Book Review: “Cold Zero” By Brad Thor and Ward Larsen

By Jon Brooks 

Aviation-centered thrillers have certainly grabbed the public’s imagination recently. 

Whether we are talking about T.J. Newman’s thriller “Falling” (read my review) or the Netflix movie “Carry-On” (which ranks as one of the streamer’s most-watched movies), we’ve seen some terrific stories built around airplanes, airports, and the world of aviation. 

Brad Thor and fellow novelist Ward Larsen have entered the fray with “Cold Zero.” 

Both writers have had fruitful careers in the thriller genre — Thor with his venerable Scot Harvath series and Larsen with his David Slaton thrillers. (Larsen has also published a number of standalone novels.) 

I have read and reviewed books by both authors on this blog and was thrilled to receive an advance reader copy of “Cold Zero” from the publisher.  

The narrative in “Cold Zero” centers around Hemisphere Airlines Flight 777, an ultra first-class carrier geared toward high-end clients. 

In the opening pages of the novel, the CIA manages to extract Dr. Chen Li (a computer scientist) from China and puts him on the Hemisphere flight— a flight that is bound for New York City. 

Along for the ride is a technology he invented called Sky Fire — a suite of software that has the ability to give geopolitical superiority to those who control it. 

Dr. Li is under the watch of a CIA officer named Kasey Sheridan. 

When the airliner crashes in the Arctic Circle under mysterious circumstances, Li and Sheridan find themselves in a fight to survive and a fight to keep Sky Fire from falling into the wrong hands. 

Forces from the United States, Russia, and China are soon in the game as the fate of the world hangs in the balance. 

“Cold Zero” is a survival story with touches of Tom Clancy’s “The Hunt for Red October” and Alistair MacLean’s “Ice Station Zebra.” 

Despite the novel’s frigid setting, “Cold Zero” is a cool “beach read.” The chapters are short and snappy and the overall story chugs along at top speed. 

Larsen’s experience as a pilot is on display in the novel. He flew more than 20 missions while serving in the U.S. Air Force during Operation Desert Storm. He has also been an airline pilot and is a trained aircraft accident investigator. 

Aviation-related sequences have been solid in his previous novels and they are strong again in “Cold Zero.”  

Thor recently announced on NBC’s “Today” that “Cold Zero” is set to be made into a movie by Netflix. 

According to Deadline, “True Detective” creator Nic Pizzolatto will adapt the screenplay and Peter Berg (who directed “Lone Survivor” and the underrated thriller “The Kingdom”) is set to produce under his Film 44 banner (which has a first-look deal with Netflix). 

Overall, the Thor/Larsen “team up” for “Cold Zero” has resulted in an action-packed novel that serves as a terrific introduction to two of today’s best thriller writers. 

Highly recommended. 

Click here to order your copy of “Cold Zero” 

To learn more about Brad Thor, visit bradthor.com. 

To learn more about Ward Larsen, visit wardlarsen.com. 

>> If you enjoyed my review of “Cold Zero,” please follow me on Twitter/X - @TheJonCrunch 

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Book Review: Larsen’s “Deep Fake” is a Gripping Thriller That Will Keep You Guessing

“You picked the game, you play it.” — Sarah Ridgeway in “Deep Fake” 

When it comes to the world of espionage thrillers, you don’t often see writers of successful series set aside a popular protagonist to write a stand-alone novel. 

Connecting with thriller writers on social media has afforded me the opportunity to discover some wonderful books over the years. 

I’ve had the pleasure of writing pre-release reviews for Ward Larsen’s three most recent David Slaton thrillers — "Assassin's Revenge," "Assassin’s Strike," and "Assassin’s Edge."  

The Slaton series is terrific. If you are a fan of espionage thrillers, I would recommend that you add them to your reading list. They are a lot of fun (a new Slaton novel will be published later in 2023) and have quickly become favorites in recent years. 

Larsen’s newest thriller is titled “Deep Fake.” It is a stand-alone thriller that is an intriguing combination of a “suburban thriller” and a “political thriller.”

Imagine, if you will, a collaboration between Harlan Coben and the late Robert Ludlum. That mashup gives you a clue as to the intrigue found in the pages of “Deep Fake.”

“Deep Fake” is a multi-threaded novel that centers around Sarah Ridgeway, a freelance editor whose husband Bryce is a first-term congressman from Virginia’s tenth district. 

The pair met during college at Princeton and have a teenage daughter named Alyssa. As is the case with any good suburban thriller, the family seems like the epitome of domesticated Virginia bliss at the beginning of “Deep Fake.”

Bryce Ridgeway’s military service (he’s a former Army Ranger) and “Hollywood-level” charisma have made him a rising star in the Republican Party. 

Ridgeway’s star status catapults to new heights when he attends a fundraiser at the Watergate Hotel for one of his party’s presidential candidates (one of 19 hopefuls on the slate for the GOP’s presidential primary season). 

The seemingly innocuous event finds Ridgeway thwarting a terrorist attack. Videos of his heroics go viral. Party leaders are giddy at the prospect of capitalizing on the congressman’s newfound popularity — and they think they might have found a winning candidate for the upcoming presidential election. 

As the days and weeks progress — and as Congressman Ridgeway is thrust into the national spotlight — his wife becomes concerned that something is “off” about her husband. 

Is something truly wrong with Bryce? Or has the stress of recent events left Sarah Ridgeway unnecessarily suspicious? 

What ensues is a suspenseful tale that recalls fictional tomes like Harlan Coben’s “Tell No One” and theatrical thrillers like Kevin Costner’s “No Way Out.”

Larsen knows how to craft a thriller. His writing is crisp and he is adept at keeping the pages turning. He also manages to toss in a number of terrific plot twists for good measure. 

Among many strong points in “Deep Fake,” I appreciated how Larsen managed to include an assisted-living facility in the story’s narrative. 

Bryce Ridgeway’s father Walter (who had served as an ambassador to Austria and Czechoslovakia during his professional career) lives in an assisted living facility (specializing in memory care) called Autumn Living (due to a stroke suffered a few years prior to the events in the story that led to the degradation of his mental faculties). 

We had to move my father into assisted living last year (where he lived out the remaining months of his life) and the details Larsen includes in “Deep Fake” rang true to our experiences with my dad. 

I also enjoyed supporting characters like Claire Hall (Sarah’s best friend and the developer of a surveillance tool called EPIC) and FBI Special Agent Troy Burke (a grizzled law enforcement veteran who is investigating the terrorist attack). 

Larsen has said that he wrote “Deep Fake” to explore the “superficial nature of Internet fame and how human nature is increasingly affected by technology.” 

Those factors are certainly on display in this novel. While it might have been tempting to write a treatise on the divisive politics of the moment, Larsen instead focuses on this simple question: “How well do we really know our leaders?”

In addition to writing, Larsen (an Air Force veteran) is also a commercial airline pilot. This 2022 interview with David Temple on TheThrillerZone podcast offers insight into Larsen’s writing process and novels: 

I had a great time reading “Deep Fake.” It is a fresh, inventive, and gripping thriller that will keep you guessing until the very end. 

Order your copy of “Deep Fake” here. 

If you'd like to learn more about "Deep Fake" and the novels of Ward Larsen, visit his website at www.wardlarsen.com. 

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Book Review: “Assassin's Edge” By Ward Larsen

“Fly across the Arctic in winter, violate Russian territory. Maybe go for a dive and blow some things up.” — David Slaton in “Assassin’s Edge”

As I’ve gotten to know the writing of author Ward Larsen over the past few years, I’ve come to appreciate the fact that the author doesn’t write the same book twice. 

His eighth David Slaton thriller — “Assassin’s Edge” — illustrates that point. 

Taken in total with his previous two novels — 2020’s “Assassin’s Strike” (read my review) and 2019’s “Assassin’s Revenge” (read my review) — you see a thriller writer who is willing to mix things up. 

That makes for an enjoyable reading experience. 

“Assassin’s Edge” finds Slaton (a former Mossad “kidon” – assassin) called into duty to find the daughter of former Mossad colleague Anton Bloch.

The disappearance of Bloch’s daughter in Kazakhstan and a downed U.S. RC-135 (known as “Raven 44”) along Russia’s northern border are somehow intertwined. 

Our protagonist has to put these seemingly unrelated puzzle pieces together — in a mission that finds Slaton hopping across the globe as he wrestles past demons and works to thwart a larger geopolitical threat. 

He has to deal with a shadowy operator known as Lazarus, a mysterious cabal known as the Trident, suspicious vessels operating in the open seas, and a whole host of staples familiar in today's espionage thrillers. 

Larsen’s smooth prose and deft handling of multiple plot threads illustrates his skill in the thriller genre. He works diligently to keep an authentic feel in “Assassin’s Edge.”

A former U.S. Air Force fighter pilot, Larsen often gives military aircraft starring roles in his novels. In addition to the RC-135 mentioned earlier, he also features the venerable V-22 Osprey in the narrative (a plane I find fascinating and first learned about in Dale Brown’s 1990 novel “Hammerheads”). 

Larsen dedicates this novel to the late David Hagberg — a thriller writer I first read in 1990 (it was the Kirk McGarvey thriller “Countdown”). Both authors share the same publisher and I decided to pull out Hagberg’s 1995 novel “High Flight” for this occasion: 

While Larsen’s thrillers are current and topical, his stories exude a vibe that would have felt right at home alongside retro-masters like Hagberg, Clancy, Coonts, and Ludlum back in the day. 

If you enjoy espionage thrillers, I’d recommend you check out the novels of Ward Larsen. His books can be read in any order, and “Assassin’s Edge” is a good place to jump in. 

You can order your copy of “Assassin’s Edge” here. 

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Book Review: “Assassin's Strike” By Ward Larsen

“So let’s get down to it. Who do you want me to kill?” — David Slaton in “Assassin’s Strike” 

For the second year in a row, I've had the privilege to be able to read an advance copy of thriller writer Ward Larsen’s latest tome. This year’s entry is titled “Assassin’s Strike” and it is the seventh novel in his David Slaton series.  

When I reviewed “Assassin’s Revenge” in 2019 (click here to read my review), it marked the first time I had tried one of Larsen’s books. 

I described Larsen’s prose as “razor sharp” in that review. The author’s crisp writing skills are also on display in “Assassin’s Strike.” 

“Assassin’s Strike” finds former Mossad kidon (assassin) Slaton tasked with a mission to extract Ludmilla Kravchuk, an interpreter with the Russian foreign ministry. As the story begins, she is tasked as an interpreter for Russian President Petrov. 

Kravchuk hears some disturbing information during Petrov’s summit with Iranian President Ahmed Rahmani in Damascus, Syria. 

A series of events at the hotel where she is staying sets into motion some life-changing choices for the unwary interpreter. Afraid for her life, she contacts the Czech embassy (the point of contact for the United States in Syria) telling them she information to impart.  

That’s where our hero comes in. 

“So you want me to go in, snatch a woman out of central Damascus,” Slaton tells CIA handler Anna Sorensen, “then make a run for the nearest border.” 

Slaton is a family man working on a sense of normalcy on his Idaho ranch (his wife Christine and son Davy were featured in 2019’s “Assassin’s Revenge”). Like others in the genre before him, Slaton follows the classic espionage trope of agents getting lured back into the game. 

The story globe trots through a number of exotic locales — Syria, Uruguay, Israel, Sudan, and Saudi Arabia. At the core of the story is a mysterious antagonist known as “Sultan.” 

Ward used to be a pilot in the U.S. Air Force. For those of you who have read previous reviews, you’ll know that I have a love for military aircraft — an interest that was encouraged when I was a kid. 

Ward likes to include those sorts of aircraft in his novels. “Assassin’s Strike” features the BAe Hawk. Whenever I see an aircraft mentioned in a novel, I typically pull out my worn copy of “Jane’s World Aircraft Recognition Handbook.” 

The Hawk (which originated in the United Kingdom) was first flown in 1974 and has been exported all over the world to places like Finland, Indonesia, Zimbabwe, and Kenya. It has been used in the intervening decades by various air forces around the world as a trainer. 

Sprinkling in tools of the trade helps create a sense of authenticity in Larsen’s novels. 

As much as those details add a sense of verisimilitude in his books, it is the small, oddball moments in espionage novels that often stick out to me. 

One of those small moments is a scene in the novel where Slaton is having a discussion with former Mossad compatriot Anton Bloch in a small cafeteria. The mention of the “thick steak” and “potatoes Lyonnaise” in the sequence has stuck with me the past couple of days. 

“The cattle are grass fed and free range, whatever the hell that means,” Bloch tells Slaton of the steak. 

I’m not sure why those things stand out to me in novels of this nature. Maybe I was just hungry when I read that passage. 

Regardless, those moments help add depth and dimension to a story. I’m always happy when authors toss them into the mix. 

“Assassin’s Strike” is an entertaining entry in Larsen’s David Slaton series. While Slaton has been compared in literary circles to famous protagonists like Ludlum’s Jason Bourne and Silva’s Gabriel Allon, Larsen has managed to set the character on a unique path all his own. 

I’m glad I’ve gotten to know the novels of Ward Larsen over the past two summers. If you like to journey through interesting voices in the spy genre, Larsen’s books are worth the trip. 

To learn more about Ward Larsen, visit his website at www.wardlarsen.com. 

Order your copy of “Assassin’s Strike” by Ward Larsen here. 

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Book Review: “Assassin’s Revenge” By Ward Larsen

“You’re not telling me something, Anna. I want to know what it is. And I want to know right now...” — David Slaton in “Assassin’s Revenge”

I was honored to have the opportunity to read an early copy of author Ward Larsen’s latest David Slaton thriller “Assassin’s Revenge” — as part of the “Ward’s Dozen” (#Wards12) promo on Twitter. 

I love being introduced to writers I haven’t read before. 

“Assassin’s Revenge” is the sixth novel in Larsen’s thriller series featuring former Mossad kidon (assassin) David Slaton.

Slaton has been compared to Jason Bourne. The character definitely embues a Ludlum-esque sensibility from espionage thrillers of yore. I’d also compare him to contemporaries like Daniel Silva’s Gabriel Allon.  

At the beginning of “Assassin’s Revenge,” Slaton, his physician wife Christine, and two-and-a-half year old son Davy are in the midst of an “irregular lifestyle,” sailing the globe on their sailboat Sirius.  

When Slaton returns to a boat dock in Gibraltar — where his boat is moored — he finds his wife and son missing. Moreover, the vessel has disappeared.

Slaton finds the boat floating nearby, and soon receives a text message with bullet instructions telling the former kidon to travel to Vienna, Austria, and “do what you do best” (in order to secure the safe return of his family). His target is an Israeli named Paul Mordechai — a man who used to be with Mossad and has a story that is deeper than it seems on the surface.  

Slaton’s mission — and hunt for his family — sets into motion an exciting espionage thriller that jets our protagonist across the globe. 

Our hero must use his cunning intellect and bravado to find his family and stop a sinister plot against the United States. 

Ward weaves together multiple threads involving a physicist with the International Atomic Energy Agency named El-Masri, nefarious players in North Korea, and an ISIS terror group led by a former Iraqi naval officer named Boutros.

The author sprinkles in interesting anecdotes and factoids throughout his tight narrative. For example, in all my years of reading European-based spy thrillers, I never knew the “emergency phone number” in the EU was 112. 

I also enjoyed the descriptions of aircraft in the novel. Ward is a former U.S. Air Force fighter pilot, and he includes some unique planes in “Assassin’s Revenge.”

When I was a kid, I spent a lot of my leisure time building model airplane kits (the Hawker Harrier, F-16 Fighting Falcon, and F4U Corsair were my favorites). My parents took me to the Strategic Air Command Museum at an early age, and I was hooked. 

As Ward described a Y-5A in the novel — a variant of the Russian An-2 Colt — I had to pull out my old copy of “Jane’s World Aircraft Recognition Handbook” I’ve had since I was a kid. Sure enough, the old bird was in the well-worn pages:

There is also a “Top Gun” easter egg on page 356 I think readers will enjoy. 

At one point in the novel, Slaton finds himself in a church in Germany. While there, he notices stonework that has fallen into disrepair (Slaton has worked on masonry projects over the years). The reader gains insight into the character’s feelings on God as he deals with uncertainty regarding his missing wife and son.

“[Slaton] didn’t bother consigning to the usual and rarely kept bargain: Make this happen and I’ll commit to a life of goodness and devotion,” writes Ward. “No, he decided. God had heard that one before. He simply asked for help. It was the best he could do in that moment.” 

The sequence reminded me of a church-based scene in Mark Greaney’s thriller “Ballistic” (read my review) where his hero (Court Gentry) faces a similar moment of introspection regarding faith in the face of adversity. 

Moments like that help ground genre characters who can (at times) seem “superheroic” in their daring feats. 

I wish I had discovered the novels of Ward Larsen before receiving my advance copy of “Assassin’s Revenge.” The author’s prose is razor sharp, action sequences are exciting, and attention to detail very much appreciated. 

Ward also included some unexpected plot twists that left me truly surprised. 

I will definitely be diving into the rest of the David Slaton novels. 

“Assassin’s Revenge” is one of the top thrillers I’ve read this year. 

Highly recommended.

To learn more about Ward Larsen, visit his website at www.wardlarsen.com. 

Order your copy of "Assassin's Revenge" by Ward Larsen here. 

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