Review by Upeksha -- The Commander by Dan E. Hendrickson

[Upeksha]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Commander" by Dan E. Hendrickson.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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The economy of the United States is under a sabotage attack. The target is the oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. The United States Coast Guard Commander, Jacob Edwards, and his crew have been assigned to the mission of lifting this threat before it damages the oil industry, which itself is the main income of the country. While he and his crew are trying to figure out the sabotage plan, he has to deal with the tentacles of the enemies within the coast guard structure as well. Of course, Jacob is a talented officer, but this time the enemy group seems to be quite strong. Certainly, he has stepped into a dangerous game! Will he still be able to carry out his mission?

Packed with action and thrill, thus flows the plot of the novel, The Commander by Dan E. Hendrickson. It is a fast-paced novel, dealing with a lot of interesting themes, such as martial arts, military involvement, political blackmail, Russian underworld, and many more.

What I liked very much about the plot are its organization and the writing style. There is good coordination among the storylines. Chapters have got catchy titles, hinting out what the reader can be awaited in them. Each chapter has got more than one storyline, but since they are separated again by relevant titles, readers can easily adjust their minds to the new storyline. The whole story is full of adventures. Every movement of action is precisely detailed, creating powerful visual imageries.

Also, I liked the way the characters are handled in the book. Especially the character of Edwards has been developed as a great example of what a leader, husband, and father should be. He is a loving father and a husband for his family and at work, he is an exemplary leader who always cares for the safety and the wellbeing of his crew. On the other hand, the antagonists in the novel are also remarkable. I was amazed at how easily they could find a loose point of the people to control them as puppets in their cleverly crafted plan.

Nevertheless, there are two negative issues I would like to point out. Firstly, as the story is narrated from several perspectives, the entire sabotage plan is exposed to us, even before the plot reaches its peak. As I acknowledge it damages the curiosity of the plot. Therefore, it would be much better if the details are released gradually, sustaining the suspension effectively in the minds of the readers.

Secondly, I suppose that it needed a sort of military knowledge to enjoy the plot to the fullest. The author has used several military terms and sometimes I needed to put an extra effort to get used to them. Hence, I suggest including a reference guide to explain such applications, for those readers who are not familiar with them.

With all those points listed above, I would like to rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I have deducted one star, because of the negative issues I have mentioned. Other than that, the book is well written and professionally edited as I did not come across a single grammatical error. Finally, I would like to recommend this book to the fans of thrillers, especially to those who love books with military intervention.

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The Commander
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[Kasun Perera]

I love action packed thrillers. Thanks for the nice review

[Sushan Ekanayake]

As always, I think that America will win this fight as well. The book sounds like a nice thriller. Nice review

[zainherb]

Interesting! I too enjoy books that have chapters with catchy titles.

The book sounds like an interesting one as once again, America seems to be under attack and will no doubt win in the end.
Maybe I will check it out.

Great review! Well done!

[Raluca_Mihaila]

It looks like a very interesting thriller and I should add it to my list. Thank you for this inspiring review!

[Josephe-Anne]

Jacob Edwards sounds like a wholesome main character. But I agree that the author should not have revealed the plan up front. Suspense is part of the fun of reading a crime thriller.

Thank you for an honest review and analysis.

[Justine Ocsebio]

Sounds like an awesome thriller! Sadly, I don’t think I have sufficient military knowledge and appreciation to be able to enjoy this book. Thank you for your insightful review.

[PeterRabitt20]

It is too bad about revealing the sabotage plot early. Especially since this book sounds like it is filled with action and espionage. Thanks for the review.

[Joy Phill]

Seems to be an action-packed book. However several perspectives can be potentially confusing. Thanks for a great review.

[kdstrack]

Edwards sounds like an amazing character. I enjoyed the way you described him. The plot seems to be true to reality! Thanks for the recommendation.

[Saint Bruno]

I do hope that Jacob would be able to save the day. I like the storyline and might check this one out. Thanks for the insightful review and recommendation.

[Mariana Figueira]

Fascinating review, I love how you've explained everything so clearly.

[MsH2k]

This storyline has captured my interest. I think I may add this book to my list. I don’t read a lot of suspense novels, so knowing the sabotage plot wouldn’t bother me that much. Thank you for an excellent review!

[Yvonne Monique]

This sounds like an enjoyable read, one of those books that you cannot put down.

[topdan30]

I love a novel that is action packed. I will be on the lookout for this book. Nice review.