Review: Kill Devil

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Kill Devil by Mike Dellosso
Published by Tyndale House Publishers on June 1st 2016
Pages: 416
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
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Jed Patrick is convinced he's doing all it takes to keep his family safe--new names, new location, new identity. But just when he thinks he finally has his life back, trained men claiming to be CIA agents break in and threaten his wife and daughter, proving once and for all his family will never truly be safe until he eliminates the agency dead set on hunting him down.Not knowing if Karen and Lilly are better off by his side or in hiding, Jed is determined to protect them while finding a way to use the classified information that he possesses to dismantle the Centralia Project. But he soon learns that eliminating Centralia may require compromising his own values. As danger escalates, Jed isn't sure whether there's anyone or anything he can trust--including his own senses.

Kill Devil was not what I expected, and yet was entirely what I expected. This novel is movie-esque with exciting action scenes, plenty of spy craft scenes, many conspiracy theories and an evil villain you can’t help hating even though you understand his motivations. I especially loved that Jed was a down to earth guy, even if he is a highly trained ex-sniper who also happens to have been a super spy for a shady black-ops government organization. That’s pretty bad-ass.

Dellosso’s writing is top notch and I applaud his ability to create an exciting yet coherent plot. A man on the run from a shady organization must rescue his kidnapped daughter by untangling a conspiracy that goes as high up in the political stratosphere as the President himself. A lot could go wrong with this plot, but Dellosso perseveres and creates an enjoyable read with little to no loop holes.

My only concerns about this book were the level of Christian references – although this book is published by a Christian publisher so it is to be expected. Regardless, I am not a religious individual and felt like this aspect of the novel drew away from my overall satisfaction, especially concerning the daughter who may have a neurological disorder of some kind. Obviously, Kill Devil was written specifically with Christian readers in mind so I understand the need for religious representation through this novel and even applaud it. The publishing of Christian based novels that are simultaneously consumable by those who are not religious is not only a smart publishing decision, but a rarity that I can definitely appreciate.

I couldn’t give this book four stars if only because of Jed’s wife who consistently shows herself as a horrible mother and wife time and again..and Jed continues to call her the love of her life. She abandons her daughter not once, but TWICE throughout this entire novel and then runs to hide from everything at a random man’s house. She literally hands over her daughter, abandons her in a shoot out and then tells her husband to fix it while shacking up with another man. At the end she is the only one who comes out unscathed and Jed STAYS with her. I mean, really? This triggered me so hard, I can’t even describe it. Jed’s wife was the worst portrayal of a woman imaginable and most of the women in this novel, with a few exceptions, were meek and/or rather dull witted. I am certain the author did not mean to make the women in this novel appear that way, but it stood out for me through the wife most of all as a serious pitfall.

Kill Devil is a wonderful mix of religious literature and an epic, action packed tale of a family man’s journey into the darkest of conspiracies and facing the most toxic back-ops organization he used to be part of in order to rescue his kidnapped daughter. A wonderful tale of a parent’s love and one man’s ability to make a difference, Kill Devil was an inspiring read.

This book will appeal to readers who are fans of Christian fiction, spy craft novels, novels featuring strong male leads and high-velocity action. I would not recommend this book to feminists, people with torture triggers or people who are extremely non-religious as many aspects of this book touch on these subjects in ways that may offend or upset readers.