Book Review: The Last Operative

Tyndale sent me a review copy of The Last Operative by Jerry B. Jenkins. It's better than the Left Behind series, which is the only other thing I've read by him. Interestingly, according the author's note at the beginning, The Last Operative is a rewrite of his very first novel in order to update it make the material current.

In the novel, Jordan Kirkwood considers retiring from his life as an NSA field operative. Shortly after receiving dangerous information from an old friend, Jordan witnesses his own wife killed in an airport shooting, himself the target. He confides in his mentor and handler at the NSA, and after spending some time with family, he begins investigating the information given him. His handler sends him to Central America to meet a contact, which turns out to be an old flame from before his marriage, and together they attempt to foil plans that could bring an attack to America worse than 9/11.

I enjoyed this novel. It moves quickly, even though there's not much action through much of the book, just conversation and Jordan Kirkwood's own conflicts within himself. Throughout the story, Jordan tries to rekindle his relationship with his grown children, having missed out on much of their lives due to his job. Telling them about his old flame doesn't help the situation. The "threat to America" plot resolved a little quickly, and seemed more of a backdrop for the story of Jordan reconciling his personal life with his professional life. The involvement of the old flame and it's repercussions was predictable but enjoyable. The reason for the final ending with Jordan and his old flame meeting seemed contrived but worked to show Jordan's commitment to the security of the United States.

The Last Operative moves quickly and ends with a satisfying resolution.



Disclaimer of Disclaiming: Sometimes publishers or authors give me their book or product free so I can review it. When they do, I'll mention it in the review. Sometimes I get books I want to read for my own enjoyment from PaperBackSwap or my local library. The product links in the reviews take you to Amazon.com, where if you buy the linked item I get a very small percentage of the purchase price (because I like cash).