Mythical Post-Apocalyptic Thriller

5 stars for Trackers! Anyone good at figuring out red herrings will love this book. Story changes abound as do sudden switches between multiple plots. Right up to the end I was sure I knew what would happen. Wrong! ( )

We have a serial killer on the loose at the same time that there is a huge disaster when an EMP shuts down the country. There's good tension and interesting characters. ( )

My addiction to Smith’s works continues. I tore through his Hell Divers series (which I totally loved) and then jumped into this series. Finally, I’m writing reviews.

This post-apocalyptic series is set in modern times, mostly set in Estes Park, Colorado (which is an easy day’s drive north of me). In this scenario, EMPs are set off in key points of the USA, shutting down our electric grid and wreaking havoc. The North Koreans have nearly paralyzed the US government! Even as people start to grasp what has happened, the hits keep coming for Washington DC.

I became attached the Estes Park characters much quicker than I did with the Washington DC characters. I did like the alternating view points. Sam ‘Raven’ Spears (retired Marine) and his dog Creek are my favorite characters hands down. Sam has been a bit of a loaf in Estes Park but now with this nationwide emergency he has a chance to really make a difference. Also, this is a murder mystery story and Raven gets caught up in that too since he and Creek are excellent trackers. Raven’s sister Sandra, who works as a nurse at the hospital, and her daughter (Allie) become caught up in this mystery too.

The reaction of the average citizen was very realistic. Sure, a lot of stuff has stopped working, there looks to have been a bomb off on the horizon (maybe a nuclear bomb), but some things still work and surely the government will be by any time to set things right, right? Some people were more skeptical, some caught on quicker, some didn’t wait to find out one way or another, etc. It was a great mix of believable responses.

I was a little surprised by the ladies. I’m coming to this series from Hell Divers where the ladies do everything the men do; gender equality is a given not a ‘check the box’ thing. So here we have several well made female characters that are competent in their given jobs and yet none of them are in the thick of it. They generally don’t handle weapons and they certainly don’t go out on missions to scout, track, or rescue. I was left wanting more from the ladies.

While Raven works with police chief Colton on tracking down a killer, Nathan Sardetti goes on a rescue mission near Estes Park. His handicapped nephew, Ty, was at a special camp when all hell broke lose. Nathan’s sister, Senator Charlize Montgomery (who’s a retired fighter pilot), was in DC when things headed south. She’s recovering from serious injuries and can’t join in the search herself. Her body guard, Big Al Randall, do their best to rejoin the remnants of the US government.

Unfortunately, there’s a group of white supremacists (Sons of Liberty) in the area near Estes Park and they would be quite happy to have some important captives. I loved hating on their leader, Fenix. He was so hate worthy but also calm, collected, smart. He makes a worthy foe for both Nathan and Raven.

The murder mystery, the believability of the EMP attack and response, and the bits of Sioux & Cherokee believes all worked well for me. The tame ladies left me wanting a bit more. 4/5 stars.

The Narration: Bronson Pinchot gave a pretty good performance. There was this side character that was written as very loud and a bit rude and Pinchot did that voice well but sometimes I had to turn the volume down a little. I liked his voice for Raven and he also made a great Colton. His voice for Charlize Montgomery was feminine and carried her strength as well. His voice for President Diego was a little too much Texas politician for me, but that also made it distinct. 4.5/5 stars. ( )

An alarmingly realistic thriller

An alarmingly realistic thriller by Nicholas Sansbury Smith! He tackled not only a realistic threat, but also an amazing plotline. It almost seemed like two stories yet interwoven with great skill. Scary, intriguing, and very entertaining! Can't wait for the next one. ( )

'Trackers' is a book taken right out of today's headlines...Korea attacks the United States with three high atmosphere EMP's and a ground level nuclear attack on Washington DC. Many have witnessed the bright flash In the sky but don't understand how it ties in with nothing electronic working anymore. Planes fall from the sky and countless people are left stranded where their vehicles failed and radioactivity is endangering those out in the open. However, very little takes place from their POV. What does radiation poisoning feel like? What does it do? Where can people find safety? Hopefully, I learn more in the next installment.

Several storylines take place in the book and eventually all come together. Raven, a Cherokee Indian, loner and town troublemaker, feels that his past actions in the military might be responsible for the attack on the US. However, his arch enemy, the sheriff needs his skills in tracking down a missing child and later, a mass-murderer. Raven's sister is a nurse at the local hospital, and is stranded halfway between home and the hospital when her car dies on the way to work. Then while walking to the hospital, Sandra comes upon an Air-Force Major who is hurt after ejecting from his crippled jet fighter that crashed in the mountains. He needs to find a working radio to notify NORAD of his discoveries and joins Sandra on her trek. The Major's sister, Charlize, is a former fighter pilot and now a well-known Senator in DC. Without communications, they're all blind!

After realizing what had happened, the town Sheriff takes charge and assigns survival tasks to the townspeople and a number of tourists to bring them together, then ushers them into three town survival bunkers to escape the radioactive fallout from an approaching storm. From that point, the story converts over to a murder mystery, where people are murdered and the killer is tracked through the Colorado mountains. It then becomes a 'who done it' and 'why' course of events, but soon becomes personal when Sandra's daughter is kidnapped.

There are twists and turns and the author does a great job in dialog and painting scenes for us readers. This is book 1 of a 4-book series, but can stand alone without any real cliff hangers. Never-the-less, I purchased book 2 to see what the survivors do next in this new world. Thank you, Nicholas, looking forward to reading more about this apocalyptic story without zombies.

John Podlaski, author
'Cherries: A Vietnam War Novel' and 'When Can I Stop Running?' ( )