Review: A Protagonist I'll Never Forget
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 26, 2012
Take a deep breath because you may not let it out again until you reach the last page of Gary Bonn's debut novel of suspense and bone-crunching adventure, "Expect Civilian Casualties" (which I received as an ARC).He dives straight into the story of one of the most beguiling heroes with the biggest heart I've ever encountered - tormented seventeen year old Jason who hasn't been to school since he was eleven, who survives by isolating himself on a secluded beach, and who just doesn't rationalize like most people.But if Jason has special gifts they're nothing like those of a beautiful girl who joins him one day and who is wilder than he is. Their love is unique and more electrifying in the short time they're together than most people experience in a life-time.When it becomes clear that the girl is not only a hunter, but is also being hunted, Jason becomes embroiled in a bitter war to save humanity. And the girl is on the wrong side.Written in seemingly simple prose that wastes no words, the story evolves in a fast-moving plot that kept me on the edge of my seat. Bonn has the ability to move seamlessly from scene to action-packed scene with hardly a hint at what the outcome will be. And he's created an addictive protagonist that I miss dreadfully now I've finished the book which, like the author, deserves to do well.