in 2012. I was a little hesitant to purchase The Courier as a result. But, I am glad I changed my mind and made this purchase. It just felt to me the ghost author did a much better job of grasping the personality of Ryan Kealey this time around. Kudos to the anonymous ghost writer for an excellent job putting the story together. And a big kudos to Andrew Britton for putting together a great manuscript for another fantastic story. I can't wait to read the next Ryan Kealey adventure.

Great story Keeps you reading well into the night.

I liked it, I liked the plot. I really liked some of the trade craft that was written. In some cases, (almost like real life!) the minutiae became mundane, even if it was very relevant. If Mr. Britton could describe/juice/excite the reader during these explanations of obviously important, but boring trade craft, he would elevate himself to Ian Fleming status, and probably receive some more visits from 3 letter govt. agencies.

The little things matter to me - like the description of the WWII U-boat from "stern to stern" & the fact the female protagonist was part of the mission EXPRESSLY BECAUSE OF HER LANGUAGE SKILLS. Which is great for dealing with the reluctant partner from another Middle East nation in Morocco but by the end of the story, she all of a sudden can't speak Arabic. Another point has the antagonists entering a temporary shelter with a "tarp bolted to the ground." Has the ghostwriter never set up a tent?!? There isn't anything to HOLD bolts to the ground. Most normal folks would use STAKES to hold a tarp to the ground.There are a couple other rather large points where similar leaps or lack of knowledge are incredibly jarring. The franchise & character would be better served with better editing & proof-reading for equipment facts & even continuity like the language thing mentioned above.

I loved the pace. The story held my interest till the end. In the today's world of terrorism, the thought of a nuclear weapon falling in the hands of a terrorist group is chilling. I enjoyed the psycho-analysis of a terrorist and using that knowledge to defeat him was interesting. I would have enjoyed a little more suspense and twist at the end.

I have read five of the author's spy/adventure books, and have rated them all as Very Good. However, The Courier definitely does not live up to his previous efforts. The plot provides a good framework for a fast paced spy story, but the action is just not there. No gunfights, no car chases and no fist fights. Things are a little muddled throughout, as the reader tries to keep track of who has the suitcase nuke and where they are. One of the secondary characters seems to steal the show from Ryan Kealey, and it would have been nice to see more of him.

The wreck of a WW1 German U-boat pops out of the Arctic ice revealing some cargo in the form of a black trunk.Radiation readings identify this as the makings of a bomb. Iranian operatives attempt to ship it to Iran but it is captured by a terrorist group. American agents track it all over the Middle East on its way to the USA for the ultimate blast. Thankfully the good guys win . A very good action thriller read.

The Ryan Kealy character is a fun and exciting protagonist to follow likable and full of action and guilt over mistakes made in the past, Britton was able to. Really a well thought out personification of the typical tough guy secret agent. I do not give away plots in my reviews as I hate spoilers, but this is a great read, I only hope there are more in the pipeline as Andrew Britton has passed on and this was published post-humosly.

Great story continuing the Ryan Kealey series. Long may they continue.

Nowhere as good as previous books in the Ryan Kealey series.

You'll like Ryan Kealy. So sad that the author has also passed away (as has Vince Flynn) at such a young age. The books are fast paced with a field operative who's not overly impressed with the desk jockeys in Washington. The guy gets stuff done!

Another great read. I started reading the series because I was current with all my regular authours - Lee Child and the like. Turns out I've got another Favourite Author added to my list. Do yourself a Favourite and start reading Britton.

I did not finish reading it - just wasn't my cup of tea. I wlli have to read it again - perhaps it was my mood!