I've read several books by Eric Van Lustbader and have always found them to be fast paced, interesting and hard to put down. This one was no different. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

The Quantum Solution is the fourth installment in author Eric Van Lustbader's Evan Ryder's series. Evan Ryder is now working for the security arm of Parachute, a private company and the world’s leader in the application of quantum technology, Marsden Tribe. In the past, Ryder has done lethal battle in the modern global wars of power politics, extremist ideology, corrosive disinformation, and outrageous greed. But now she finds herself in a battle arena whose dangers, while less obvious, are greater than anything the world has seen before – the present and future war of weaponized quantum technology.

When the American Secretary of Defense and a Lt. Colonel in the Russian GRU intelligence die at the same time half a world apart, of inexplicable sudden catastrophic brain damage, Ryder and Ben Butler, will risk their lives to discover who the true combatants are, and who are the good guys and the bad. The story takes place in places like Washington, DC, Langley, Virginia, Istanbul, Turkey, and of course Russia, where Bobbi/Kata is facing her first real threat thanks to Korokova and others like the "Sovereign" who wants world domination.

But, since the author has chosen not to make this series strictly about Ryder, there are others that you will encounter over the course of this series. Russian Mayor Juliet Korokova is a mayor player in this story and is as dangerous as Kata Hemakova formerly known as Bobbi Ryder. If you haven't figured out who the Sovereign is after 4 books, let me spoil it for you. Putin. While people from the US and Russia are tying of a mysterious death nobody can explain, Evan, as usual is on the front lines getting her ass kicked time and time again. I am not a fan of an author who kicks the crap out of his alleged protagonist for fun.

I am also not a fan of the ending of this story seeing as how there is a major moment when one of the key characters who has been friends with Evan for years, is about to spill a secret she has been holding for 5 years. A secret that both Evan and Bobbi/Kata should have been made aware of long before the pivotal final scenes in the book. I'm sorry to say that I may have run my course in reading this series. It's supposed to be the Evan Ryder series but gets discombobulated every single time Evan nearly died but miraculously survives. I understand that one is supposed to suspend reality, but come on! Evan is not a superhero who is immortal!

Evan Ryder works for Parachute, a private company with tentacles in many defense businesses, the latest being the application of quantum technology (which I still do not understand!). While playing golf, the Secretary of Defense of the US is stricken and dies, followed by similar deaths to other members of his foursome as well as a Russian scientist. Ryder, teaming with partner Ben Butler as well as former Russian agent and head of an anti-Russian network Lyudmila Shokova as well as a few others, embarks on a journey to determine who is behind the attacks. Beginning in Istanbul and moving to the U.S., Russia and points in between, and incorporating the background of current events involving the Russian Federation along with the rapidly advancing technology of modern warfare, Ryder faces several combatants in search of who is killing these people and why.

This is the 4th book by Van Lustbader featuring Evan Ryder, the 3rd that I have read, and I have come to the conclusion that the plots are all way too complicated for me. It took a long while for me to figure out what was going on and who was who. There are lots of characters, and I struggled at times to keep them all straight. And while the protagonist in many thrillers seems to be indestructible, Evan is over the top. Her injuries in conflicts would stop anyone else including Jack Reacher or Mitch Rider or John Wells or Peter Ash or anyone else! While I generally enjoy Van Lustbader’s books, this one left me cold. And I am sure there will be another book in the series in the future as Evan discovers something about her past. Thanks to Forge Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read the ARC of this book.

One of my favorite authors! I have read all of his books and this one doesn’t disappoint! Someone is killing what appears to be random people, but they all look like natural causes. Only by digging down do they find who is behind this. This book is set in many locations with all of the people who are in the Evan Ryder universe. It progresses that storyline along further. Can’t wait for the next one!