Intercept

A Novel of Suspense

By: Patrick Robinson

Narrated by: Charles Leggett

Length: 15 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

A left-leaning judge liberates four of the most dangerous al-Qaeda terrorists from Guantanamo Bay and the CIA field officers track them back to Pakistan's northwest frontier mountain range. But the men vanish and rejoin the dark and mysterious forces trained by Osama bin Laden high in the Hindu Kush. These are men with hatred for the United States and Great Britain, and they are sworn to hit back at the USA, which imprisoned so many of their high command. They know there is only one man who can stop them--retired Navy SEAL Lt. Commander Mack Bedford--and he is called in to assist on one of the most highly classified missions ever launched from CIA headquarters.

©2010 Patrick Robinson (P)2010 BBC Audio

ALONZO

This is a great book. The plot is well structured, in part a documentary (or so it seems), always entertaining. It may be argued that it is a bit boys own adventure, the good guys win but in my view it's about time. Gentlemen if you have to do an an Australiain accent, please dont. Very please to have bought this book.

good flow

I couldn't hardly wait to listen again. Descriptive and realistic, narration was spot on.

Excellent story!

In light of recent events this story is a great listen. I wonder if the people who wrote the negative reviews have a different opinion now that so many jailed terrorists are free and back in action in the new Afghanistan. This is a good listen and Mack Bedford is an animal!

It was good… but

I liked that Mac was not torn about what his job was. He’s a soldier, highly trained and has no qualms about what needs to be done. He kept family and duty separate but still present. However, I felt there was too much focus on the “enemy” and not enough on Mac and more of what he was thinking. I zoned out several times when the focus on the other characters and their reasons for wanting to commit such heinous crimes. Overall, good book but I wouldn’t go out of my way to read another.

Reliably diverting and engrossing

As with any Patrick Robinson books I've listened to, this was full of military themes and personnel, and a dastardly plot by evil doers to commit mischief on the US of A. Not being a right wing conservative who thinks Dick Cheney walks on water, the far right political bent can be a little tedious. But the story telling is terrific, and his characters, while rather one-sided, always leave you rooting for the good guys. One my favorite lines from his books is the Navy Seals philosophy that there are few problems in the world that cannot be solved with enough high explosive. If you like action and military themes, you'll enjoy this (or any other) Patrick Robinson book.

Reality Check

If you are looking for a shoot from the hip action thriller, you may find what you want in this one. Robinson paints a frank no nonsense look at the SEALs and what it takes to do that job. He gives you a good look at the mindset of the radicals our military have to deal with on a daily basis. No matter where you are on the matter of "Due Process' for terrorists I think you will enjoy this thriller. I liked the performance of the narrator but I feel there were places in the story where a slower pace to his words would have been more effective. I have read a couple of Robinson's books and this was the best of the lot.

Slow at first ..

It takes a while to get going, but the story goes into character deinition for some time. It's a good plot and it also has some comedy entertwinined, as the terrorists do some goofy things as they move across our country .This is the first time I have heard or read about what they may face just getting somewhere.

As Good as It Gets

The biggest fault with Intercept is that it cost me a couple nights of sleep and put a strain on my 32 year marriage (I listen through noise cancelling headphones). A great story that is plausible read by a great actor who gives a different voice to each character. Praise be unto the faithful for indpiring this work.

My criticism: suppressed firearms do not appear in this stoty; they would be a standard tool of the trade! Also, ammonium nitrate fertilzer is forbidden because it is not considered organic. However, potassium nitrate is commonly available as a natural product of rotting manure piles-- a much more ethical way to blow up the enemy in an organic, gluten-free, non-GMO, natural, vegan manner.

Gripping and pride inspiring

Intercept was one of the most captivating listens for me in a long time. My admiration of the navy seals has no limits.

Robinson returns to form and believability

Robinson's book two in the Mack Bedford series is quite a bit more realistic and plausible than book one. There are troubling things in this series so far and in this work in particular. First, the first 3 hours are a monologue of the narrator telling not showing. All interesting information but without any meaningful dialog, it is a bit tedious. By half way, the dialog was a little better; but still tedious -- it did pick up near the end. Also, by the half way mark the main character is barely involved -- his involvement is setup, but no real action until well into act II.

As to the story line, the premise hangs together rather nicely. However, if you favor left wing politics, I think you are going to be put off. Robinson goes out of his way to paint left-wing politics in a much less than reasonable light. If you are politically right or a centrist you'll think it okay. I normally wouldn't mention politics in a tech-thriller but Robinson makes so may cutting remarks it has to be mentioned.

The narration is very good. As always, the portrayal of the US Navy Seals is fabulous. I am a fan of Robinson. The first book in the series was substandard, this one was average -- perhaps he is on a trajectory. We'll see. I recommend reading at least the abridged version, that ought to cut out much of the political commentary -- but I am still a fan.