Jonathan Grave is in the hostage rescue business. While government hostage teams are focused on capturing the kidnappers and the well-being of the kidnapped comes in second, Jonathan’s sole reason to be involved is for the victim. He offers the kidnappers the option of going to jail peacefully, but many of them decline and pay for that decision with their lives. Jonathan can live with that.

His right-hand man is called Boxers. They are backed up by Gail and Venice, Mama, Father Dom, and an entire security team. A lot of their work is legit. Some is on the dark side. All is focused on keeping the good guys living, and the bad guys not so much.

While on a hunting trip to Montana, Jonathan narrowly misses being killed by a sniper. It’s not long before he and Boxers realize in this scenario, they are the prey. It’s darn cold and going to get worse. They are cut off from their gear, satellite phone, and truck.

Back in Virginia, the school Jonathan set up for kids of incarcerated parents is on lockdown after Gail and Venice are targeted by a hitman of their own. Fortunately for them, Gail is a better shot than the killer. If that’s not enough, another member of the team is harmed as well.

In typical Gilstrap fashion, the action starts out at a full run and only speeds up from there. With the team being hit from all sides, it’s hard for them to develop a plan to retaliate. As Jonathan and Boxers chase down clues with Vernice, computer hacker extraordinaire, the number of dead bodies increases in multiples, most at the hands of the assassins.

With each book, I promise myself I’ll read a chapter or two and then pause to make the story last longer. With each book, I start reading, soon lose myself in the action, must know what happens next, and read it straight through. This one is no exception. Gilstrap grabs you by the hand, goes zero to sixty in a nanosecond, and there’s no choice but to try to keep up. And this one goes much further than the usual bad guys.

This is book fourteen in the series. Start here and backtrack to book one to follow the path Jonathan’s life has taken over the years. It’s a thrilling ride.

A co- ordinated attack on Graves and colleagues starts this latest novel and doesn't let up good story good characters could not put it down.
I received this book from Kensington books and Netgalley for a review.

This is a new series for me, so I was not sure what to expect. I was pulled in from the beginning and captivated throughout. There were a few places I needed some background knowledge from previous books, but it didn't prevent me from enjoying the story. Now I need to catch up on this series.

Lethal Game by John Gilstrap
Jonathan Grave #14

Another stellar story starring Digger & Boxer as they once again fight the good but rather bloody fight to right wrongs they are faced with. Intense, well written, drew me in and kept me reading throughout.

What I liked:
* Jonathan “Digger” Grave: intelligent, lethal, committed to causes that require a special type of black ops type operative, caring, wealthy, gives back, rights wrongs
* Brian “Boxer” Van de Muelebroecke: big, quiet, lethal, good friend and lethal colleague of Digger who works with him to right the wrongs
* Gail “Gunslinger” Bonneville: brilliant, ex-FBI HRT member, ex-sheriff, bright, capable, vigilant, talented, lethal, and part of the team doing secretive things with Boxer and Digger
* Venice “Mother Hen” Alexander: mother, daughter, hacker extraordinaire, gets lost when working, intriguing, great asset to the team
* Roman Alexander: son of Venice, fourteen, had a rough time in a previous book, integral to this story and growing up through all he experiences
* The plot, pace, writing, and intensity
* The dual locations of where action was taking place
* The communication between team members
* Being able to thoroughly dislike the bad guys
* Rooting for the demise of the bad guys
* That good eventually does overcome evil
* Hoping there will be another book to look forward to

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* Knowing that there are evil people who do evil things and too often get away with it
* The loss of so many innocent lives
* Having to wait for the next book to be available

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

Thank you to NetGalley and Kesington Pinnacle for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

I've been reading a great many adventure books as Gilstrap writes. Over the years I think I like one writer or other. Then I'll read a few in the series I think i like best and realize i don't care for it. Gilstrap has had ups and downs. See my other reviews for more of that. Yet, I do constantly find his books exhilarating. including this one.

I place Gilstrap and James Hall as writing books with a more comic book flavor. Something long gone from the past few decades of real comic books. There are good guys and bad guys. There's also a mystery and a good deal of action to get the bad guy. These are fun and often well written books of that adventure.

This volume I attained through NetGalley.com, having me leap 5 books ahead of where I left off in the series. As i read this book, I quickly learned i need to read the book before this book. However, this volume does maintain itself well enough all by itself.

The plotting it very well done. Dialogue mostly distinct. Settings very well done. The contrast of Gilstrap writing of forested mountain area and the more dingy, older built city area well displays his skills.

Only real issue I might raise was the final pages and wrap up. Gilstrap's call might have been the better one. Or would the resolution of a side issue been a good basis of the fifteenth installment of the Graves series?
I also have to be honest as fun as this tale is and how i was glued to the tale to the end, missing a drawing deadline and being up to 5 in the morning, the book could've been better written here and there.

Bottom line: i recommend this book. 9 out of ten points.

John Gilstrap’s Jonathan Grave series is always action packed. I have read every book, love the series and it’s four main characters. I think adding Roman to the team would be a huge mistake. In the last two books, he played a big part and I, like others I think, missed the action and fun loving banter between the the team members as page after page seemed to be focused on the teen and making the book a stand alone and not on Scorpion and Boxers bantering, making us laugh and saving the world. A little more of helping Wolverine, over Roman, could make a fun read. I would love this as a tv series or movie and I can’t wait for the next book!! Wish it would be this year.

John Gilstrap never fails to deliver and does once again in his 14th book in the Jonathan Grave Series. I have loved this series from book 1 and I can say without any hesitation, that this series continues to grab my attention 14 books in. If you haven’t read Gilstrap, then I suggest you do soon. From book 1, No Mercy to the present book Lethal Game you will find yourself wrapped up in the characters and keep wanting for the next book to be released.

John Gilstrap’s writing has all the intrigue and mystery deserving of a series thriller. You don’t want to miss anything written by this author. I have read him since his first book came out and I couldn’t dare miss this one.

Thank you to #netgalley and #kensington for allowing me to read the eARC of this book. All opinions expressed above are my own.

Hostage rescue expert Jonathan Grave and his fellow special-ops veteran, Boxers, are hunting in Montana when shots ring out, and they realize they’ve become the prey for assassins. In the crosshairs of unseen shooters, cut off from all communication, with the wind at a blood-freezing chill, the nightmare is just beginning. Because Jonathan and Boxers aren’t the only ones under fire.

Lethal Game is the 14th installment of the Jonathan Grave series and it's still getting better and better. It's action-packed from start to finish and filled with suspense as always. John Gilstrap never disappoints. Love the continuance of characters that he uses and I can’t wait for his next one. Highly recommend this series.

Thanks to the author, Kensington and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Another non-stop action thriller from John Gilstrap. This is the 14th book in the Jonathan Grave series and the characters just keep getting better. I love this entire series and recommend that you start with the first book, No Mercy, and read the entire series. It is worth it. Highly recommended

Well, that was awesome! Lethal Game is the 14th installment of the Digger and Boxers Show and is in the running for my favorite of the series.

What happens when the hunters become the hunted, quite literally. Or when the rescuers need rescuing? While hunting in Montana, Digger and Boxers come under attack from a team narco-assassins. On the other side of the country, the other members of the team are under attack as well. The enemy is unknown but it's clear they want revenge and will go to great lengths to destroy everything Digger loves.

Even after 14 books, Gilstrap is able to keep the series fresh which can't be easy to do. From the first page Lethal Game grabs hold and doesn't let go. If you've never read the series you should probably fix that. You will not regret it!

My sincere thanks to John Gilstrap, Kensington Books and NetGalley for the privilege of reading an advance copy of Lethal Game.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read the latest by John Gilstrap. As I fully expected, this was a page turner. This was a continuation of the storyline from Stealth Attack. and it is a wild ride. This entire series of books is excellent and I recommend them to anyone who asks for a new series to read. Amazon shows this as #14 of 14; if this is the end of Digger and Boxers and the rest of the crew, they will be missed!

John Gilstrap is one of my favorite authors, and Jonathan Grave and his team are some of my favorite protagonists. I have yet to read one of these books that I didn't like, and "Lethal Game" is no different. It's so exciting!

I never give spoilers, but you can tell the set-up from the blurb. While Grave and Boxers are under attack in Montana, the rest of the team is under attack at home. What the blurb doesn't tell you is the crackling dialogue, or the excitement of this fast-paced, twisty plot. Gilstrap never lets up, and it's a wild, fascinating ride.

If this is your first Gilstrap, you won't have any trouble keeping up. And you are in for a treat, not to mention the books earlier in the series which you are definitely going to want to read. This suspenseful, action-packed book hits every possible benchmark, and like me you'll be glad you read it.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

I am old enough to remember novels where good guys fought bad guys. They don't exist today, if Lethal Game is any indication. John Gilstrap's novel pits men against men, but they are not your traditional good and bad guys. The ones we are supposed to root for have been trained by the US military and then take that training private to both make the big bucks and also to be able to enforce the rules they want enforced and ignore the rules that they don't like. It's no longer God and Country. God is, at best, relegated to Sunday morning, and Country consists of crooked politicians lining their pockets. Why the White House itself is a cocaine heaven! The president rose in politics by gaining a hold over a powerful and rich businessman who is in league with a crazy cartel leader.
To make the bad guys really bad, author Gilstrap introduces a dozen or so innocent characters for the bad guys to gratuitously and mercilessly kill.
It was hard for me to get a real handle on the sort of good guys, who did include women. Between their names, their call signs, and their nicknames it was difficult to get to know them. Gail, for example, is a computer whiz but a total dud as a field agent. The two really big sort of good guys are out of town when all hell breaks loose, not that they don't get their share of trouble.
Ultimately the novel rolls up unto the ranch of the rich crooked guy. His home is brightly lit and totally without security. Wow. Wonder how that's going to turn out!
All that said, the novel keeps a good pace and has action galore.
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

Thanks to netgalley.com and Kensington Publishing for the advance ARC copy for my honest review.

The author John Gilstrap is one of my favorite authors, really like his Jonathan "Digger" Grave series a lot, it's great escapism from today's World and the support characters all make the story so much better. Boxer, Gunslinger, Mother Hen, Gail and Roman always add ingredients too always make it a good read.

Lethal Game, was my type of book, it's fast paced, you get a helping of tension, dash of suspense, a side of action packed, a side of twist and turns, mix in nasty characters and it bakes to a great conclusion.

Although I do think it would have been a more epic conclusion, to see the President and his right-hand man get caught up in this one and ultimately get taken out by Digger and Boxer.

You can't go wrong with John Gilstrap, your always in for an entertaining read.

I found the book difficult to put down. It burns with a phosphorescent glow from the very beginning and simply gets hotter as one reads on. The characters are interesting and believable, the plot is fraught with twists and turns, and we are led from one place to another seamlessly. Add to this the politics, the drug trade, and violence and you have a spellbinder of major proportions!!!

Lethal Game is the 14th book in the Jonathan Graves series from John Gilstrap.

"Digger and Boxers are ambushed during a hunting trip in Montana. Mama Alexander is run off the road. Venice and Gail are attacked in Fisherman's Cove. Someone is coming after Jonathan and all of the people he cares about. He and Boxers will have to avoid a lot of killers to find answers."

First a content warning - I don't usually do one but this book has some harm to kids and I'm not really a fan when that happens. I'm sure the author intends to show something about one of the killers but I don't really want to see that.

This book is different in that Digger has to fight without his usual gadgets, armor, weapons and overwhelming force. And a young Roman Alexander is brought into the inner circle

The storyline is very good here. Digger and Boxers do what they do. The difference is the body count of innocents is unusually high in this one. Some parts were tough to read.

ARC eBook Review – Lethal Game – John Gilstrap
Finished Author John Gilstrap’s “Lethal Game” while on quarantine from Covid. Lethal Game features one of my favorite lesser-known protagonists in hostage rescue expert Jonathan Grave. Gilstrap takes readers on an action-packed thrill ride from the wild, wide open spaces of Montana to the crowded streets of Mexico, as a sniper attack turns wilderness hunters into the hunted and Grave's enemies into assassins as they stalk him with a vengeance. Grave and his former special-ops partner, Boxers, are hunting in Montana when they realize they've become the prey for unannounced killers. Back in Fisherman's Cove, Virginia, Grave’s Security Solutions team is fighting for their lives as well. John Gilstrap does ‘another’ fantastic job in this the 14th installment in the Jonathan Grave series. The book works well as a standalone and is instantly engaging with super-fast paced action and an intense and suspenseful plotline. The superb banter between Grave and Boxers is back, and the character development as usual is indicative of Gilstrap’s exceptional writing. Gilstrap even develops strong and complex bad guys which really adds to the storyline. His writing always seems to help me understand what the characters are thinking, and this is an incredible writing capability. Lethal Game is engrossing, electrifying, and intriguing. It is a spectacular action thriller read and the series is sadly too underrated in the genre in my opinion. It’s been one of my top 10 audiobook listens for years (I listen to my favorite authors when their books don’t come in hardcovers) and I can’t wait to hear narrator Basil Sands read this outstanding story. Thank you NetGalley, Kensington Books and author John Gilstrap for providing me a digital eBook Advance Reader’s Copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review.

While this series is fast paced and action oriented, this book goes the extra mile in setting the pace . It's action from the initial pages and its not just Digger who is under atatck, all his team/colleagues seems to be targetted at the same time. Multiple attacks has been made against the team and it's now upto the team who are in various places to show their enemy what they are made of. Action packed and a wonderful attack oriented book. Dont' miss it.
Thank you Netgalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for my unbiased feedback

Thank you NetGalley one of my favorite authors. Boxer and Digger are hunting in Montana when the game warden stops to ask them if they have a hunting license and is killed standing there. The killing doesn't stop there. At the same time there is problems back at the home front. Gail and Venice are out shopping and Gail notices a man following them. She decides to see what he wants. He makes the mistake of confronting her. That stars the problems there. There are a number of men after them and they don't know why. The one man who survives follows them as they follow the clues. Roman begins to learn what they do to save hostages and he does what he can to help. They show how the team all works together to get the job done.

Excellent, edge-of-your-seat action thriller! Love the relentless pacing and the humorous banter. How has this series not been made into a TV series?!?