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Scot Harvath #6
The First Commandment
Covert counterterrorism agent Scot Harvath awakens find a sadistic assassin with a personal vendetta unleashes horrors on those closest to him. Ordered by the president to stay out of the investigation, Harvath mounts his own operation to uncover the conspiracy and exact revenge. When he discovers a connection between the attacks and a group of prisoners secretly released from Guantanamo, Harvath must ask himself previously unthinkable questions about the organizations and the nation he has spent his life serving.
416 pages, Hardcover
First published July 17, 2007
1,702 people are currently reading
5,954 people want to read
About the author
Brad Thor
46Ìýbooks7,114ÌýfollowersBRAD THOR is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-four thrillers, including SHADOW OF DOUBT, BLACK ICE (ThrillerFix Best Thriller of the Year), NEAR DARK (one of Suspense Magazine’s Best Books of the Year), BACKLASH (nominated for the Barry Award for Best Thriller of the Year), SPYMASTER (“One of the all-time best thriller novelsâ€� —The Washington Times), THE LAST PATRIOT (nominated Best Thriller of the Year by the International Thriller Writers Association), and BLOWBACK (one of the “Top 100 Killer Thrillers of All Timeâ€� —NPR).
SHADOW OF DOUBT is on sale now. For more information, visit BradThor.com.
SHADOW OF DOUBT is on sale now. For more information, visit BradThor.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 639 reviews
November 17, 2017
A fast and entertaining read. You have to suspend reality a bit to enjoy this one, but that is what escapist reading is all about. This was the first in the series that I read, but I wish that I had read the others first because there were a lot of references to previous novels in this one (unfortunately, I believe some of the plot twists in the earlier novels have been ruined for me if I decide to go back and start the series from the beginning). If you like military action, espionage, and tech-suspense, then this book is right up your alley.
8/25/2014 - Second read update - re-read this in proper order and it tied up a lot of loose ends!
8/25/2014 - Second read update - re-read this in proper order and it tied up a lot of loose ends!
January 27, 2018
This book seemed to be a lemon from this author. The pace of the reading quality of these books had been a steady four stars that kept me coming back, but this one dropped off into boredom. Maybe every author is entitled to a bad book; maybe it was just me. I gave it two stars instead of one because it was okay for awhile. Maybe I should drop it even lower because of that. I got far enough in to make me feel like I couldn't dnf it, yet I really wanted to. I will give this author another try later. Like I said, maybe it was just a bad book or maybe it was just me.
2 stars
2 stars
August 4, 2010
An assassin is targeting people close to counterterrorism operative Scot Harvath. His girlfriend is comatose in a hospital bed and the president has ordered him to stand down. But how can he stand down when the people around him are being gunned down?
First off, this was a birthday present and not something I picked for myself. I'm not into political thrillers.
The Good: The First Commandment is action-packed and feels like a blockbuster movie. Scot Harvath is a high caliber bad-ass. The plot had a lot of twists and turns. That's about it for The Good, I'm sorry to say.
The Bad: None of the characters were very detailed. The story had a lot of implausible elements, just like most blockbuster movies. The chapters were too short. I know Thor was trying to build the suspense but a 451 page book shouldn't have over 100 chapters. It felt like Thor wrote the book as a movie script first and then turned it into a novel.
The Ugly: If it weren't for the uglies, I might have given this a 3 but here goes. None of the female characters were more than set dressing. About half of the book felt like Brad Thor pushing his political views on me. I lost track of how many times Harvath made unfair comments about Muslims. The phrases "killing Americans, War on Terror, and American way of life" were way overused.
2.5 out of five. It would have been lightyears better without all the political speak from Harvath.
First off, this was a birthday present and not something I picked for myself. I'm not into political thrillers.
The Good: The First Commandment is action-packed and feels like a blockbuster movie. Scot Harvath is a high caliber bad-ass. The plot had a lot of twists and turns. That's about it for The Good, I'm sorry to say.
The Bad: None of the characters were very detailed. The story had a lot of implausible elements, just like most blockbuster movies. The chapters were too short. I know Thor was trying to build the suspense but a 451 page book shouldn't have over 100 chapters. It felt like Thor wrote the book as a movie script first and then turned it into a novel.
The Ugly: If it weren't for the uglies, I might have given this a 3 but here goes. None of the female characters were more than set dressing. About half of the book felt like Brad Thor pushing his political views on me. I lost track of how many times Harvath made unfair comments about Muslims. The phrases "killing Americans, War on Terror, and American way of life" were way overused.
2.5 out of five. It would have been lightyears better without all the political speak from Harvath.
February 6, 2019
Great 6th book.
I just love Scot Harvath and his adventures and I loooved that Cotton Malone was mentioned for a second!
It's obviously way too un-PC patriotic for my european tastes - but I still loved the suspense and mystery and excitement!
I just love Scot Harvath and his adventures and I loooved that Cotton Malone was mentioned for a second!
It's obviously way too un-PC patriotic for my european tastes - but I still loved the suspense and mystery and excitement!
August 7, 2021
It is a 5 star book but I took off one star as the torture level was beyond my comfort zone. I think it should be beyond Harvath's too.
June 29, 2019
Sixth installment in Thor's Scot Harvath series. Excellent as usual. The man knows how to write a thriller.
October 3, 2012
I quite liked this series when it started, but am starting to feel more uncomfortable with the author and his character, Scot Harvath.
Brad Thor, I sense, wants to be Vince Flynn and wants Harvarth to be Mitch Rapp and the characters have a lot in common. The trouble is that Mitch Rapp has a real presence and Harvath doesn’t and at times it is hard to like him. Author Thor also seems to be becoming more and more right wing in his writing and quite a few of his views expressed through his character were very anti-Muslim.
In this story the President orders the release of a group of Gitmo prisoners, one of whom then targets Harvath’s family and friends. When Harvath is ordered to not get involved he dis-obeys orders and goes rogue to get to the bottom of things. More than in the previous books, Harvath comes over as not only not very nice, but a nasty bit of work with whom it is hard to sympathise. His logic and motives don’t quite work here, but then neither does the plot overall to be honest. What just about saves this is his relationship with “The Troll� � a bad guy from previous books. This bit was interesting and actually built the characters a bit.
So this ends up being very average and a little unsavoury in the views expressed. I have one more Brad Thor book in my tbr pile, but after that I am afraid it is time for me and the author to part ways. Actually it is a shame because he has got good thrillers in him, but it now feels as if there is an agenda over-riding the plot.
Brad Thor, I sense, wants to be Vince Flynn and wants Harvarth to be Mitch Rapp and the characters have a lot in common. The trouble is that Mitch Rapp has a real presence and Harvath doesn’t and at times it is hard to like him. Author Thor also seems to be becoming more and more right wing in his writing and quite a few of his views expressed through his character were very anti-Muslim.
In this story the President orders the release of a group of Gitmo prisoners, one of whom then targets Harvath’s family and friends. When Harvath is ordered to not get involved he dis-obeys orders and goes rogue to get to the bottom of things. More than in the previous books, Harvath comes over as not only not very nice, but a nasty bit of work with whom it is hard to sympathise. His logic and motives don’t quite work here, but then neither does the plot overall to be honest. What just about saves this is his relationship with “The Troll� � a bad guy from previous books. This bit was interesting and actually built the characters a bit.
So this ends up being very average and a little unsavoury in the views expressed. I have one more Brad Thor book in my tbr pile, but after that I am afraid it is time for me and the author to part ways. Actually it is a shame because he has got good thrillers in him, but it now feels as if there is an agenda over-riding the plot.
April 1, 2024
5 Stars. These Harvath books have taken off. While I’m late to the party I don’t think I’m going to be able to slow walk the rest to make them last. I really enjoyed this one as in the end, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, was featured prominently. I have enjoyed it since I was a kid, it being only about an hour and a half away from home.
This was a true thrill ride. Harvath is ruthless and loyal, too bad his country was lacking a bit in the loyalty area. The stories seem to flow from one to the next kind of like the Jack Ryan books did. I’m all in for that. On to the next.
This was a true thrill ride. Harvath is ruthless and loyal, too bad his country was lacking a bit in the loyalty area. The stories seem to flow from one to the next kind of like the Jack Ryan books did. I’m all in for that. On to the next.
March 23, 2008
I normally love all of Brad Thor's books--and admit that this one was just as edge-of-your-seat thrilling as his others, but I confess I was rather unhappy with how Scot behaved in this book. Granted his nearest and dearest were being tortured and killed while he tracked his attacker down, but the way he was extracting information from the terrorists was disturbing to one of my sensibilities. And my high opinion of Scot suffered as a result. I didn't like how torture was justified by only being performed on people known to have tortured and killed others. The old 'ends justify the means' and 'eye for an eye' arguments have never held much water with me, and ever since I read Howard Zinn I cannot reconcile myself any better to them. I would love to discuss this book with someone else of like mind (I'd rather not be criticized for my humane opinions), but know that there is a whole lot of bloodshed in this one. I didn't find other books by this author as revolting, however, so if you want a good thriller where the protagonist's actions are less controversial, try "Lions of Lucerne" or one of his earlier novels.
October 4, 2020
Actually 2.5 stars. Full of boilerplate compared to the first 5 in the series. What’s worse, the paragraphs there to provide background were word-for- word to those written in the earlier books they were taken from. Bad form, old man.
I would not have read 6 of these novels except that I obtained them in 2 collections of 3. Not much of an excuse, but I’m done and then some. Especially in this day, when some of the more egregious aspects of US domestic and foreign policy have been revealed, via COVID 19, these novels, which endlessly celebrate the role of the US as international terrorism cop are seriously hard to take. The concept that the ends justify the means gleefully put forward here, but only in the context of covert actions perpetrated by the US, is particularly distasteful. Of course it is fiction but it cuts awfully close to fantasist propaganda.
I would not have read 6 of these novels except that I obtained them in 2 collections of 3. Not much of an excuse, but I’m done and then some. Especially in this day, when some of the more egregious aspects of US domestic and foreign policy have been revealed, via COVID 19, these novels, which endlessly celebrate the role of the US as international terrorism cop are seriously hard to take. The concept that the ends justify the means gleefully put forward here, but only in the context of covert actions perpetrated by the US, is particularly distasteful. Of course it is fiction but it cuts awfully close to fantasist propaganda.
March 29, 2023
Book Review - The First Commandment - Brad Thor
Like many of his books, Brad Thor’s “The First Commandment� is a ‘must read.� When friends and relatives of Scot Harvath are targeted, the President orders him to stand down. Harvath does just the opposite and becomes a wanted man in the process. This is a top notch terrorist thriller from start to finish. Brad Thor did an outstanding job with The First Commandment. He draws you in with the first couple of chapters, catches your undivided attention and then never let's you go. The entire Scot Harvath series keeps you on the edge of your seat through every single book. The First Commandment was no exception. Fantastic early novel by action thriller author Brad Thor!
Like many of his books, Brad Thor’s “The First Commandment� is a ‘must read.� When friends and relatives of Scot Harvath are targeted, the President orders him to stand down. Harvath does just the opposite and becomes a wanted man in the process. This is a top notch terrorist thriller from start to finish. Brad Thor did an outstanding job with The First Commandment. He draws you in with the first couple of chapters, catches your undivided attention and then never let's you go. The entire Scot Harvath series keeps you on the edge of your seat through every single book. The First Commandment was no exception. Fantastic early novel by action thriller author Brad Thor!
August 9, 2012
This read kept me frustrated and tense for the whole ride. The ending was a relief.
August 3, 2018
Not in the top half of Brad Thor's Scot Harvath series, IMHO, but still a great way to spend a weekend.
February 21, 2023
Good stuff: fast paced spy action with the hero out in the cold.
Stuff that irked me and detracted from the story: conservative political opinion seeping in, the female characters were all victims needing saving, the head of the President’s security detail spent her weekends shopping (come on! There are so many interesting things a high powered woman might do for fun other than buy Hermes and Chanel clothes), no remorse or processing of the trauma of being in so many near-fatal incidents. Does he not bruise?
Still, for my first Brad Thor novel it was an enjoyable experience overall.
Stuff that irked me and detracted from the story: conservative political opinion seeping in, the female characters were all victims needing saving, the head of the President’s security detail spent her weekends shopping (come on! There are so many interesting things a high powered woman might do for fun other than buy Hermes and Chanel clothes), no remorse or processing of the trauma of being in so many near-fatal incidents. Does he not bruise?
Still, for my first Brad Thor novel it was an enjoyable experience overall.
August 18, 2024
Wow! Wouldn’t expect any less from Brad Thor. Every chapter picked up speed. The twists and turns felt natural while being sudden. Can’t wait to read the next book in this series!
March 14, 2025
Another page burner following the adventures of Scot Harvard as he hunts five terrorists just released from Gitmo. None stop action A great and exciting read
October 26, 2017
Read the review at my site
‘Carolyn, the president is not going to fire you. He loves you�. ‘As did, supposedly, my ex-husband who left me with said twins, a mortgage, and over twenty-five thousand in credit card debt.�
Introduction
‘The First Commandment� is written by Brad Thor. It is the sixth book in the ‘Scot Harvath� series. It is an action thriller and it stars the eponymous ‘Scot Harvath�.
The overall synopsis of the book is as follows. An old enemy from Harvath’s past starts taking down the people close to him. When Harvath tries to go after this unseen person, the US President tells him to stay off the case. This forces Harvath to go rogue.
Recommendation
‘The First Commandment� is a decent read.
It will be interesting to see how the series progresses given the rift between Scot Harvath and the US establishment. While this kind of concept has been beaten to death elsewhere, seeing it in a one dimensional series like this, is refreshing.
I still can’t get over Brad Thor’s Islamophobia and racism. I suppose the majority of Americans and westerners subscribe to his views since his books sell well.
Read the review at my site
‘Carolyn, the president is not going to fire you. He loves you�. ‘As did, supposedly, my ex-husband who left me with said twins, a mortgage, and over twenty-five thousand in credit card debt.�
Introduction
‘The First Commandment� is written by Brad Thor. It is the sixth book in the ‘Scot Harvath� series. It is an action thriller and it stars the eponymous ‘Scot Harvath�.
The overall synopsis of the book is as follows. An old enemy from Harvath’s past starts taking down the people close to him. When Harvath tries to go after this unseen person, the US President tells him to stay off the case. This forces Harvath to go rogue.
Recommendation
‘The First Commandment� is a decent read.
It will be interesting to see how the series progresses given the rift between Scot Harvath and the US establishment. While this kind of concept has been beaten to death elsewhere, seeing it in a one dimensional series like this, is refreshing.
I still can’t get over Brad Thor’s Islamophobia and racism. I suppose the majority of Americans and westerners subscribe to his views since his books sell well.
Read the review at my site
September 22, 2018
Damn, Scot Harvath becomes Vigilante/Punisher in this one, kicks more ass, and this time it's personal!
The First Commandment picks up right after the events in Takedown. Scot Harvath goes out on a personal vendetta after his new girlfriend Tracy is attacked and put in a coma by a ruthless terrorist who along with 4 other inmates, is released from Guantanamo Bay, after the President of the United States is blackmailed into releasing them. All of a sudden, the people closest to Harvath are being targeted by this sadistic assassin, who is doing it using his own version of the Ten Plagues. After the President order Harvath to back off the investigation and let the CIA deal with it, Harvath wants no part of it, he wants the killer all for himself, and he will not rest until he catches him dead or alive. But as Harvath moves closer to the truth, he realizes that he is facing an enemy from his past, who seeks vengeance against him. And while Harvath is chasing his enemy, he is being chased by his own government after disobeying the President's orders to back off!
Once again, non-stop thrills, and a fast and entertaining read!!
The First Commandment picks up right after the events in Takedown. Scot Harvath goes out on a personal vendetta after his new girlfriend Tracy is attacked and put in a coma by a ruthless terrorist who along with 4 other inmates, is released from Guantanamo Bay, after the President of the United States is blackmailed into releasing them. All of a sudden, the people closest to Harvath are being targeted by this sadistic assassin, who is doing it using his own version of the Ten Plagues. After the President order Harvath to back off the investigation and let the CIA deal with it, Harvath wants no part of it, he wants the killer all for himself, and he will not rest until he catches him dead or alive. But as Harvath moves closer to the truth, he realizes that he is facing an enemy from his past, who seeks vengeance against him. And while Harvath is chasing his enemy, he is being chased by his own government after disobeying the President's orders to back off!
Once again, non-stop thrills, and a fast and entertaining read!!
August 27, 2020
Though this was the 6th novel Brad Thor wrote in the Scot Harvath series, it was the 10th that I read � yes, I read them in no particular order, but am now filling in the blanks.
For those who have not read Scot Harvath novels, Harvath is a former U.S. Navy SEAL turned senior White House Secret Service Agent turned covert U.S. government-sponsored assassin, whose mission is to save America and Americans from the most deadly terrorists.
I've given the book 4 stars instead of 5 because it was very hard for me to digest the fact that, in the story, U.S. President Jack Rutledge gives the CIA orders to take Scot Harvath � DEAD or alive. After all, not only has Harvath successfully carried out many near impossible missions for the U.S. government in general, and President Rutledge in particular, in an earlier book, Harvath was also responsible for saving the lives of the president and his only child.
For those who have not read Scot Harvath novels, Harvath is a former U.S. Navy SEAL turned senior White House Secret Service Agent turned covert U.S. government-sponsored assassin, whose mission is to save America and Americans from the most deadly terrorists.
I've given the book 4 stars instead of 5 because it was very hard for me to digest the fact that, in the story, U.S. President Jack Rutledge gives the CIA orders to take Scot Harvath � DEAD or alive. After all, not only has Harvath successfully carried out many near impossible missions for the U.S. government in general, and President Rutledge in particular, in an earlier book, Harvath was also responsible for saving the lives of the president and his only child.
December 27, 2009
Unabridged audio.
Someone tried to kill Scot's (Scot Harvath) girlfriend, and Scot intends nothing will keep him from finding the one. This is especially true once it becomes obvious that someone (the same someone?) is going after Scot's mother, and anyone who means anything to him.
What's the biggest rub? The President of the US himself has ordered Scot to stand down and stay completely hands off this one.
That's gonna happen, right? If it did we wouldn't have a book. With both his "friend" and his enemies trying to kill him Scot has to track down who's behind this, what bigger plot is involved and in the end...save the day.
These are good books, unapologetic thrillers. This one is no exception a fast moving well ploted adventure about characters who you'll care about. (Yes bigger than life, but I assume that if you are reading this that's what you're looking for.)
Someone tried to kill Scot's (Scot Harvath) girlfriend, and Scot intends nothing will keep him from finding the one. This is especially true once it becomes obvious that someone (the same someone?) is going after Scot's mother, and anyone who means anything to him.
What's the biggest rub? The President of the US himself has ordered Scot to stand down and stay completely hands off this one.
That's gonna happen, right? If it did we wouldn't have a book. With both his "friend" and his enemies trying to kill him Scot has to track down who's behind this, what bigger plot is involved and in the end...save the day.
These are good books, unapologetic thrillers. This one is no exception a fast moving well ploted adventure about characters who you'll care about. (Yes bigger than life, but I assume that if you are reading this that's what you're looking for.)
March 29, 2017
This is the 3rd Brad Thor novel that I have read and I have enjoyed every one of them. I am impressed that the author can build so much suspense in a book. I can understand it in movies but in a book it must be more difficult. I listened to it on Audible which helps bring the story to life.
The tale is a little far-fetched....Scott Horvath against the world. In this book he has gone rogue and it appears that everyone is out to get him. Someone is targeting his loved ones and he is determined to find the culprit and put him down. There was a lot of action and some interesting twists and turns.
I noticed that some people took offense to the author's political views. I do not care about that. I read the book simply for the entertainment of it and I liked it.
If there are more Scott Horvath stories out there I will be reading them for sure.
The tale is a little far-fetched....Scott Horvath against the world. In this book he has gone rogue and it appears that everyone is out to get him. Someone is targeting his loved ones and he is determined to find the culprit and put him down. There was a lot of action and some interesting twists and turns.
I noticed that some people took offense to the author's political views. I do not care about that. I read the book simply for the entertainment of it and I liked it.
If there are more Scott Horvath stories out there I will be reading them for sure.
October 25, 2013
With an enjoyably ludicrous plot and a few memorable characters, this might qualify as a guilty pleasure if the author's neoconservative leanings didn't peek through so often. Between (and sometimes during) action sequences, our hero muses to himself that unfettered torture, surveillance and profiling are acceptable, and what's the holdup with building that fence on the US/Mexico border? One might expect a hardened super-solider like Scot Harvath (Really? Must all action heroes have onomatopoetically badass names?) to hold some of these views, but I got the sense I was listening to Mr. Thor's inner monologue as much as Harvath's.
February 12, 2017
Can't stand his radical views about Muslims. On page 317 he throws all Muslims & the French "under the bus". He states: " If these people wanted things to be exactly as they were in their countries of origin, why didn't they stay there?" I wonder if the American Indians felt this way when Europeans started pouring into the new world hundreds of years ago? Weren't they considered to be immigrants? I have another of his books on my bookshelf but I'm going to burn it.
May 7, 2008
Brad Thor is the best thriller writer out there. It takes you around the world and back, action packed into every page. You have to read this guy!
October 12, 2015
This was the most xenophobic book in the series so far, I and I am struggling whether Scott's views are character based or the authors.
The plot itself was twisting enough to be enjoyable.
The plot itself was twisting enough to be enjoyable.
November 29, 2017
A very fast paced book, from start to finish. Brings in some of the characters from his previous books.
Scot wakes up to find some one trying to kill him and trying to kill people who are very near and dear to him. He tries to find out who is the person or persons who is trying to kill his GF, his mum, his closet of friends and slowly unravels, with the help of the Troll and against a direct order from the president. He finds that Adara Nidal (Abu Nidal's daughter) had a son with an Israeli spy who grew up in France and was the executioner of the plot to kill him and his family.
Eventually Scot finds the villian and kills him, along with the Israeli spy who Masterminded the plot.
Good fast read, good stuff from Brad Thor.
Scot wakes up to find some one trying to kill him and trying to kill people who are very near and dear to him. He tries to find out who is the person or persons who is trying to kill his GF, his mum, his closet of friends and slowly unravels, with the help of the Troll and against a direct order from the president. He finds that Adara Nidal (Abu Nidal's daughter) had a son with an Israeli spy who grew up in France and was the executioner of the plot to kill him and his family.
Eventually Scot finds the villian and kills him, along with the Israeli spy who Masterminded the plot.
Good fast read, good stuff from Brad Thor.
November 16, 2018
So good that it got me in trouble - I couldn’t stop reading, much to the detriment of my “honey do� list and personal health.
It would be nice to have an instalment in this series where Scot wasn’t ousted by his own government.
It would be nice to have an instalment in this series where Scot wasn’t ousted by his own government.
January 4, 2020
A sadistic assassin, with a grudge years in the making has been released from Guantanamo Bay detention center, along with three other terrorist. How did this group come to be released? The United States president has been blackmailed!
Scott Harvath has been targeted but the assassin has taken out Scot’s girlfriend, Tracy, by mistake; and now Harvath is hot on his heels. In order to locate and take out the assassin, Harvath is forced to join ranks with the underworld figure known as the Troll.
The duo make a great team; but the discoveries made lead Scot to wonder about both the organization ans the country he has spent his life serving.
Scott Harvath has been targeted but the assassin has taken out Scot’s girlfriend, Tracy, by mistake; and now Harvath is hot on his heels. In order to locate and take out the assassin, Harvath is forced to join ranks with the underworld figure known as the Troll.
The duo make a great team; but the discoveries made lead Scot to wonder about both the organization ans the country he has spent his life serving.
December 18, 2022
I really wish they’d make more movies out of the Scot Harvath series. This book read like an action movie. I loved the unlikely partnership of Scot and the Troll. I hope he makes more appearances in subsequent books.
November 6, 2018
3.5 stars. A little bit predictable in parts and completely tired in others. News flash, the US government negotiates with terrorists all the time but not like this. No sitting President is going to turn over 5 Gitmo detainees because someone took a school bus full of kids hostage. We'd have every wack job in the world pulling that anytime they needed something. Not a believable premise if you ask me. I was hoping for more from Brad Thor...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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