Cover Image: Breakneck

Breakneck

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

Cameron continues to blow me away with his original stories and writing skill. This is a must read series for any thriller fan.

Was this review helpful?

Another great example of Marc Cameron's ability to take readers into the action as US Marshall Arliss Cutter and his team head into work, keeping the world safer. Cutter will escort 3 fugitives from Deadhorse to Anchorage. Midflight the small plane executes an emergency landing. When the smoke clears, his fugitives on the run, Cutter will face the unpredictable weather as well as the everyday dangers of life in remote Alaska. His team will do everything within their power to save Cutter and bring the fugitives to justice.
This is book #4 in the series. Each book COULD be read as a stand alone, but this series really is an excellent read for anyone looking for their next read. The Alaskan scenery is real, obviously Cameron has either lived there or done some excellent research. The characters are well developed and each adds another layer to the stories. And as always, there is Grumpy's rules! IYKYK.....or should plan a binge reading.

Was this review helpful?

My thanks to Net Galley , the author and publisher for the opportunity to read this enjoyable thriller.
I enjoy reading novels by Marc Cameron because they are exciting , enjoyable and believable. “ Breakneck” his latest novel featuring Arliss Cutter, U S Marshal, has a fast- moving plot , credible characters and a climax that will freeze your eyes to the page. Moreover, the settings in Alaska add the challenge of climate, bad weather and the occasional very big, ver hungry bear. Aside: the train trip part of the book relit memories of one taken a few years ago: stunning scenery mile after mile and long twilights.
Synopsis: a Supreme Court justice is in Alaska , accompanied by her teen daughter, are arriving in Anchorage for a conference, followed by a sight- seeing trip on the railroad to see some of the stunning beauty of the State. However, a Russian Bratva criminal boss and a coterie of his vicious thugs plan to meet the train and kill the Justice and her daughter in retaliation for the Justice causing the death of his wife while she was in custody ( read the book for details).
What happens on the train ride when the murderous thugs meet the Marshals makes for one of the most entertaining thrillers I have read this year. Each book reveals a bit more of the characters lives and loves , adding to Mr. Cameron as a writer who is at the top writers of his craft. To get an idea of how Cameron works, read the interesting afterword. Easily deserves 5⭐️
Cautions: violent men meet their violent fates.

Was this review helpful?

Breakneck is the fifth book in the Arliss Cutter series but only the second one I’ve read at this point. They are terrific thrillers, with interesting, flawed characters and they will give you a wonderful sense of the Alaskan landscape and its people.

This one involves a group of Russian thugs, a Supreme Court justice visiting Alaska, and a couple of other events that wind up being interrelated. In addition to Arliss Cutter, the main character and a US Marshall, his partner Lola Teariki is a strong, smart female deputy. They are both well-rounded characters and not cookie-cutter stereotypes at all. In addition to the mystery/action of each book, there’s an continuing story arc involving what happened to Arliss’s brother Ethan, who was working on the North Slope when he died. Arliss has a close relationship with his sister-in-law Mim, who he has loved “forever” and it seems that in each book, they get another clue or two in Ethan’s death.

Cameron’s writing is strong and vivid. There’s an amazing sequence of events on a train traveling through the Alaskan wilderness that will have you feeling like you are there.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book, although I was rather late to it. I bounced between the ARC and the published audiobook, courtesy of my public library. The narrator, David Chandler, did a great job with the various voices and accents, including some hard-to-pronounce Alaska place names. All opinions are my own.

Was this review helpful?

"Breakneck" is already the 5th volume in the Arliss Cutter series.
And breakneck is literally the pace of this novel!

There is a reunion with all the characters from the previous books, with an exceedingly well-built arc of suspense and set against the stunning Alaskan landscape.
The private development of the characters is also continued, which rounds it all off very well.

The book captivated me from the first page and I had to force myself not to read it in one go at night.

Many thanks to the publisher for the ARC.

I am already looking forward to my next "meeting" with Arliss Cutter & Co.

Was this review helpful?

An Arliss Cutter installment is always going to be high energy, rough and tumble action and mayhem. Breakneck is all of that and a full ahead OMG how is all this going to coalesce and work out for the good guys? Lots of familiar characters and some well placed newbies in this story. Throw in some really evil Chechen terrorists, government officials who refuse to stand down even when they are putting security forces in harm’s way and a train ride from Hell and you have a fast paced, riveting suspense driven story pitting our finest U.S Marshals against just about everything in the wildest parts of Alaska.

It was hard to put this one down and I found myself reading into the early morning hours. Thanks to Kensington Publishing Corp and NetGalley for a copy.

Was this review helpful?

By far, my favorite Arliss Cutter book. The characters have grown in each book especially Arliss, Mim, Lola, and Philips although I am still looking forward to seeing the twins and Constance get more involved. The plots continue to mature. The pacing is a bit faster. The fight sequences are really good. The Russian gang members are just right. Long time readers will love Breakneck.

Was this review helpful?

Another amazing book in the Cutter series. Arliss and Lola are wonderful characters but always seem to come through in the end. I was hooked on this book from the start and finished it in two days. This is a wonderful series full of action, suspense, intrigue and violence. Once you start this series you won't be able to stop.

Was this review helpful?

This is one of those series that consistently maintains characters development as well as situational changes to keep the reader engrossed. Having the books set in Alaska definitely helps keep the tension levels high.


This felt like a whole other narrative, for the most part, from the other books. Although one-quarter of the story is focused on the truth behind Arliss's brother's death, the rest of it can be read as a standalone.
On one side, Mim is busy trying to find any crumbs left behind about her husband's untimely death. The insurance payout has finally arrived, but the previous book dropped a new rumour into their ear, which has her scrambling for clues. There is a lot of danger in her future.
The bulk of the story is about a Russian mob boss who is on a vengeance tour and has no qualms about squashing anyone who gets in their way. There is a lot more death in this, just by sheer numbers. There are speeding trains, high bridges and judges who are to be protected.
There is not much more that I can say in a review than the fact that all the people we have come to know and rely on continue to stick to their personalities and provide the kind of people readers can root for.
Overall I highly recommend this series (preferably read in order) to people who like action-packed stories set in desolate and almost inhuman situations.

I received an ARC thanks to Netgalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

Was this review helpful?

Breakneck by Marc Cameron
Arliss Cutter #5

A fast-paced, action-packed, thrill ride that had me rooting for Arliss and the team he was working protection detail with ~ great addition to the series!

What I liked:
* Arliss: U.S. Marshall, ex-military, strong, capable, lethal, team player, there for his family and friends, willing to take chances, lives by his Grandpa Grumpy’s rules and shares them with his nieces and nephews
* Lola: U.S. Marshall, partnered often with Arliss, in a relationship with Joe Bill Brackett, strong, focused, great at her work, thinks of Arliss as a big brother
* The prologue of missing Winnie, a 12-year-old girl, and how it was resolved
* The Bratva revenge angle that was the main focus of this book – glad it all was tied up by the end
* The plot, pacing, location, and writing style
* Seeing how Arliss’s widowed sister-in-law and her family are doing – and the potential for Arliss’s relationship with Mim
* Max: a bit of a surprise with potential to play a part in future books of the series – very curious about him.
* Catching up with some of the characters from past stories – even when it meant some were lost forever
* That I could thoroughly dislike the bad guys and hope they would be ruthlessly dealt with
* The potential of finding out, in the future, what really happened to Arliss’s brother, Ethan.
* All of it really except…

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* Thinking about how evil some of the characters were and knowing that such people exist in real life.

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Definitely

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

Was this review helpful?

Thanks to netgalley.com, Marc Cameron and Kensington Publishing for the advance ARC copy for my honest review and I also purchased it on amazon.com. Something I like to do, to support one of my favorite authors.

Nothing better than a modern day Western, with US Deputy Marshal's set in the Alaskan wilderness, "the Last Frontier" and even with the author giving it James Patterson syndrome.

This is something that I read repeatedly in Patterson's Alex Cross series, gave it that name and I'll explain it using Arliss Cutter. Much like the beloved Alex Cross character, Arliss's made to be larger than life, tough yet flawed and yet the author dummies him down. For example, he's smart enough to put together the crime spree trail left by the Russian mob, but gets caught with Judge by the Russians and yet he's smart enough not to do something like that.

Yet here's the author flirting with killing him or getting him fatally hurt, only for him to miraculously he survives and ends up one of the hero's in the end.

Then you have Lola walking on top of the train, then fighting for her life against Alex, just makes it be a implausible Tom Cruise Mission Impossible scenario, just not believable or plausible to happen even in print and with the weather also.

Don't get me wrong, I like the author Marc Cameron's writing, kept me reading, it's great escapism and just think building off of Winnie's disappearance would have been a better storyline to read. Since he never really explained why Lamar Wayne Jacobi booby trapped the area around his camp or why he had two member retraction team sent into pick him up.

Seems like it would have been a better story too have Arliss and Lola stumble on a sex trafficking ring that leads them to illegal entering Russia, too rescue other women and girls snatched by the Russian mob. Make people realize we need to be worried about the border between Alaska and Russia also.

Which the author kind of does with them protecting the Supreme Court Judge. For me you've got too many unbelievable or plausible scenarios, surrounding her and just seemed that the Russian Mob could do what ever they wanted. Without the US Marshals see them, even in fiction land. It's a better story for them to discover them, then Arliss and Lola take them out one at a time.

I guess with every author, at some point your going to end up with a least favorite release and I guess 'Breakneck' mine with his Arliss Cutter series.

Was this review helpful?

Marc Cameron's book takes readers on a journey through the Alaskan wilderness as the US Marshalls protect a Supreme Court Justice. The story is a blend of an outdoor catalog, travel brochure, and police procedural.

The book has two storylines, one featuring Arliss and Lola, and the other following Mim's search for her husband's killer. The latter unfolds slowly and will continue in subsequent books, while the lingering questions about Arliss and Mim remain unanswered but bring the characters closer together.

This series is highly recommended, as it appeals to both men and women and has sparked many conversations.

Was this review helpful?

Amazing as usual. Cutter and Lola are amazing as both a crime fighting duo and individuals. This story has great villains, a great plot and plenty of action/suspense. I love Justice Townsend, she is amazing and a hoot. I was engulfed in the story from the beginning and had to finish it in one day. Cannot wait for the next one!

Was this review helpful?

Another creative and detailed Arliss Cutter adventure. Lola Teariki is a not only a stellar secondary character but she’s coming into her own as a formidable lead. Marc Cameron has long been a phenomenal author as noted by his Clancy estate works but he’s really taken Arliss to a whole tier upward. The dedication to the people and to his chosen career path are evident and show the beliefs and maturity that Cameron devoted to his pre-writing career path.

Was this review helpful?

The latest installment of the Arliss Cutter/Lola Teariki series has our favorite U.S. Marshals working with colleagues to protect a Supreme Court justice against Russian mobsters—while on board a moving train in remote Alaska. As always, the pace is fast and the story is compelling, with appealing characters and evolving relationships. I could have done without some of the early chapters involving only the bad guys doing bad-guy things; whenever the point of view shifted to that of the mobsters I knew that things were about to get violent but also slightly boring because there was no one to root for. In the later climactic chapters, there’s no lack of violence, but the good guys are present, and the whole dramatic appeal is that we are rooting for Arliss or Lola as they use both physicality and wits in a struggle to survive, get the bad guys, and protect their assigned people. The Alaskan setting and high-stakes train scenes would make this excellent movie material.

Thanks to Netgalley and Kensington Books for a digital advance review copy.

Was this review helpful?

Arliss Cutter is back for his fifth novel by Marc Cameron. This one is a page turner. It starts off with the son of a Russian Mafia Kingpin murdering the crew of a crab boat off the coast of Alaska. Shortly there after the Kingpin takes out an illegal gambling operation to steal the cash and their stash of weapons. This is all done as a preamble to their desire to take revenge on a Supreme Court Justice who wrong their family in the past. It is up to Arliss and his team to protect the Justice before the Russian Mafia can take their revenge.

This book was packed with action, including some over the top intense scenes that took place on the famous Glacier Discovery Train. It is fast paced and while some of the action is a little over the top, it does not take away from your enjoyment of the novel. Mr. Cameron continues to develop the side story involving Cutter's sister in law, Mim, and the death of his brother. It seems like the next novel will bring that arc to a head. Along with Arliss you get his spunky and colorful sidekick Lola Teariki. Mr. Cameron does a great job giving these characters life and making you want to invest your time in them.

Overall this is a must read. The amazing backdrop of Alaska is an added bonus to the solid storytelling and action packed fast pace. I can't recommend this book and series enough. It always a must read for me. Thank you to @NetGalley @MarcCameron1 @KensingtonBooks for a free advance copy for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

I am new to Marc Cameron’s Arliss Cutter series. Now that I know what I have been missing, I will definitely play catch up and not miss any future books in this series. In Breakneck, US Marshal Arliss Cutter and his partner Lola Teariki are assigned to the protection detail for Supreme Court Justice Charlotte Morehouse and her teenage daughter. Morehouse’s Alaska visit involves a scenic train ride through the state. What should have been a relaxing journey turns into a life or death situation when the train is taken over by Russians. Their leader, Volkov, holds the judge responsible for the death of his ex-wife. Now he wants to take revenge on her family and film her death.

Cutter has been married four times but he still has feelings for Mim, his first love. Mim, however, chose to marry Cutter’s brother Ethan. His brother passed away earlier. Even though his death was ruled accidental, Mim and Cutter never accepted that ruling. She has taken a nursing position above the Arctic Circle, where Ethan worked before his death. Someone wants to stop her from investigating, putting her life in danger. From the opening pages of Breakneck, Cameron takes you on a roller coaster ride involving kidnapping, murder and a fight atop a moving train that will have you holding your breath. If you are looking for a thrilling read this is highly recommended. I would like to thank NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing this book for my review.

Was this review helpful?

Once again on the edge of my seat! One of my favourite series.
Russian mob seeking revenge, a Supreme Court Justice travels to Fairbanks for a conference, the Glacier Discovery train, jump of the moving train, …. And more.
Arliss Cutter and Lola Teariki are up to the tasks, and underlying is still the search for the truth about Ethan’s death (Arliss brother).

Was this review helpful?

What a ride that read is, literally. Arliss Cutter and his partner Lola Teariki are tasked with protection for a federal justice, while she visits Alaska with her daughter and wants to explore the wilderness on a ride with the famous Glacier Discovery train. Throw in a Russian mafia boss and his gang, who, suffering from deadly cancer, makes it his last task to kill the judge and everyone she cares for. The action culminates in the showdown on and around the train being stuck in the wilderness after the Russian attack. What a fantastic read that was, the pages turned themselves. The Alaskan wilderness was THE MC besides the living characters.
I received an ARC from NetGalley.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher Kensington for providing me this ARC for my honest review.

This is the first novel I have read by Marc Cameron. After reading this book, I have to say I am now a fan of this series. For a reader that mostly reads fantasy and science fiction, I cannot believe I am saying this but this is one of my favorite reads of the year so far. The author does a masterful job of creating an action-packed novel set in a local that few of us have or ever will visit, Alaska.

Arliss Cutter is a US Marshall located in Alaska. While his life is not always idyllic in this icy wilderness, which goes with the territory as US Marshall, it soon is going to get much more violent.

The Russians are coming, and with the Russians, come an increasing body count of civilians and law enforcement to this remote part of the United States. Maxim Volkov, a high-member of Bratva of the Russian mafia, is coming to Alaska to reunite with Alex his blood-thirsty son, the heir to his criminal empire. Volkov is not coming to enjoy a wilderness vacation with his son, like going fishing or checking out a polar bear or moose, he is here for revenge, Supreme Court Justice Charlotte Moorhouse.

Supreme Court Justice Charlotte Moorhouse with her daughter is looking forward to her trip to Alaska, which includes a scenic train trip on the Glacier Discovery train. For Volkov, his son and a group of Russian cohorts, this is the perfect opportunity. Deputy US Marshalls Arliss Cutter, his partner Lola Teariki, and others are ready to make sure this doesn’t happen, even if it is on a high-speed locomotive through the wilderness.

Through out the scenes of action and violence- some quite ghastly and gory- there is some character development that helps elevate this book above many action-adventure books. With Volkov, while you may not agree with his actions, you are able to understand his motivations and his undying love for his son. With Arliss, while he is like other action-heroes, he isn’t just a one note killing machine. There is a budding-relationship with Mims, his brother’s ex-wife, and her children that brings a lot of humanity to the main character (I love the recipes that were included at the end of the book.)

There are multiple action sequences with an Alaskan flair through the book that were quite enjoyable to read. I will not go into details as this what made this book so enjoyable. Though, as with many action books especially when it comes to hand-to-hand combat, sometimes the action sequences because of the unfamiliar settings are a little difficult to follow. This does not take away from the enjoyment, but it caused re-reading of certain scenes to get a better understanding what was happening during the tense moments of our narrative.

Overall, you cannot go wrong with this book, especially if you like wilderness action-adventures with likable heroes to cheer for and despicable villains that you are excited to root against. I am now a fan of Arliss Cutter and will try to wait patiently for his next adventure.

Was this review helpful?