The Defiant Hero

Troubleshooters, Book 2

By: Suzanne Brockmann

Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor, Melanie Ewbank

Length: 15 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's Summary

There are eight words Meg Moore has never been able to forget: the United States refuses to negotiate with terrorists. But what was merely a chilling warning when she worked as a translator in a European embassy now spells out a potential death sentence for her daughter and grandmother, who have been kidnapped by a lethal group called the Extremists. Meg has to act - and quickly. Going against everything she was taught, she will now do anything to meet their unspeakable demands; anything - even kill - to save her child.

When Navy SEAL lieutenant, junior grade, John Nilsson is summoned to Washington, DC, by the FBI to help negotiate a hostage situation, the last person he expects to see holding a foreign ambassador at gunpoint is Meg. He hasn't seen her in years, but he's never forgotten how it feels to hold her in his arms. John could lose his career if he helps her escape. She will lose her life if he doesn't.

©2014 Suzanne Brockmann (P)2014 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

oh, meg...

i have enjoyed all of brockmann's books thus far. what made this book my least favorite is Meg. she annoyed me to the point where i had to speed up the story towards the end.
that being said, i am thankful for and did enjoy Alyssa's and Eve's stories.

Not one of the best Troubleshooters

I’m listening to the series in order because I don’t want to miss anything. This book starts off great and I like learning more about Sam and Alyssa’s relationship; but Meg’s storyline is absurd and Meg drives me crazy. By the last few chapters I want to skip past John and Meg. It is work to get through the last two chapters. I recommend the series, but if I had to skip one of the books, this week yet.

Too much back and forth

Where does The Defiant Hero rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

In the middle

Have you listened to any of Patrick Lawlor and Melanie Ewbank ’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes. The performance is very good.

Any additional comments?

The author tends to go back in history, then into the present, then into history, then into the present. This goes on and on throughout the book. It really distracts from the storyline.

Book #2 - Enjoyed as much as Book #1!

I’ve read the first book in this series - now the second. And I’m really enjoying this author’s storytelling! There are actually 3 story lines in each (and each is a love story in it’s own right) - all connected, and representing 3 different generations- so 3 very different experiences. She blends recollections in with current events, so if you need a story told in a linear fashion, this style may drive you nuts! But I love it!! So far, I haven’t encountered the retelling of someone else’s story, but the endings are always satisfying so they are a bit predictable - with a few twists along the way. Highly recommend!

Lackluster main couple

I love. Love. LOVE. Suzanne Brockmann and the Troubleshooters series. However, John & Meg are probably my least favorite couple of the series. (Tying with Mike & Joan in Into The Night - likely because Meg & Joan share many of the same traits that annoy me.)

What I love about Brockmann is her ability to create dynamic characters, with flaws but with strength and the capacity to learn/grow as well. Meg was not intelligent (beyond conniving) nor was she emotionally/physically/mentally strong in any endearing way. She didn't grow as the book went on and she's only mentioned in passing once or twice as the series continues. John seems to somewhat mature, but only in the final moments of the book and in a way that isn't very convincing. His internal dialogue about pregnancy in the last 30 min of the book really highlighted his continued emotional/relational immaturity. I just couldn't connect with either one of them.

The Sam & Alyssa storyline as well as the flashbacks to Eve & Ralph and the fabulous narration save this for me. However, I have read/listened to all the other books in the series numerous times and I find myself constantly skipping this one. I recommend it, in that you need it as a foundation for the fantastic Sam & Alyssa arc that continues throughout the series (especially in Over the Edge, Into the Night, & Gone Too Far). While he only has a few lines, Jules is also introduced in this book and he will soon become an integral and beloved member of the Troubleshooters world.

Next up is Over the Edge which I adore for so many reasons!

I cannot say enough fabulous things about Patrick Lawlor and Melanie Ewbank. They are both stellar narrators - voices, accents, emotions, and giving each character their own unique sound. My only complaint is the same as the last book, in regards to pacing/speed. Lawlor speaks at a much quicker pace than Ewbank (I think they recognized this at some point because I don't find it to be as big a disparity in later books). I found myself having to adjust narration speed between narrators for it to be more cohesive.

Note: I originally read this. Then I found our library had the original audiobooks of the first 6 books (single narrators, various). THEN! Then the series was rerecorded in Dual Narration style with Patrick Lawlor & Melanie Ewbank. I'm in LOVE with these narrations. I own them all. And if it were possible to wear out digital copies of something, I'd have done it by now.

Great writing when you hare a character

I read some bad reviews on book in the series, most were because they hated the character Meg, but I need to say. the author is brilliant because she stirred up the emotions and made is connect. I wanted to slap Meg in the face and ask her how stupid she was. For this reason, I thought this book was great. The story is OK but you build such an attachment to the characters you feel like you want to say. " hello" why are you with this women or strangle the woman's neck. Great job and a pretty good story. Love the narrators they do a great job.

Recommended

Another excellent story for Ms Brockmann. This 2nd story in the Troubleshooters series can stand alone but is enhanced by reading in order. Like Unsung Hero there are multiple stories going on simultaneously. The main theme of kidnapping, pursuit and possible murder; The main love story; WWII love story between Eve & Ralph; and Alicia & Scarlett.

Rather long and drawn out, with all that going on, it is s good idea to have a solid chunk of time to spend here.

Strong Women under Duress

More Suspense-Action-Romance! Yes, I’ve got a theme going for this series... This has past and present storylines, but in this book, you get near-time flashbacks of when Meg met John; and you get a WWII story of when grandma Eve met Ralph Grayson. I’m not sure which of these couples I liked the most.

Meg scrambles to get help from the Seals; and to work around terrorists who have kidnapped her daughter and grandmother to force her to assassinate a political rival. Who better to help her than Navy Seal LTjg John “Nils” Nilsson? Like I said, current day and flashbacks. There were some interesting plot zigs and zags between these two.

Also in this book, Alyssa Locke has left the military for the FBI’s counter terrorism unit (this is pre-9/11). We’re introduced to her FBI partner Jules Cassidy who’s a hoot, and is featured in several future books. And it’s the first book with negotiator Max Bhagat. We also get more of Team 16.
The love/hate/longing dance between Locke and Starrett starts in earnest here.

Narration was fine, but I listened mostly at 1.75 on this one, since I’ve read this multiple times in paperback and ebook.

Defiant Hero

I enjoyed hearing this novel as much as I liked reading it when it came out in paperback. Brockmann's stories are always good.

good book

This was a good addition to the Troubleshooters series. Was it one of my favorites? No. It was good though. What kept it from being one of my favorites was for me Meg wasn't very likeable. I loved Eve's story and Sam and Alyssa's story. I look forward to reading the rest of Sam and Alyssa's story.