Take a moment to read Ben Blackshaw Box Set by Robert Whitehill.
If you haven’t read Robert Whitehill’s series of thrillers starring former-Navy SEAL Ben Blackshaw, there’s no better time than now to take the plunge. An electronic box set of the series will soon be available online that compiles Deadrise, Nitro Express and Tap Rack Bang, the first three Blackshaw missions, into one convenient package that prepares readers for the upcoming fourth novel, Geronimo Hotshot.
The Ben Blackshaw series is a different beast from the thrillers that line the shelves of airport bookstores. Blackshaw’s hardscrabble upbringing on Maryland’s Smith Island serves as his defining character trait. In contrast to other thriller heroes like Jack Reacher, Jason Bourne, Doc Ford and Jack Ryan, Blackshaw isn’t a heartless killing machine, but an oftentimes guilt-ridden protector who even has an eye for art.
Each compelling mission blends present-day issues into its narrative. Deadrise pits the tight-knit community of Smith Island against corrupt government operatives. Nitro Express explores government manipulation of the media to control public opinion. Tap Rack Bang indicts world indifference to human trafficking. Woven throughout every mission are allusions to the Odyssey, as Blackshaw finds himself struggling to return home.
Underneath all these thematic elements lurk tightly tuned thrillers. Though Blackshaw is a fighter, he is also a thinker. The series’ imaginative action sequences are clever, yet heart-pounding. The series also boasts a cast of complex female characters, like Blackshaw’s wife, LuAnna, the scheming Senator, Lily Morgan and the Bryn Mawr educated jihadi, Tahereh. The series’ loathsome villains, from the unhinged-yet-charming Maynard Chalk to the loutish and obese Joachim DePriest are absolutely repugnant standouts.
Whether you are starting out, catching up or giving it as a gift, jamming the first three missions into one eBox has never made so much Blackshaw action available in one place; it’s the perfect training manual for book number four, Geronimo Hotshot.
Robert Whitehill’s box set is available now on amazon.com for Kindles for just $4.99.
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