There are A lists and B lists but the one list you never want to be on is the Black List (Simon & Schuster 2012; $27), the secret government list seen only by the President of the United States and his secret team of advisors. The bad part of this list of people who are considered to be enemies of the United States is once you’re on it, the only way to get off is because you’re dead.
That’s a problem for counterterrorism operative Scott Harvath who must discover how he made the list, elude the myriad of killers intent on crossing his name off the list and, as if that weren’t enough, stop the massive terror attack about to take down the United States ‘digital infrastructure.
It’s the ultimate paranoia thriller and a typical Thor suspense novel – a compelling fast moving read based on both fiction and fact. Indeed, Thor, the New York Times bestselling author of Full Black, The Last Patriot and Blowback, recognized by NPR as one of the “100 Best Thrillers,” was given the name factoid writer by Glenn Beck for the way he merges fact and fiction.
Thor, who lives in Chicago, considers himself as an entertainer but loves that people are learning as they read his books.
“I want to be the fact-ion guy,” says Thor noting that Harvath is his alter ego and gets to do things he can’t. “One of coolest pieces of email I get is when people say that they loved my book and had to read it with their laptop open, because they couldn’t tell where the facts ended and the fiction began.”
But writing his super-charged novels, all 12 of them, is also a learning experience for Thor.
“There’s a lot of that in Black List, primarily to do with electronic surveillance that I didn’t know about and data collection assessment and mining,” he says. “The most interesting books for me are those from which I learn things, which while I’m being entertained, I also take away an information packet. I like the idea that my books get people talking. I want people not only to get that great thrill, but I want them to walk away feeling smarter, feeling like they’ve learned something by reading one of my books, not like a textbook or a school book, but about really cool things.”Ifyougo:
What: Brad Thor book signing
When: Saturday, August 25 at 1:00pm
Where: Costco, 2746 N. Clybourne Ave., Chicago, IL
Cost: Free
FYI: 773-360-2053
