Review of Jake Fortina and the Roman Conspiracy
Posted: 03 Apr 2024, 16:16
[Following is a volunteer review of "Jake Fortina and the Roman Conspiracy" by Ralph R. "Rick" Steinke.]
Review of Jake Fortina and the Roman Conspiracy:
This was the second book featuring the primary character and I will concede that I have not read the earlier one but this book still stood on its own merits. The author clearly has a military/government professional background and is well versed in how the different domestic and international agencies cooperate and share information. The level of detail reminded me of Tom Clancy's early writing; however, there were times it became repetitive (like multiple references to Jake varying his commuting schedule as a standard operating procedure for personal security and how lucky he feels to have such a beautiful and incredible wife).
The story was well-developed and absorbing in that there were both domestic and international storylines which given recent events, were believable and disturbing. The book was a little hard to follow in the beginning with the introductions of so many characters but found a rhythm about a third of the way through and the pace then quickened. There was minimal sexual content that I would rate as a 1 on a scale of 0 to 5. There was a moderate amount of profanity - I counted eleven uses of the sh** expletive, four uses of SOB, and six of b**ch. I noted seven editorial items, of which, five related to missing words, and two using "drug" as the past tense of drag (not as quoted speech) which is non-standard and I consider incorrect.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and would rate it a strong 3 on a scale of 1 to 5. While the story was strong, the writing could have been crisper. Also, although most of the characters and activities were wrapped up by the end, it seemed that one secondary (non-American) character's ultimate outcome was left unresolved and I suppose left to the reader's imagination as to his possible comeuppance for his activities.
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Jake Fortina and the Roman Conspiracy
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Review of Jake Fortina and the Roman Conspiracy:
This was the second book featuring the primary character and I will concede that I have not read the earlier one but this book still stood on its own merits. The author clearly has a military/government professional background and is well versed in how the different domestic and international agencies cooperate and share information. The level of detail reminded me of Tom Clancy's early writing; however, there were times it became repetitive (like multiple references to Jake varying his commuting schedule as a standard operating procedure for personal security and how lucky he feels to have such a beautiful and incredible wife).
The story was well-developed and absorbing in that there were both domestic and international storylines which given recent events, were believable and disturbing. The book was a little hard to follow in the beginning with the introductions of so many characters but found a rhythm about a third of the way through and the pace then quickened. There was minimal sexual content that I would rate as a 1 on a scale of 0 to 5. There was a moderate amount of profanity - I counted eleven uses of the sh** expletive, four uses of SOB, and six of b**ch. I noted seven editorial items, of which, five related to missing words, and two using "drug" as the past tense of drag (not as quoted speech) which is non-standard and I consider incorrect.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and would rate it a strong 3 on a scale of 1 to 5. While the story was strong, the writing could have been crisper. Also, although most of the characters and activities were wrapped up by the end, it seemed that one secondary (non-American) character's ultimate outcome was left unresolved and I suppose left to the reader's imagination as to his possible comeuppance for his activities.
******
Jake Fortina and the Roman Conspiracy
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon