Book Review: No Way to Die, Tony Kent
Thriller: No Way to Die, Tony Kent
On a hot and muggy summer night in the Florida Keys, a patrol spots a group of four men standing near the end of a dock. They are dressed in black, keeping to the shadows, and apparently unloading something onto the dock. Despite his better judgment, Ricardo Garcia moves out onto the dock to investigate.
He won’t make that mistake…or any other…again.
Tony Kent begins this incredible high stakes journey with a violent death in Florida. Before the trip is over, we have been to Texas, Washington D.C., Orlando, and other parts of the US East Coast. No Way to Die is a thriller in every sense of the word. Secret agents, domestic terrorists, threats thought to be long dead; Kent brings out the works and works them out masterfully. The action is intense, the personal drama is compelling, loyalties shift and become uncertain. By the time you reach the end of the book either your pulse is pounding or you need to see a doctor to make sure you have a pulse.
The thriller genre is packed with superstar writers. Baldacci, Hurwitz, Patterson, Greaney, and several others seem to suck all the oxygen out of the air with their production and their exciting plots and characters. Tony Kent may not be at that level of fame, but this book is proof that his is a name worth knowing.
Kent seems to take special pride in making complex female characters. Rather than exist solely for a romantic plot device (or to demonstrate what a misogynist the protagonist really is), the women in this book are smart, determined, and complex. They are not all beautiful and athletic, either. One of the main characters is in her 60s and overweight. This does not keep her from being tough as nails when she needs to be. Too many thrillers suffer from cartoonish female characters. No Way to Die stands out for avoiding this pitfall.
Kent also captures the tortured spirit of many Americans in these times of political division and pandemic fatigue. His domestic terrorists could have been pulled directly from CNN. The plot is set in 2021. The extremists are opposed to mask mandates, shutdowns, and anything they deem to be “liberal.” As I write this, my country is dealing with several high profile trials involving white supremacists, vigilantes, and insurrectionists. Part of me wishes that our domestic turmoil could be resolved as effectively as this fictional plot was.
Our thanks to Anne Cater of Random Things Blog Tours for our ARC of No Way to Die, given solely in exchange for our honest review. The opinions here are solely those of Scintilla. For other perspectives on this book, check out the other bloggers participating in this tour.
Also see: Book Review: Power Play, Tony Kent
Book Review: No Way to Die, Tony Kent
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