This book would be a hit published during the Trump administration. That is not a compliment. In spite of the narrator "looking down" on police brutality, he performs it himself, which led to him getting fired from the police department in the first place. The only thing worse than a cop who thinks he's above the law is a cop who thinks he's batman. The main character is so exceedingly self congratulatory about what a good person he is whilst demonstrating the opposite. I never once sympathized with him and was certainly not rooting for him.

This wasn’t a bad read but you have to look at it like some kind of movie with a vigilante star. Very Charles Bronson. Not exactly realistic in any way heh. But still it was more fun to read than I expected from the beginning. Decent plot and it didn’t feel like someone else’s story regurgitated as many new books do.

This story is told in third person and follows a group of 9 people caught in a technical malfunction in a prison as they make their way from the ground floor to the roof in search of outside aid. At the center of the story is Kurt, a former cop from Detroit that has never found a fight that he wants to walk away from, especially now that he’s lost his wife and reason for living. He’s always ready for a physical confrontation and he’s been getting just that since he got on the wrong side of the local sheriff with connections inside the prison. He’s likened to that guy from Transporter, only angrier. 😂

The rest of the group includes the governor’s daughter, Julie, who was taking a tour with an escort of two state troopers for a criminology class project, an assistant warden, several corrections officers, a medic and the prison minister. This prison houses everything from overflow prisoners awaiting arraignment like Kurt and petty crimes on the lower floors to more serious felons on the upper floors including sex crimes, gangbangers and death row serial killers. Once the cell doors start opening and closing, it’s non-stop action and chaos. It gets brutal and gruesome as they travel higher up the building into the more violent felon floors.

Recommended to thriller lovers who enjoy Jason-Statham-type-action in a closed environment.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for a copy provided for an honest review.

TW for the book: sexual assault, graphic violence, murder

This book was definitely something. You follow Kurt Argento, a police officer in Detroit. He ends up having to either retire or be let go, and he chooses to walk. He ends up taking a trip to California, but stops in Missouri. There, he ends up arrested after stopping the sheriff’s brother from sexually assaulting a young girl. He is moved to a private prison. There, we meet Julie, the governor’s daughter, who is touring the prison. Something goes wrong with the security of the buildings… and the novel really starts going.

Please know it is not for the faint of heart. It also paints a pretty bleak picture of the prison system and police. I found myself torn on being really intrigued but also upset with the book. In that regard, the book definitely did it’s job. I was feeling a LOT of things. I felt the ending was satisfying, even though it was kind of sad.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Grand Central Publishing for an advance copy of this thriller about a man having a very, very bad day, and the people he has to rescue along the way.

Sometimes the right person can be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Say a guy just trying to help a girl being hassled by some skeezy looking type, but he does it in a corrupt little town with cops who are less than protecting or serving. So this guy is separated from his dog, his freedom and locked in a maximum security prison to teach him a lesson. The lesson being if things can go wrong, things can get a lot worse. Suddenly the inmates are running the asylum, and the only way to get out is to go high. Sounds like a Cannon movie from the 80's but The Ascent by Adam Plantinga is a real page turner, filled with derring-do, escapes, and lots of action and oh my, what did I just read moments.

Kurt Argento has been lost since the death of his wife, and leaving his job in Detroit as a police officer. With his dog Hudson in tow, Argento has hit the road, finding his way to Missouri, and a town that will not show up in a tourist brochure. A run in with a local hassling a young woman gets Argento a beating and a trip to prison. At the same time the prision is being visited by the daughter of the Governor, who needs a little research time for her master's degree. Something goes wrong, and cells are starting to open, overwhelming the staff, trapping the young woman, her bodyguards and other civilians among some of the most violent men in the state. The only way out is to go up and make it to the roof to escape. And it is not going to be easy.

A story that begins with a good introduction to the character, his actions and his methods, and than just full on. I wasn't sure what to expect, thinking this was going to be more of a Fortress or Mean Guns both movies that feature prisons, getting out, and lots of bad people. This was a great novel, with lots of thrills and lots of action. And super amounts of violence. Plantinga is a police officer in real life and has experience writing nonfiction books, which helps in many of the ways he explains policing, corrections and their facilities, and well hitting people. The writing is really quite good, with Argento being a far more nuanced character, not a Mack Bolan, more of a Jason Bourne type, with real world experiences under his belt. The story takes place quickly, never drags, and has scenes that are pretty shocking, and well presented. Unlike Jack Reacher novels, Argento gets hurt, and feels things. I think Argento was hit more in 4 chapters than Reacher has in all his books. There is a realness among the fantastic, and it really shows.

Recommended for fans of Reacher, or the Peter Ash novels. There is a lot to take in her, and Plantinga's many years in law enforcement show. Read it before the inevitable movie, which should be like the book a real blast.

An adrenaline rush from start to finish! Lively writing, a verisimilitude that comes from the inside knowledge the author no doubt gleaned from working years in law enforcement. The main character, Argento, is a former Detroit cop, who is pushed into "retiring" from the force after a tragic loss because of his struggles to balance his heroic impulses and inclination toward violence. It seems the violence always wins out. So now, on a car trip to wherever, he stops to aid a young woman who is being assaulted and in the process lands himself in a rundown, rogue prison. When the governor's daughter visits with her security detail all hell breaks loose after some intentional security glitches release the prisoners from their cages to roam and cause whatever mayhem enters their warped minds. Argento is thrown into this chaos, a good pairing because the violence that will be necessary to get the governor's daughter to safety...well, let's just say Argento is at home with that level of violence. This has some surprisingly tender moments, strong characterizations, and action that leaps off the pages. Highly recommended!

This is an action packed book from beginning to end. The Author is a shoe in for accuracy, literary
Intelligence and creative license in ways possible only because he’s a member of a large, urban
Police Department. I’m willing to bet he had a blast penning this story, and I hope he’s working on
a sequel with retired Officer Argento, which would be awesome! He would need time to recover from the
near death injuries sustained while he tried to save innocent lives (and his own somewhat compromised
life) and heal from the ultimate heartbreak and of equal importance, getting his beloved Hudson back.
His dog, Hudson, was nearly a goner, or so we thought, but in the end, there is a little bit of good in
a fallen from grace character.
I started reading the book with a critical eye but it was clear that the Author is spot on and well researched, making this a book that will entertain working cops along with fiction lovers.
I highly recommend it to folks who enjoy the Gregg Hurwitz Orphan X series. My thanks to Grand Central
Publishing and NetGalley for a download copy of the book for review purposes.

I'm still reeling after finishing Adam Plantinga's first thriller, The Ascent. A seasoned sergeant in the San Francisco PD, Plantinga has impressed readers with his outstanding non-fiction classics, 400 Things Cops Know and Police Craft, and now he has revealed a masterful storytelling skill with a book that is unrelentingly propulsive, shocking, and full of graphic violence. More importantly, he has created an iconic character, Kurt Argento, that you can't help rooting for, even as you wonder how such a person can exist.

Kurt has recently resigned from the police after the tragic death of his wife and the inappropriately uninhibited behavior that followed. He's someone who can't resist stepping in when someone is in jeopardy, and he has the mad skills to back it up. That's what lands him in jail during a road trip with his beloved dog after he stops a thug from molesting a young girl at a fair. And he has the bad luck to arrive at a maximum-security state prison in Missouri when a technology glitch opens up many of the inmates' doors unexpectedly, soon leading to riots. But the governor's daughter--taking a tour to fulfill a requirement of her master's program--and two accompanying state troopers, the prison nurse and chaplain, and other prison employees are glad to have Argento on their side. Almost the entire story takes place at the prison over a few hours, and it is unbelievably suspenseful, disturbing, and enthralling.

Those of faint heart and/or weak stomach may want to skip this one. It is FAR outside of my usual literary fare, but I couldn't look away. Sometimes I felt the violence was just too much, but I so admire the author's insightful descriptions, self-assured writing style, and adept combination of both personal experience and research, together with the creativity that makes this an unforgettable read.

My thanks to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

A recently retired Detroit Police officer lands in prison himself after an altercation with the police in Missouri. At the same time, the Governor's daughter is touring the prison for her studies when the computer system goes haywire, trapping everyone inside while unlocking random cells and doors throughout the entire prison. They find themselves grouped together with other guards and a nurse to find a way out, putting themselves in harms way and finding out just how depraved people can truly be.

When I started this, it was solely for the purpose of needing a palate cleanser from my usual reads. I was not expecting to love this as much as I did. It was intense, heartfelt, disturbing, action packed and downright scary at times. The main character was so highly likeable and brutal at the same time. I honestly would absolutely love to see this turned into a movie with Jason Statham in the leading role. This author has tremendous talent and is not afraid to shock you. I highly, highly recommend this to my fellow readers. Five Stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for this ARC.

What an exhilarating and devastatingly gritty action-packed adventure from start to finish. Not only does the baton-swinging bone-crushing action keep you hooked in, but the small moments of deeply satisfying emotional connections formed between characters and readers in the midst of the chaos cements The Ascent as one of the most engaging books to look out for in 2024.

Full review to follow on https://www.bestthrillerbooks.com/kashif-hussain

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the opportunity to read and review The Ascent by Adam Plantinga. All opinions are my own.

Kurt is an ex-cop from Detroit. He's seen a lot in his career and dealt with sadness in his personal life. Upon leaving his job, him and his dog go on a road trip. While stopping in Missouri he gets more than he bargained for while trying to help a young girl. Unfortunately, he then comes in contact with a corrupt police department; Kurt is sent off to the local state prison and chaos ensues.

Julie, the governor's daughter, is about to take a tour of the local state prison. Once she arrives there are technological malfunctions that turn the prison into a literal battlefield. Kurt, Julie and several other characters form a small group that must find their way to make it out alive.

This book was action packed from the first chapter until the very end. No joke when I say this reads just like watching an action movie. Lead characters are very likable, and the bad/villain characters are unlikable as can be. Exciting fight scenes with very descriptive injuries and violence. If you enjoy action movies, this book is definitely for you. The Ascent will be available January 2, 2024.

Holy crap! This needs to be a movie. I mean…there are things in this book that they would probably NEVER show on the screen (canoe scene anyone???), but this would make a seriously intense film!

The author is in law enforcement – and he’s clearly one of those cops who sees the good, bad and ugly that exists beneath the shield. He doesn’t pull any punches on the bad cops and the good ones are, for various reasons, more than a bit damaged by things seen and done. He makes them feel very real.

Some of the characters in the book are iconic – oddly, one of my favorites wasn’t a very good person. He was highly damaged and such a sad person.

The book is exciting from the first page to the last and I really hope the author gives us more books in the future!

Get your popcorn (though at times you may lose your appetite) and get ready to simply not come up for air with this one!

• ARC via Publisher