Review: A poor choice for a Steely-Eyed Missile Man
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 03 8, 2014
I had such high hopes for this thriller. The promo ads caught my eye. This book andCombustionby the same author looked very action packed!  But for several reasons I was a little disappointed with Velocity:a. The hero (Judson Bell) cried too much for me to consider him an as action figure.....it was actually a bit awkward at times. I mean, did John McClane cry in Die Hard? Maybe tears of joy after the bad guy was blown away. I am pretty sure the author was trying to show us readers that Judd was not a muscle bound hero like Arnold or Sly. But Judd came across too much as a 80's-90's man, with too many touchy feely emotions (won't even mention the early scene outside the apartment). This guy is like light years away from John McClane (who was not muscle bound either). And speaking of wimps, what about the former astronaut/pilot who was VERY afraid of heights? Are there no real heroes anymore?b. The French bad guy (Henri), not a bad choice, very ruthless. But his method for taking his revenge was WAY way over the top. Did this guy never readPatriot Games (Jack Ryan)?  But his end & who actually got to him put me off.c. The conspiracy plot.....As an American I did not like it (the reason/person behind it). But even then, the author did not really do anything with it, he just let it fizzle out. The evil mastermind plot never really got anywhere. He was never shown to be anything other than a horny old man (okay, he had a secret, but again that was never played out).d. The actual ending of the book? I rolled my eyes and kept turning pages, just hoping this was not the ending. But it was. I guess the author was trying to be cute? Refer to the ending of Die Hard. Sigh...If I referenced Die Hard too many times, I am sorry.  But the book promos refer toDie HardArmageddon [Blu-ray],Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol [HD] and so on.  An of course being from Austrilia, Steve will be compared to Matt Reilly.  Oh yeah, I never rememberScarecrow: A Scarecrow Novel 3crying as well.  But Scarecrow could be described as a tough as nails, muscle bound action hero.  Judd did many amazing things in his attempts to locate the stolen shuttle and rescue his former girl-friend.  But I could not warm up to him......Things I did like:a. The action. This I did like. Very over the top! But I went along with it. This is why I am giving the book 3 stars.b. The very off-beat Australian pilot Corey. What a character...and oh yeah, his dog Spike. They added greatly to the story.