The Rescue – Steven Konkoly: Book Review

The first in his Ryan Decker series, Steven Konkoly does not hold any brakes in this fast-paced conspiracy thriller which is cinematic, serious, dark, and yet hilarious at times. The Rescue introduces Ryan Decker, a CIA operative turned mercenary who specializes in bringing back kidnapped victims. When an operation blows back badly on him and his team and a Senator’s daughter dies in the chaos, Ryan is thrown in prison, and the rest of his team is either killed or missing. His family is also killed in the process and he’s left to survive attempts on his life in prison. But his ten-year prison sentence is cut short, and he suspects another setup. Aiding him is Harlow Mackenzie, a private investigator who was formerly rescued by Ryan long ago and believes in him. Together they go on a tour de force, evading a nationwide manhunt by the FBI, getting revenge on the Bratva(the Russian mob), and uncovering a bigger conspiracy in the Senate involving the private military industrial complex. 

 

   Overall, there are many thought-provoking elements that this thriller brings out about the real world, but I liked that it does not become a vehicle for preaching a political agenda which is a common trend nowadays in such thrillers. The action is ever-present, filled with tension at every scene, with enough detail to appear smart, but does not become heavily flooded with techno-jargon. Konkoly knows how to keep the readers entertained, and does not bog down the narrative with heavy techno detail, but peppers his writing with enough interesting things to keep it educational. Scenes of piloting, HALO jumps, shootouts, hacking, surveillance systems, drones, and intelligence gathering are written well enough to appear fun like a movie and yet be smart and educative. The book is dialogue-heavy, and the action is present only in a few parts. The plot keeps moving at turbo speed and is dependent mostly on the two protagonists, Ryan and Harlow. 

 

   Just like most conspiracy mystery thrillers, there are enough twists and turns to keep the readers interested, but the plot is pretty straightforward. The author tries to explore the issue of privatizing the war in Afghanistan, which was an underrated topic in real-world geopolitics a few years ago, before the recent events of 2021. Though the plot is multi-layered, it feels simple, fast, and sharp, with a heavy emotional angle behind the characters. The humor is snappy, quick, and fun, and would make for a fun movie. Though I usually prefer more weaponized and gritty thrillers, this book takes a hero that would normally belong in such stories and puts him into a mystery, crime conspiracy based narrative. Action’s present, but the plot’s not reliant on it. The protagonists are outnumbered, outmatched, out financed, and overpowered at every move by a very powerful and evil villain, but they solve problems with their brains and smarts more than just shooting their way out. 

 

   Ryan Decker is the usual dark and damaged action hero, but his connection to the co-protagonist Harlow helped the story as she’s a smart character with many resources and out-of-the-box thinking who helps outsmart their way out of many dangerous problems. Though there’s no obvious romance between those two characters, the book teases it for the sequels. The ending’s epic, action-packed, cinematic, and brings a good conclusion, but acts more like an origin story or a prequel for a larger story arc that follows throughout the series. I’d personally have liked to see all the villains killed in book one and the sequels focusing on something completely different plot-wise, but The Rescue did have an emotionally satisfying ending for Ryan Decker. Though it’s not what I’d usually read, it was a fun and fast-paced thriller, and I’d recommend it to anyone who wants a cinematic action thriller that is a lot lighter than my darker tastes and moves without any slow scenes. 

Share this page:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.