LitPick Review
The Last Patriot by Brad Thor marks the next chapter in the Scot Harvath saga. The former Navy SEAL and Secret Service agent finds himself back in the fray when he witnesses a car bombing outside a French cafe. Under Harvath's protection, the bomb's intended target reveals to Harvath that the most powerful threat to Western Civilization, Fundamentalist Islam, could be eliminated without a single military offensive. This revelation sends Harvath in search of the the prophet Mohammed's last revelation. With the help of Islamic scholars, the FBI, and Thomas Jefferson's diary, Harvath must obtain the revelation before it is found by fundamentalists who see the future of the United States as a nation under Sharia law.
Opinion:
In The Last Patriot, Brad Thor provides all of the characteristics necessary to deliver a great thriller: character development, plenty of plot twists, and an unexpected ending. However, Thor also adds something else that may distinguish the novel from others. Political thrillers have examined the threats to the West (specifically the United States) for many years. We have read about Soviet conspiracies, nuclear war with North Korea, and terrorist cells in the Middle-East. But Thor's observation of the foundation of Islam is a place few authors have gone. This concept embedded into the plot contributes to the thought-provoking nature of the novel as we step into an uncertain future. A fast read with plenty of punch, I recommend The Last Patriot to readers who enjoy secret-agent storylines along with political intrigue.
