The Contractors by Harry Hunsicker: Book Review

A big thank you to TLC Book Tours for providing me with an electronic copy of this book and for inviting me to be a host on this tour.

ContractorsFiction
Released February, 2014
514 Pages
Bottom Line: Skip it.
Link to this book on Amazon

Plot Summary of The Contractors:

When Texas DEA contractor Jon Cantrell and his partner, Piper, attempt the largest drug bust of their careers, they meet up with Eva Ramiraz, the star witness of a drug cartel trial, and try to deliver her safely to the US Attorney.

My Thoughts on The Contractors:

The Contractors is about the shadowy world of government contractors and their multiple allegiances. Most of the contractors in this book are ex-law enforcement, and their ability to operate “off the books” while relying on government credentials for legitimacy gives them astronomical power. I love Nelson DeMille (who writes government and terrorism thrillers) and Hunsicker’s premise sounded similar to Demille, which is why I agreed to review this book.

Unfortunately, I could never seem to get into The Contractors. It felt like it went on forever (I didn’t realize going into it that it was 500 pages) and that is definitely not how a good thriller should feel. I’ve been trying to figure out how to describe why it didn’t speak to me. And, the best way I can put it is that it’s just random…in the sense that bizarre things kept happening that were ancillary to the story.

Strange characters appeared out of nowhere, caused a huge disturbance, and then vanished…never to be mentioned again. Central characters did things that made no sense, and no explanation ever cleared it up for me (for those that have read the book, Eva attacking “Goth Girl” in the gas station bathroom is an example of this). And, just plain “off the reservation” things happened that never fit organically into the story (ex: the appearance of Sadie) – even after I knew the ending. All these things just left me puzzled – and I questioned why Hunsicker chose to include them…and what exactly they were supposed to add.

It made me think of Top Chef (or any cooking competition show) when the judges dock contestants for adding elements that don’t fit well into the overall dish just for the sake of adding something. 

I also never had a clear sense of what Jon and Piper were truly after…it just seemed like a bunch of crooked contractors and cartel personnel double crossing each other without much purpose. A police scanner that Jon and Piper acquire in the drug bust at the beginning of the book is what started the entire caper. Every party to the story wants this scanner, but I still have no idea why. 

Unfortunately, The Contractors did not live up to expectations for me, but may appeal to die hard fans of thrillers.

TLC Book Tours



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3 Comments

  1. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this book for the tour.

    Posted 2.21.14 Reply
    • admin wrote:

      Thank you for giving me the opportunity.

      Posted 2.22.14 Reply

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