Since I stopped ready Legacy authors in favour of "indie" authors, I have read very few out and out thrillers of the type I used to indulge myself in. When I first saw the title of this "The Borman Factor" by Robert Lalonde. I almost read it as The Bourne Factor by Robert Ludlum and passed on by. In some ways, the character created by Lalonde could be compared to Jason Bourne, from Ludlum (was that intentional?) It doesn't really matter anyway, the reality is that Lalonde has created a character in Nick Borman that I think he can happily craft a series from.
Nick Borman is a security expert; someone the corporations call in when they suspect industrial espionage. He is the best at what he does and he does it efficiently and effectively. In the Borman Factor, Nick is called in to investigate a seemingly random robbery and killing of a journalist. What he uncovers is a tangled web of corruption and deceit that permeates through the Police Department and City Hall. When billions of dollars are at stake in property deals, the potential for bribery and corruption is immense.
The story is fast-paced, with plenty of action and plot twists to keep the reader interested. I certainly didn't have any problem keeping my attention on what I was reading. The only jarring note to my experience and it is only a small point was occasionally I lost the thread as to whose perspective the narrative was being written. In general, the story was told in the first person, from Nick Borman's perspective, but when the action flipped to another character's perspective, the change often wasn't seamless or well indicated by the narrative. That having been said, this was an excellent story and one I would recommend to anyone who likes fast-paced, action-filled novels with a hero who clearly has more than one story in him.
I won't put Lalonde on the pedestal with Ludlum just yet, but based on his first Borman novel, who knows what the future could hold. A very solid first effort that garners four well-earned stars from this reviewer.
Nick Borman is a security expert; someone the corporations call in when they suspect industrial espionage. He is the best at what he does and he does it efficiently and effectively. In the Borman Factor, Nick is called in to investigate a seemingly random robbery and killing of a journalist. What he uncovers is a tangled web of corruption and deceit that permeates through the Police Department and City Hall. When billions of dollars are at stake in property deals, the potential for bribery and corruption is immense.
The story is fast-paced, with plenty of action and plot twists to keep the reader interested. I certainly didn't have any problem keeping my attention on what I was reading. The only jarring note to my experience and it is only a small point was occasionally I lost the thread as to whose perspective the narrative was being written. In general, the story was told in the first person, from Nick Borman's perspective, but when the action flipped to another character's perspective, the change often wasn't seamless or well indicated by the narrative. That having been said, this was an excellent story and one I would recommend to anyone who likes fast-paced, action-filled novels with a hero who clearly has more than one story in him.
I won't put Lalonde on the pedestal with Ludlum just yet, but based on his first Borman novel, who knows what the future could hold. A very solid first effort that garners four well-earned stars from this reviewer.
You can check out all of Robert Lalonde's offerings, here on Amazon:
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