I have been provided with an advance copy of the new Watch Dogs novel Stars & Stripes by Sean Grigsby and Stewart Hotston, published by Aconyte Books, so here is the honest review I promised in exchange for the book.

So here is an important disclaimer which is always important to put out there first. I have a casual work contact with Asmodee to demonstrate board games for them in stores and at conventions. Asmodee being the parent company of Aconyte the publisher.

I am going to try my best to not let that cloud my judgement in this review, but I accept that subconsciously it might.

What is Watch Dogs
Watch Dogs is an action-adventure game franchise, published by Ubisoft, and there have been three games published since 2014, the most recent being Watch Dogs Legion, published in late 2020.

Watch Dogs feature protagonists who are hackers working against criminal underworlds, corrupt companies and rival hackers.

The Story
Stars & Strips follows the protagonist of the original game and is set between the events of that game and Watch Dogs Legion.

Whilst completing a job in Baltimore, Adrian Pierce is forcibly recruited by a shadowy government agent to investigate the hijacking of a transport full of transhuman augmentations!

Forced to work with Jordi Chin, he quickly finds himself in the middle of a conspiracy, that reaches all the way to the White House, as the mysterious Stripes, a white supremacist group look to seize power and enforce their racist xenophobic and backwards agenda on the country.

Conclusion
Well, what can I say the book has lots of character, and the character development of Pierce, is way more than was in the original game!

The book has a very uncomfortable plot as it is basically very much an examination of the culture wars and racism that has seized US politics, as the villains are a group that’s very familiar, they are “patriots” with more in common with groups like the Proud Boys, KKK, Britain First, and the Oath Keepers.

So yeah lots of examination of racism and hatred as a form of patriotism, and I am not gonna lie, it was delightful to see them get what they deserved.

This is a great book, its pacing was just right, I mean its one of the best paced books I have read in a long time, and I really couldn’t put it down and read it very quickly!

I am gonna have to give this wild of a book, an easy 5 out of 5 stars!

Within the opening chapter of the book Stewart Hotston and Sean Grigsby take you headfirst into the Watch Dog's world, with Aiden doing what Aiden does best at the forefront. Painting a scenario I could see and picture in-game.

Stars and Stripes is set 17 years after the events of the first Watch Dogs title, referencing events like the lighthouse towards the end of the campaign setting the book in roughly 2031

After the opening of the book, Aiden is introduced to a group linked to the government who needs his set of skills to recover a containment of artificial limbs and technology

Paired with his old friend Jori they both venture off into the unknown, not quite sure what they'll face.

Up against the “Brotherhood of Stripes” and attempting to solve the mystery afoot Aiden and Jordi pair up, to stop the brotherhood and uncover what's going on.

The book takes you on an adventure that I would have loved to have seen as a set of missions or a DLC within the Watch Dogs world. I could genuinely picture this.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, whilst we won't see any more updates to Legion as a game, its nice to see an expansion to the Watch Dogs world,

The book makes countless callbacks to the previous games like Jordi talking about hacker kids in San Francisco to the epilogue, which I won't spoil but it had me smiling and screaming as I started to read it and knew just what it was.

The authors clearly did their research when it came to the previous titles, the moments of conversation felt like they had been pulled from the game, they felt like normal discussions, Jordi being the wise-mouthed man he was, and Aiden as always been slow and methodical with his actions.#

Seeing the boys back together was great and the duo of authors really did an incredible job with this book. I would implore you to pick it up.

A fan of the Watch Dog games franchise since its release I was incredibly excited to find that Aiden Pearce was back in his first story since the 2014 game. I was even happier to find that this novel links to his arrival in the latest expansion for Watch Dogs: Legion game, Bloodlines. So needless to say I had high expectations. It’s nearly always the same with an Aconyte book though and boy did they deliver.

For those who may not have played the games the Watch Dogs universe focuses on and illustrates the labyrinthine world full of corrupt companies, criminal empires and rival hackers all hellbent on rooting out deadly secrets – with people from all walks of life caught in between. Similar to the Anonymous collective of hackers present in our own world.

Stars and Stripes sees infamous hacker Aiden Pearce follow a bloody trail of corruption to the highest levels of government in this gritty and tense action adventure. Older, but not exactly wiser, Aiden Pearce, ‘the Fox’, is a rolling stone, surviving by moving from one shadowy hacker job to the next. While finishing a job in Baltimore, he’s captured by a mysterious agent who insists on finding some missing cargo full of transhuman tech is a job only Aiden can do. But when flattery doesn’t work, blackmail does. Could it get any worse? Considering he ends up partnered with the unscrupulous Jordi Chin, yes it could. The simple investigation and retrieval begins to spiral into a nefarious plot leading all the way to the White House. Should Aiden really help a country that only wants to see him behind bars? For the Vigilante, no one escapes hard justice, not even Uncle Sam.

From the very first page we are dropped into the action packed and gritty world of Watch Dogs and the action does not let up. I was hooked. Sometimes it is difficult to capture the essence of a different medium such as a videogame and translate it to a prose novel but believe me when I say Sean Grigsby and Stewart Hotston do just that! Not once are you left thinking this is too much or this isn’t believable – quite the opposite. The story fits perfectly into the Watch Dog universe and somewhat eerily even ours.

Dealing with topics that have been brought to light more so in recent years we see so called ‘Patriots’, the Stripes, dreaming of a true America where only those with a certain background and skin tone are safe. These themes of racism being validated and seen as a form of patriotism are dealt with amazingly by the authors. I would dare say it provides a rather startling look at something that, while based on a game, could and unfortunately is an issue in our world and not just in America. I was perhaps a little too pleased to see a lot of the stripes get what they deserved.

On top of this the plethora of added characters are well thought out and believable. I have to admit this novel reignited my love for Aiden the most, with his wits and sarcasm as well as determination in face of rather damning odds. A quick note and aside was, and stupid as it sounds, seeing the characters particularly Aiden continue to suffer from their scrapes, wounds and just general age. The characters aren’t invincible (yes you can die in a video game but often the characters can go through a lot or sort of cheat death. Take Skyrim for example, I can’t be the only one who may be guilty of stopping mid-battle to eat some sweetrolls!) but that doesn’t happen here. Yes, they get medical attention but they still suffer later on. It’s not a cure all and it helps further ground this in the real world.

I honestly could not put this one down.The action perfectly merged the high-tech setting of the Watch Dog universe. This is a high-octane ride that does not let up. A wonderful addition to the growing line-up of Watch Dog tie-ins. I really hope we see Aiden Pearce return in novel form and I adored the tie in at the end to the newest expansion of Watch Dog: Legion. Aconyte have done it once again and I have to say this may be one of my favourite reads of the year so far.

ARC Copy...I admit right off the bat because of the heavy political-social themes paralleling the current political-social fabric in the States, it was super uncomfortable to read especially when far right "Stripes" is on page but fits with the social fabric of the "Watch Dogs" world. The unfolding plot was...wow that is complex! The Wetware tech being central feels...hmm I think this could be "new thing" and eww big time this kind of tech has its dangerous drawbacks along side its benefits.

I love the Watch Dogs franchise and so I was excited to get to read this book and it didnt disappoint. It tied up loose ends perfectly and allowed fans/readers to see what happened to charcaters after the ending of the games. It was so well written with good charcater development and as expected a good storyline. I couldnt put it down. I loved it.

Watch Dogs: Stars & Stripes is a fun-spirited adventurous thriller balanced skillfully with a serious subject matter and grave consequences. Aiden Pearce exudes a lot of Jack Reacher vibes as a deliverer of justice but with a mastery of technology that makes for some riveting action sequences and crafty moments.
Aiden Pearce, more popularly known as The Vigilante, prowls the shadows with his 1911 pistol and his smartphone with the power to hack into almost any software and use it to teach the corrupt individuals a smacking lesson. A secretive branch of US government enlists Pearce’s help, albeit reluctantly, to investigate the recent thefts of human-augmentation tools and put an end to the white supremacist group behind the attacks. Unable to say no to a righteous cause, Pearce and his handler/old friend Jordi Chin follow the clues all the way to the Oval Office where the leader of the white supremacist group aims to unleash the final horrific step of a diabolical plan.
Watch Dogs: Stars & Stripes is a continuation of Aiden Pearce’s origin story from the Watch Dogs video game. However, the authors ensure that even readers unfamiliar with the video game will be able to step into this tech-oriented narrative with a strong foundation of the past events and an even stronger anticipation of the unveiling of the smart and engaging new storyline. That being said, it is absolutely a huge treat for the video game fans as we read Aiden Pearce control cranes, vehicles, and all sorts of electronics in quick-witted fashion during shootouts with shotgun-arms against bulletproof chest augmentations and rpm-revving car chases to gain the upper hand in a show of cinematic and stunning action sequences on a grand scale. By the end, you’ll wish for a big budget movie to incorporate these scenes.
Aiden Pearce is a force to be reckoned with. His sly wittiness is matched evenly by his strong moral and emotional center which adds arresting gravitas to his personality. His allegiance to ethics above any institution makes him the kind of inspiring character that’s sorely needed today. The authors have done a splendid work of mapping his video game personality to an even more expansive and exhaustive platform in this thriller.
Watch Dogs: Stars & Stripes is pure entertainment in the most exciting way possible. From ingenious and bizarre tech to a mind-boggling plot, this thriller is going to rock you on the highest setting.

Full review will be posted with blurb image on: https://www.bestthrillerbooks.com