Dark Site

It's been awhile since we've seen ole Sam Dryden (2015, Signal) and I was beginning to think that maybe we wouldn't be getting anything else from Patrick Lee. So, imagine my delight when I spotted Dark Site on Netgalley.

I've been a fan of Patrick Lee's since the first book. I happened to pick up a copy of The Breach at the library; it looked like it would be right in my wheelhouse and it had a blurb by Lee Child right there on the front (I've seen a lot of Lee Child blurbs since, even on some real stinkers.) But, I thought he was right on about The Breach and I had happily stumbled upon another great series. This is Patrick's 6th novel (3rd in this particular series) and, I believe, he has managed to go 6-for-6 in Chris's 5 gold stars department.

As you can imagine, ex-special forces bad-ass Sam Dryden as seen some things, man. But he just wants to settle down, flip houses, make a living that doesn't involve huge government conspiracies and machine guns. But can you believe that someone would have the nerve to try to kill him while he's out house hunting? Is it the government? Are they terrorists? Both?

The only thing Sam knows is that he is completely clueless as to the who and why of the whole thing and so the mystery begins.

The plot ends up being fairly complex, so to try to sum it up in a short synopsis would be doing a disservice to what ended up being a real roller coaster ride of a story. The story starts off fairly straight forward with Sam on the run and trying to track down leads that will hopefully shed some light on why he's being hunted, then the twists and turns start as more information is revealed and Sam realizes what an eyeball deep pile of shit he has found himself in. The story hinges upon something that Sam and friends witnessed as children, but present day Sam has no memory of said something, but it's important/serious enough that someone wants him dead.

The story then starts bouncing between present day Sam and Co. and 12 year old Sam and Co. and more action unfolds. In places, I thought the story bogged down a bit. Past Sam and present Sam find themselves in the same position (people are after him) and a lot of running is involved. But, what I think is great about Lee's writing is how he is so adept at blending the action and the suspense and the quasi-supernatural and the technology and the science and the conspiracies all together and coming out with a really entertaining story. That's what ultimately does it for me every time.

It was a long wait between books but it was worth it. Hopefully it won't be 2023 before we seen some new Patrick Lee, but if it is, I know it will be great.

This is the third Sam Dryden book, it could be read as a stand-alone though reading the other two (Runner, Signal) would benefit with background on Sam’s military history. Typical of a Dryden book, the action starts from the first page, a woman, Danica, is the subject of an attempted abduction, she’s able to escape. Dryden, at nearly the same time in another location, is also the subject of an attempted abduction, he also gets away. He’s able to figure out, by using the bad guy’s phone, who had died during the attempt, that Danica is going to be abducted again from another location. Dryden gets there in time to thwart that abduction and they both go on the run. The story is told in two timelines, the present and from 1989 during a period when Dryden’s father had moved the family to Ashland, Iowa as part of a work transfer. Danica also lives in Ashland with her family and her and Dryden become friends. The bulk of the novel is from 1989, during a time period that Dryden and Danica have no memory of in the present day. Ashland is actually a military R&D site where a weapon had been secretly developed. A weapon that in the present day is going to be deployed against a civilian location. Dryden and Danica in the present race to figure out who targeted them and end up team up with the FBI to try and stop the weapon from being used. In 1989 they see something that they should not have and have their memories chemically erased, which is why they have no memory of that time period. It’s difficult to summarize this book, a lot happens in it. The action is intense and the chapters go by quickly. A very enjoyable novel, I look forward to the next one.

A kidnapping attempt in the early hours of the morning leaves Danica Ellis shaken. With no family, no money and no enemies she can’t understand why anyone would want her. Hours later, at another location, an attempt is made to kidnap Sam Dryden, a military veteran who now flips houses for a living. After overcoming and disarming his attacker, he finds an address on the attacker’s phone. It is the home of Danica’s step-father, where she is once again under attack. Danica is able to retrieve a file that her mother kept that refers to the witness nullification of two subjects, known as a scrub file.

Danica and Dryden have no memories of ever meeting one another. In comparing notes, however, they discover that both suffered “accidents” at the age of twelve that left them with no memories of several months in their lives. Now America is under an imminent terrorist threat and the missing memories may be the only thing that can stop it. An FBI agent takes them to the town where they both lived as children in an effort to trigger their memories. Dryden and Danica intuitively find small clues, but something happened in that town that causes nightmares to this day.

Patrick Lee’s story takes you from the present to 1989, when Sam’s father took a job in Ashland. In a nearby park Sam meets Danica, who has been living in Ashland for several months. Despondent over the loss of her friend Lauren, who left suddenly without even saying goodbye, she befriends Sam and begins to point out the peculiarities of Ashland that she and her friend had discovered. This is a town where nothing is as it seems. No one shops in the stores and in the local diner they can not even provide the food that is advertised on their menu. Then there are the underground facilities that they find during their explorations, leading to the discovery of an experiment gone wrong that poses the present threat.

From the opening pages of Lee’s novel you will find yourself on the edge of your seat.. Danica and Dryden sense a tie between them that allows them to work well together and alternating chapters between past and present gives the reader an opportunity to view developments through the eyes of two resourceful children who now, as adults, are aware of the evil that surrounded them.

This is Patrick Lee’s third Sam Dryden novel and I look forward to seeing more of him in the future. Fans of Jack Reacher will not be disappointed after spending time with this character. I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin Press for providing this book for my review..

Another Sam Dryden thriller by Patrick Lee. When Sam is attacked and almost abducted, but doesn’t know why, he uses his assailants’ phone to find out why. Instead of the reason why, he learns that someone else will be abducted and contacts the local police with the person’s address. When he arrives at the address, an officer has been shot and he is barely able to save Danica Ellis from abduction. Sam and Danica will search for clues as to why they were targeted. The story will effortlessly move from the present to their past…the past that they don’t remember. Why do they both have the same period, in their past, that they can’t remember? When they find out why, they know that their lives are in danger and they return to the town that they were forced to forget. Sam is former military and the people after him and Danica have no idea of his skill level and what he is capable of. A thrill ride through the past and present with two main characters who are strong and willing to do whatever is necessary to survive. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)

I enjoyed this book. Thank you for letting me read it Net Galley.
I have read all of Patrick Lee's books. I loved Ghost Country and the two other books in the series featuring Travis Chase. Excellent!
This is the third in the series about Sam Dryden, a former Special Ops guy. Someone tries to assassinate him and using the phone he finds he learns that someone else is being targeted. Danica Ellis. is attacked outside the grocery store and gets away, Sam and Danica together try to find out what is going on.
It turns outs both of their memories have been scrubbed. This book goes back and forth from the past when the action they no longer have memories of and today when they are trying to find out what is going on.
This starts out fast and continues the whole way until we find out what is going on. It is a little farfetched. But the writing is tight and very good. I recommend this book highly. I also recommend the first two books too. Please not you do not have to read the first two to really enjoy this book