The Rundown
Jet: Exposed by Lynda Filler is a Kindle Worlds Novella set in Russell Blake’s world of intrigue, spies and high-level operatives on the world scene. Sying Li Ma, a dangerous and powerful businesswoman living in Shanghai, China, has stolen personnel information critical to U.S. national security and intends to sell it to the highest bidder. High-tech billionaire Luke Raven has been contracted by the U.S. government to get it back. Jet is rescued in Mexico while on the run with her young daughter from a drug cartel by ex-Navy Seal Zach and brought to join Raven’s team of highly skilled operatives.
Jet is a perfect addition to the team, and the story takes the team from Seattle to Paris to Shanghai in pursuit of their quarry where Jet and her colleagues must do whatever they have to bring Sying down.
Jet: Exposed is a glittery, and sexy read. It is fast-paced and full of all the requisite elements of the thriller genre. All of the characters are gorgeous, brilliant, super fit, and experts in combat, weapons, hacking and electronics. The settings, clothing and accommodations are sumptuous and one really gets the brief feeling of looking in on the playground of the ultra-rich. The international crime, terror and espionage scene is well-established and believable. The characters (on the good side at least) are likable, and there is a fun team camaraderie in ‘Raven’s Group’. The plot was well crafted and fairly realistic.
Overall, Jet: Exposed is a good novella. However, the length of Jet: Exposed, while making for a fast-paced book with non-stop action, is also one of its challenges. There are a lot of exciting things that happen in Jet: Exposed, but sometimes they are described too fast for the reader to completely picture what is going on. It has more of the feel of a screenplay than a novella. There are lots of weapons and equipment that the reader is simply told are state of the art and the best in the world, and it is sometimes a bit unbelievable that one man would be in possession of them all, no matter how rich he is. Likewise, because the characters are so skilled, and in possession of such equipment, the stakes aren’t as high as they could be because there seems to be less opportunity for them to fail–while this is in part a trope of the genre, dialing this back a little bit would make the novella a richer read. Finally, there is some reliance on telling rather than showing, stilted and expositional dialogue, and devices such as having the characters speaking to themselves to reveal information.
The Recommendation
Jet: Exposed was a short and fun read. It will appeal to dedicated readers of thrillers, and particularly to fans of Russell Blake’s Jet and international crime. Raven’s Group is a likable and sexy team and their romp through the world of international crime was an enjoyable escape.
The Rating
3.5 Stars (out of 5): Pretty good. For the right audience, this could be great. Sure, there were some issues, but it was still worth the read.
The Pros & Cons
Pros: Page Turner, PlotCons: Character Developement, Dialogue, Suspension of Disbelief
