Principled Action

I have to say that I really, really enjoyed the book I read this week. Although it wasn’t on the list of books that I want to read, it caught my eye when I was over in the YA section, so I picked it up. Have you ever wondered what your favorite genre of books is? I’ve thought do I like fantasy, sci-fi, mysteries, or thrillers? Although I enjoy most books I read, I think I might lean toward thrillers. There is something amazing about a heart-pounding adventure where a hero gets out of impossible situations in a believable way.

The Last Thing I Remember by Andrew Klavan opens with a high school student strapped to a chair with men outside the room talking about killing him. The first things he notices are the cuts, bruises, and burns that are covering his body. He had been tortured! Now if he was a secret agent, spy, or military personnel, this scenario might make sense. But, as far as Charlie West knows, he is just a normal high school student who went to bed last night after writing a history paper. While waiting for the men to enter the room, Charlie strives to remember what could have brought him to this point, and he cannot come up with an answer. After escaping from the compound, Charlie has to elude these same men, and later the police, while trying to figure out what he has gotten himself into.

For anyone who liked the Bourne Identity, this book is awesome. What do you do when you can’t remember why the bad guys are after you? Since Charlie can only remember a normal high school day before all of this happened, the mundane and the adventure make for an interesting contrast. You get Charlie’s feelings about his parents, about Beth, a girl he really likes, about his karate teacher, about his dreams and aspirations, and then you are dropped back into the action as Charlie has to survive a lot of bad guys trying to get him. Also through the entire book, there is a discussion of knowing the truth from lies, choosing your friends, believing in God and country, and pushing forward even though it is difficult. The Last Thing I Remember was my kind of thriller novel; one that mixes the action with a principled lead character. This book is the first in a trilogy called The Homelanders. For that reason, there is still plenty of action to have, and plenty of questions to be answered.