The Lions of Lucerne

By: Brad Thor

Narrated by: Armand Schultz

Length: 15 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

In a daring and chilling debut, Brad Thor draws us into a sinister labyrinth of political intrigue and international terrorism, serving up an explosive cocktail of unrelenting action as one man is pushed to the edge.

On the snow-covered slopes of Utah, the unthinkable has just become a nightmarish reality: 30 Secret Service agents have been viciously executed and the vacationing president of the United States kidnapped by one of the most lethal terrorist organizations in the Middle East - the Fatah Revolutionary Council.

But surviving agent and ex-Navy SEAL Scot Harvath doesn't believe the Fatah Revolutionary Council is responsible for the attack. Driven by his professional code of duty and honor, Harvath creates his own rules to get some answers. But his search for the truth raises the blood pressure of his superiors...and casts his own life in mortal jeopardy. The deadly machinations have been set in motion by a shadowy coalition, comprising some of the highest-ranking officials in government and business - men who operate above the law, men who realize the threat Harvath poses to their hidden agenda...men who will do anything to stop him.

Framed for murder and on the run, Harvath takes his own brand of justice to the towering mountains of Switzerland where he finds an improbable ally in the beautiful Claudia Mueller of the Swiss Federal Attorney's Office. Together they must brave the subzero temperatures and sheer heights of treacherous Mount Pilatus - and enter the den of the most notorious team of professional killers the world has ever known.

©2012 Brad Thor (P)2012 Simon & Schuster, Inc

Critic reviews

"Bottom line: Lions roars." ( People)

A little too predictable

This is my first ever review. I had just finished the 3 of Jack Carr’s series on James Reece and was looking for something similar. I really liked the way this booked started out but it seemed like it got really repetitive. Bad guys find good guys and shoots but misses and good guy gets away. It was always very obnoxious how the bad guys would always go into a monologue allowing good guy to escape. I think this will be my only in the series

Story= pretty good; Narration= not so much.

This is one of Thor's early works and he is finding his groove. Have not listened to other Thor novels (have read them), but this performance detracts from the story. Narration is distracting at times. Tough to describe, but -- it's like having your somewhat nerdy uncle read the story to you.

Too implausible

The plot revolves around a grand conspiracy. The conspirators All have some degree of plausibility. The initial action is well-contrived, although one element of it perhaps goes beyond plausibility. The author has a wonderful knowledge of skiing and mountaineering. He uses this throughout the book to provide it with an interesting texture. As the book proceeds, the lack of plausibility becomes rampant. The hero fails to recognize obvious patterns. He gets himself into dangerous situations where he is seriously injured but somehow maintains his physical capabilities and stamina. Too frequently, he has professional assassins trying to kill him, but somehow they never get close enough or shoot straight enough to succeed. The novel begins to fit into the “perils of Pauline“ genre. I will give the author one more chance to see if he can write a more sophisticated and plausible novel.

Excellent!

Excellent plot, characters, and narration. Fast paced start to finish; one to let your dinner get cold to finish a chapter.

Fast pace Thriller

extremely entertaining read / listen that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Good story, great performance.

narrator did a great job with this story. enjoyed the book, Thor has a good story.

It wasn't great but a pretty good listen

This is the first book in this series and I liked it well enough to listen to the next one. I'm not really crazy about Scot Harvath. He's so arrogant and I got sick of him just disobeying orders and making moves that just weren't smart. But I always assume that when an author creates a series, it must be because he or she has had success with it. And in my experience, they do get better. So with that in mind, I look forward to the next one.

The Bad Guys Could Shoot for Sh*t

This is my first Harvath book and probably my last. The story was too far-fetched for my liking. The characters in the book were almost caricatures. The bad guys were loathsome, the women beautiful, the good guys had hearts of gold. The bad guys had horrible aim.

Also the hero was hard to like. Too crude, uncouth and stubborn. Made me embarrassed that an American would live up to all the negative stereotypes Europeans have of us.

Overall, an unsatisfying book. Would not recommend

Brad Thor masterpiece

Great debut of Scot Harvath! Very entertaining!Will definitely read the next thriller by Brad Thor!

Truly captivating

This was my first but definitely not my last Brad Thor novel. I have always enjoyed David Baldacci and Clive Cussler for their portrayal, intrigue and bigger than life heroes. I have steered away from Mr Thor because to many good people get hurt or killed. I read to escape every day life and don't want to read today's headlines in my escapism. I throughly enjoy this book but it hits to close to reality.