Excerpt · Reviews

A Bridge to Treachery, From Extortion to Terror by Larry Crane – Review/Excerpt

BLURB:

 

Former Colonel Lou Christopher is an ex-Army Ranger retired from the military and contentedly working as a New York investment broker. After being assigned a number of lucrative accounts and becoming accustomed to living the good life, he discovers there is a pay back. His former military skills are requested under a threat of losing everything he has.

Handed a group of misfits to assemble into a military strike team, he is coerced into leading the team on a mission of domestic terrorism. At the center of a bridge outside of Manhattan, his strike team is caught in the act and unexpectedly becomes engaged in a deadly firefight. It’s then that he learns the mission was a political maneuver from the highest levels of the U.S. Government-and ultimately realizes he has been betrayed by his superiors. Learning his team was considered nothing more than collateral damage and intended to be killed and left as scapegoats, he uses his unique military expertise and engages in a fight for his life.

As the strike team is decimated, he and a female teammate elude the opposition forces to survive and escape, turning the tables on his superiors. Using his distinctive set of military skills, he now becomes the hunter and vows to extract his revenge and bring them all down. 

 

Excerpt:

Excerpt from Chapter 29 – A Bridge to Treachery

 

Lou did a double take and said: “Are you crazy or just completely friggin’ nuts?” “You don’t have to be so sarcastic,” Sydney said.

 

“Here on the rocks? With you?”

 

“Excuse me. It was just an impulse. Ill-timed, it seems.” “Timing has nothing to do with it.”


“Thanks.”

 

“You’re feeling doomed.”

 

“And that was my last wish? Fuck you. I just go with my impulses.”

 

 

“I’m capable of a lot: lying, walking out, frittering away the most important things—but there’s a limit, even for me.

 

“And I’m where you draw the line.” “You said it.”

 

“You’re not all that much yourself.” “Should have been flattered, huh?”

 

“You said that.” Lou stood, walked away briefly, and then came back. “It’s the principle.” “And, like, I wouldn’t know anything about that. Right?”

 

“Well, I don’t know, but I wouldn’t have put principle on your top ten list.” “A lot you know.”

 

“Let’s just drop it. I’m simply saying….” “I’m a slut.”

 

“I’m saying we’re miles apart when it comes to this.” “If I’m a slut, you’re a hypocrite, and I’d rather be me.” “Fine.”

 

“You probably had the impulse too, but you’re too tight-assed to put it to words.” “Now who’s flattering herself?”

 

 

“It’s not a crime to say what’s on your mind. I believe in that! I’d rather be authentic than anything else.”

 

“Good for you.” “Good for me.”

 

Review:

 

OH. MY. WORD.  I’m in love.  Lou Christopher is one of the most intriguing, intense and focused men that I have read this year.  *sigh*  After years in the military he starts working as an investment broker.  When a lucrative account is dangling in front of him that would set him and his wife for life, there is a catch.  They need him to go back to his military roots and help stage a terrorist attack.  Yes, a terrorist attack.  Wow, how prevalent is that today?  Well, when is double crossed and his team is dead, he is the hunted.

Lou is a great hero.  Anything for his country and his family.  Sounds like another hero I know and love.  Lou and Jack Ryan have things that I could compare side by side but this is Lou’s story, not Jack Ryan’s and it definitely shows.  Mr. Crane has created a character that I can relate to and feel for in his characterization.  What does a ex-military man do when the tour is over?  How does he provide for his family and find a job that he even likes?  Lou is faced with that so when he’s asked to stage an attack, he jumps at it.  Money is money, right?  He quickly finds out that his “mission” is a political conspiracy that leads to his team dead and him being the hunted.

Good lord, after a slow start in the beginning, the book never stops.  The pace is fast, dialogue crisp and the action never stops.  Just when you think you’ve figured it out…you are dead wrong.  I love that in a suspense/thriller.  I want to be on a ride that never stops and keeps me glued to each and every page. 

Mag is one strong woman.  Growing up in the military she knew what she signed up for with Lou.  Plus, she is the first one to smell a rat in this whole “mission”.  Little did she know at the time that she would put herself out there for Lou and his safety.  She reminded me a little of Kathy Ryan in her strength of character and her love for Lou.

I realize that I have made the Jack and Kathy Ryan references to Lou and Mag.  It is a huge compliment to Larry Crane for creating a husband and wife in a political thriller/suspense novel that I can actually care about.  They are not youngsters and have real people concerns about how they are going to live after life in the military.  Its relatable and makes their relationship more real.

Be warned though the action moves from Lou’s military background to the present.  I never felt lost in the switch but some people might.  Of course, this from someone that has read “The Hunt for Red October” and couldn’t care less about a submarine, I appreciated reading about Lou’s background in the military and how it shaped him as a person today.

A Bridge to Treachery has it all for this reader.  The twists, turns and OMG moments kept me glued to the Kindle.  I’ve even bought a copy for my dad’s Nook so he can read it.  Its really his fault that I love books like this…thanks Dad!

One of my top ten books of 2012 and I smell a sequel…  *wink*

 

 

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BIO:
Transplanted to Maine mid-westerner Larry Crane brings an Illinois sensibility to his writing. Larry graduated from West Point and served in the Army before starting a business career on Wall Street. His writing includes articles for outdoor magazines, plays, short fiction, and his most recent thriller novel, A Bridge to Treachery. In his spare time, Crane is a hobbyist videographer for his local Public Access Television Station and is a volunteer at his local historical society. Larry and wife Jan live in splendid isolation on the coast of Maine.

ONLINE LINKS:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/mainelarrycrane
Webpage: http://www.mainelarrycrane.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MaineLarryCrane
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Wattpad: http://wattpad.com/LarryCrane
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/capenewagen?ref=tn_tnmn
Google+ https://plus.google.com/102138020542253759325
Blog http://mainelarrycrane.blogspot.com/
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/settings/?trk=hb_acc
IAN: http://www.independentauthornetwork.com/

BUY NOW LINK:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/RmJQNl
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4 thoughts on “A Bridge to Treachery, From Extortion to Terror by Larry Crane – Review/Excerpt

  1. Good review – I agree that Lou is a great hero – I enjoyed the fact that he’s not a 20 or 30 something year old but that he was a mature man who had real life issues and problems like the rest of us. The fact he was flawed made him easy to identify with too.

    1. I didn’t know, Maria, if readers would be able to relate to a protag who at the low point of his life is on the ground with leaves in his mouth, gasping for air… a fairly old guy. But, I find that, it’s not a problem.

    1. OMG!!!! I loved Lou! Sorry for the references to the Ryan’s but as a romance reader when my dad gave me The Hunt for Red October to read, I fell in love. Lou is the bomb and while he is not a romance hero, he is up there with Jack Ryan. I hope that you write more about Lou and Mag in the future. 🙂

      Harlie

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