Edge of Honor, Brad Thor, author; Armand Schultz, narrator
Scott Harvath and Solvi Kolstad both have both retired from their counter-terrorism jobs. They have married and spent the last six months enjoying a honeymoon, traveling all over the world, loving their peaceful existence. However, when they return to DC, anticipating Independence Day celebrations, they discover instead, danger. There are protests and unrest. Suddenly, they find themselves in the middle of a terrorist attack. They immediately spring into action and save many lives. Their heroism does not go unnoticed, and shortly afterward, both Solvi and Scot are drawn back into the service of their countries. Solvi is drawn back into service to protect the Norwegian Prime Minister who does not trust the American Secret Service to be up to the task of keeping her safe, and at the same time, Scot is called back into service to protect Ambassador Rogers, a former hostage negotiator who is in fear for his life. He discovered he was being followed, and Scot was specifically asked to protect him. The Ambassador believes that the recent deaths of the Secretary of Defense and State were not natural or accidental, but actual murders. He believes that he may be next.
Both Scot and Solvi answer their call to duty because of obligations from their pasts. There are the usual suspects, Iran and Russia, but it seems the villains are actually identified as American too. Chaos mounts as the attacks and the bodies pile up. Who would be instigating so much unrest in America and why? That is the problem both Scot and Solvi must solve as they each protect their charges. The police and the Secret Service seem to be compromised. No one knows who to trust in the government. Harvath seems to break all the rules when it comes to interrogation. He believes that the danger to the United States is so great that he must do anything he can to stop it. Someone seems intent on destroying the country. Is the danger coming from within, without, or a combination of both?
As the mystery deepens, there are calls for the President to step down and for the Vice President to take over. Who are the agitators behind these attacks on the President? What is their motive? Is it a government coup? It is hard to know which party is guilty, but there are commonalities with our current affairs. This novel has elements of the issues we are facing in America today with so many people protesting and disrupting our daily lives. There are people who refuse to accept the current government and will not cooperate with the administration. It is difficult in both this novel and in our current state of affairs to identify the underlying cause of the increase in crime and lawlessness or to identify exactly who is protesting and agitating to cause the unrest. In the novel, fingers are pointed, but they are unsure of the direction the danger is coming from, and that is the same feeling in America today. It is hard to identify the enemy because things sometimes make little sense. Up seems down and down seems up. In the book, it often seemed like the situation was out of control. It defied reality and the imagination and seemed intent on igniting comparisons with the current climate of lives.
The story sometimes seemed contrived as Solvi and Scot were always thrust into the same dangerous situation, often appearing like super-heroes. Scot seemed like he was always racing to protect both Solvi and the country. The dialog also seemed trite and filled with needless details to fill pages. The book was in need of editing to make it less confusing, easier to follow, and more exciting. There were far too many characters and diversions to follow the story comfortably. However, I can definitely agree with Scot; I do not like lutefisk either. It is a fish prepared by soaking it in lye, so it seems to defy common sense to eat it.