Hi! This book review is so long overdue that it's embarrassing. Back in June, the author of this book, Rob Lubitz, emailed me and asked if I'd like to review a copy of his new novel, which was the follow-up to a book I'd positively reviewed a couple of years prior. I can't clearly remember if I reviewed Beyond Top Secret here, but if I didn't I should have. It was an amazing government thriller that later won awards (and deserved them), and A Quiet Coup is the final installment in the trilogy. Of course I said yes, but then I got caught up in post purgatory and the Summer Series, so I never got around to reviewing it. But I'm here now. Better late than never, I always say. I always say that because I'm always late with my shit and that platitude helps me unsuccessfully justify it. This isn't making me look so good. Let's move on.
What's it about?
The book is about a few things. I genuinely was at a loss for how to best summarize it so I paraphrased bits from the author's summary and filled in the missing notes with my own. lol Another highly classified drug has somehow gotten away from the CIA, this time a very potent hypnosis drug that can easily be administered. Some of the supply has gone missing and nobody knows where to start looking.
A smaller politician decides to make his move on the White House, with support coming out of unexpected corners. One of the politician's staffers knows something in the office is amiss, and using a certain reporter familiar to the series, he resolves to get to the bottom of it.
Bill and Cheryl Parker live a happy, secluded life in Hawaii and all seems well, until their covers are blown and someone calls for them to be dealt with. However, their covers aren't blown to them (initially), and as they turn into fugitives they struggle to get to the truth about themselves--and each other--before it's too late.
What I liked:
--Firstly, I enjoyed the attention being paid to the two main characters this time around; I can remember wishing I'd seen more of Ryan and Alana's reconciliation in Beyond Top Secret. I don't remember my review exactly, but whether I included it or not this was something I'd wish I'd seen more of. This time did not disappoint, and because the two spent a lot of the book on the lam, the reader was able to come along for the ride with them. This gave us more time with both of them, both in their interactions and in their inner monologues. I enjoyed reading as they tried to figure out who they were, both in past and present tense, and maintain a sense of security with each other, even as everything else in their lives (especially their lives actually) was anything but secure. I loved that we were able to see the dismantling of one persona as the old personas slipped back into place, but I enjoyed that it wasn't an effortless or immediate process.
--Another thing I loved about The Quiet Coup, or the last two books in general, is that there's really no safety for any of the big-time characters. In a lot of books, you can kind of figure out which characters are most important to the plot and take a bit of comfort in knowing that they won't be going anywhere. That safety net is definitely not here in this series, and The Quiet Coup doesn't disappoint in taking the rug out completely from underneath you as the series comes to a close. As a returning reader to the series, I thought I had my cast of big-time players assembled and figured they weren't going anywhere but was sorely mistaken. I think the lack of a safety net made for a more exciting read because it meant all bets were off, and when trying to close out a series based off excitement, thrills and kills, there's no better way to do it than by completely removing any safety you may have built up from prior novels. I just read that sentence and holy run-on. Sorry.
--Something I didn't realize I'd like until I finished the book was the fact that it wasn't set immediately after the events in Beyond Top Secret. I usually don't care much for time jumps but in this case, it allowed for things to settle, for certain events and times to slip beneath the surface of one's memory---in other words, it was a lull into a false sense of security. At least that's how I took it. It was the perfect sort of bam! to throw the characters and the reader back into the fray that seemed to somewhat settle by the end of Beyond Top Secret. I think the jump also allowed for certain faces to shift in in a realistic fashion while others shifted out, and for a returning reader I thought it was a good method to spice things up while still giving us some familiar faces to return to.
--One of my biggest complaints with installments in series that utilize returning characters is the lack of continuity. In one book, a character will behave a certain way but in later installments seem like another character entirely. I hate that continuity sometimes suffers just to create a plot point that is believable for that particular book in the series. Fortunately, this isn't the case here. All returning characters were just as I remembered them, but with this being my second go-round with them, I understood them a bit better.
--I appreciated the familiar faces, but there was only one who I audibly groaned at upon reading their introduction in this book: Connie. lol She's the typical reporter--resilient, bold, nosy as all hell, and determined to get to the bottom of things, although I suspect it was more for career gains than out of the goodness in her heart. To put it bluntly, she aggravated the shit out of me in the last book and when I saw her name come up in The Quiet Coup, I was like, "Nooo." I understood why she was the way she was--she's a reporter, it's her bread and butter to get the gritty stories and redeem herself--but it was still annoying. I imagine this portrayal is probably based off of reality as members of the press probably harass public and political figures for comments all the time. I liked that she was in this story but primarily on another angle, this time around.
--Riveting and exciting, both for new and returning readers
--Had multiple irons in the fire in terms of plot points
--As a random aside, I loved the unexpected biracial relationship that was quietly tucked away in the book and I appreciate it not being used as a focal point. That's just a personal note from a WOC, but I appreciate when these relationships are mentioned quietly, like any other relationship, and not put there for the sole purpose of furthering the plot. The people in question would have had the same relationship had a different color choice been made, and I noticed that no large overtures were made to ensure the reader's knowledge that the character was in fact a WOC. These gestures are often well-intended but toe the line, if not step over it entirely, of making the character come off stereotypically or a bit caricature-ish, and this character was none of those things. So on a more personal note, thank you for that.
What I didn't like:
--The only issue I had in this book was that it was just a little too fast, and even though I'd read the previous book and knew most of what the characters were referencing, it started to get a little difficult to try and remember all the details as everything was going down. Because things moved so quickly, I did find it a little difficult to keep track of the main plotline as there were so many chess pieces in motion at once. I guess in retrospect this wasn't so bad, but I just wanted to mention it was a little more difficult to follow along this time around. I know government thrillers demand a fast-paced, action packed experience and I expect them to deliver just that. I also expect nothing less from this author, who I think did a superb job in his previous novel delivering exactly what I expected. It's simply that a few parts seemed a little faster than I could keep up with. Didn't take away from my experience, but I did have to reread a few passages.
Overall:
Overall, I find The Quiet Coup to be another excellent showing from Rob Lubitz. I wasn't sure if the excitement from Beyond Top Secret would color my view on The Quiet Coup or not, but having read the former first only gave me a view of what to expect with the follow-up. It didn't disappoint, nor did I think it would. This, much like its predecessor, was almost an immediate page-turner. Unlike its predecessor, however, it didn't start out with a slow burn. This final chapter in the trilogy quickly places its characters in the hot seat, rips off the bandaid, and races to a finish that keeps you hurriedly turning pages with excitement. There isn't a lot of time spent on extra, unimportant details--every bit of information is intentionally included, each scene descriptive enough to vividly place the reader in the setting without dedicating a lot of time to the miscellaneous. There's so much going on at any given time that it can be difficult to remember that they're all part of the same larger picture, but everything falls together just in time, the way it should, many times without certain characters even having to interact. That's part of what I love about this author's writing; rather than creating the web all at once, he creates smaller versions of this web, using only a couple of common strings to tie them all together in a way that I really enjoy. I love the usage of government and individuals that, when mentioned separately appear to have nothing to do with the other but when combined with these common strings, bring the entire picture full circle. The plot pulls you in, both for the quickly developing angles and the slow burning angles, and has enough substance to draw either a new or returning reader. There's a thread of realism in these kinds of stories that makes plots like this more plausible and less far-fetched, which makes you wonder what's really hood in our government. LOL The Quiet Coup closes out this trilogy of books in a way that doesn't disappoint and considering Beyond Top Secret won awards, that's a tall order to fill. This was a great book, Rob, and I appreciate you allowing me to read it. I'm also sorry that I'm a shit who didn't review this when it was first given to me. lol
Do I recommend this book?
Yes. I also recommend the previous two installments, Breaking Free and Beyond Top Secret (which I reviewed!).
Where can I get a copy?
Kindle ($2.99) | Kindle Unlimited (Free) | Paperback ($11.99) |
Contact the author here!
Website | Goodreads
Do I recommend this book?
Yes. I also recommend the previous two installments, Breaking Free and Beyond Top Secret (which I reviewed!).
Where can I get a copy?
Kindle ($2.99) | Kindle Unlimited (Free) | Paperback ($11.99) |
Contact the author here!
Website | Goodreads
