Boston Burning

By: Eric Salin

Narrated by: Tim Toddhurst

Length: 12 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's Summary

Harley Jones was one of the FBI’s best. From Harvard he went into the Army Special Forces as an intelligence specialist. Then he did everything for the FBI from undercover work to running the hostage rescue team. Now that he works with a small counter-terrorism unit, apparently, he’s been shelved. Some say he’s burned out. Others say that he’s the nuclear weapon, to be brought out only for very special occasions.

Hasan Bucheri has been a terrorist all his adult life. He’s a professional, trained by the old KGB, respected and feared all over the world. He’s tired now and wants to quit, but he needs one big well-funded operation to pay for his retirement. Now he has his dream assignment, funded by an oil-fueled angry ruler. Not only will he get rich, he’s going to get his final revenge on a scale the world has never seen. Hasan Bucheri isn’t just smart, he’s a genius. They’ll never know what hit them. 

These two men will gather their forces and fight for the city of Boston. Neither will follow the rules and the nation will reel with the battle’s shock waves.

©2018 Eric Salin (P)2019 Eric Salin

Interesting local dive into a terrorist plot

*This book was given to me by the author at my request, and I provided this voluntary review.*

4.2/5

I was very interested in this story from the synopsis; being a Bostonian, I thought it would be interesting to see how this type of scenario would play out. The first part of the book I didn't particularly like; we jumped into the POV of about 25 different people in rapid fire succession; most of whom were not that important in the end, or we didnt see again entirely. The other thing I found strange was the method of attacks the terrorist are using. Being from Boston, I thought of at least 3 other major targets of "interest" before the ones brought up in the story (is this guy from New England, or did he just visit once?)

The story elements other than those pesky nuisances is really good. I liked all of the main characters and their flaws. The flashbacks that brought real-time story lore into light was nicely done. The transitions of them from past to present were seamless. I liked where the story ended up going, and I like that there is a small sniff of a possible sequel in the future. It was fast-paced after the first part and I had an easy time finishing it; fully enjoying it.

The audible production was interesting enough; it sounded like my grandfather was reading me the book! What I didnt like was that there were no breaks between scene changes or POV's, the reading kept going after the change (it was jarring as a listener). This does not distract from the author's work.

Would definitely recommend!

In Your Face Espionage

This book is fast paced with a new plot twist on every other page. It will keep you on edge until the end. I enjoyed the perspective you get from the "bad guy's" point of view; usually these are all about the hero, and the bad guys just do their usual routine. This plot was well thought out as Bucheri demonstrates that he is an absolute mastermind of planning, and a pro at being a terrorist. Harley, a grizzled veteran with years of experience in both the field and behind the scenes, gets launched from his office back into the lead role. His experience combined with his accept no excuses and put the mission above all else attitude, is just what is needed for Boston to stay above ground. What a ride you take on this story, all while thinking in the back of your head that this could really happen in a city near you.

Tim and Eric both did excellent in reading and writing. I would recommend giving this a try, it's a non-pause of an audiobook (I suppose that's the equivalent to a page turner ha!) that will keep you eagerly listening to see how the story unfolds. I was so hooked, I finished the book at the gym, which is usually reserved for music only.

I was given a free copy of this audiobook at my request, in exchange for a voluntary fair and honest review.