Sekret by Lindsay Smith - Review

Sekret
Lindsay Smith
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
ISBN: 9781596438927
Hardcover: 352 pages
Genre: Young Adult, Teen

About the Book:

An empty mind is a safe mind.

Yulia's father always taught her to hide her thoughts and control her emotions to survive the harsh realities of Soviet Russia. But when she's captured by the KGB and forced to work as a psychic spy with a mission to undermine the U.S. space program, she's thrust into a world of suspicion, deceit, and horrifying power. Yulia quickly realizes she can trust no one--not her KGB superiors or the other operatives vying for her attention--and must rely on her own wits and skills to survive in this world where no SEKRET can stay hidden for long.

About the author

Lindsay Smith's love of Russian culture has taken her to Moscow, St. Petersburg, and a reindeer festival in the middle of Siberia. She writes on foreign affairs and lives in Washington, D.C. Sekret is her first novel.

My Thoughts:

Yulia and the other children have abilities that get them kidnapped and trained for missions that will help Russia undermine the United States. Taking place during the Cold War in the 1960's this novel will have you on the edge of your seat at times. Russia was not known as a place that treats their prisoners well, so the children are basically prisoners with above average psychic abilities - so you can imagine how things are for them.

Even so, the children have learned to adapt and learned how to do things to keep them off radar. The are strong, intelligent and of course, have feelings that they learn how to protect.

This novel was both disturbing and exciting. I had a hard time putting it aside and an even harder time when I closed it up and realized it would be a while before I could read the next installment. The characters were engrossing to me - each had personalities that were quite a bit different than the rest, but they all had the same problem/outcome facing them. I really appreciated the mix and the feelings that to me were quite true to form for that situation.

This book should appeal to most that enjoy fiction centered around true historical time periods/events as well as those that just enjoy a great page-turning young adult novel. I loved it for both reasons.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley courtesy of the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review, but instead, one that gives my honest opinion.

Review: Hawk by Brian Neary

Hawk
Author: Brian Neary
Publisher: Self-published
ISBN: 9780615291949
Genre: Fiction, Spy Thriller

Synopsis (from Amazon):

If you are a fan of Vince Flynn, Clancy, Crais, Child or David Baldacci, you will love this book. Its an explosive spy thriller. Interest is grabbed early when the Secretary of State refers to most of Europe as "a bunch of teat-sucking freeloaders. A pack of meat hogs who never gave a crap about us in the first place." It's solidified when the President says of the Secretary, "The man's ignorance is only surpassed by his inability to make a decision." Thoroughly irreverent; believable, complicated story lines; a strong finish. Interest never wanes; a page turner you'll want to read end-to-end. The villains are so credible, so rich in political motivation and personal agenda, that after having finished the book, you'll find it hard to believe that Neary's bad guys don't actually exist. Likewise, the good guys; complex, intriguing, and volatile. A romantic relationship testing the faith of the protagonist - A ticking clock pushing the combatants toward an horrific conflagration, and the solution resting on the shoulders of Quentin Hawk, a rookie CIA agent compromised by his own non-conformist talents. A great read.

My Comments:

Although I enjoyed "Hawk", I found it somewhat difficult to get into the story for about the first 1/4 of the book. It introduced characters and jumped back and forth leaving me a bit confused at first. I found myself going back and forth to try to refresh my memory of who the characters were.

The story picked up as all came together. I did like the storyline, and enjoyed the characters. I wish Quentin would have appeared more throughout the book. He was to me a quite likable tough-guy. Luke was also an enjoyable character, and the storyline seemed to focus more on him, which I found surprising because of the title of the book.

The storyline pushes the realism envelope, as do the characters. To me, that makes "Hawk" both more interesting and fun to read. Since this is the first book of Neary's series, I hope that this was setting up and introducing Quentin Hawk, and that we'll see much more of him in book 2.

About the author:

BRIAN NEARY began his literary career in Los Angeles as an English teacher. When he was fired for utilizing tape recorders and video technology as part of his curriculum, he launched an exciting career touching all parts of the entertainment industry.

----As a graphic designer…silk screen art sold throughout the world; U.S. Postage stamp design with Corita Kent; LA Times honoree as California designer, culminating in a personal silk screen installation at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
----As a TV writer…numerous comedic and dramatic writing credits, among them SNL, General Hospital, Owen Marshal, Hawaii 50 and Late Night.
----As a journalist…staff writer for Lifestyle Magazine, contributor to LA Times, R&R and People.
----As a cable exec…cofounder of the cable network E! Entertainment; the channel’s first VP of Production
----As a composer…writer/producer of two #1 Billboard hits, numerous gold records, named to Rolling Stone’s Hot 100 producers. Created more than 80 single recordings by a wide range of artists including Kenny Rogers, Olivia Newton John, Quincy Jones, Eric Clapton and Dionne Warwick.
----As a live show producer…the road show of The Wiz; producer/director of The Funny You Should Ask comedy show for HBO.
----As a video game designer…created “Slammin” a multi player Sony PlayStation game.
----As a screenwriter…recently honored with the prestigious Hollywood Screenplay Award for the feature screenplay ‘Legend.’
----As a nerd…a degree in English from Loyola University and an MBA from USC.A Member of WGAw, ASCAP, BMI.

Brian lives with his wife Karen in Carlsbad, California where he’s working on the next Quentin Hawk adventure. Visit his website at bneary.com.

This book was supplied by the author for me to honestly review.