The Kill Switch: A Tucker Wayne Novel

I have been a fan of James Rollins for about four years now, and since around 2012, I have read all of his books in the Sigma Force series. His books are always wonderful, page-turning distractions, especially in the summer. Each one is creative and insightful, with lots of action, interesting characters, and a bit of history and science thrown in.His newest, a collaboration with author Grant Blackwood - though very much written in the typical Rollins style - is advertised in part as a Sigma Force novel. It's really a spin-off, featuring the great duo of Captain Tucker Wayne, formerly with U.S. Army Rangers, and his dog, Kane. They were introduced in the Sigma Force novel, "Bloodline," one of my favorites, and I am thrilled that they have now been given their own series. In a world of fairly generic action/adventure novels, this combination is really unique and engaging to follow. As with "Bloodline," portions of the novel are told through the perspective of the dog, Kane, and in this follow-up, they are really fleshed out as genuine characters."The Kill Switch," the start of this new Tucker/Kane series is typical Rollins, in a good way. It is exactly what you expect if you are familiar with his work, with a historical mystery, modern science, stealthy assassins, a high body count, and more than a few explosions. As usual, the world is in danger, and as usual, there's a megalomaniac villain at the center of the story. If you are new to James Rollins, this is actual a great introductory book. While Sigma Force is involved to a very small degree, this is clearly the launch of a new series and no prior knowledge is really necessary to enjoy. You could easily pick this one up and then dip into the lengthy and ongoing Sigma Force series if you are intrigued (and I suspect that you would be). As for me, I'll eagerly await the next in this series and all of the other books Rollins writes. As prolific modern authors go, James Rollins still ranks as one of my favorites. Recommended.

Couldn't stop reading. Every step, well described character & scenario believable & described. From deadly females to power mad doctors & military.

This is another good book by Rollins. I would have given it a 5 rating until I neared the end. However, while reading the book, and getting deeper into it, Tucker's commands to Kane seemed a little too far fetched. As a dog lover, I've accomplished much while training my own dogs. I've always said that they are incredibly smart, much smarter than people give them credit for. However, when I read the authors notes at the end of the book, I was quite shocked to learn that dogs are capable of a 1000 word vocabulary. And recently, this was confirmed while watching a documentary regarding the training of military dogs.My rating was decided near the end while Tucker and Kane were on the Great Lakes freighter. There were just some inconsistencies regarding the conditions while on the freighter, such as being hit with a cold, salty blast of water...the Great Lakes are freshwater. And a few other things along the same lines. I was however, thrilled that this part of the book took place in Northern Michigan, as it's where I live.Other than this, it was a very good book overall. The things I mention,I called " the authors discretion" and went with it.Overall the book is very good and I would recommend it to everyone who is a dog lover and a James Rollins fan!

I started out reading James Rollins' stand-alone books, like EXCAVATION and DEEP FATHOM and loved his writing. Then he got started on the Sigma Force series. I read the first few but just couldn't keep up over the years, plus they all were too similar in my opinion.When I heard about this new series about Tucker and Kane, I was excited to try it out. And I'm so glad I did. The husband of a good friend of mine was an Air Force K9 handler so I heard many cool stories from him and also got to see him work with his dog a few times. Amazing!I enjoyed this book thoroughly. Great, bigger-than-life characters. An amazing dog. An action packed twisty, turny story that took me to Siberia, to Africa, to Canada and back to the U.S. The travel sequences made me feel like I was right THERE, in the middle of the action.Rollins' stories are over the top but guess what - they're fiction and they're allowed to be.I'm now going to start reading an Advanced Reading Copy of the next book in the Tucker and Kane series called WAR HAWK and I'm looking forward to more of their adventures.

I enjoyed The Kill Switch, even though it's a not what I've come to expect in certain ways from James Rollins. This was my first opportunity to read something from Grant Blackwood, and am excited to explore his solo novels.My favorite James Rollins books have history, archaeology, mystery, animals and explorers with guns all in 1 package. While this book had many of those factors, it was mainly action. That was okay, but I still was hoping for more of the mind blowing revelations that I've become used to. I've become spoiled.My favorite parts of the book were where Kane had a role to play. I found him fascinating and look forward to reading more Tucker Wayne & Kane novels, the dynamic duo.The plot was sound, there were shocking reveals, and tons of action. I think many action fans will love this book, but if you're looking for the James Rollins books I've come to anticipate, you might be a little disappointed, but not enough that you wouldn't enjoy The Kill Switch.I recommend The Kill Switch to action adventure lovers, those who love thrilling and suspenseful reading, and to anyone who enjoys a good book in general.

If you are a James Rollins fan, don't get your hopes up for another rousing foray into the world of intelligent and skilled operatives thwarting the bad guys. "Co-written" by Grant Blackwood, it is obvious from the first page that The Kill Switch is not from Rollins' pen. Rollins introduced us to Tucker Wayne in an earlier novel but Blackwood hasn't the skill to do the character justice. The writing is disjointed, the characters two-dimensional and it is poorly researched and edited. The premise of the story, finding the granddaddy of all plant life, is interesting enough, but the author gives only the most basic scientific references and in comparison with the Sigma Series this book seems very much "dumbed down". The characters' reasoning is often a mystery and thought processes are included as an after thought (pun not intended) rather than as a cohesive part of the narrative. I struggled to find a chapter without at least one ineptly crafted sentence that raised the hackles of my grammatically correct inner self (i.e. "he replaced the rocks back where they had been" "to whoever finds this"). I was very disappointed with this book and very disappointed that James Rollins is going the way of James Patterson.

This had me hooked by the end of the first chapter and I am loving the characters and looking forward to more of Tucker and Kane

A novel that keeps you in suspense till the very end. The author gives a vivid insight as to what military dogs and their handlers are asked to do to protect their country, and persecuted individuals who are wanted by the enemy for their scientific knowledge which could be used as biological weapons that could wipe out humanity as we know it.I'm delighted that James Rollins plans further novels featuring Captain Wayne and his Belgian Shepherd dog Kane. An excellent read

I loved the relationship with man and dog ! The twists and turns in the story and the historical places of interest so we’ll described !

I always say that a book, regardless of the subject matter, is always made more enjoyable by having an animal as one of the main characters (dogs especially). This book is certainly no exception to the rule.As a James Rollins fan, I was not disappointed.... Kane and his bond with Tucker make this book a great start to what I hope will be as long standing a series as the Sigma novels. I look forward to the next installment