The first thing Atticus notices as he adjusts himself in the car is that the gas tank is nowhere near full. This fact sets off alarms in his head. His contact that supplied the vehicle would have never delivered the car in that state. Thus, someone must be planning to ambush him at the closest lonely gas station he’d noticed on the way in. He is not wrong in his assumption.

With a full measure of luck, Atticus manages to escape from his would be capturers. His next thought is for Alena’s safety. He backtracks to the safe house only to find the house has been besieged, and, although Alena is unharmed, Natalie Trent, a very dear friend, has been killed. Correctly determining that the safe house is not really safe, Atticus and Alena work on another plan to disappear long enough to figure out who is trying to kill them and, more importantly, how to circumvent their efforts.

Patriot Acts is a thriller in the classic mode. There is much action in which gunfire plays a major role and people are killed or seriously maimed. The writing is terse and to the point, which is especially apparent in the dialogue. As befitting their occupation, both Atticus and Alena are physically capable of acts which require great athleticism, and are blessed with being able to invent unique solutions to seemingly impossible situations. They also recover from injuries much more rapidly than the average human being.

In keeping with the novel’s title, the major plot line considers the question of what a patriot is and what constitutes a patriotic act. A major asset of the story is a straightforward look at the profession of a hired assassin. The job requires an individual with an amoral sense of values who has no commitment to any other person or society. Accordingly, any assassin who develops any emotion or feeling toward anything decreases his effectiveness in his job.

Although many series books can be read as a stand alone title, Patriot Acts is not one of them. There is a huge back story in the prior adventures of the major characters. A first time reader will be left wondering who characters such as Oxford are and what impact he had on Alena and Atticus. The Ten are alluded to throughout the novel but no details are given for the reader new to the series. Since Patriot Acts is the sixth in the series a dedicated interest in these characters is probably an asset for one unfamiliar with the series. Reading the prior adventures would certainly enhance one’s understanding of the world in which Atticus and Alena operate.

This book is one for the lover of the thriller subgenre. Action abounds and people are killed not only for their own actions but what these actions represent to governments and society. The sparse style of writing makes for a quick read, a suitable choice for a plane trip or a rainy weekend.

--Andy Plonka