Black Ice

A Thriller (The Scot Harvath Series, Book 20)

By: Brad Thor

Narrated by: Armand Schultz

Length: 10 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's Summary

Includes a special bonus conversation between Brad Thor and his longtime narrator Armand Schultz!

Instant number one New York Times best seller

“[A]nother instant classic.” (The Real Book Spy)

“The undisputed master of blending geopolitics with spycraft…a thriller aficionado’s dream.” (The Providence Journal) 

The new Cold War is about to go hot. 

Number one New York Times and number one Wall Street Journal best-selling author Brad Thor is back with his most intense thriller yet. 

Scot Harvath is having his best summer ever. With a cottage on the fjord, a boat, and his beautiful girlfriend Sølvi, he’s got everything he could possibly want. But out of vacation days and long overdue back home, America’s top spy has a decision to make - return, or submit his resignation. 

When his deadly past comes calling, though, he’ll be left with no choice at all. 

Leaving his favorite Oslo café, Harvath watches as a ghost climbs out of a taxi - a man he killed years ago, halfway around the world. How is he still alive? And what is he doing in Norway? 

In a race against time that will take him high above the Arctic Circle, Harvath is tested in ways he has never imagined and pushed to a limit few human beings could ever endure. 

If he succeeds, he’ll walk away with everything. If he fails, the United States and its allies will be at the mercy of one of the world’s most dangerous actors.  

©2021 Brad Thor. All rights reserved. (P)2021 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

Alec Baldwin doing Trump's voice

I'm writing this not-positive review because I've read reviews that helped me identify something in a book that resonated for good or bad and it really helped.

For me, the story was way too long and into more detail about equipment, terrain and clothing than the characters or an actual story. The "action" parts were mostly various forms of torture and not at all exciting. In fact, nothing was really very exciting or memorable. Except the idea that you can cover a dead body in peanut butter and wolves will then eat the body till nothing is left. SERIOUSLY?

But the biggest part for me was that when the narrator was doing the main character he sounded like Alec Baldwin's impersonation of Trump - and sometimes that voice doing Clint Eastwood. Everyone else sounded pretty normal; it was super distracting.

I'm sorry I don't have anything good to say about it.

Black Ice is terrific and so is the narration!

Brad Thor continues his great run with his Scot Harvath espionage series with Black Ice. This one is set in Norway where Harvath is spending the summer with his girlfriend Solvi who is Norway's spy chief. Much of the novel takes place in parts of Russia above the artic circle;. Arnand Schultz as usual for this series and he does so superbly.

If you like excellent spy thrillers this series and this novel are among the best.

Thriller no-no

Poor , cliche writing with a dull protagonist and talky, plodding plot. Stale as stale can be.

Not his best work

Honestly, it feels like a cut scene mixed with fixed dialogue tree conversation out of a video game. The overly one sided conversations providing the details for everything about to happen is over used and ruins the story. To me it just comes off as rushed lazy writing. Which is too bad, I have always loved this series. I look forward to each new book.

I sure hope this year’s Mitch Rapp is better than this half baked book with its predictable story line and super human characters. Not even sure why Scott “needed his team.” They’re in the story for like a minute.

Talk talk talk

No meat! Way too much story about the past. Boring boring boring boring. Don’t buy. Thanks I have all his others and liked.

Romance Novel

What happened to Scott Horvath - sheesh a boring romance novel. Don’t waste a credit.

Brad Thor never disappoints!

In the last year I’ve listened to all the Brad Thor thrillers and this one is right on pair with the rest of them. Can’t wait for the next one!

Interesting

I like the series very much but as series books go, they need to end sometime. I thought Scott getting married was a mistake & now I wonder why he got engaged so quickly. My big problem was the explanation of how Reed Carlton got his call name...way too long...yawn.
I guess Scott is getting old so his jobs are not as exciting.
Brad, Your books, up until the last two, were very exciting & I always pre-ordered in anticipation... It may be time to look for another American Hero.

Worst in the Scot Harvath series

This plot, writing and performance were a giant disappointment. Boring, predictable, trite. I have enjoyed all the books in this series except Black Ice. I hope Brad Thor can regain the thriller spark in the next book.

Horribly boring

I don't know if he's lost "it" or if he just needs a mulligan, but Thor just put up a stinker. This story was mercilessly boring and the quintessential Harvath action sequences were almost completely absent. Most of the book felt like filler because the story itself was such a lightweight. I could listen to "Full Black" for the 13th time and still be more riveted than with this lame effort. Armand Schultz also didn't show up to play. He was apathetic and characters had different voices than in previous books. The use of the "team" characters was atrocious and there wasn't the signature character from Harvath's past that became a somewhat significant part of the story (Mike Streiber, Herman the German, Baba G, etc.). Never did I think I'd give Brad Thor a 1-Star but alas.....

Dissatisfied

I love this series but I couldn’t get into this audiobook, it never really gets going seriously lacking action