The Terminal List is the second book I’ve read by Jack Carr, having first read Cry Havoc. I also read this book after having watched The Terminal List and Dark Wolf TV series. So my view of The Terminal List book is through that lens.

Cry Havoc is an awesome book and Jack Carr’s ninth, so I imagined I might find The Terminal List, his first, to be less polished. That is not the case, at all. Jack Carr clearly hits the ground running with The Terminal List. I cannot fault the book at all, in any way. I usually find it difficult to read books having first seen the movie or TV show, but not here and not because the book and TV show were substantially different. The book is definitely better than the TV show, even in action scenes, which typically translate better to the screen, where the kinetics of such things play out better. Put simply, the TV show is fantastic. The book is better.

Carr excels at showing the gritty, intricate, vengeance that James Reece is serving up, forcing me at one point to sit up and literally stop reading for a second just to contemplate the gravity of it all – the part where Captain Howard gets his entrails wrapped around a tree. That, and the other takedowns of targets on Recee’s terminal list, really push the boundaries and had me thinking. Where is the uncrossable line when tens of your teammates have been killed in betrayal by higher ups in their quest for financial gain, and when your wife, daughter, and unborn son have been murdered? It’s a path I imagine many readers wish they had the balls, and the skills, to follow if they ever found themselves in a similar situation to Reece.

But it isn’t just the journey of vengeance Carr excels at writing. The depth of characters, the locations, the authenticity of literally everything comes through in spades, on every page. Carr’s writing is at the same time very accessible and has an intellectual depth to it that made me feel like a willing student of war, philosophy, and a member of the brotherhood of men at arms.

The more I’ve come to know Carr, through his books and beyond, the greater appreciation I have of him as a warrior scholar. He’s mentioned several times the irony of him embarking on a writing career while reading is suffering it’s greatest ever decline. I’d argue that this is exactly when we need a writer like Carr. And there’s something alluring about the values Carr and many of his characters embody. A desire to connect with what is important in life, what is real, and what truly has value and meaning. This often comes across as a romanticism for the 80s, for mechanical vehicles, for a time of human rather than digital connection. And although in Carr’s forward, he specifically states he is not James Recee, I can’t help but feel that the best of Carr’s qualities are there in Recee.

I’ve always been a reader, but perhaps less so in adult life than I’d like to be, even recently with everything I’m reading for The Campus Files. However, Carr has inspired me to want to read more, to learn more. And because of that I spent a week away, disconnected from the world, from the internet, and just read. Up in the Scottish Highlands, diving into The Terminal List, and the books that follow, has been a transformative experience. Everyone needs to read more and everyone needs to read The Terminal List.

I particularly liked how The Terminal List is based on home soil. For a first book, this was a bold choice and one that really paid off. Carr avoided the cliché of a middle eastern and jihadi centred thriller. The Terminal List strikes a chord because it’s about the corruption that’s undoubtedly existed throughout the global war on terror. It specifically shows how patriotic men and women have been taken advantage of by those in power to make money. But more than that, this book intrigues because of the unique angle of PTSD and illegal experiments on serving troops. This is a great vehicle for antagonists at all levels. Carr mentions in the book the long history of such experiments, and not just on military personnel. This is a sad truth.

I found the antagonists in this book to be both credible and compelling. What is particularly compelling is Carr’s ability to focus on the corruption of those in power, and yet not make the plot feel like he was simply railing against the whole American system. This is reflected in Carr’s preface, which warns against the “consolidation of power at the federal level” and the “erosion of rights” while simultaneously championing the fundamental value of freedom and the principles of the Republic.

The Terminal List delivers a strong message about too many people in power being self-serving, rather than serving the greater good or those who have elected them. And so while Recce is on a rampage of vengeance, he’s the counterpoint to these antagonists. He isn’t an anti-hero. He’s a true hero. The sort of guy that puts his men, his family, and his country first. But take that all away from him and he’ll be forced on to a dark, dark, path.

I enjoyed The Terminal List so much that I immediately went on the reading True Believer. I’ve not had such a positive reaction to reading a book since picking up the early Tom Clancy novels. I know I’m late to the party, but Carr delivers something truly great in The Terminal List and James Reece. It is the perfect balance between plot, character depth and relentless pacing.