The Last Protector (Clayton White Book 1)

The Last Protector by Simon Gervais has a powerful and shocking start, but it doesn’t stop there. Action, suspense, treachery, and intrigue keep this novel moving at a terrific pace. When powerful men and women do shocking things, is there anyone that can stop them? The novel has aspects of espionage, political, business, and military thrillers as well as settings that include Afghanistan, Iraq, South Africa, North Carolina, Texas, California, Virginia, and Washington D.C. It is exactly what you would expect from a well-written action thriller with lots of concern over how to protect one’s loved ones as well as some information on weapons and gear.Clayton White is a former air force combat rescue officer that is now working for the Secret Service and leading the protection detail for the Veronica Hammond, the daughter of the vice-president-elect of the United States. She is also his secret girlfriend. When she becomes the target of a group of mercenaries, Clayton encounters lies, secrets, and unexpected foes. Who can he trust besides Veronica?Clayton and Veronica are both likeable characters, but Clayton has more depth, which is natural for the main character of a series. His courage, valor, and loyalty, as well as his fair treatment of others gains him respect from his team and superiors. His flaws seem to be few except for accepting some things as fact without double-checking them. I hope that both of them gain depth as the series progresses. Readers do not get a sense of their lives when they are relaxing. Many of the other characters are well-drawn for their roles and some are unforgettable.Part One is set six years ago and is short, but important. This opening is strong and has memorable scenes that immediately pulled this reader into the story. A narrative that is suspenseful and action-filled through-out moves at a blistering pace. The author’s military and federal experiences are reflected in the well-crafted action situations that felt genuine.Short chapters are full of action, difficult choices, and betrayals. The story line is somewhat straightforward with a clear sense of good versus evil. My biggest quibble is that the ending felt rushed; especially near the ending in South Africa. Additionally, in one of the scenes, one of the “bad guys” made a mistake that did not seem in character for him. However, it was so full of action and excitement that it kept me turning the pages to find out what was going to happen next. I was kept fully invested in the mission becoming a success.Overall, this book was suspenseful, riveting, fast-paced, and entertaining. If you enjoy espionage or military thrillers with a strong lead character, then this may be the series for you. The combination of an entertaining story line and lots of action makes this an intoxicating novel. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.This is my honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. Publication was November 1, 2021. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.

Questionable methods and decisions surface and result in permanent solutions of the self-serving kind. Deceptions, lies, and half truths nearly destroy the innocent adult children of those involved so long ago. The action is fast and furious in this entertaining story.

I found this to be a good read, read it in one day, just to see who was the bad guy. Also which one of the bad guts was going to win.I was surprised at the ending though.I liked the main character, although some of his escapes are not believable. I felt the story could have gone further with what all the drama was about. But maybe there is a second story to cover it.

4.25 out of 5 starsI had to jump on this one because of how much I enjoyed Gervais’s other series – Pierce Hunt. I knew what to expect from those books but the pacing and the absolute edge-of-my-seat amount of action that The Last Protector had was just awesome.I also knew going into it that I love Kafer’s narration and knowing the way that Gervais tells a story – I knew that I was going to really enjoy this one. I actually laughed out loud when one of the plot points of this story revolves around archeological sites – since I’ve read a lot of Kafer’s narrations where the entire book is about trekking out into the rain forest to find hidden archeological sites. Kafer nails the performance of this one – really helping an already great story sound even better.The Last Protector was really good from beginning to end. I found myself really digging the lead character Clayton White and even though I couldn’t completely relate to him, I still found him to be compelling and interesting (I mean I can’t relate to Jason Bourne either). I found the political intrigue and the different angles (trying not to spoil) that were there really ramped this up to an 11.Gervais knows how to get my blood pumping and really compelled by the main characters of his books. He also knows how to make me dislike the enemies a lot. This book was no different. I loved White and hated the people I thought were out to get him. Each scene that things would ramp up – I would fly through them, hoping that the outcome was positive for White and the people on the “good” side, even if I wasn’t sure who was good.Overall, the combination of Gervais and Kafer did it for me here. Another great thriller that I absolutely blew through. And a series that I’ll definitely be continuing.

I really enjoyed this book. I already had it on my wish list, but then it popped up as my free kindle prime book of the month. The author doesn't waste any time - it's straight into the action and it doesn't really let up from there on in. I don't want to give any spoilers, but our hero is a straight-up good guy. At the start of the story he is a secret service agent in charge of the security detail for the Vice-President-Elect's daughter. However, there is so much more going on here than just a secret service agent saving the life of his protectee. Read it, you will not be disappointed. This is a complete story but there is obviously lots unresolved and I am looking forward to reading book 2 in the series.

The Last Protector is an action packed thriller which kicks off as a military action novel in part one but then quickly develops into an espionage thriller in part two. It features Clayton White, ex military and now working for the secret service and Veronica Hammond, an archaeologist who’s in the process of launching a new Mobile app that uses satellites to discover new archeological sites. You wouldn’t think an archaeologist’s app would be a big deal to anyone except other archaeologists, but it seems to have upset someone and this is the crux of this tale. On top of this there are other threads to the story with a few twists and turns to keep you interested. But having said that there’s nothing new here or ground breaking, however it is a solid no frills thriller. It’s not a long book which means there is no lulls in the action and the story keeps moving apace. On the downside it’s over a bit quick and does leave some loose ends, but that I think may be the intention as this looks like the start of a series and Gervais wants to leave you hungry for more.The Last Protector is a run of the mill but entertaining thriller.

This was an OK read. No kindle bloopers and it races along. There were a few things that jolted and then it came to a fairly swift end. I admit I didn't get sufficiently hooked into the main characters as there wasn't a lot of time for them between the action - which might be fine for you. In the end you wouldn't have thought Clay would stand for the situation at the end so it seemed an odd way to break the story especially when this is 50-100 pages shorter than a lot of books of its ilk. I thought the whole thing with the IT side was a touch old school especially for California (who does development and store stuff on physical servers anymore and don't get me going about that Chinese thingy?)

I like spy secret service type stores and this doesn’t disappoint. I thought that the author would have some experience of this type of work and yes he has. I will be adding his other books to my must read list.

Love the escapism of action fiction books and can honestly say this is the best of that genre I’ve read in years! Begins with “carry the reader along” action and maintains it throughout while interweaving subtle and hidden plot lines which help this book’s conclusion and sets up a whole series potential for the characters. Very impressed with Simon’s fluid writing style - first time reading his work and immediately pre-ordered part 2. Keep them coming!