As far as thrillers go this was very good. The characters were deep and enthralling, keeping your interest all the way through. There was enough suspense to keep you turning the pages, and plenty of action. If you enjoy Lee Child`s Jack Reacher books then this will please you. I`m a series fan and enjoy Child and Michael Connelly books immensely, if you like that kind of thriller read the `Soft Target` books by Conrad Jones. They are unputdownable!! Back to the review, ten out of ten.

This is a very average spy thriller. It's OK for a few hours of entertainment but nothing more.

The Last Patriot starts with the premise that Mohammed had a final revelation that would overturn the fundamentalist Islam interpretation of the Koran. Scot Horvath is witness to a car bombing in Paris and gets involved by saving an Islamic scholar, the target of the attack. It seems that several agencies are just as motivated to keep the discoveries secret.

The Last Patriot is a swift-pace thriller that shares as much Cussler and National Treasure type intrigue, along with unconventional war on terror. Not all of the threads tie together. It's possible, for example, that Scot's girlfriend Tracy had an active role in a prequel novel, but her involvement in this one got in the way, and she was a passive burden that got in the way, so her story line had to be set aside for two-thirds of the novel. Thor may have questioned the need to bring her into the story at all, rather than have her character limp through the paces of being there for some unknown reason, then bringing her back to tie a neat bow at the end. So too, the thread referring to the Patriots, super-secret assassins who operate outside of legal boundaries and legal jurisdictions to fight an unconventional war on terror. In Reality, Horvath could have been a fighter of any ilk without it diminishing his efforts to wage his battles. And Matthew Dodd is referred to as the most dangerous of assassins, yet his efforts are often bumbling and not anything we haven't seen before. He doesn't seem as serious a threat as many other villains.

The ancient intrigues sustain the story with enough interest to make the novel a worthwhile read, while the chase and shootout sequences are par for thrillers. If you like Morrell, Patterson, Rollins, and Ludlum, you'll enjoy Thor too.

I had originally opted to read this novel at the behest of Glenn Beck's recommendation on his show, when he touted that the book was "The Da Vinci Code meets Islam".

Needless to say, I felt the book did not live up to the expectations I had for it in light of the aforementioned analogy.

I found the characters to be rather bland and the pace of the novel was arduously slow for my taste. Despite the lethargic pace of the actual plot, I found that Brad Thor would often rush his paragraphs to move the characters along, giving the impression of a rushed work, rather than a fluid, well versed novel.

Of course, the ultimate disappointment came with the supposed "revelation" at the conclusion of the novel. For all the build-up, the culmination of the plot to the revelation point was very underwhelming. And from my perspective, very predictable.

The book was just a so so novel. There was too much "alphabet soup" references to various agencies to suit my taste-- made it too hard to follow trhe plot in places.

This is my first Brad Thor Book. It is by far the best book I have read since Noble House. Thor has the ability to intertwine history with fiction and produces a most riveting read. I especially enjoyed reading Chapter 16 about the Barbary Pirates. I remember my High School history book characterizing State sponsored Islamic Terrorists as being mere pirates. Admittedly, the vast majority of Muslims are peace loving people but the politically correct Washington establishment wants to cast a blind eye to the most significant threat since WWII. If only 1% of Muslims are terrorists then we have 15 Million people committed to the destruction of the United States. That is too many people to ignore. Brad Thor is a breath of fresh air. Now excuse me while I read the rest of his books.

I had never read anything by Brad Thor before, and I picked up the audiobook for "The Last Patriot" to listen on a road trip to Las Vegas. I didn't really know what to expect, except that I didn't want something too deep, and I wanted something both myself and my boyfriend could enjoy. He's very much into political thrillers, me less so unless the story is easy to pick up.

This book fit the bill. I know several reviewers are saying this book compares to "The DaVinci Code," but I didn't see it. "The DaVinci Code" was a supposed mystery (and a not very good one at that), whereas this book is a political thriller - to me, a different genre entirely. It kept me interested, though I was unaware the character of Scot Harvath was a continuation. My boyfriend was okay with it. This was the first time he had listened to an audiobook, and he found himself becoming distracted at times.

For the purpose it was intended, the book delivered. It's not earth-shattering literature, and it's certainly not the Great American Novel, but it's pleasant enough. I suppose there is some un-politically correctness in that Islam is portrayed in a unflattering light. My response to that? It's a novel, it's fiction, get over it.

For light, escapist reading, this book did okay. It makes me interested to know what Brad Thor's other works are like.

The premise was encouraging - Thomas Jefferson was George W Bush on steroids against radical Muslim. He had suspected the "lost chapter" from Koran could change Islam and, during the course of several battles fought by US Navy, discovered the bit. Flash forward, present day president Rutledge spent his own money to fund where Jefferson hid it. What followed were "brain swelling from stress", description of some very cool gadgets / guns top US agencies use, several improbably gun fights and even a somewhat interesting twist to the 2005 riots on the streets of France. The story never really recovered after first ten chapters or so. Things like a fed who is not a secret service agent can go play pool with President in white house with a gun in his waist did not really help. This novel was more of a Da Vinci hack.

The action never stops in this excellent thriller about the threat to modern civilization posed by radical Islam. It's built around a DaVinci-Code-like secret about the prophet Mohamed's last revelation, a secret that threatens to undermine the basic tenets of Islam.

Thor's hero, former Navy SEAL Scot Harvath, gets dragged into the search for the secret, competing with everybody from a murderous convert to Islam to the CIA and FBI to solve the puzzle. Gun play, car bombs, and plenty of skin-of-the-teeth escapes keep the story moving along at a quite satisfactory pace.

Dave Donelson, author of Heart of Diamonds: A Novel of Scandal, Love and Death in the Congo

Thor does a great job of weaving this story line all over the place.
Scot Harvath has become one of my heros.
This one has a lot of history in it even if some of it is a little twisted to make it a better read.
It is well worth you time to read it and you should catch the other books about Scot Harvath too.

I heard about this book while watching Glen Beck on TV. He praised it so much I had to order it. I am glad I did. It is not often enough that we get a book which actually engages our brains with real eye-openers. I appreciate the author for not falling into that dismal ditch of political correctness, and instead, opting to tell truth. I read this book about a month ago, and it still takes up space in my head. If you want a book that will give lots of gooey romance, a stupid story where you know the ending by reading the back cover, and will wind up in the Good Will bag, this book is not for you. If instead you want to think and accept certain facts about some secular groups, by all means, read this. Of course, the author has taken liberty with history in order to formulate a story, but that's okay with me. It's about time someone wrote sensibly about the Muslim beliefs and goals. My hat's off to you, Mr. Thor!

People said this book was going to be the DaVinci Code of Islam. It felt like the book was meant to be a spinoff of Da Vinci Code. Although a very interesting read, I couldn't help but feel like the Da Vinci Code was studied to create this novel. I have been a fan of Brad Thor ever since State of the Union, and I do not think he has outdone himself, perhaps only hyped up the book to be more than it really is. Thor makes no secret of his conservative opinions throughout the entire book, flirting occasionally with condemning Islam but makes the point of distinguishing the Islam everyday Muslims practice from the fundamental/extremist Islam that terrorists use as their justification for attacking non-Muslims.

It was a very thought provoking piece of literature, full of action and suspense, and described the technology mentioned exceptionally well. Overall, a great read and were it not for the Da Vinci Code format, it would probably be the best book I read this summer.

I heard Brad Thor being interviewed on the radio, taking about how George Bush wasn't the first president to go to war against Islam, Thomas Jefferson was when he went to war against the Barbary Pirates. I was intrigued. Needless to say, by the time the interview was over, I wanted to read the book. Sadly it's Scot Harvath's seventh outing and I hadn't read the first six. However, Mr. Thor said in the interview that even though the character is reoccurring, his books are all really written as stand alone novels.

Taking Mr. Thor at his word, I decided to give his book a try and I found I could indeed identify with the characters, though I thought I might have been missing something, knowing those other books were out there. I'd have liked to see Scot's development and I'd've especially liked to have seen how his relationship with President Rutledge had begun, deteriorated then warmed again. But that being said, I enjoyed this book immensely. I bought it the day it came out, finished it during the night.

Thirty-seven-year old, ex-navy seal, ex-presidential protector Scot Harvath is now working for a secret anti-terrorist outfit and is pretty upset the president has let some some bad guys go from Gitmo. He's in Paris with his girlfriend at an outdoor café when he saves Professor Anthony Nichols from being blown to smithereens. It seems Iraq isn't the only place bad guys blow up cars these days and now Scot is sucked right into the thick of it.

Way back when, Mohammed had one final revelation for the Koran, but was assassinated before it was revealed. If it gets out the course of history will be changed and maybe not for the better, at least that's what some really bad people think. Scot's job, of course, find the secret. Bad guys job, of course again, stop Scot.

And where is this secret? Well there's clues out there. One buried in Thomas Jefferson's copy of DON QUOXITE. It seems Cervantes once had been a prisoner of the Barbary pirates. So we read along as Scot races along to find the clues and find the secret and while we're immersed in Scot's world we learn a bit of history, like why the Marines are called leathernecks, why they have that verse in their song "To the shores of Tripoli." Having a husband who'd served in the Marine Corps, I knew the answer to that last one, but you know, I never did know about that leathernecks thing. The Marines in 1815 had collars made of leather on their uniforms to protect themselves from the scimitars the Muslim's used, seems they wanted to keep their heads and if you want to fill your head with a some good escapist reading, you won't be sorry you picked up this book.

Reviewed by Vesta Irene

yet another lousy story makes the best seller list...
very simplistic writing, predicatable story..makess me yearn for Luldlums and Clancys early days..
also a direct rip off of the Da Vinci code

I chose this book for our book club and I was thrilled that it turned out to be an exciting and interesting book. I read it in two days and couldn't put it down. The chapters are short so I kept reading "just one more chapter" until I had finished the book. I learned so much about Thomas Jefferson that I ended up buying a book called,"Jefferson Writings" and I might even venture to say that he just may be my favorite President now that I know more about him. I also bought two books on Niccolo Machiavelli. I was constantly checking the internet to read up on some of the inventions mentioned in the book. The writing style of this book reminded me of DiVinci Code. I was a little apprehensive at first that it would be anti Muslim, but it described the difference between being Muslim and being Islamic. If you want a fast paced book to read on the plane, vacation, or just to inspire your intrigue, Brad Thor's, "The Last Patriot" is the book for you.

Although not a real fan of "political" thrillers...this book had me riveted from the first few paragraphs. Well done, Mr. Thor!!!! I'm sure there's a lot more truth to this than any of us would like to believe.

Brad Thor has done it again with THE LAST PATRIOT. This book continues his series of political thrillers set in modern day. Fast moving - good character development - logical considering the state of the world today. A good read!

Horrible, unreadable, jingoist propaganda. I certainly didn't expect Faulkner when I bought this book, but what I got was so subpar that I quickly arrived at the point where I continued reading just to see if it was possible for the plot, characters, or dialogue to become any more contrived. In this way, at least, this book never failed to disappoint.

I didn't read anyone else's review (so I'm sorry if there's any duplication of the opinion that follows). But I think this book smells too much like a Da Vinci code spin-off and too much in the brew of National Treasure and thus too banal to give Thor any real credit for an admittedly quick and clear read that might garnish some quick profits -- small chapter increments, the foundations of a major-world religion under attack, the same pedantic dialogues, a religious-zealot ever-present heartless-hitman, clarion-imputed explanations for historial characters or world events (like Thomas Jefferson's study of Islam or the Muslim riots in France), sophisticated code-machines from days of old, and even setting the stage in France -- come on! Hence, the "Jefferson Code" would have been a more apt title perhaps. As long as you read it too quickly to start thinking about it, I guess you'll probably enjoy it more than I did.

The dialogue is often unrealistic and the characters, shallow. And, of course, the same sex and violence formula that we've had since Homer. Don't forget the periodic and, indeed, obligatory insertion of profanity (otherwise, how could we suspend our disbelief?) And all of it dumbed-down just in case we couldn't read between the lines. Let's be more original shall we? I take that back -- maybe this book isn't meant be be judged as a real work of literature, but just as an attempt to garnish quick profits after all and have no real lasting value. Still it's a little "headier" than television.

But you can't deny the oh so surreptitious self-cameo on page 217, can you? Give me a break Thor!

One star.

And it's boring. And it's predictable. Don't waste your money or your time.

I have enjoyed Brad Thor's books ever since I first picked of the Lions of Lucerne. I always look forward to his new release.

A very good intense book. The author is probubly dead when they put a fatah on him, but I really enjoyed the book.

I had not read Brad Thor before but I really enjoyed this novel. I am a student of Islam and this book taught me some things which I didn't know. It is a "First Class" action-thriller, a real page-turner and filled with interesting facts about a variety of subjects. The plot is tight, and the characters are believable people you can sympathize with. I would give it 5 stars except I reserve that designation for only about a dozen books I have read in the last 55 years.

I'm a big Brad Thor fan so was looking forward to reading this book but came away very disappointed. The characters were shallow and the percentage of the book spent preaching history rather than laying out a story was excessive. And I still have no idea what the ending was about---were we supposed to believe Dodd was a good guy, or Salem a bad guy, or did Thor just get sick of writing and so ended it? If you want to read some Brad Thor books, do yourself a favor and don't start with this one.

Another Brad Thor thriller that can't be put down once started. Much of it is/has happened; it's difficult to dicipher the fiction from nonfiction.

The Last Patriot: A Thriller

My 2nd Brad Thor book; the first being "State Of The Union. I was disappointed with The Last Patriot as the quality of writing was unsohisticated, and the story was unclear. I was hoping The LAst Patriot would cuase me to want to read more Brad Thor. It felt to me that Mr Thor was trying desparately to write another DaVinci Code. There's no reason for the short chapters here. I did like some of the thoughts and conventions pertaining to the device that would save America, but, the idea the Islam would exorcize itself was a stretch at best.

Two stars maybe generous, and if this is two stars, then I would have to give State Of The Union four stars. I don't intend to review State Of The Union here except to say the quality of writing is better, and the story is better, and not forced.

After reading two of Mr Thor's books I'm not sure I will read another as the Harvath character is too something; perhaps over the top, arrogant, I don't know, but too something.

I suppose authors are being pushed to create the next DaVinci code, but I think it's a real mistake for authors to try and force something.

Thriller = not. Worth reading = well ... it's a very fast read, so investment of time is little.

I have read all of this author's books and as this is, as I write it, the 104th review of this book on this web site, I will spend little or no time on the story line. My view is that those that didn't like the book were either unnecessarily hard on the author or are politically out of sync with the lead character and take it out on the author with a low rating.

Nearly 85% of those who have read and reviewed the book enjoyed it and I count myself among them. Even the main villain in the book could think for himself and was not a mind numbed killing robot.

Thor has taken some liberties with history, but has also relied on some aspects of it to spin a very interesting scenario which, once again is left to Scott Horvath to deal with. In my humble opinion the book deserves the high ranking and plaudits that it has received and I am happy to recommend it to one and all.

a poor mans da vinci code if this were apaper book i would have thrown it out the window

I have no idea how Brad Thor escaped my book buying this long but it's a mistake I am remedying right now. Don't make the same mistake. I don't usually take time to write a review let alone one with 5 stars but the Last Patriot is a fantastic thrill ride of a novel that deserves your time. Don't miss it.

The latest installment in the Harvath series is a fantastic, fast moving thriller. Those familar with the series as well as newcomers will love the pace and the insider knowledge that Thor uses. You need not to have read the other books to be swept away by the storyline, although after reading this one you will find yourself compelled to start at the beginning. Harvath is a wonderful character who says and does the things we wish we could say and do. His devotion to his country and willingness to do whatever is necessary to keep her safe is a thrill to read about. The story effortlessly moves between story threads without losing the reader along the way. Brad Thor is growing as a writer and unbelievably keeps getting better and better. "The Last Patriot" has only been out a little over a month and I am already excited for next year's model! Keep up the great work Brad!!

I absolutely loved all of Brad Thor's previous novels so I was hoping for another great one but I was a little disappointed. Still good but ... With all of his previous books, I stayed up all night reading. But not with this one.

Over the last 8 weeks I've read all the Brad Thor novels. This wasn't the best by a long shot. I started with The First Commandment. I enjoyed the story, but these are books I took to the beach. I wasn't expecting to learn brain surgery.

I flew through this book without noticing. It is well written and has a good mix of real history and fiction.

Brad Thor has written a book that will keep you reading into the early hours of the morning! Very well written and keeps you guessing till the end. Made me hopeful that our country never comes to this!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Great Book!!!

Very well written and enjoyable. I want to read the other books Brad Thor has written - if the Last Patiot is anything to go by, the others will be equally as good.

This is the summer page turner. Brad Thor does an outstanding does of plotting a completley believeable story line.
This book grabs you from the very first chapter and moves along at a good pace.
It was also a pleaseure to read the book that has been thoroughly researched. I have been to several of the places that Thor mentions and can vouch for the accuracy of his discriptions.
To me it is just as important that an author gets even the small details correct ie weapons descriptions of historical places etc... and Brad Thor delivers on that front his knowledge of the tournaquet pants and other information is first rate.
It was also a pleasure to read an author that presents Islam in such a straight forward manner. He presented the extremeist and balanced it nicely with an explanation of how and why some groups have a more moderate view, but he makes it clear taht Islam is a threat to our way of life.
This is the first one of his books that I have read and I am going to make a point of going back to read the rst of his work.

I had never read anything written by Brad Thor previously. I'm an avid viewer of the Glenn Beck show and saw Brad on there with his new book, The Last Patriot. It sounded intriguing so I purchased it the very next day. I was not disappointed. Thriller is not the word for it! I could not put the book down. This is a roller-coaster ride that has thrills, chills and romance all rolled up in one. Chalk me up as a new Brad Thor fan who's waiting for his next book and who's going to read his prior work while waiting for that new book!

In "The Last Patriot," our hero Scot Harvath picks up the story six months after the conclusion of Brad Thor's previous novel, "The First Commandment." Agent Harvath and his lady love Tracy Miller are hanging out in Parish trying to forget about their violent past and build a new life together.

Unfortunately, the past has a nasty way of catching up with such people, especially when it involves unresolved issues about duty, honor and safety. Harvath and Miller are quickly hurled back into the espionage business after witnessing a car bombing outside a quiet Parisian bookstore. And we're off!

The plot line is a bit more complicated this time around: Harvath must help the White House locate a long-lost document from the early days of Islam that will supposedly overturn the very theological foundations of modern Jihadism. The text makes many references to Thomas Jefferson and the Barbary Wars from the early 1800s ("to the shores of Tripoli"). It's a potent mix of history, religion, detective work and high-tech mayhem involving the usual characters from Washington, Colorado and beyond.

I'm only giving this one four stars because it lacks some of the clever humor and repartee of Thor's other thrillers. (Example from his previous novel: "Our sensors indicate you are wearing a silk thong with the words 'Go Navy' inscribed with purple sequins.")

Also, this latest novel lacks some of Thor's usual oddball characters such as "The Troll," a 4-foot-tall genius midget from The First Commandment. Furthermore, I think Brad Thor may be overreaching his narrative skills a bit with the heavy intellectual content in this latest novel. He's right that Islam is desperately in need of a Reformation from within, but I'm not sure he'll convince many moderate Muslims with this cloak and dagger approach, particularly when it means blasting your way through a mosque.

On the theology side, I wish the book was about twice as long, including a much more thorough explanation of Mohammed's lifetime and his approach to "revelation." I also wish the newer characters, such as the UVa historian Nichols, were fleshed out a bit more. Leaving that aside, most fans of the genre will be delighted by The Last Patriot. It's a perfect beach book for summer 2008. Thor is a good writer and I hope his next novel weighs in at about 600 pages.

WARNING: This is not a politically correct treatment of Islam, the Koran or this legacy of the Prophet Mohammed. Those with delicate sensitivities on this topic should probably stay away.

This was my first Brad Thor book; I picked it up after hearing lots of raves around the Internet. I was pretty disappointed. The protagonists of the dramatis personae are pretty much a Mary Sue convention. The sentence structure is awkward - there are lots of short sentences and short words, as if it was written at a third-grade level. As I finished the book, I was thinking the title should have been "Dick and Jane and Their Dog Spot Save the World From Islamists."

Most annoyingly of all, the author tends to monologue at the reader through the characters inner and spoken dialog. It's both condescending and lazy - the author can't convey ideas to the reader other than by having a character beat the reader over the head with them in simple, declarative sentences.

Finally, the plot - it's pretty much a rip-off of the DaVinci Code, only with Islam instead of Christianity and Thomas Jefferson instead of Leonardo DaVinci. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. There were no significant twists or surprises, and no scenes that stood out in any particular way.

To summarize - boring and poorly written. 1/5 stars.

This is my first Brad Thor book and it was thought provoking and suspenseful. Like DaVinci Code you wonder if it is all true. I would certainly read another of his books. My thanks to Glen Beck for putting me on this novel.

The Last Patriot is fast moving, reviting,and well thought out. The short chapters held your attention. The plot kept you guessing until the end. All in all a great read. Brad Thor is an excellent writer who pulls you right into the story. The details of what is happening gives you a great mental picture.

I've not had the opportunity to have read prior books by this author so I can't comment as to whether this is better or worse than some of his earlier works, but having recently completed Steve Berry's lastest release, and having been sadly disappointed by that book, I was pleased with this book. It is a good fast read; a book you might like to take to the beach for the afternoon. While it is true that a lot of this type of writing seems to be similiar to the DaVinci Code, but "hey" we are not dealing with classics. We are in it for the entertainment value and this book entertains. Now, I'll catch up on his earlier books that others say are better than this one.

Brad Thor's The Last Patriot was good, but it did not live up to the hyperbole' Glenn Beck delivered on his CNN cable TV show..

I did not count the words in the book but if the typeface had been a little smaller and there were NOT so many chapters, each with at least a full page of white space, the book would be very thin..

All in all I did enjoy this Novella aka a Short Story..

I will not take Glenn Beck's opinion at face value again..

-30-
William Morrow

This is a damn good book, could'nt put it down. What a story. I want more

I read all his novels. I was disappointed in the ending. It tapered off, not really concluding.
The subject is interesting as always, and I read it in one sitting, on a plane flying to Istanbul.
Can't wait for his next one, as always.

I bought this for my husband who absolutely loved it. He was happy to have it to read on a 4 hour train ride recently to Boston. He has read most of Brad Thor's novels and rates them all 5 stars. Safe to say that's his favorite author. I will be ordering the few he hasn't read.

There are too many "obvious" turns and twists in this, my first novel from Thor. It was almost as if I'd read the tale before as events materialized just the way I figured they would. After the big promo from, among others, Glenn Beck, I was truly disappointed. In short, it was not a unique tale written in a unique way.

This book was awesome! A page turner. This is the first time I have read any Brad Thor. I can't wait to read more. It really makes you think.

If you want the truth there are few willing to share it. Brad Thor is one of the
few and I thank him. His work and writing is excellent, truthful and food
for thought.
Thank You Brad.
Blessings,
Janie Zecher

This was a very good book. I little short but every american should read this book.