Book Review: Rogue Agent: A Thriller (Jaclyn Johnson, code name Snapshot series) by Sean Sweeney

Jaclyn Johnson is a character I first encountered in Model Agent, and to understand why I like her so much you might want to take a look at my review for that book. In brief though she is a kick-ass CIA agent with great gadgets, model looks and a visual impairment.

In this book, despite heightened security, the world largely watches on in horror as terrorists attack the USA v UK football match at Wembley during the 2012 Olympics. After the death of thousands of US citizens Jaclyn is sent to London to assist MI5's investigation. However as events pick up pace it becomes personal and Jaclyn finds herself going rogue to try and stop the terrorist.

You can tell Sean is a sports enthusiast, and particularly an Arsenal fan, from the careful details relating to the football within the book. The Olympics does seem like an obvious target for terrorist attacks and the author has come up with the sort of scenario that is no doubt worrying British intelligence services at present. The plot is worryingly plausible, and I found the parts written from the terrorist's point of view an interesting study in fanaticism. This book also provides a good tour of parts of London which suggest the author has really done his homework.

The story is told from a range of viewpoints which gives the reader a good overview of how events are received by Jaclyn, the terrorist, and senior figures in the US administration among other. Using the viewpoint of a number of characters can be problematic, but that certainly wasn't the case here.

This isn't your average spy series, it definitely takes things a little less seriously than most, and I loved Jaclyn's kit which once again would give Bond a run for his money. Again the tag line probably gives a good flavour of how serious this book is -  "The double O's have nothing on her double A's". However I thought the tone at the end of the book wasn't quite right considering what was meant to have happened. Without giving the end away it's hard to explain! I also thought that in parts Jaclyn was a bit antagonistic, which made me like her just a little less.

This installment has action, strong ladies, love and loss, and cool gadgets. I think I enjoyed the first book more, perhaps because the plot of this one is that much closer to home, but this was still an enjoyable read and I'm glad to hear book 3 is in hand!

Format: Kindle, bought by me
My Rating: 3*

Author Q&A with Sean Sweeney

Continuing my run of Friday author Q&As I've had a chat with Sean Sweeney, author of recently reviewed Model Agent. As well as an author he's also a bit of a sports fan as you'll see below!

When did you first think of becoming a writer and who or what got you interested in writing?

I've always been a storyteller; I can remember back to 10 years old, coming home from the store with my cousin and, after he broke the milk jug he tossed, I called my mother and told her the story. I started writing at age 16 or so. I had been reading the Star Wars Expanded Universe novels and I wanted to write my own stories; I guess they call that fanfic now. I turned my attention to sportswriting while still in high school, and I've been doing that ever since. I started writing my first novel at 25, about a year after I talked with R.A. Salvatore about novel writing. Bob is a class act.

How would you describe your books and style?

My books are an eclectic bunch, my style ever-developing. I've written 15 books and novellas over the course of the past eight years, under two names, with plenty more coming. I've written sci-fi, fantasy, sports fiction (the English may or may not enjoy my football short story Vuvuzombie, written as John Fitch V and set around the England-USA World Cup matchup), and thrillers. I've always wanted to reach a broad number of readers. Back in high school, I told my English teacher at the time that I only wanted to write sports; I didn't want to do news or anything else. She told me not to limit myself. A few years out of high school, I start doing news on the radio, and that experience was the best civics lesson I could have ever taken. When I first started writing books, I only wanted to write Tolkien-esque fantasy. But once I expanded my horizons a second time, I've grown as an author. Now to pick a genre and stick with it....

When you write do you have a particular routine you follow, and what do you find the most difficult part of writing a book?

Oh yes. I conceive, I outline, and then I write. Probably the most difficult part is writing that blurb for the product description on Amazon/Nook.

Do you start a book knowing what the beginning, middle and end will be or does it take on a life of its own as you write?

I'm an outliner; I need to have that road map for my story. For some books, I'll write a few pages of notes, and that'll get me through the story. For my new book, Model Agent, I wrote a 22-page treatment, as well as several pages of notes for detail. I also took some 80-someodd photos, and that helped with detail, as well. I've tried the seat of my pants thing when it comes to writing, letting it be spontaneous. It didn't work for me. I will admit that while I'm writing, there are times where I gain an idea that is too good to leave out. For the most part, I don't like radical plot shifts.

Are you self-published or traditionally published, and what has been the best and worst thing about the route you have taken?

I am self-pubbed. The best thing is meeting so many readers online; it proves to me that reading is not dead. It's one thing I can do that most traditionally-pubbed authors can't do; you don't see Jo Rowling on the Internet, on an Amazon forum, talking with readers, do you? The worst thing is the fact that I have to relentlessly promote in order to get my books seen. It has involved sacrifice that some wouldn't believe. Another good thing is the feeling I get when I either sell a book or receive a great review.

If this isn't too much like asking a dad which of his children he likes best, which of your characters is your favourite?

Ahhhh, such a tough question. I'd like to say they all are. Right now, Jaclyn Johnson, the heroine of Model Agent and the forthcoming Rogue Agent (set in London!), is my current favorite. Jaclyn is completely bad ass. She's a partially-blind counter-terrorism agent, but she's also a fashion model. You wouldn't expect a fashion model to whip out a gun and start blowing terrorists away. She uses her beauty to get close to targets. She's the woman men would want to drool over, and the woman other women would either want to be or the woman they'd be jealous of.

What do you like to read and do you have any other passions?

Like my writing tastes, my reading tastes vary. I read Lord of the Rings once a year. I read thrillers -- if you're in the UK, you MUST read Steven Savile's SILVER -- sci-fi (Star Wars, of course, although it's starting to temper out for me), fantasy, and the occasional mystery. For passions, I love to cook. I like walks where I can take my tape recorder with me and record pages of prose. And I'm also a huge sports fan (have to be, as a sportswriter); here in the States, I'm a fan of baseball. But I also enjoy the game of English football. I'm an Arsenal supporter (let's NOT discuss the League Cup Final, thank you), and I don't mind cricket, either. We don't get to see matches here in the US, but I try to follow along on the BBC live text. We get the football, though. Loads of it. Several stations of it. I can't go a day without football news. To be honest, I prefer the English game to the American game; other than my local high school's throwball team, I don't pay attention to the NFL or the college game. I love movies, and cuddling with my cat, Caramel, is a must! Cuddling with my girlfriend, Estee, is a must, as well. She is my passion, my muse. I couldn't do what I do without her behind me.

Finally, what are you working on at the moment that you can tell us about?

I can actually tell you about everything! At the moment, I'm agonizing over my next baseball project. I intended it to be a novel,  but I'm thinking it may serve the reader better as a novella, which means RE-WRITE. I also have the next Jaclyn Johnson book, Rogue Agent, to finalize. My next release will be a zombie story set in Tombstone, Arizona. I have my next fantasy novel to publish, and then, maybe I can do some writing. I have several projects in the conceptualizing stage at this point.

Thanks TC, I appreciate the opportunity!

And thanks to Sean for taking time out, I always appreciate these busy writers making the effort to join me! You can find Sean's website here. A list of Sean's books is available here.

Book Review: Model Agent: A Thriller (Jaclyn Johnson, codename Snapshot series) by Sean Sweeney

Ok, I have to admit it, I like thrillers but what really made me take notice of this book was the strapline on the cover "If Bond had boobs..." It made me laugh and having downloaded and read the sample one-clicking the book was a no-brainer.

Jaclyn Johnson is a CIA agent who has been brought up by the State, after her Government official parents died in the September 11th attacks. When 46 people are killed in Boston after drinking poisoned water she is put on the case. She is partnered up with a senior agent and they quickly home in on the most likely suspect, a man who is trying to bring the world to war over water.

One of the things I loved about this book was the number of strong women in positions of power. It makes such a refreshing change especially within a spy thriller. Another is that Jaclyn is strong and beautiful and also happens to have a disability. Sean, I take my hat off to you, providing inspiration for kids with handicaps is something close to my heart (and if my choice of language isn't PC enough for some readers sorry, but as the parent of a disabled child semantics are the least of my daily concerns) and we need more mainstream books, films and tv shows prepared to show people with impaired sight, hearing, mobility and so on in challenging roles, rather than just there to tick diversity and equality boxes. Now off my soapbox and back to the book....

We get to understand a good bit about Jaclyn and her motivation but the other characters aren't treated in quite such depth - fair enough as she's the eponymous heroine. If I had one criticism it's that the villain of the piece, Chillings (suitably named for a man who invents a bottle that keeps liquids cooler for longer) is deranged but I don't really feel sure about what has driven him to the point he's at. It appeared to be pure and simple greed but as the story progressed I became a bit unsure whether that was his only motivation and why wealth was so important to him. Perhaps I missed a key clue to this or need to apply my imagination a little more.

This isn't a short book and I've still managed to read it in less than a day, despite spending a lot of that day in bed with the flu. It is a great, fun, pacey spy romp. I thought Jaclyn's gadgets were brilliant and although I'm not a big Bond fan could imagine her kit attracting Q's attention. It was a far lighter read than other books in the same vein but more enjoyable for it. The book is well written, and I had no issues with formatting or typos which often pop out at me in e-books. The teaser for the sequel - Rogue Agent - will have me keeping my eyes open for it's release.