Man of War

Overall, 3.5 stars. It's a thrilling story that reminded me of the Bourne novels for complexity and elite levels of corruption. The author is definitely talented and can spin a good thriller. I also enjoyed how there is an expectation of stopping bad guys and that there are consequences for actions, since many of the books in this genre currently feature a lot of frustrating moral relativism.

I really appreciated that the breath-taking violence is kept matter-of-fact and that the gory scenes were described in brief, succinct terms that didn't make me want to faint. There is no graphic sex, though there is a scene between two women that almost gets there. However, the language is quite a bit worse than Bourne, and the pages are littered with heavy profanities and four-letter vulgarities.

Overall, I may read more of the series if I'm in the right mood. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes current thrillers and doesn't mind sorting through some language and a boatload of characters. 18+

Steele is a cardboard character. It's usually not clear what's happening.