Simon Gervais

The Last Guardian by Simon Gervais
Clayton White #3

Fast-paced action-packed beginning that grabbed my attention and introduced the fentanyl issue that would lead to a global story filled with villains and good guys pitting themselves against one another.

What I liked:
* Clayton White: lethal, loyal, bright, advisor-observer for US president, loves his pregnant fiancé Veronica, seems to find himself in the midst of trouble more often than not
* Veronica Hammond: Clayton’s pregnant and loving fiancé, owner of tech company, good friend, ambitious, intelligent
* The plot, pacing, settings, and writing
* The look at international and political intrigue
* The multi-level complex threads woven together to create the story
* Not always knowing who was good and who was evil, the evil characters could be male or female and were not all from the same country
* That the darker aspects of the story were not entirely glossed over and that both good and evil could be targeted and lose their lives
* Thinking about political intrigue and being glad I am not involved in it
* Knowing that this was fiction though parts of it could actually happen in real life
* Wondering what will happen in book four

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* Thinking about the way those in power abuse it and the impact on those who suffer at their hands

Did I like this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars… (meer)

action-adventure, spec-ops, series, law-enforcement, drug-trafficking, terrorists, relationships, thriller, federal-agents, Canadian-author, fast-pace, riveting, unputdownable, espionage, murder, assassins*****

This thrill ride takes White to China, Newfoundland, USA, Switzerland in a mad rush to abort criminal transport of fentanyl and other dangerous drugs by profiteer entities. There is also plenty of backstory, but the action takes precedence and that swept me along right to the end (in the middle of the night).
I requested and received an EARC from Thomas & Mercer via NetGalley. Thank you

Canadian author former RCMP… (meer)

After being with Air Rescue, Special Agent Clayton White now works for the Secret Service on the protection detail of the Vice President Elect's daughter, Veronica Hammond. Veronica is a world renowned archaeologist who has perfected an aerial app called Drain that could foil a plot headed, in part, by her father. Clayton and Veronica are in love, and that isn't the only thing keeping the two of them apart. When an attempt on her life is foiled, Veronica and Clay are thrown into the middle of international espionage and a complicated cover-up.

The Last Protector has the bones of an excellent political thriller, however, it doesn't include enough story for it to truly shine. The many characters are woefully underdeveloped and the motivations behind the plot are not clearly explained. There are lots of acronyms and bits of military information that ring true, but they are implemented in such a way as to leave the reader wanting much more. In addition, much of the story is told instead of shown and the dialogue that is present doesn't move the story along. Overall, the premise of The Last Protector and the basic story is acceptable, but the execution is not satisfying.… (meer)