Jack Carr is not one to shy away from exploring the darker psyche of prey and predator, and Only The Dead is a prime example of how Carr continues to get darker and better as the series progresses.
After the harrowing ending of In The Blood, James Reece is biding his time in prison, holding onto his fleeting sanity, just long enough for the promise of revenge. Grabbing the first opportunity he gets, Reece sets off on a warpath against those behind the conspiracy. As he digs deep, he realizes it’s the same cabal of powerful forces in the shadows his father had faced. Motivated by a grueling bloodlust, desire to keep his loved ones safe, and quest for justice, Reece barrels down a dark road, one that significantly alters the hero we have come to love through the books.
Only The Dead is an exciting departure from the previous books in the series, serving as a cathartic resolution for the long-running plot about Reece’s father as well as for all the demons that Reece has accumulated so far in his violent adventures. Carr pushes his protagonist to his breaking point as he struggles to reconcile the voices in head, scaring those around him as the demons begin to manifest physically. At the same time, his darker mindset pushes him harder than ever in his war, carving up his antagonists with all sorts of melee weapons and stitching up the rest with generous bursts of gunfire.
Carr’s depictions of action are in a wholly separate league in the thrillerverse. Whereas many action sequences sparkle with cinematic tinge to them, the action in Only The Dead is rather messy, visceral, and brutally realistic. Reece dispatches his enemies with the most utterly devastating and gut-wrenching wounds with tomahawks, stiletto blades, improvised weapons, and trusty firearms in artistic sequences of unbridled violence that showcase the true nature of bloodshed where the bad guys, pumped full of adrenaline and wearing bulletproof armor, take a rather long time to die even when Reece has gone to work on their limbs and other body parts with blades and bullets. There is a brilliant action sequence in a Russian bathhouse that harkens the cinematic vibe of John Wick combat, but even more grounded with Carr’s detailed and unflinching descriptions of hardcore combat. The bloody action sequences alone are worth the price of admission.
Only the Dead is also a fantastic foray into a more conspiracy-centric storyline that gives the narrative a much more espionage-laden vibe than its predecessors. James Reece acts more like a spy than a soldier here, uncovering clues towards a grand scheme of a group pulling the strings from behind the scenes, with members in the most exclusive clubs.
In true Carr style, you’ll come for the action and you’ll stay for the fascinating historical tidbits that make you more knowledgeable by the time you reach the final page. There is so much to enjoy in this one and I can definitely attest to Only The Dead surpassing In the Blood as my favorite James Reece thriller. I wasn’t sure I would finish this book in a day but somehow, I did because once you begin, you are totally immersed in the gripping storytelling and wild action. Jack Carr continues to get exponentially better at his craft.
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