I'm continually impressed with how well Carr can weave a story. I enjoy how the characters have progressed throughout this short series, with *The Devil’s Hand*being the fourth installment of a great series thus far.

I still appreciate Carr’s writing, as I think he’s one of the best pure-writers in the genre right now. He has made a legacy as a creative, fast-paced writer that delivers thrilling, exciting, and nonstop thrillers with intense action scenes that can stick with their readers for years after. I did find that it got bogged down in politics and reading about a virus after just living through one made it difficult to sit back, relax, and enjoy a thriller.

I understand that these feelings will likely put me in a small minority of readers, which I understand and can even appreciate. I think most readers will find this a fun, fully-loaded read. Either way, I’ll definitely be reading the next installment, and I think it’s a solid novel by one of the best thriller writers in the business.

In The Devil’s Hand you’ll find a decidedly large amount of death, detail, and deliberation. A seemingly odd trio that only an author with Jack Carr’s writing skills can combine in an enthralling novel that is as much a discussion of history and policy, as it is an outright action thriller.

If there is one thing that fans have come to expect from any Jack Carr book it is violence of action. The intense brutality that James Reece brings down upon his enemies is second to none in the genre. It is not any particular level of destruction or gimmicky Hollywood stunts that make Carr’s fight scenes so visceral, rather it is the personal nature, the blow by blow explanation of how the fight unfolds, as well as another of Carr’s trademarks… the description.

As the saying goes… the Devil is in the details. Carr continues to craft scenes with an insanely high level of detail that rather than bogging down the story, it does the opposite and helps readers create an even clearer mental picture of what is happening on the page. As all great writers do, Carr touches on each of the five senses as he describes the circumstances his characters find themselves in. Along with scene setting, Carr excused an almost professorial tone in his explanations of the history, policy, and people that have influenced the world he builds in his books. I often find myself making notes on items to research further on my own when I finally put the book down.

With a story set in a post-COVID world, including the President of the United States and a terrorist plot to ramp up an already hyper partisan US citizenry against itself, it would be almost impossible for some political deliberation and discussion not to find its way onto the pages. In the current political climate and while COVID still impacts daily life, a book about a viral bioweapon and scheming politicians may cause some readers to second guess picking this book up. That would be a mistake. A very BIG mistake. This is an incredibly entertaining read that thriller fans pre-order ASAP. The only reason I bring it up is that the action and real story do take a bit of time to get going and a large portion of that initial part is heavy on the political discussion.

That being said… there is one particular stance that Carr holds that nearly ruined the book for me and is something that I guarantee will be brought up next time we chat. His anti-soccer rhetoric must be denounced and a full discussion about the merits of the beautiful game should be scheduled with all deliberate speed!

Other than the soccer stuff… it is a fantastic book that both new readers and diehard fans will enjoy.

James Reece is back with a vengeance in The Devil’s Hand, the fourth book in the blockbuster thriller series from former Navy SEAL turned bestselling author Jack Carr. Jack delivers yet another action-packed race against time thriller that hits close to home, leaving readers holding their breath until the dramatic and climactic conclusion.

The Devil’s Hand is a return to the winning revenge-seeking formula from Jack’s debut novel The Terminal List. However, this time it’s not personal for Reece. He’s the lethal point of the spear being deployed at the behest of the newly elected President of the United States of America, who seeks to avenge the untimely and unjust death of his fiancée on 9/11. Meanwhile, a terrorist plot unfolds that threatens to murder tens of millions of Americans unless the President authorizes an unthinkable last resort option to contain a deadly virus. The only hope for the country to avoid further catastrophic loss of life is Reece coming through in the clutch – again – to save the day.

This book is everything you expect from Jack Carr – heart-pounding action sequences, brutal violence, game-changing twists, and annoying politicians you want to punch right in the face hole. It also goes without saying that not only is The Devil’s Hand well written, it is incredibly well researched. The meticulous level of detail throughout the book adds to the reading experience by painting a strong visual of the scenes, characters, and objects. It’s Clancy-esque and continues to be Jack’s calling card, one fans are intimately familiar with since he burst onto the scene in 2018.

While The Devil’s Hand kicks ass, I will confess that partisan politics and killer viruses are not topics I’m particularly interested in reading at this moment in time. These subjects obviously add a great deal of realism to the plot, which propels sections of the book into the realm of historical fiction rather than straight thriller from cover to cover. However, I’m over both topics after living through this past challenging year dominated by Covid-19 and an exceedingly divisive presidential election. Understand, this is a personal preference and I expect it won’t bother 99% of the readers who pick up a copy of this novel. And it shouldn’t. This book is essential reading for thriller fans, worthy of topping bestseller lists, and continues Jack’s hot streak of triumphant storytelling.

Jack Carr continues to throw 100 MPH heat and The Devil’s Hand cements his status as one of the top action thriller writers in the genre today. The thoughtful approach to his craft is apparent on each page of this novel and it’s sure to please newcomers just discovering Jack as well as his most ardent fans. Can’t wait to see where this series goes next!

The Devil’s Hand is an unflinching thriller masterpiece that I applaud for not shying away from the reality we now live in. It’s on a much grander scale than the previous Jack Carr thrillers but entails the same ferocious James Reece who takes his combatants down in ways that will thrill even the most hardcore action fans of the genre.

The Devil’s Hand is one of the first books to acknowledge the profound effects of the changes in the world brought on by the onset of COVID-19, adding a deeper level of connection to the story that comes with reading thrillers inspired by real events and situations. The President of the United States offers James Reece a secret mission of assassinating all those who had a role in perpetrating the horrible tragedy of 9/11. At the same time, an engineered biological virus is planned to be spread by members of the same terrorist cell in the hopes of pushing the president to enact a contingency that involves burning down US cities to contain a pathogen. When Reece stumbles unexpectedly upon this dangerous plot, he has to act quickly before innocent lives are lost to both the deadly virus and the explosive contingency of the US government. If the terrorist cell was not enough, Reece also has to outwit an ambitious senator who wishes to take control of the country at the expense of innocent lives.

While the build-up to action does take a while, it’s worth it. The action sequences are a huge step up from the past James Reece thrillers. When Reece is targeted and his girlfriend is caught in the crossfire, Reece unleashes his feral side in a display of beautifully violent combat. In one particular shootout, Reece makes a brilliant dual wield combo of his Sig P365 compact pistol and a Tomahawk while taking on multiple opponents at a time. The action is not a flurry of movements, but detailed in the art of combat.

The book does incorporate heavy political views at times that may not resonate with all the readers; I had some reservations as well. However, if one can put aside the political reservations, The Devil’s Hand is a highly rewarding and thrilling experience.

It is a relatively longer thriller than most, but it’s not a drag. The length is due to the world-building information that Jack Carr aptly presents in order to establish the foundations for scenarios and characters, giving the impression that the events in the book are not as far-fetched as one might think. It’s an aspect that will strike a chord with connoisseurs of classic action thrillers which detailed the world of the story to resonate with the readers.

With awe-striking action sequences, riveting plots that merge together brilliantly, and a kickass protagonist, Jack Carr delivers another banger that ends with the promise of a showdown that needs to be done justice in the next thriller!

Jack Carr continues to find the groove in his latest James Reece thriller. His writing has been nothing but phenomenal from the beginning with The Terminal List, followed on by True Believer and Savage Son....

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