The premise is good, but the book just turns into a bit of a mess when the action shifts to Raven Rock. From there, it's a book that becomes too dense with the movements of each character and I was removed so often from the action because I was constantly trying to picture where each tunnel or door was. This is an example of a book where a small footprint did not work.

In this type of book, the character motivations are going to be crucial, and I couldn't buy into the motivations of the villains. It all felt a bit unlikely. And then let's look at the protagonist, Eric Hill. He's an agent that's been demoted to a desk job in the White House. Does that sound familiar? If you've read, or watched, The Night Agent then it will. Same setup for a character. Maybe choose a different setup next time. The other characters are not well-developed.

Two of the things of that stood out for me with this book. The entire premise relies on the fact that the villains "know" the President will choose to go to Raven Rock. Talk about a forced narrative. Secondly, we're told the number of villains far outweighs the number of good actors, but there are many time where it seems the villains just give up the chase and take five somewhere else in the facility and give the good actors time to regroup. It didn't feel natural at all.

I wouldn't think this would be marketed as a political thriller. I expect political thrillers to have more intrigue and character driven suspense. This is simply an action thriller that felt more like an adaption of a movie.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for providing a copy of the book for an honest review. All comments are my own

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this eARC.

Wow, this is a cleverly woven and complex read with a believable plot line. When the White House comes under attack and his presidency threatened, President Kline and a number of trusted agents and aides go to Raven Rock, a top secret facility believing they will be safe there. Are they though? I found this to be a good, fast paced read which is well written and flows easily. The story takes place over a short period that makes for a thrilling read with lots of action, suspense and mystery. I was drawn into the story quickly and Matthew Quirk held my attention and interest to the last page. I really liked Hill and Cody the two main agents and was rooting for them throughout. I felt the story was a bit long and descriptive at times though and because of this I found myself skimming pages. It is still a good read, I just think it could have been shorter without losing anything from the plot line. If you like political thrillers I think you'd enjoy this and I'd recommend it.

4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐