Black Ops Zulu

Not at all what I expected. The title is misleading, and the beginning is really flat. The redeeming quality is that at least Tom Stiles felt guilty about cheating on his partner... The thing rolls along very slowly as we listen to Tom's introspection -- At least the thing doesn't head jump around making me dizzy. The action is pretty good, but again, it is not in line with the title or what you are lead to believe from the blurb.

That said, the characterization is slow but pretty good. You can see Tom grow harder and more observant. Basically, it's the backstory for the supposedly real story. The children are cardboard characters, and Tom's partner... well, you'll just have to read for yourself. The story is for Mature Audiences.

I give this book 3.5 stars. Black Ops Zulu: Pivotal Velocity is the first book by Arthur Bozikas, so I wasn't sure what to expect. What I found was not quite what I thought I would be, especially in an author's first book. This is not a standalone though this first part of the storyline is complete. There is a soft cliffhanger for future books in a series. There is violence and adult themes so I would recommend this book for 18+.

The book blurb adequately describes the storyline so I'm not going to repeat that all of that info here. Though for me, the book blurb is somewhat misleading. I thought this book would be more about Tom Stiles being a black ops agent. But this book is more about giving us the background of how Tom became that operative.

The author did a good job of writing Tom's character. Throughout the first part of the book, I did not like Tom as all I could see was a weak man who kept cheating on his partner. But isn't the goal of a writer, to write a good character even if we don't like who that character is? (Think of Joffrey in Game of Thrones...the character we all loved to hate.) There is a lot of action in the story as well as twists and turns. Plus enough clues to keep me reading just to see how it ended.

I definitely will read more of this series as they are written and released. I received an ARC copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. But I would have bought and read this book if I had not, it's that good.

Before I start my review, I would like to thank Australian eBook Publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to review Black Ops Zulu by Arthur Bozikas.

**All opinions stated in this review are mine and mine alone. I received Black Ops Zulu from Australian eBook Publisher through NetGalley for free for my honest and unbiased review**

Now onto my review:

I want to start off by saying that I had the James Bond theme song running through my head nonstop while I was reading this book. And no, I am not joking. I also couldn’t figure out if Tom, in my every wild imagination looked like

Sean Connery

or

Daniel Craig:

See my dilemma….lol. Seeing that the book is a spy novel, it makes sense that my mind would drift to, what I consider, two of the best looking James Bonds.

I thought Tom was a tool in the beginning of the book. He cheated on his partner, Victoria, basically their whole relationship. The night he decided to end it with his current girlfriend, Natasha, and recommit to Victoria was the night that he got into a horrific car crash. A car crash that involved Natasha….who was chasing him down to give him his cell phone and that set off a huge chain reaction of events that would change his life forever.

As the book goes on, we learn that Tom is pivotal in finding and stopping an embezzlement as an international fraud investigator….which puts him in the spotlight of some unsavory people. Very unsavory with names like The Leopard and Cerberus.

The action in this book was unbelievable. Tom is put into situations that would break most people (not going to giveaway anything…read the book) and to be honest, I wasn’t surprised when he decided what he decided. It only made sense and oh boy, was it bloody!!!

The ending of this book was exactly what I thought it was going to be and I liked it. It also set up the next book perfectly.

How many stars will I give Black Ops Zulu: Pivotal Velocity? 4

Why? While I thought this was a great book, full of action, Tom’s horndog ways and poor decision-making skills killed his character for him. The story, itself, was great and I loved it. Just didn’t like Tom….lol.

Will I reread? Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends? Yes

Age range: Adult

Why? Sex and violence. Plus one very disturbing scene where Tom cuts the heads off of two guys who were holding his family hostage.

Tom Stiles lives in Sydney, Australia with his partner and his twin daughters. He is an expert at internet fraud. He has a hard time staying at home and just being a family man. Through his relationship with his latest lover he gets involved with the local mafia. The Prime Minister asks for his help and draws him into a situation which endangers his family and they are all killed. This all pushes him to be in a special ops position for his government along with the US government. This book is important in that it sets up the future books about Tom Stiles. Good read.

Unexpected twists and turns. Tom is a mostly unlikable individual at the start of the book, cheats, chases thrills and expects his partner to keep the home fires burning. He ends up a man with nothing to lose, because of choices made in the best of intentions. He becomes a man with a mission and the skill set to make sure his mission is successful. Would never have guessed the ending, action packed and well written.

“Pivatol Velocity” eBook was published in 2015 and was written by Arthur Bozikas. This appears to be Mr. Bozikas’ first publication.

I categorize this novel as ‘PG’ because it contains scenes of Violence. The story is set in Australia and the US. The primary character is Tom Stiles, a former Special Operations soldier. Stiles has retired from active duty and now runs his own business.

Stiles is approached by the Australian government to join a new Black Ops group that is being formed. At first he resists as he now has two daughters and a very steady girlfriend. His decisions are complicated by the accidental death of his mistress. He soon finds himself working for the Australian government, being blackmailed by his mistress’s father and playing cat-and-mouse with a mysterious underworld figure.

I enjoyed the 6 hours of reading this 224 page Thriller. Stiles is a very flawed hero. This is basically the story of how a family man becomes a secret agent for Australia. I thought that some parts of the story were glossed over. As short as the novel is more details could easily have been added. The cover art is OK, giving the feel for an agent working in the shadows. I give this novel a 3.4 (rounded down to a 3) out of 5.

Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/.

My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).