Thriller

Slow start but...

I almost didn't read this but I continued. The plot picked up and the storyline raced along. I couldn't stop, stayed up way too late finishing. Will definitely read more by Daniel Palmer. ( )

Jake Dent is a survivalist and is awaiting the day when the world comes crashing down. In the meantime he teaches his son Andy had to survive as he works as the custodian in the same school Andy attends. Although, Andy doesn’t think the same way as his dad, he puts up with it since his father is all he has (his mother left years ago). Meanwhile, Andy and his friends play Robin Hood by hacking into computers and stealing a little money (not to be missed) from their rich parents and give to worthy causes. That is until one in the group decides to steal 200 million dollars from a drug lord. Guess what? He wants his money back and will stop at nothing to get it back.

Maybe the plot is a little far-fetched and I’ve seen it similarly before but I enjoyed Daniel Palmer’s previous books and knew I would like this one too. It is well developed, fast-paced and full of enough action to keep me satisfied. There is also a lot of graphic violence and torture. Palmer weaves a good yarn. I enjoyed it. ( )

Deana Dick's review May 25, 15 · edit
5 of 5 stars
Read in May, 2015

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of Constant Fear.
This is a story about Jake who at one time was a great star baseball player,had a wife and a son named Andy. When Jake loses his spot in the big league, and finds out that their son is diabetic, his wife decides it's time to leave. Now left with a son to take care of he gets a job as a custodian at a very prestigious school that his son will be allowed to attend free of charge.

Jake may be a little different than most dads. He is a prepper. He has an underground bunker filled with supplies, guns, rifles, and everything else you would need to survive when the world collapses. Jake is very serious about his preparedness and even wakes his son up at 3:00 am for drills .

Andy is able to take care of himself in any situation thanks to his dad and his insistence on learning skills that will help him fight off anyone wanting to do harm to him. He is also a very intelligent young man. A group is formed at his school called the "Shire." This group hacks into parents accounts from the school , steals some of their money and gives it to charities. At one meeting the group is very tense and each looks at the other in very accusing tones. Someone in the group has stolen 200 million bitcoins and now it is missing.

Someone very powerful and ties to a drug cartel in Mexico have discovered their money is missing. Once Fausto has determined that this small group of kids from a school is responsible for the missing money he plots a way to get revenge and have his money returned.

As the story begins to unfold , the author takes you on a journey of terror, betrayal anfd survival at its best. The action is by far the most powerful writing that has been written by an author in a long time. The scene in the tunnels with Fausto and his men are so intense and graphic , that the author has you glued to the pages. He has developed a character so intent on surviving that he will not stop till he has rescued his son and the other kids at any cost. He is like a Rambo fighting with every ounce of strength and survival instincts. " Be the aggressor . Attack and don't ever let up. Fear is in the mind ." Jake remembers these words as he battles for his life for the safety of the group called "Shire."

As a reader, I have never read a book so powerful with characters that jump off the page and grab your attention. " The ending is a nonstop , heart pumping roller coaster ride that Is so shocking you will never see it coming.
Each book from this author gets increasingly better. Well done Daniel Palmer. I know your dad would be proud of you. ( )

A special thank you to Kensington and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. (Full book version).

No one can pull out all the stops like Daniel Palmer, one of my top all- time favorite suspense authors, having read all his books, and anxiously awaiting his next adrenaline rush thriller.

In Palmer's upcoming latest, CONSTANT FEAR, he turns up the complexity, suspense and intensity, with father and son team, fighting against a terrifying enemy.

In Winston, Massachusetts, Berkshire County, a quintessential New England town with picturesque views, a small community with only twelve thousand residents, Jake Dent and his teenage son, Andy are hiding out, trying to stay alive in a double-wide trailer which they now call home.

Everything they need to survive is stored and Jake’s ultimate goal is to protect his son, Andy, a diabetic, and geek at Pepperell Academy. While Andy is a computer code maestro, Jake’s knowledge is limited; however, he is a pro when it comes to survival techniques.

Andy is part of a computer club (The Shire)—six members, that redistributes money from the obscenely wealthy to the needy. But this time, their hacking targets the wrong people; a vicious drug cartel from Mexico, wanting revenge and their money, at the tune of $200 million. However, they do not know the whereabouts of the money.

Nearly all the buildings of Pepperell Academy are connected by a series of tunnels, dating back a century. As a grounds manager and custodian, Jake has access to the secret passages—making it a perfect bug-out location (BOL).

As the book opens, father and son are on their way to yet another survival trade show (Self Reliance be Ready Expo held in NY). Andy is tired of living like this. The latest and greatest in survivalist gear, training, and the best prepper paraphernalia. Andy tells his dad he has control issues and with the loss of his career, and his mother--this survival thing is out of control. He wants to stop living their life in constant fear of the end of the world.

“Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured.”

When Jake was twenty-two, he had a lucrative contract with a big-league ball club, a stop away from pitching in the majors, married to his high school sweetheart, and a father to a three year old boy. He crushes his BMW in a drunken accident after a teammate’s bachelor party; shattered his elbow-- his career over; sank into depression, his son Andy became sick, and his wife, Lauren left. She vanished, and they were divorced. Eventually his brother got him a job at Pepperell Academy as custodian.

Thereafter he placed all his energies into survival. With the writings of Thomas Wiggins, the founder of a popular survivalist blog, gave him inspiration. He has devoted his life to becoming an expert survivalist. From weapons to physical training, food, storage, DIY fuel, gardening, livestock, medical supplies, and first aid. There was always constant fear of the future and he wanted to be prepared. Jake knew when the day arrived, Pepperell Academy surrounded by undeveloped woodland and farms would be the perfect place for The Day with the home a few miles from campus.

Lance, his brother asked he keep his beliefs private. Nobody needed to know the school custodian was a dedicated survivalist, a doomsday prepper. Jake would keep the underground passageways and chambers a secret. Andy does not want to live life preparing for something which may never happen in his lifetime; however, his dad’s training may not be in vain, after all.

Now, Andy and his friends are held hostage, a massive chemical spill, an evacuation, murder. These guys want their two hundred million dollars. Andy will die without his meds. What had they done? It was supposed to be thrills mixed with a message. The Shire never meant to hurt anybody. It was a statement about society, about income inequality. Yes, they all enjoyed the rush of hacking—it was addicting for sure.

Jake is in a race against time to get to Andy, his son to save him. The campus had thirty buildings – who were these people, terrorists, with bombs? With six kids taken hostage and four armed men dead and Jake may be the key to unlocking the entry.

Will Jake, and Ellie, Jake’s friend and love interest, a cop with her trained dog, Kibo reach Andy and his friends in time before more people are killed? Jake swore when this was over, he would tell her of his fears. With comparisons of baseball and tunnels--the SWAT team, snipers, cops and FBI are unsure if Jake is a fugitive killer and the target of an unprecedented manhunt. And someone else’s greed may be connected for an intense and dramatic ending.
 
Highly recommend for those thriller seekers enjoying a fast-paced roller coaster ride. A perfect gift for father's day!

My Reviews
2011-Delirious
2012-Helpless
2013-Stolen
2014-Desperate
2015-Trauma

From 2011 to 2015 Palmer is in a class of his own, and find myself constantly trying to compare other authors to him; however, "not going to happen"; no one can compare, or live up to his brilliantly crafted complex plots.

"Death doesn’t schedule an appointment. It may show up at any hour, on any day, uninvited, unwelcomed.”

It is a given to followup with the audiobook, as hoping for Peter Berkrot, as Palmer and Berkrot are perfectly matched, making for an unstoppable dynamic duo. CONSTANT FEAR, a definite Pre-Order! ( )