You have to hand it to Mr. Ricciardi. An enemy hijacking a U.S. drone and using it to simultaneously create a horrendous nightmare for America and a dream opportunity for our enemies is exceptionally imaginative—brilliant ... the author is able to mesmerize the reader right from the start. The thrill and suspense continue throughout, keeping the reader gripped and enthralled by the plot and its execution. Rogue Strike has pretty much everything a thriller fan could hope for. You’ll find its cast of international villains...intriguing and remorseless, and you’ll have a difficult time forgetting them and the things they do. It’s a great read—well-plotted, plausible, riveting—a dazzling tale. The action is nonstop and the attacks that occur on U.S. soil will make readers pause, think and worry. Thriller fans who have not yet discovered David Ricciardi are in for a wonderful new treat.
Ricciardi’s simply a very good storyteller, which more than qualifies him to author an international thriller worthy of our attention. In fact, Rogue Strike doesn’t let up for a moment. There’s no time to sit back and catch your breath, because each chapter explodes with action. Your fingers take on a life of their own, turning the pages as fast as your eyes can read. Even better, the action flows naturally out of his plot, rather than simply dropping gratuitously onto the page ... Jake Keller is a good protagonist, and Ricciardi has done a good job extending him from the first novel into a character who dominates our interest in this follow-up offering. At the same time, Ricciardi has a real knack for action scenes, and Jake’s various encounters feel realistic and exciting. The only drawback to the novel involves the author’s use of multiple points of view ... frequent shifts in point of view make Rogue Strike choppy and a little frustrating at times ... Despite the somewhat irritating narrative shuttling, Rogue Strike is an excellent thriller that’s fun to read and tells an entertaining story.
...Ricciardi has further developed his protagonist into a hardened, ass-kicking machine more in step with other genre darlings such as Mark Greaney’s Gray Man and Brad Thor’s Scot Harvath ... Over-the-top action, a deadly conspiracy, and several well-timed twists make Rogue Strike another winner from David Ricciardi, who delivers two back-to-back fun, hard-hitting thrillers out of the gate.
...insider stuff from the dark side is a secondary pleasure in thrillers like this one, and author Ricciardi pours it on ... Readers may wish there was more Keller and his Reacher-like adventures and less of the war-loving politicians jawing, but there’s still plenty of action. Now and then the insider terms are mystifying ... Still, there’s plenty to learn here[.]
This yarn has a Category 5 hurricane in the Caribbean, a nasty sandstorm and a pitched battle in a Roman coliseum in Libya, and of course the proverbial ticking clock. Plenty of bodies fall from high-velocity lead poisoning, and the tension in this well-plotted thriller continues right to the end. Fun fare by a talented storyteller. Let's just hope Ricciardi's hero doesn't change his name again.
...[a] worthy if flawed sequel ... The twisting, complicated plot needs a lot of explaining to maintain coherence, and the otherwise rapid pacing and exciting action suffer as a result. Still, Ricciardi remains a fresh voice in the crowded spy thriller field.
