Review – The Toymaker (Jake Pendleton #2) by Chuck Barrett @chuck_barrett

Posted on June 28, 2023 by fundinmental

I have had The Toymaker by Chuck Barrett on my TBR since 2012. I was so excited to grab it and don’t know why I waited so long to read it.

Amazon / Audiobook / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

The Toymaker by Chuck Barrett is a continuation of The Savannah Project, so this review will be short and sweet.

I LOVED IT.

Jake Pendleton will learn the all the grisly details of the ills that have befallen him, as he faces his worst foes. One is familiar, Ian Collings, the assassin. One is new, a terrorist, and will test all his skills. He will travel the world, dodging death with colleagues old and new.

The more I read, the more lost I got in the story, wondering who would live and who would die. Hopefully, it will be the villains, but with Chuck Barrett, you can never be sure.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos — 5 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Former NTSB Investigator Jake Pendleton faces a dilemma as the line blurs between right and wrong. After his judgment comes into question, Jake is entrusted to his new mentor, an eccentric old man who sees beyond Jake’s flaws. A man who makes ‘toys for spies.’

A man known as The Toymaker.

Jake’s first assignment reunites him with Gregg Kaplan in a daredevil mission to rescue a fellow agent held captive in Yemen. He risks his life to stop the first attack of an al Qaeda mastermind. But now, with no one to trust but himself, can Jake stop the terrorist from destroying what is most precious to the free world?

Unfortunately, more trouble comes his way as a killer from his past threatens something more important to Jake than his own life, leaving him to make the hardest decision any man ever has to make—

Who to sacrifice.

Fiction, Action and Adventure, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Terrorism, Espionage

368 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 21, 2011

ABOUT CHUCK BARRETT

Chuck Barrett is the award-winning author of The Savannah Project, The Toymaker, Breach of Power, and Disruption of his Jake Pendleton series, and Blown, and Last Chance of his blockbuster Gregg Kaplan series. He is a graduate of Auburn University and retired air traffic controller. He also holds a Commercial Pilot Certificate.

He and his wife, DJ Steele (also an author) currently reside in Northern Colorado.

Awards:
—BLOWN
2016 Writers Digest Self-Published Book Awards

—Breach of Power
Winner of the 2013 Indie Excellence Award in Political Thrillers.
Finalist in the 2013 International Book Awards Thriller/Adventure category.

—The Toymaker
Finalist in the 2013 International Book Awards Thriller/Adventure & Mystery/Suspense categories.

—The Savannah Project
Finalist in the 2011 International Book Awards Thriller/Adventure category.
Second Place in the 2011 Reviewers Choice Awards Mystery/Thriller/Suspense/Horror category.
Honorable Mention in the 2011 ForeWord Reviews Book-Of-The-Year Awards Thriller/Suspense category.

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MY CHUCK BARRETT REVIEWS

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TheToymaker & Savannah Project by Chuck Barrett @chuck_barrett #booksfromthebacklog

Posted on August 20, 2020 by fundinmental

Books from the Backlog is a fun way to feature some of those neglected books sitting on your bookshelf unread. If you are anything like me, you might be surprised by some of the unread books hiding in your stacks.

If you would like to join in, swing by Carole’s Random Life in Books.

Chuck Barrett is the kind of author that is as interesting as his novels and he a Florida native, so that’s a big plus. I have read one of his books and now that these are on my radar…again…maybe I can get to them.

Amazon / Audiobook / Goodreads

GOODREADS BLURB

“An intense, heart-pounding St. Patrick’s Day thriller!”

The truth can be a dangerous thing.

Terrorism, duty, and personal safety collide when Jake Pendleton, an investigator for the NTSB, is called to investigate an aircraft accident in Savannah, Georgia during the St. Patrick’s Day celebration. The accident, which at first appears to be quite run-of-the-mill, turns out to be anything but. Since Jake is not willing to pretend there are no suspicious circumstances and more than the usual share of rather unlikely “coincidences,” he sets off a veritable avalanche of secrets, violence and treachery. Aided by an unlikely partner, Gregg Kaplan, the air traffic controller who was the last person in contact with the airplane that crashed, Jake sets out to untangle the webs of deceit and to find a vicious killer.

Nothing is as it seems, nobody is who you thought them to be.
Nothing is sacred.
Nobody is safe.

Goodreads ratings: 3.73 · 688 ratings · 72 reviews

I am so excited to have the first two books in the Jake Pendleton series by Chuck Barrett. I added this to Goodreads on 10.6.12 but I didn’t pick it up from Amazon until 6.23.14. I’m so glad I haven’t read book one yet, The Toymaker, see below. Now I can read them in order and I feel they are going to be some good ones. What can of thrillers float your boat?

Amazon / Audiobook / Goodreads

GOODREADS BLURB

Former NTSB Investigator Jake Pendleton faces a dilemma as the line blurs between right and wrong. After his judgment comes into question, Jake is entrusted to his new mentor, an eccentric old man who sees beyond Jake’s flaws. A man who makes ‘toys for spies.’ A man known as The Toymaker. Jake’s first assignment reunites him with Gregg Kaplan in a daredevil mission to rescue a fellow agent held captive in Yemen. He risks his life to stop the first attack of an al Qaeda mastermind. But now, with no one to trust but himself, can Jake stop the terrorist from destroying what is most precious to the free world? Unfortunately, more trouble comes his way as a killer from his past threatens something more important to Jake than his own life, leaving him to make the hardest decision any man ever has to make- Who to sacrifice. In the same suspenseful style as his award winning thriller, The Savannah Project, Chuck Barrett’s The Toymaker is guaranteed to engulf the reader in another spine-tingling tale of international intrigue.

Goodreads ratings: 3.91 · 551 ratings · 60 reviews

No doubt in my mind that I added The Toymaker to my reading list because of the cover! I added it on 10.6.12, but for some reason I actually got it from Amazon on 6.20.12. Who knows why it’s different. I didn’t keep very good records for years and just recently tried to add all books owned, kindle and physical, through blogging. I have a lot more on the shelves before I even joined Goodreads. Any who…back to business.

MY CHUCK BARRETT REVIEWS

Blown

You can see my Giveaways HERE.
You can see my Reviews HERE.
If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Assassins & Thrills – Blown by Chuck Barrett Review

Posted on June 11, 2015 by fundinmental

Chuck Barrett is the kind of author that is as interesting as his novel, Blown, so be sure and check out his bio and my review below.

He also has some fantastic covers.

Add me to Goodreads now.

MY REVIEW

Blown is a military thriller mystery adventure with sexy and dangerous Gregg Kaplan.

Mobsters, assassins, good guy, bad guys and her.

Gregg Kaplan was a Special Forces assassin, but now he works on the civilian side of government. He had to find her. He had four hours. But something happened and his cover is Blown.

He had made Tony, Senior Inspector Moss of the Marshal’s Service,a promise. A promise is a promise and he would deliver the man to WitSec, no matter what.

I quickly became enamored of Kaplan and his unique skills.

The woman he is searching for is his love interest from Toymaker. I have not read that…yet.

The identity of the assassin was a marvelous surprise.

I love complex scenarios with more than one angle. It keeps the mystery alive and me on the edge of my seat with suspense, trying to figure it out.

Chuck Barret makes me think he brings his personal life into his books with nicknames for his characters, like Dirt Man for Pete Moss. What can I say? It’s that something extra that gives the writing that additional kick. Do we see a book coming in the near future telling us his story? Could Greg and Tony become a team? I can see it.

I received Blow from Chuck Barret in return for an honest review.

4 Stars

SYNOPSIS

Gregg Kaplan is not an ordinary man, but a man with special skills, courtesy of the United States Government.

His assignment is to stay off the grid when he innocently stumbles into a blown witness protection detail in Little Rock, Arkansas. He simply could not walk away from the impending mayhem.

After the dust settles, a mortally wounded Deputy U.S. Marshal makes him promise to personally deliver the witness to a U.S. Marshals Service safe site.

Not just a promise, an oath. A pledge between ex-Army Delta Force comrades.
A trust that could not be broken—Once in, never out.

Kaplan soon suspects the witness he vowed to protect has secrets of his own; secrets that go beyond his testimony for the U.S. government. When he discovers the witness is being tracked, Kaplan teams with a WitSec Deputy U.S. Marshal assigned to recover the witness, but soon realizes some merciless people are dead set on preventing the witness from reaching the safe site.

But the witness has a hidden agenda of his own—One that could cost Kaplan his life.

ABOUT CHUCK BARRETT

Chuck Barrett is the bestselling author of the Award-Winning Jake Pendleton series. Breach of Power—Winner of the 2013 Indie Excellence Award Political Thriller category and Finalist in the 2013 International Book Awards Thriller/Adventure category, The Toymaker—Finalist in the 2013 International Book Awards Thriller/Adventure & Mystery/Suspense categories, and The Savannah Project—Finalist in the 2011 International Book Awards Thriller/Adventure category, Second Place in the 2011 Reviewers Choice Awards Mystery/Thriller/Suspense/Horror category, and Honorable Mention in the 2011 ForeWord Reviews Book-Of-The-Year Awards Thriller/Suspense category.

Barrett is a Florida native and a graduate of Auburn University. He is a retired air traffic controller with over 26 years experience and veteran commercial pilot & flight instructor spanning over three decades of flight experience.
Chuck also holds Dive Master and Rescue Diver certifications. He enjoys hiking in the Rockies with his wife, Debi and currently resides in Northeast Florida.