Sci-fi thriller THE FUTURE IS YOURS
January 30, 2021

Book Review

Skystorm

Steven Konkoly

reviewed by Pam Guynn

Skystorm by Steven Konkoly is shocking, suspenseful, alarming and pulse-activating. It has aspects of both political and military thrillers as well as an action-adventure thriller and is the fourth book in the Ryan Decker series.

Ryan Decker is a former CIA operative turned mercenary turned covert investigator that also takes shadow ‘off the books’ missions for Senator Margaret Steele. In this case, Senator Steele knows that Apex Industries, the criminal enterprise that masquerades as a think tank, is once again up to no good. When a surveillance plane meets disaster after Steele uncovers an APEX operation code-named Skystorm, it is only the beginning. APEX goes after everyone. Will Senator Steele, Decker, his team and their families survive this onslaught?

This book is once again largely set in California and Washington D.C. but also takes the reader to Nicaragua, Texas, Oklahoma, and Nevada. It is exactly what you would expect from a well-written action thriller with lots of concern over how to protect one’s family as well as some information on weapons, drones, and covert gear.

There was a lot more character development in this book for Ryan. I got sense of what he is like in the down time between missions and what his hopes are for the future. I also got to know Harlow, Ryan’s significant other, a lot better in this novel. Due to the large number of characters in the book, it helps to read this series in order. That way, a reader is not learning all of the secondary characters at once, but gradually over time.

There are several twists to the story, although a lot of the action and deductions are over-the-top. 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. But is that what happens?

Overall, this book was suspenseful, riveting, fast-paced, action-oriented, and entertaining. If you enjoy action thrillers that have both strong male and female characters, then this may be the series for you.

This is the fourth book that I have read by this author and the third in this series. I own five other books by Konkoly that I plan to read. He continues to bring great characters, entertaining story lines, and lots of action together in exhilarating novels. Steven Konkoly has become one of my favorite authors and I look forward to reading more from him. Will there be more in this series? I can’t wait to find out what is next, whether it is another series or this one.

Thomas & Mercer and Steven Konkoly provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. This is my honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. Publication date is currently set for May 11, 2021.