Warning Light – Review & Blog Tour

Hi Everyone! I am super excited to host warning light’s Blog Tour today! Thank you so much berkley publishing for inviting me to take part in david ricciardi’s debut blog tour!

Synopsis from Berkley Publishing:

No one knows what CIA desk jockey Zac Miller is capable of–including himself–when a routine surveillance job becomes a do-or-die mission in the Middle East.

When a commercial flight violates restricted airspace to make an emergency landing at a closed airport in Iran, the passengers are just happy to be alive and ready to transfer to a functional plane. All of them except one . . .

The American technology consultant in business class is not who he says he is. Zac Miller is a CIA analyst. And after an agent’s cover gets blown, Zac–though never trained to be a field operative–volunteers to take his place, to keep a surveillance mission from being scrubbed.

Zac thinks it will be easy to photograph the earthquake-ravaged airport that is located near a hidden top secret nuclear facility. But when everything that can go wrong does, he finds himself on the run from the Islamic Revolutionary Guards and abandoned by his own teammates, who think he has gone rogue. Embarking on a harrowing journey through the mountains of Iran to the Persian Gulf and across Europe, Zac can only rely on himself. But even if he makes it out alive, the life he once had may be lost to him forever . . .

About: Warning Light is an espionage thriller written by David Ricciardi. It will be published on 4/17/18 by Berkley Publishing, an imprint of Penguin Random House, paperback, 336 pages. The genres are thriller, mystery, espionage, and fiction. This book is the author’s debut. According to the publisher’s website, “Known for being at the forefront of trends, Berkley continues to develop authors and acquire books on the cutting edge of genre fiction. Science fiction/fantasy imprint Ace is the oldest continuously operating science fiction publisher in the U.S., and Berkley Prime Crime was the first imprint in the country dedicated to cozy mysteries.” Please see below for more information about the author and publisher.

My Experience: I started reading Warning Light on 3/18/18 and finished it on 3/21/18. This book is a great read! I like the glimpse into Iran’s desert and the ocean that connects between Iran and Dubai. I like Celia and her retired friends. I like Christine Kirby’s investigations and humor. I like a glimpse into nomads’ life in Iran. It’s interesting to see how police handles illegals entering their countries. There are lots of interrogation tortures that is hard for me to digest. I like more interactions, so following Zac’s actions and adventures are often intense, but sometimes lonely because I’m only left with his thoughts. I do like that he has strategies to save himself and I like his smart decisions.

This book is told in the third person point of view following Zachary (Zac) Miller, a technology analyst. Zac normally works behind a desk but decided on impulse to  volunteer to have his boss, Peter Clements sent him on a quick mission because he believes it can be easily done. The story started out with a passenger airplane heading for Singapore but due to engine failures during the flight, the pilot was required to perform an emergency landing. Zac is aboard this flight and it lands in a prohibited area of a small city in Iran. Zac takes a few pictures of the mountain and the sunset but it caught the attention of Iranian military. He was brought in for questioning and beating because they believe his intentions are more than innocent. It later reveals that Zac being in Iran is part of his mission. While Zac is being captured in Iran, there are crimes committed in Singapore and Paris and the blame is directed toward Zac. He either has to escape the Iranian military or his interrogators will send him to his grave. Another point of view is Ted Graves, a CIA’s London Chief of Operations. When he lost track of Zac, he sends for investigations without communicating with Peter Clements, Zac’s boss. The third point of view is Lady Celia Parker. She’s concerned for Zac when she couldn’t see him on the backup flight to Singapore and furthermore seeing someone looking like Zac with the same clothing and carryon bag. The fourth view is of Christine Kirby, sent by Ted Graves to investigate Zac’s whereabouts. The fifth view is of the bad guys and their activities. Zac is on the run from Iranian military and Dubai police, but little did he know the plan for him is more than he can comprehend.

A well written story, this book will give readers a wild ride across countries and over the ocean. I like Dubai’s water checkpoint against strangers coming into their land. I like the firm questioning of Iran soldiers and their accurate assessment and distrust in Zac’s reasons behind his picture taking spree. I’m surprised with Zac’s near death beatings that he suffered no broken bones or internal damages furthering him to survive for days without food in the uncomfortable desert exerting energies and strengths he sure to lack. I guess there are super power to a person when he’s fighting for life near death. I like that Zac is well trained, capable beyond a desk job. I like that he’s smart, refusing to sign under pressure, a document in a language that he couldn’t read and understand. This thriller is different from what I normally like to read, but nevertheless interesting and I highly recommend everyone to read it.

Pro: CIA mission, close calls, on the run, multiple countries, actions & adventures, intense, politics

Con: slow start, solitude and bad luck seems endless,  overload with Zac’s thoughts

I rate it 4 stars!

Buy it here for free shipping: Book Depository or Berkley’s Website

About the Author:

A keen outdoorsman, David Ricciardi incorporated many personal experiences into Warning Light. He’s backpacked through the mountains of the western United States and Alaska, received extensive training from law-enforcement and US special operations personnel, and once woke up for a 2 AM watch aboard a sailboat only to discover that it was headed the wrong way through the Atlantic sea lanes in heavy weather, with one of the crew suffering from hypothermia. In addition to being an avid sailor, David is also a certified scuba rescue diver and a former ski instructor. Warning Light is his first novel. (Photo obtained from Goodreads and Info obtained from Berkley’s Website).

More Information about Berkley Publishing Group

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***Disclaimer: Many thanks to Berkley Publishing for inviting me to host a blog tour. I appreciate the opportunity to read and review. Please be assured that my opinions are honest.

xoxo,
Jasmine