Jeremy Robinson’s latest Jack Sigler Thriller, Threshold, is a wild and sometimes unbelievable ride around the world as the Chess Team searches for a mad man bent on brainwashing the world into submission while also trying to save a young girl that may hold the key that could stop the villain. The bad guy in Threshold is a familiar one if you’ve read the first Jack Sigler book, Pulse, and the young girl is one that was introduced at the end of the second book, Instinct, though Robinson does a good job of providing enough back story in Threshold that reading the previous books isn’t absolutely necessary. But, if you haven’t read them, stop, do yourself a favor and go read them first. You’ll thank me later.
When I say a wild and sometimes unbelievable ride, I mean it. There were moments where I had to remind myself that I was reading a story where the main characters fought the not-so-mythical Hydra in Pulse and the not-so-extinct Neanderthals in Instinct. If I could get past those, then I could get past the not-so-fairy-tale golem attack on Fort Bragg in Threshold. Yes, golems. And yes, that Fort Bragg, the home of the U.S. Army Special Operations. Threshold is busy, it keeps a grueling pace, and each time a chapter left me hanging I was exasperated — but in a good way. I didn’t want to put the book down because I wanted to see what was going to happen next.
Despite the occasional forays into the truly unbelievable, Threshold is my favorite Jack Sigler Thriller so far. It is a hectic story with lots of different subplots that all manage to (mostly) come together at the end, but the chaotic, rapid pace is a constant reminder that time is ticking and there’s a crazy sociopath to stop. Reading Threshold was exhausting, but in retrospect I appreciate the pace the book kept. Though Robinson uses foreshadowing like a carpenter wields a hammer, it was less obvious this time around than it was in Pulse, where I felt like I was being hit over the head a bit with the foreshadowing. It was like the book was saying “DID YOU GET THAT THERE? THAT WILL BE IMPORTANT LATER.” But with Threshold the foreshadowing was much more restrained, so nuanced in fact that I didn’t even realize I should have seen something coming when it happened. (I’ll admit it, I did not see the twist at the end with a certain character’s parents but in hindsight, I realize I should have).
I hope one day to see the Chess Team materialize on the big screen. Robinson artfully weaves the modern day military with ancient history like no one else has and I would love to see the adventures of the Chess team come alive in a movie, if Hollywood did it right and it did not involve Matthew McConaughey (I’m looking at you Sahara). If you take your reading seriously, this book isn’t for you. If you’re looking for a break from reality with a book that gives your brain a good cardio workout, look no further than Threshold.
Krista Macumber is a voracious, nay, insatiable reader, consuming everything from the daintiest chick-lit to the grandest adventures, all without breaking stride (though she does take frequent breaks to satisfy her endless need for Sonic Diet Cokes). She shares her life with her husband Justin and a zoo’s worth of dogs and cats.
