'Act of War' is heart-pounding thriller

In Brad Thor's latest thriller, "Act of War," Scot Harvath finds his hands full when a snag-and-grab operation for a terrorist unveils surprising information. It involves a top-secret operation by a few key individuals in the Chinese government with the goal of devastating the United States. The ambitious plan has every chance of success and would take down the country before a response could be mounted.

The president wants answers, and implements two missions that if known could mean the end of his career. One involves Harvath and the other will send a group secretly into North Korea. Failure in either case would mean the end of everything.

Thor's novels work at a higher level than most thrillers of this subgenre involving special ops and the war on terror. These soldiers utilize everything at their disposal to keep the United States safe. And Thor creates a read that feels like the TV show "24" on the page.