OK. So if you can ignore how far fetched the story is in places then this could be a riveting thriller.
Unfortunately I couldn't ignore how the main characters appeared to run rough shod over all authority.

Loss of Reason, by Miles A. Maxwell, is one wild ride of a novel! The action begins with the first chapter and doesn’t let up until the end of the book! If you like action stories, this one is for you.

The story begins after a nuclear weapon is detonated in New York City, demolishing the city and creating a refugee crisis as survivors try to get out of the ruins. Two brothers, one a minister and one a power company worker, attempt a rescue mission to get to their sister and her family. Everon, the brother who works for the power company, is also a skilled pilot and can repair just about any machine. His brother, Franklin, is a climber and has many other skills as well, including the ability to hypnotize people. Together, they make a formidable rescue team.

They get to an airfield in New Jersey, but their rescue mission is held up by bureaucracy and the institution of martial law. However, they eventually get off the ground and go into the destroyed city. They accomplish some big rescues along the way to finding their sister’s family. They have help from other people along the way too. But, there are others who seem bent on throwing obstructions in their way, no matter what.

This novel is very well written. The plot is well thought out and comes together nicely. Be warned though, the ending is a bit of a cliffhanger. There are sequels planned and I can’t wait to read the next one. The characters are believable. The settings are described in detail and the reader feels like they are in on the action. You can almost smell the smoke and see the toxic radiation cloud as it approaches the city. This is definitely a nail-biting page turner!

Dialog is fast paced and to the point. After they rescue the people in the subway, they end up with some other characters to deal with. The typical whiner who wants to have his needs met before all else. The courageous man who helps the rescuers. The people who ally with the rescuers and try to tone out the whiner in the group. The addition of these characters adds to the tension and atmosphere of the story and makes it more real.

Each of the brothers uses his unique skill set to help others and to assist rescue efforts. They are probably the most qualified people to rescue the people trapped in the subway. No one else could have reached their sister’s apartment in the way they did.

There are also hints of something or someone big behind the attack. Who sent the weapon and are there more on the way to other cities? This is not addressed in this novel, but it is hinted that the answers will come in the sequels. I’m not usually a big fan of cliffhangers because why leave your reader hanging and having to wait months or years to find out the rest of the story? It’s a good way to turn off some readers. In this case, I think the story is planned to be much longer and it probably had to be spread out over several novels. The end notes said it was 15 years in the making. That being said, I am hoping that the sequels are published soon while this story is still fresh in my mind. I’d like to find out how it all turns out in the end.

Good book and stands alone as a story, but you will want to find out more about these characters once you reach the end. I highly recommend it for any fans of adventure stories.

I’d like to thank NetGalley and the author and publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for my honest review.

well done thriller. I inadvertently downloaded the ARC from Netgalley (thanks) and while this isn't my usual genre, I enjoyed it. It is at times hard to read but there's a core of love running underneath. It's a fast read, a real page turner with good characters.