The description of this book sounded really interesting to me, but I could not get into it at all. The characters felt very flat to me, and the pace was painfully slow. I kept reading and hoping that something exciting would happen, but it just never got there. I definitely would not call this a "high-octane thriller"--more like a meandering conspiracy theory diatribe.

I received an ARC through "NetGalley", and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

This story has Dan being asked while home to meet with the FBI. When Dan arrives, he is advised about a potential bioterror attck which might happen and for him to help stop it. Dan is tasked with finding a hacker who leads a group known as the Firemen. Dan along with Rudi, a friend and programmer, go to Savannah to attend a convention where they believe the hacker might try to get in touch with Dan.

At the same time that this is going on, Rachel, Dan's girlfriend, has learned that she is carrying a disease at decides to leave Dan. She returns to her old haunt where she decides to do something before she is no longer able. While performing, she is approached by members of Homeland Security who want her to give them information where Dan is.

So far Dan has had no luck finding this hacker, but he is invited to go through a test and at the end he would finally meet with the person he wanted. The test involved many different acts that brought into play some of Dan's fears.

As a result of this testing and due to actions of a person on the task force was assigned to, Dan wound up being banned from the "Firemen" group.

To discover who the hacker was, how Rudi played a roll and what event Dan and Rachel performed, then you need to read this book, you won't be disappointed.

I found the beginning a bit strange but shortly got into the story. Dan is called in to help on a case with the FBI. Not all the big wigs are happy with that arrangement and don’t trust Dan because their previous encounter with him was because he was hacking into the government computer systems. A pardon by the President for his deeds has endeared him less to them that would prefer to see him rot in jail for the rest of his live. His job is to infiltrate a group of hackers to determine go stole the virus.
I did not realize there had been a previous book but at this point I plan to buy it because I like to know in more detail what happened before but it wasn’t 100 % necessary to follow what was going on here.
You really have a bit of everything. Biohackers, Computer hackers, politics, corruption, greed, and airplane stunts just to name a few. They are all nicely woven into the story to make a complete exciting book to read.

There are the firemen who are a group of young biohackers, makers, and normal hackers. Then there are the horsemen the ones with all the money (old money) who buy what they need or have someone steal it for them. But when it is a very deadly pathogen the feds call in Dan Clifford to help or maybe to set him up.
This was a fast paced, action packed, suspenseful book that I was not able to put down. I love the puzzles and how they work out, and the history that makes you wonder if this book is entirely all fiction. The characters are wonderful and Rudi is my hero, although I wish I had half of Rachel's guts. They are a awesome trio and I hope to see them again really soon. I have not read the first book and it was no issue but I did feel like there was more so now I need to read book one The Amazon Conspiracy.

The Third Instinct is a very fast paced novel. Lots of action/shooting scenes that were well written and exciting. This book was like Upgrade mixed with Ready Player One and a Dan Brown novel.
I think the book tried to be a little too many things so you got only snippets of some parts that were really cool. I was a huge fan of the simulation scenes that Dan went through in the book, but it was only one section. Same with the areas regarding the secret ancient society. Felt brushed over into one scene vs showing up in multiple threads throughout the book.
I enjoyed the storyline and large amount of action packed scenes. I had not read the first Dan Clifford novel in the series, but I will go back to read it because the story intrigues me.

This is a very interesting story with a lot of moving pieces and plot twists. It is told from multiple voices but the main character is Dan who is first introduced as a liaison for the FBI. The main plot of the story is centered around the conspiracy theory and the forces that are perpetuating it. There is also the minor plot that involves the romance between Dan and Rachel. I think this relationship and the ones Dan has with his friends are symbolic of the society. The story has some great characters, lots of action and is never boring.

What is real and what is science fiction? The Third Instinct, by Kent Lester, will have the reader wondering. Will "old school" technology be used by creative minds to control human beings? Will technology and farming combine to make new and innovative drugs? Will these drugs be used to help or control the human race? Can Dan and Rachel stop all of this from happening before it's too late.

With enough correct science to make this believable, The Third Instinct will take the reader on a wild experience. If you enjoy science fiction, this is a must read.

this was another great entry in the Dan Clifford series, it was a strong sequel and did what it was suppose to do. The plot worked really well and I was invested in what was going on. It had a great mystery and I was invested in everything. It had great characters and they did what I was expecting them to do. Overall this was a great read.

"Dan spotted Mossy Lynn tied at the docks. It was an old pontoon boat missing its awning and seats, with a full-sized casket mounted on the deck. The casket’s viewing door had been propped open and a rail attached, so the person manning the “boat” could stand inside and steer using a long tiller attached to an outboard that had seen better days."

If you haven't read Kent Lester's debut novel, THE SEVENTH SUN, put this book down and go read it! THE THIRD INSTINCT may not pick up exactly where THE SEVENTH SUN ends, but it does rely on more than just a little bit of the first book's plot. Both books are genre murky combinations of modern day crime thriller and speculative fiction. Both are page turners.

THE THIRD INSTINCT is as up-to-date as the millions of deaths from COVID 19, and it's computer/robotic technology is both mind-boggling and believable. We learn more about the back stories of both Dan Clifford and Rachel Sullivan as they travel separate roads only to find themselves once more on the same track. Other people and places from THE SEVENTH SUN play key roles, once again, in THE THIRD INSTINCT.

Although the sell copy compares the work of Lester to that of Dan Brown, I found that Lester writes with his own voice and such comparison is rather superficial. Where Brown relies on religious lore, Kent Lester is deep into science and technology. A secret dark money society seems hell bent on bringing about the end of the world as we know it. The corporate greed elite along with government agencies and the politicians that run them vie for the role of public enemy number one. Which will destroy the planet first?

The books of Kent Lester will become classics… I only hope that they are not as prophetic as they seem.

(3). I am trying to identify what this book reminds me of. There is certainly a touch of Brad Meltzer, a little bit of Ready Player One as well. I guess it is a thriller for millennials with a touch of YA, SciFi and AI as well. Dan Clifford is certainly an interesting protagonist, but an awful lot here is really out there. The romantic angle is a good news/bad news aspect but the action certainly is well paced, exciting and keeps pages turning. Lots of very cool characters and some nice twists and turns. Perfectly reasonable stuff.

Enjoyable, fast-paced novel in the vein of the DaVinci Code, with secret societies, genetic engineering and pulse-pounding action. Second in the series, I hadn't read the first but was understandable as a standalone novel. Well-written, with fully-developed characters that had a sense of humor. Good book if you like the genre.

I received a complimentary copy of the novel from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

What a whirlwind book! There is something here for almost anyone. Tech, medical, thriller...you name it, it's here.

I think I got lost in a lot of the super detailed sections, but I appreciate that they are in the book.

I did not realize that this is the second book in a series when I started reading. However, there is sufficient backstory to not feel hampered.

This is an enjoyable fast paced thriller and a quick read. There is a little bit of sci-fi, little fantasy, little of everything. I would love to read more from the author

This was a great book. I loved every paragraph, every sentence and every word of this masterpiece! I read it in 12 hours, which is a lot for me to do! It had everything and more laid out in the novel! I sure hope he writes more! I am totally hooked!

I received a free e-ARC of this book through Netgalley.
I have not read the first book in this series, but I found this one to be fine on it's own and not confusing to read if you haven't read the first book.
Dan is a likeable superhero disguised as an all around knowledgeable guy without being a know it all. He is able to Macgyver his way in and out of all kinds of situations and shows loyalty to friends and his girlfriend who has challenges of her own.
An interesting book that kept my attention throughout with a variety of adventures.

First off, I loved this book. But it touches so many bases, I am finding it hard to distill into a short review. In describing it to my wife, I finally said, look, it is kind of like a thriller version of Lord of the Rings - there is a lot of provocative, real-world truth and thought and the eternal struggle between good and evil hidden behind a tale of quest, kings, heroes unlikely and otherwise, villains, elves, dwarves, and hobbits. I have never read Kent Lester before, but I am sure going to catch up and watch for his work going forward. I enjoyed this story enough to give it 5 stars which I rarely do.

Review of Uncorrected Digital Galley

Dan Clifford, having exposed the conspiracy at NeuroSys, his former employer, is infamous thanks to his release of a computer virus on national television. Working to rebuild his career and his personal life, he is on the verge of proposing to his girlfriend, microbiologist Rachel Sullivan.

The FBI unwittingly interrupts Dan’s plans when his friend, Vince Peretti, director of Cyberterrorism for the FBI’s Atlanta branch, summons him to a hastily-called meeting. Despite a presidential pardon for his hacking and the success of his fledging startup, SurMyz Consulting Group, Dan feels less than welcome in Vince’s hastily-assembled joint task force.

A clandestine group of hackers, known as the Firemen, and their leader, Chemerra, have succeeded in decrypting passwords and breaking into secure government servers. Their involvement in biohacking is the reason for the task force. The theft of a dangerous organism, nicknamed the Devil’s Paradox, from GenTropics Pharmaceuticals in Savannah was, the counterterrorism unit believed, the work of the Firemen.

Can Dan infiltrate the Firemen? Will they release the bioweapon . . . or is the threat coming from someone else? And what does big Pharma have to do with the threat?

=========

The story, compelling from the outset, is the second in the author’s Dan Clifford series. Readers who have not read the previous book that introduced the character [“The Seventh Sun”] will find sufficient backstory for this book to work as a standalone.

An undercurrent of apprehension runs throughout the telling of the tale and keeps the suspense building. With its strong sense of place, the science-filled plot, well-developed, believable characters, and the frighteningly-possible scenario all work together to keep the pages turning in this inventive and realistic thriller. Unexpected reveals ratchet up the tension; Rachel’s situation gives the narrative a sympathetic twist while Dan’s thoughtful decision-making is a strength in the telling of the tale.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Forge Books and NetGalley
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