Choke Point

In this novel Big Jake Rynerson is building a hugh gambling resort. It is being built in Macau and is called the Pacific Pearl. It is a very elaborate casino. Big Jake is having all sorts of problems in the building of this enterprise. There have been several fatal accidents on the site. Big Jake is also working behind the scenes helping the President of the United States create the Pacific Rim Alliance. This is made up of three countries China, Taiwan, and the United States. There are some forces behind the scenes who are opposed to this alliance. In a secret meeting Big Jake is gunned down in an assassination attempt. The attempted killing is done by a group of mercenaries who are hired to stop the alliance. Our hero Simon Leonidovich an international courier enters the picture to safely deliver the "Crest of Ch'in" to the Chinese. This will wrap up creating the alliance. Kyra Rynerson enters the picture. She and Simon charter a plane to deliver the crest. They soon discover that they have been betrayed. Simon and Kyra fight against overwhelming odds to survive as well as deliver the crest. This makes for a very good story.

Couldn't wait to read more Simon!! If you haven't read the whole series, you should!!! You'll get so hooked -- it'll only take you a few days to read because you can't put it down!!!

Simon Leonidovich is back, with all his wit and charm, to work with Big Jake Rynerson and Jake's daughter, Kyra. (Possible romance? Read it and see.) The international politics of the story are interesting and the plot is believable, with the many twists and surprises we've come to expect from MacLarty's Everyman hero. The villains are well drawn, the action scenes masterful. All in all, a great read!

With CHOKE POINT, author Jay MacLarty shows us, once again, as with the other three Simon books, that he writes a great story that engages both the mind and the gut; his plot and the resonatng international stakes about China, Taiwan, and America, give us a lot to think about -- and his great second half of the book - an adventure chase, appeals to the gut of any reader wanting an exciting run/jump/chase extended sequence with adventure, tension and surprises. His cleverness in plotting makes you almost wonder how one person can do this all by himself? But he does and it works -- you get both intelligence and visceral excitement in his clever plot and his terrific characters. I'd like to buy the next Jay MacLarty novel now, the one he hasn't even written yet, sight unseen - I'm a fan all the way.

This is the last Simon book! Choke Point is a thriller with a message, and the message is: The race is not always to the swift, or the strong, or even the extremely well-groomed, sometimes it goes to Simon Leondovich, the man with the most common sense. Simon is a great protagonist, although not as cosmopolitan as James Bond, nor as tough as Steven Segal, he is appealing in his female-friendly-understated-wallflower persona. Up against dangers, unfortunate delays and distracting temptations of the flesh, Simon slogs though paperwork, protocol, and jungle swamps with the same unwavering determination to discover the truth and deliver his package. Does he save the world and get the girl? Sorta, but what was that 'Twisty thing'? Readers need a more detailed description.