Flash of Red

I've read all of Clancy, Cussler, Dale Brown, most of W.E.B. Griffin, Ludlum, and Stephen Hunter, and others, and I find this book refreshing with action. It is refreshing because of Clay Harvey's good sense of humor that fits naturally with the characters in this story, his development of characters who have close friendships, and his development of a realistic relationship that the main character, Tyler Vance, has with his five year old son. It is also refreshing because of Harvey's ability to describe fighting scenes, as well as his knowledge of guns (which reminds me of Stephen Hunter). Harvey knows how to tell a story and to keep the plot moving, while still spending interesting time in character development - even with the bad guys. And his descriptions of the interaction between Tyler Vance and the local police puts you right there, with some interesting - and humorous - twists.This book is refreshing because it is not just macho action. It is not just plot driven, although the plot is good and believable. It is also character driven - some of whom you may find yourself wanting to meet. Tyler Vance has some characteristics similar to Clancy's Jack Ryan, in that Vance doesn't have a "dark side" that is so popular in many modern action heroes. Vance is just a good guy - with a real personality - period.I enjoyed this enough to purchase and read the sequel, "A Whisper of Black", and then the delightful prequel to both, "Dwelling In The Gray".

Being a native of Greensboro, I was attracted to this book from the first. Harvey had the locale down pat. He really captures the flavor of the Gate City. Moreover, unlike a lot of crime novels, this one gets the guns right. It may seem like a small thing but nothing is more irritating than an author who tries to be cool with his gun lingo and doesn't know diddly squat about it. Now it is on to reading his other books!

"A Flash of Red" gives non-stop action and is impossible to put down. It never stops, and it is always mixing you up and confusing you (in a good way). I would recommend this book to anyone who likes action.

Tough customer is Tyler Vance. A "softie" when it comes to his family and close friends. Good for gun lovers, children lovers, and just lovers. Excellent book.

I throughly enjoyed this book, and found the action to be top notch, and the characters to be well-defined and interesting. A key element in this type of book is a believable, capable villain, and the bad guy in this book fills that requirement. A couple of the previous reviews missed the point, and were politically correct in their comments. This type of book would not make much sense without the use of guns. And the author did not focus on religion, but rather showed his characters' faith in a way that was appropriate for the Southern culture. All in all, an excellent read, and far more entertaining than the latest, tired Robert Parker novels.