I discovered this author a few months back. I have historically been a big Tom Clancy fan, but kind of gave up on the Jack Ryan series when the ghostwriting started as the quality took a nosedive. For whatever reason I ran out of stuff to read on Libby and came across one of the newer Jack Ryan books written by Cameron and decided to give it a try. And it didn't suck! The first one I read was a cold war Jack Ryan novel that was set in Berlin, and then there was another one that has John Clark hunting down pimps in a sorta throwback to Without Remorse. It's not genuine Clancy, but its close enough to be entertaining.

Having started down the rabbit trail, I discovered that Cameron has a different series of his own that follows a US Marshall named Arliss Cutter in Alaska. We visited AK this summer and we're looking at going back next year, so it peaked my interest and I gave it a try. A month in and I've already read all 5 novels in the series and now I have to wait for him to finish the sixth.

The guy writes in a similar manner to Clancy, with attention to technical detail. He has solid gun info, and you can tell he's explored his setting personally. The way he portrays "cop culture" is pretty accurate, and while the events and exploits of the characters are obviously a bit extreme for entertainment purposes, his character development is through and realistic. If you're bored this winter and looking for an entertaining read in that genre, give him a shot.

Agreed. i have read the series and the writing is definitely a cut above most of the many action/adventure series out there. Another big aspect is that the books are mostly set in Alaska and offer interesting insights into what it is like to live there, which is pretty different from the lower 48, or at least that's how it seems to me never having even visited. Recommended.

quote:

Originally posted by kho:
Agreed. i have read the series and the writing is definitely a cut above most of the many action/adventure series out there. Another big aspect is that the books are mostly set in Alaska and offer interesting insights into what it is like to live there, which is pretty different from the lower 48, or at least that's how it seems to me never having even visited. Recommended.

Yeah we were only there for two weeks, but actually visited some of the places mentioned in the books and the descriptions were accurate, which was pretty cool.

Marc Cameron is my absolute favorite “action thriller” author. I have not been disappointed with anything of his I’ve read.

I have generally been very impressed with the books by Steven Hunter, but The Bullet Garden was pathetic. I can almost believe it was deliberately written as a parody of works by others in the genre.

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Originally posted by sigfreund:
Marc Cameron is my absolute favorite “action thriller” author. I have not been disappointed with anything of his I’ve read.

Which series by Cameron is your favorite, Jericho Quinn, Arliss Cutter or Jack Ryan?

I'm not Sigfreund, but I preferred the Cutter series. A lot of that is probably due to my having read Clancy for years, so I was already familiar with the originals and it's a lot to expect a new author to step in and replicate that, especially using someone else's characters and style. I feel like Cameron did a great job with it despite those challenges, but the Cutter series felt even more organic as it's entirely his own creation.

I, too, like the Cutter books the best.
Like science fiction, the genre requires “the willing suspension of disbelief” to enjoy, but based on my own time in Alaska and (later) in law enforcement, they resonate more closely with me than the others. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy the rest, but they require a bit more “Yeah, okay .” The Jack Ryan are my least favorite, but I still avidly read them, and was very happy to discover that Cameron had been picked for some of the follow up. One or two of the earlier ghosted works were simply horrible.

I just finished Open Carry, book 1 of the Arliss Cutter series.

It was very good. Thanks for the recommendation.