Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Book! He's No Tom Clancy....He's better!
Review: An excellent book! Keeps you guessing, great description of Europe. I'd say this is probably one of the best new young authors I've read in a very long time. I've heard Thor described as an early Ludlum and I think that's a pretty fair statement. If you are looking for technical data to get lost in and very, very clichéd characters then go read Clancy, but if you want a BELIEVABLE story, with enough details to make it interesting yet doesn't read like a technical manual or a story from a highschooler then go read this book! All I can say I can't wait to read the newest book.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic offering from a new writer!
Review: Fantastic first book by Brad Thor. This is a thriller in the genre of Clive Cussler, Tom Clancy or Vince Flynn. For a first offering the author sets a great storyline that could have others build off of it. A former NAVY seal who is now on the secret service detail for the president. He not only manages to help save the president's daughter but he also manages to keep from being killed, when many people who you think are working with him pursue him. This story has a lot of wonderful plot twists and turns that keep you guessing as what will happen next. I am looking forward to reading his next story (or listening to it as I did this one) in January.
Rating: 
Summary: Lame...juvenile writing
Review: I don't consider myself a big book connoisseur and am willing to read almost anything, but I couldn't even finish this book. I got about 1/4th the way through and couldn't take it anymore...I had to quit! The plot was lame, and the writing was juvenile. This is kind of how it goes: "Blah, blah, blah", he said. And then he said, "I know. Blah, blah, blah and blah." "You're so right," he said. "It's blah, blah, blah!", he said, nodding his head in reply. ....Give me a break!!! To top it off, he uses dialogue to explain what's happening or the setup for a particular scene. People don't really talk this way because they implictly know what's going on...they don't need to state the obvious!! I probably should've taken the hint with this statement on the page following the dedication: "For reasons of national security, certain names, places, and tactical procedures have been changed within this novel." Yeah, right.
Well, maybe Brad has matured as a writer and his subsequent novels are better, but for me, I will think twice before trying him again.
Rating:
Summary: The Lions Of Lucerne
Review: I have been a Robert Ludlum ( Jason Bourne Series ), Tom Clancy, Stephen Coonts and Dan Brown fan for years. I place Brad Thor on an equal to these authors. He has created the character of Scott Harvath that compares to Jason Bourne, and Mr. Clark. I found the book to be well written, and fast-paced, the type of book I didn't want to put down for a minute.
Rating: 
Summary: It was okay...
Review: I'm going to have to disagree with some of the reviewers that have written previously. You know, going into this book, I didn't have extremely high hopes (I hardly ever do), but I like to read reviews of a book before I spend a week or so of my valuable off-work time reading it. I saw all the good reviews and decided to give this one a shot... and I have to say it was... eh. I was more than a little disappointed because usually the reviews here are right on the money if you look at the average. I consider myself a pretty avid reader. I've read most everything Tom Clancy, Robert Ludlum, Lee Child, and Daniel Silva have to offer... as well as a lot of Stephen King, and various other authors that I can't even remember right now as I'm sitting here. I'm not that hard to please as long as the story is decent, characters are somewhat believable, or if they're not believable at least their actions are in the context of who they are. I LOVE a good story, no matter what genre. That being said, the premise was cool... the action was pretty well choreographed... and I liked the bad guys getting it in the end. What about the story in between ? Well... for starters, the dialogue was very subpar considering who Thor is being compared to. I've always thought that it wasn't an actor that won the Oscar, it was the director behind the actor that won the actor the Oscar. I think also, that a good editor should have caught most of the trite dialogue that can sound good to the author at the time, but should come up after a couple of revisions. Scot Harvath, at least for most of the first half of the book, comes off a lot of the time as a petulent child. I mean how many times does he insist on getting up and getting after the bad guys after being injured in the avalanche ? It's like "I get it Mr. Thor !! He's dedicated and wants to get out of bed !! Ok ? Can we move on ?" His actions and dialogue seemed like a 8 year old who's just been told by his mommy he can't go out and play with little Jimmy Jones down the street. And let's not get started on his actions in the case. Breaking the rules is one thing, but being a Navy SEAL does not make you an expert investigator. Nothing in the plot line suggested even remotely that the FBI investigators were inept and couldn't handle things themselves. Again, I was reminded of a child being told he can't do something and then doing it anyway just because he can. I found myself sympathizing with the investigators who were just trying to do their job and Harvath being a total jerk along the way... contaminating crime scenes... stealing evidence, etc. I admit, I grew to like him more and more along the way, but I couldn't get over my first impressions of him. He reminded me of a SEAL that I've seen many times before named Scott Helvenston who recently died in Iraq as private security personnel. Extremely talented, but what a complete jerk. (Remember the show "Combat Missions"?) It seemed there were a few themes going through the story. "Everybody hates the FBI and they're a bunch of goofballs except the ones that are Harvath's friends"... "Nobody understands despite overwhelming proof otherwise what is happening except Harvath, the only one without extensive investigative training"... and "Harvath is a dedicated ex-Navy SEAL who is a top of the line Secret Service agent who has superhuman instincts and senses that he got from his SEAL days. Did we mention he was a SEAL ?" There were little things here and there that bothered me... such as Harvath and Claudia only bringing ONE magazine a piece for their firearms to a potential gunfight. Also the bit about bringing a toy Airsoft gun along to intercept some bad guys. Inventive, yes, and I understand why... but extremely stupid and unprofessional. And I thought it odd how the "most notorious team of professional killers the world has ever known" according to the jacket cover... could miss EVERY SINGLE TIME they shot at Harvath and Claudia when they were standing completely still. One time, maybe... but every single time ??... well except for the flesh wound he got in his arm when he was running. Make Harvath run ! Because you're not going to get him if he's standing still ! He must have learned that skill in the SEALs. This along with the other "themes" I mentioned are beat into your head time and time again. I don't mind melodrama. Hey, The Bourne Identity is one of my favorite books ever... and at one point I thought I'd had enough of the "I'm Jason Bourne. No, I'm David Webb. No, I'm Michael Jansen. No wait. Wrong novel" type stuff. But the story was wonderful and original and the dialogue was at least passable. I was disappointed because of what this book could and should have been. Better than Clancy or Ludlum ?? Are you nuts ?? If you like the tough guy who beats up and/or kills all the bad guys in a satisfying fashion type book, read Lee Child. Start with "Killing Floor" and work your way up. There's none better. I gave this one 3 stars because the action was good, and the premise was pretty original. The storytelling is what made it suffer. All the emotion felt dry and forced. Not a bad first try, but let's hope for better in the future. As for Harvath, Bourne or Reacher he is not... but did I mention that Harvath was a Navy SEAL ?
Rating:
Summary: Looking for a thriller with a twist?
Review: If you, in a space of 2 weeks, had 27 attempts to kill you, by the world's finest and best trained assassins, and you survived every attack, coming through without even being critically wounded, you would either be: 1) very, very, VERY lucky, or 2) you would be superhuman, testosterone-fueled Scot Harvath - America's best Secret Service Agent.
Though the first few chapters are 'slow out of the gate', this thriller takes off fast and furious. Brad Thor's first novel has all the characters needed: a squirrelly V.P., scoundrel Senators, Swiss mercenaries, conniving rich, befuddled FBI and a very beautiful Swiss agent named Claudia .
You cannot help feeling that Brad Thor wrote this prose with a screenplay in mind (Brad Thor is host of the PBS TV series 'Traveling Lite'), you almost can hear a director yell "cut" at certain places in the story. And though
Scot Harvath is the superhero, he fails both the plausibility and reality check. But read on, the action keeps you engaged until the too predictable ending.
A solid airplane read for those that need lots of action and escape. Recommended .
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining rather than realistic
Review: International thrillers can be one of the most entertaining of fiction writing. They are typically found in airports and poolsides all over the world. They can also make the authors, who write them well, extremely wealthy as the books are parked on the bestseller lists for weeks at a time. Their names such as Robert Ludlum, Nelson Demille, Ken Follet, Trevanian, Tom Clancey and, of course, Ian Fleming are household words. In an effort to enter into this august body of writers enters Brad Thor with his debut novel and it is a good one.
THE LIONS OF LUCERNE introduces the reader to Scot Harvath, ex-Navy SEAL and currently a Secret Service agent in charge of protecting the President and his daughter on their ski vacation in Utah. A dramatic kidnapping of the President occurs by terrorists culminating in a devastating avalanche. Scot is the only agent who survives the attack and, as such, is the scapegoat in the apparent lapse of security. Discharged from his duties, Scot takes it upon himself to locate and rescue the President. What ensues is a cat and mouse game between, not only Scot and the terrorists, but between Scot and the FBI and CIA. As with any good international thriller, locales change between the ski slopes of Utah to the nation's capital and the gorgeous scenery of Switzerland.
In writing an international thriller, the primary objective of the author should be to simply entertain the reader. If an important issue such as arms control or oil exportation can be interjected into the plot, all the better. It would be wonderful if the characters can be truly lifelike, however, the books are plot driven rather than character driven giving the author much latitude. Brad Thor understands all of this and, as such, has given us a wonderfully entertaining book that in sheer entertainment, makes up for the lack of realism. It would be frivolous to judge the book on it's comic book characters or the pure banality of the terrorist's objectives in carrying out the kidnapping. The logic that Scot uses to determine the need to seek answers in Switzerland based simply on a piece of chocolate is truly a major stretch as is his discovery of the President's location. The use of the locale is contrived but quite effective.
As a debut thriller writer, Brad Thor is quite successful. However, I would expect to see some improvement in his subsequent books. The plots should be a bit more plausible. The evidence driving the investigation should be a bit more logical. The characters could use an injection of realism. He must do all this while maintaining the same high level of octane in the breakneck speed of his plots. We may have a worthy successor to the great Robert Ludlum.
Rating:
Summary: A satisfactory action book
Review: Lions is a book about a courageouse agent, rescuing kidnapped US president. This premise is not very realistic, as is the novel itself. But it's a fun James Bond - like yarn. Everything is large scale, bigger than life, etc. Nevertheless, the charactes are likeable, the scenery is nice and the action swift. This is no Forsythe or Le Carre, and it's less intricate than Ludlum, and has no geopolitics, so Clancy comparison is strange. Lions should be compared to Bond or Jon Lands' Blaine McKracken - and Scott Harthath is on the level with those guys. Bottom line: Basically, this book is a Hollywood action blockbuster on paper - not very intelligent, but swift and pretty.
And, let's face it, we still like such movies.
Rating:
Summary: "Thor's Debut A Winner"
Review: Scot Harvath is one cool, capable hero. A ex-Navy SEAL, an ex-member of the U.S. Ski Team, and now a Secret Service agent who takes it upon himself to save the kidnapped U.S. President when everyone else is looking in the wrong direction. The best thing is Harvath is not a superman-type hero. He's got the same worries and fears that anyone would have in his situation. Plus this guy just gets messed up throughout this book. Buried under an avalanche, shot, beat up, thrown into a freezing river. Still, Harvath's never quit attitude sees him through the situation. Lots of great action scenes, especially in the beginning when a group of mercenaries carry out their brilliant plan to kidnap the President. Good suspense and good flow to the story. I'm looking forward to more Brad Thor books in the future.
Rating:
Summary: Edge of Your Seat Reading
Review: THE LIONS OF LUCERNE
AUTHOR: Brad Thor
PUBLISHER: Simon & Schuster
REVIEWED BY: Barbara Rhoades BOOK REVIEW: Brad Thor's first book kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. It was very hard to stop the cassette because I wanted to know what was going to happen next. If Mr. Thor's next book, The Path of the Assassin due out in January of 2003, is as good as The Lions of Lucerne was, he has on very happy new fan. The Presidential Secret Service detail, with ex-Navy SEAL Scott Harvath as the lead agent, has the job of guarding the President and his daughter while they have a ski vacation in Utah. Unfortunately, every agent is killed except Scott and the President is kidnapped. To make things worse, Scott is framed for the murders of the agents. He flees to Switzerland to find the answers and discovers help in a beautiful Swiss Federal Attorney. Between the two of them, they fight to save the life of the President as well as their own. Discovering that some of the highest officials in the government are involved only makes that job all the more difficult. Brad Thor writes with wonderful descriptive narration and up-to-date technical knowledge regarding weapons and mercenary tactics. He writes with the Nation's current terrorist threats in mind. If intrigue, suspense and "on the edge of your seat" reading is on your favorite reading list, be sure to get The Lions of Lucerne.
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