Thank you NET GALLEY for my copy

FBI Special Agent James Mason has proven hard to kill and is somewhat forced to take another team with similar results. This is not the book to fact check as the author has done a fine job of researching. Entertaining story line for me.

Michael Laurence begins his novel, “The Extinction Agenda,” by trying to bring about the extinction of all his characters. In the first ten pages or so he introduces a boatload of people, something that might indicate some intense reading ahead. Then, in a just a couple of pages, he erases them all in a mass killing.

FBI Special Agent James Mason, who barely survives the slaughter, begins extensive physical and mental rehab, and then takes a new team on another operation that also gets most of them killed. Mason is not someone to follow into battle. Then the author introduces us to Mason’s wife, a financial wizard, and promptly snuffs her in a motel fire. Then there were none. Twenty-five (or more) team members, including his partner and his wife, are all victimized and become extinct before we get settled in.

I wondered if the author was ever to get into his story while anyone was still alive, but to outline further adventures gets into a reveal that I’ll not make. I will tell you that two surviving friends of Mason join him in the search for a mad killer who appears ageless, showing up in photographs at every historical pandemic since the Spanish Flu in 1918. He never ages. There’s a theme here that goes on and on, as does the man in the pictures.

Laurence knows his stuff, from biological warfare to the Internet. He understands explosives, corporate greed, and human trafficking and manages to fit it all in. The writing is carefully done, the plotting is clever, and the dialogue is realistic. If you find some of the details including combat scenes confusing, so did I. But I willingly pushed my way through by skimming where necessary, always able to maintain a slim thread of comprehension.

I found the plot somewhat implausible but interesting enough to keep me reading. I actually didn’t put the book done until I had finished it. There’s a lot to digest here, with some aspects very interesting. It’s also apparent by the number of loose ends left dangling that more is yet to come. So, don’t give up on it. It’s worth the effort.

Some words of warning. Laurence, a pen name for the actual author, has a real penchant for violence. There are intense visuals and sensual experiences in his book. The feelings of pain, essences of decomposition, sounds and sights of bodily disintegration, and wholesale killing off of characters might prove too disturbing to some readers. If your stomach is somewhat weak, you might want to reconsider your decision to read this book. Having a sandwich while you read is not recommended. But the author is adept at carrying off all the mayhem in fascinating fashion.

Frankly, I was blown away by the quality of this book. It took me a while to decide whether to read it or not because the plot synopsis sounded almost trite. But at 40% in, I was more than hooked. The writing is extremely well done, as is the editing. The characters are well developed and believable. At first, I thought it was unlikely that so many characters would be from the world of the powerful and connected, but on second thought, decided that they would naturally maintain their useful connections. The plot is layered, and the second half of the book became more complicated and a little less believable. But the action was non-stop and enjoyable.

4 stars

This is an interesting bio-technical thriller. Another reviewer mentioned that this book reminded them of a James Rollins novel. I had that thought, too.

While a little heavy on the conspiracy angle for me, it was still a good read – if a little slow in places. We've got illegal aliens, Neo-Nazis, traitorous people and tortured good guys. The bio-technical stuff is well researched and thought out. Kudos for that Mr. Laurence.

This is a well written saga, and I wouldn't mind taking a look at the next in the series.

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for forwarding to me a copy of this book for me to read, enjoy and review.

I didn't enjoy this book no matter how I tried it wasn't the type of book I'm accustomed to reading. Although another person may find that they enjoy it

Title: The Extinction Agenda
Series: The Extinction Agenda
Author: Michael Laurence
Genre: Adult Fiction
Pages:400
August 27th 2019 by St. Martin's Press

An FBI agent fights to stop a conspiracy to unleash a deadly virus on the world in this propulsive, exhilarating new thriller.

We’re fighting a war, whether we choose to admit it or not. A war for survival. A war we may have already lost.

While searching for the man who killed his partner and his wife, FBI Special Agent James Mason uncovers a shadow organization on the brink of enacting its genocidal agenda and a sinister mass murderer who’s been photographed at the epicenter of every historical pandemic since the outbreak of the Spanish Flu in 1918—without appearing to age.

Mason’s quest for answers takes him from the criminal underbelly of Denver to its untouchable elite, from a dark union at the turn of the last century to a network of Nazi collaborators and a plot for global financial domination. Aided by his longtime friends Gunnar Backstrom—a corporate espionage gun-for-hire—and Ramses Donovan—a sin merchant of questionable morality—Mason uncovers a conspiracy against mankind more than a century in the making. A conspiracy to unleash a deadly virus and make a killing in the process.

Can Mason's small team bring down a seemingly unbeatable shadow empire that's rooted in every facet of our society, or does its influence run too deep?

The Extinction Agenda is the first book in a new series. It falls between Brad Thor and Boyd Morrison on the conspiracy spectrum, James Rollins and Steve Berry on the historical spectrum, and the story-telling and world-building skill of John Connolly

My thoughts
Rating: 4
Would I would recommend it? yes
Will I read any more of this series? yes
Will I read any more by this series? yes
Kind of slow but it does pick up the more you read . It also reminds me of books that James Rollins , Lee Child as well as Dean Koontz would write just to name a few , it keeps you guessing on what is going on and it shows you want can happen when you apply sorting sciences together . So if you like authors like James Rollins or Dean Koontz then you might like this one since it has a bit of every thing in it , Science, Politics, conspiracy, with that said I want to thank Netgalley for letting me read and review it exchange for my honest opinion . As well as St Martin's Press for invitation to read it and review it, can't wait for the next book to come out , once again thank you.

This book is a thriller with a well developed cast of characters, all of whom will surely be headed to a wide screen near you. The good guys are given wide latitude to bend fairly elastic sets of boundaries and the bad guys are over the top evil. The action begins with two FBI agents, Mason and Kane, who are summoned to a bizarre scene in the Arizona desert. Miles of deceased birds lay in a stream bed with evidence that humans, too, had passed not long before.

Smuggling, of course, is suspected, but after a highly contagious avian flu virus is discovered in the birds, the hunt begins in earnest when it is learned that the humans who passed them infected the birds. When the location of the infected humans is discovered, a raid is mounted on an abandoned factory and a fierce gun battle ensues with many casualties. Mason is injured and wakes up in the hospital with many questions and suspicions and with a great deal of guilt over the death of his partner, Kane. His superior in the FBI tells Mason that whatever infection existed, it was burned when the factory caught fire during the raid and burned to the ground.

Several months later, Mason is back home in Denver with his wife, Angie, an IRS agent. Mason cannot get the raid out of his mind and begins to do some investigating on his own. When he begins to suspect a large scale plot involving multinational corporations, descendents of high ranking German Nazi's and even law enforcement, Mason calls on his two oldest friends for help. There are multiple weapons' battles, high tech satellite tracking methods, and close calls for Mason and his friends, Ramses and Gunnar. The end of this book may just be the beginning of the adventures of these three.

A fantastic read first in a new series a book that kept me racing through the pages a deadly virus an FBI agents race to stop it sci fi espionage a wild ride of a read a writer to follow. #netgalley#st.martinsbooks

Read this book in one day. Moves at a good pace with a descent plot and story line. You will find intrigue and betrayal in this book with, for some, a surprising ending. Filled with a lot of background and detail that fits within the story line.

Since September 11, all Americans fear terrorism, we fear attack from other countries, when we would be wise to look closer to home when trying to eliminate the ultimate threat. FBI agent James Mason has lost both his partner and his wife, and is in the process of tracking down the man responsible when he stumbles across a plot to unleash a deadly pandemic. This cabal is buried deep inside the United States and includes both the wealthiest people in the country and some of the most feared criminals . This story is so scary because it’s so plausible, home grown terrorism is one of the most frightening realities we face, in a time when the current presidential administration seems ignorant and oblivious to these dangers

It was a great book with a interesting plot. I loved that the science was plausible. I recommend it for those who like sci fi action movies. We can expect to see more from this author soon