By Jack Mars
The bad guys have the big gun. The good guys know it. Now, if they only knew who the bad guys were, where they were, and what their intentions were . . . this mission would be so much easier. Fortunately, the good guys have Agent Zero.
Agent Zero is the CIA's enigmatic superstar; a lethal operative with a secret that could put his career and life in jeopardy. Zero is losing his mind! No, he's not a candidate for the asylum. He is suffering brief cognitive lapses, a precursor to a very uncertain future (read Agent Zero--Book #1). It's a personal problem that Zero is trying to hide from his teenage daughters as well as his fellow operatives: Maria, Mitch, and Todd.
That's a problem . . . and a problem compounded when an international terrorist secures a high tech railgun, capable of massive destruction. Zero and his team must secure the weapon. That sounds easy enough, but the gun is attached to a ship almost as illusive as some of the memories in Zero's mind.
Jack Mars delivers a quick-paced story that weaves threads of family and loyalty, secrecy and mystery, action and thrills into a series now twelve books long. Kent Steele, aka Reid Lawson, aka Agent Zero is the avowed-disavowed-avowed again CIA operative with a very good friend in the White House. That's a good thing because Zero's career is like riding a motorcycle over whoop-de-dos. His reputation is the stuff of legend . . . but not his home. Lawson struggles at times to raise his teenage daughters, especially after their mom and Lawson's wife was killed by the CIA.
Yeah, it's complicated, but so is life. Lawson is infuriatingly frustrating at times. Lies and cover-up -- even to "protect" his loved ones -- have a way of coming back to haunt him. Can't he see that?! His MO is becoming theirs, but as in the field, he refuses to give up. It's part of what makes him a great agent and despite his failures, a good dad too.
About reading Decoy Zero:
Mars hooked me from the start. Decoy Zero is entertaining and mostly believable. There were a few "What the heck?" moments. Doors expand in the heat, not the cold. A Skylark is not a sports car. And certainly the gates at the CIA have video monitoring. Okay, with that little rant out of my system, I really liked this book. His cast of characters. are "real" -- and fun. His writing is crisp. His plot is plausible . . . okay mostly plausible. And now that I have read books 1-8, I am starting book 9.
My recommendation:
If you are looking for an enjoyable read and a super hero who is often neither super nor hero, but exceptionally good at what he does, pick up this book. I suspect you won't want to put it down. Kudos to Jack Mars for delivering once again.
