Nick Petrie’s The Breaker is the sixth installment of the acclaimed Peter Ash series, one of my favorite characters and series in the thriller genre today. It’s a tremendous character-driven, cerebral, realistic action techno-thriller that I devoured in no time.
The Breaker features frightening realistic technology with major societal implications, both with potential positive – assisting those who are not able bodied or providing health services in remote areas – and negative – prosecuting wars or automating jobs that put people out of work – functionality. But in the world we live in today, I’m more concerned this kind of tech would be exploited for nefarious means rather than applied for the good of humanity. Which all goes to say that Nick Petrie delivered an entertaining thriller that forces the reader to contemplate the ethics and practical applications of emerging technology. Just because we have the means to create and deploy new tech doesn’t mean we always should. If we’re not careful, we just might end up with Skynet or living in The Matrix.
“But I don’t read Thrillers to pontificate about the intersection of morality, technology and humanity, I just want to be entertained, you buffoon,” you say. Ok fine. I hear that. So, let me assuage your concerns and tell you The Breaker is suspenseful, action packed and kicks serious ass. Peter Ash continues to work through his “white static” PTSD symptoms while trying to build a life with June Cassidy. However, as Peter is want to do, he gets entangled in an intriguing and hazardous situation right from the start as he spies a potential live shooter situation in the Milwaukee Public Market. He ropes Lewis into the fray, though as usual Lewis is more than a willing participant, as they try to unravel the mystery before them while facing growing peril at the hands of the aforementioned tech. However, as I’ve heard Nick Petrie mention during his virtual book tour, this book is more about June. Her investigative reporting into the incident at the market and beyond is the catalyst for the action throughout the book. We get to learn more about who she is, how she thinks and the emotions she feels as the story unfolds.
Having June and Lewis front and center in The Breaker makes this book incredibly enjoyable. They are perhaps my two favorite supporting characters in the genre, and I missed them terribly in Nick Petrie’s prior Peter Ash novel, The Wild One (which is also a fantastic book). Having them back in the fold and leading the charge alongside Peter added joy to the reading experience. However, the great characters don’t end with the big three. Nick Petrie is an expert at creating and developing amazing characters and he delivers in a big way once again. Like Fran Anderson, a 98-year old neighbor who relies on Peter to help her around the house and does things like unflinchingly patch up gunshot wounds and casually drop that her husband was an outlaw. Or Edgar, a smiling, polite lunatic who would make the most psychotic James Bond evil henchman ever. And then there’s the return of Mingus, everyone’s favorite mangy mutt who’s a very good boy and man’s best friend. Those are just a few examples and I didn’t even talk about the main villain. You’ll just have to read the book to learn about the other fantastic characters.
I highly recommend getting a copy of The Breaker and if you haven’t read any of the books in the Peter Ash series, you’re missing out and I urge you to start as soon as possible. I promise you, once you start reading this series you’ll be hooked. The series is simply fantastic and should be on the NYT bestseller list every single year. Nick Petrie is a hell of a great writer and storyteller whose books should be on every thriller fan’s must-read list.
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