Instinct (A Jack Sigler Thriller Book 2)

Since childhood I have been fascinated with unknown creatures. Therefore, when The History Channel came out with its series MonsterQuest I was riveted and became an instant fan. Still holding fast to the last vestiges of childhood, I am also an avid gamer, with the Call of Duty series being one of my favorites. Jeremy Robinson clearly has similar interests, and in this novel blended both to create a fascinating story that entertains, and at times disgusts, readers while adding character depth to the Chess Team.

One of the things I enjoy about reading Robinson's novels is that I almost always learn something. In this case the MonsterQuest series led me draw some early conclusions about the creatures the Chess Team was battling, all of which were wrong. Oddly, about two months after reading the novel there was another show, including some MonsterQuest scientists, that discussed some of the very beasts Robinson described. He was ahead of program, following cutting-edge theories to create a scenario that nearly bested the Chess Team.

Robinson's ability to provide vivid descriptions that allow readers to visualize the events as if watching them on screen is one of his greatest strengths. Additionally, while the dialogue remains genuine and, when appropriate crass, he continues to keep the vocabulary fresh and intelligent. The action sequences, historical references, and descriptive language make this novel a must read for all Jeremy Robinson fans.

Really enjoyed this second novel in the Chess Team series. Recently finished rereading all 8 of them and thoroughly loved each one. Easy reading with riveting plots and great characters. Some really fantastic monsters/creatures are encountered by this militaristic group. You won't regret settling in with the Chess Team.

What a Happy Friday! Just finished reading pages of pure and delightful imagination. Instinct is about the primal nature of our historical roots. Once more, the ethical implications are evident and when you put yourself above others, humanity may suffer their worst moments in time. Fortunately, courageous people are often ready to show that our real evolution is revolution. Like Jesus in the Cross, suffering and death might be simply an open door to evolutionary novelty that revolutionizes our life. Much like the imagination in this book. Curious? Good. Now, read it.

Jeremy Robinson hammered for years at the doors of publication and widespread acceptance. His earlier books and e-versions intrigued readers, but his recent Chess Team books have gained more attention with the help of St. Martin's Press. While playing with the genres of Douglas Preston and Michael Crichton, paying homage (even if a bit derivative at times), he dishes up stories that are fun, fast-paced, and--considering their video-game, Bruckheimer-movie style--better researched than one might expect.

"Instinct" is the second of the Chess Team Adventures, though it can stand on its own. This explosive, highly trained Delta team consists of operatives codenamed King, Queen, Rook, Bishop, and Knight. They are the elite, the ones called in to handle extreme situations. And, yes, Robinson puts them in some wild scenarios once again.

In his previous book, "Pulse," the team faced off with the mythical Hydra, while dealing with genetic tinkering gone terribly wrong. In "Instinct," the team is dropped into the jungles of Vietnam where evolutionary mutations and political intrigue revolve around the sudden spread of the Brugada syndrome, a deadly plague that could wipe out mankind. The United States has already fallen victim to the plague, revived but still susceptible, and millions more are in the sights. The action is fast, furious, raw, sometimes raunchy, and Robinson has as much fun putting this together as we have reading his roller-coaster tale.

There are some speed bumps along the way. The team, for example, wears wristwatches that show three different colors, gauging the level of Brugada's outbreak. It's a silly, comic-bookish attempt at ratcheting suspense. I also had questions about a plague that passes through a sneeze, is cured through blood, and is actually an STD. Halfway through the book, I started noticing some similarities to Crichton's "Congo" (one of my favorites as a teen), and then discovered that one of the creatures was named Lucy (also from "Congo"). I was unsure if this was an intentional nod, but Robinson takes the same type imagination of Crichton and melds it with military action adventure. Any reader wanting a fun, over-the-top adventure will feel rewarded by the author's attention to details regarding weaponry and locales. He also serves up a surprise regarding the Chess Team's anonymous overseer, known only as Deep Blue.

If you like James Rollins and Lincoln Child, and if you miss the stories of Crichton, you may find a new favorite in Jeremy Robinson. His writing improves with each book, and his imagination is unbridled.

Instinct by Jeremy Robinson

This is the first of the Chess Team books I have read. A weaponized virus threatens the world. The Chess Team is sent in to discover a cure. This Chess Team is substantially different than the one you had in high school. Monsters, mental illness, mysteries and politics characterize the story.

To say this was a rousing adventure is to truly understate the velocity that surrounds this story. Fast paced action threatens to overwhelm you page to page. I felt the characters needed more background but that may have been provided in the first book of the series. I intend to get that book as I really enjoyed this book. The plot was fantastic as was the setting. I'm not sure how to classify this book. It is speculative but not grossly far fetched. Coonts and Cussler come to mind when I try to think of comparable stories.

I recommend the book.

How can things get worse for the Chess Team after Pulse (Chess Team's first installment)?

How about Richard Ridley (founder of Manifold Genetics), Vietnamese Special Forces, a lethal disease (Brugada Syndrome), and an army of "primitive" combatants? .......That's how!!!

Jack Sigler must guide his team and a CDC detective through enemy ground to stop this horribly toxic disease from spreading even farther.

Another must read!!!

I have enjoyed Jeremy Robinson's books as interesting takes on, to me, familiar themes and while the Chess Team did not catch me the same way as, say, Rollins or Berry, it was enough to make me look forward to the next story. Unfortunately, Instinct has made me put down Robinson and I will not purchase another book from this author because of his bias slipping through to his story. He attacks FOX news twice, once with the president telling his men to visit them with guns to convince them to stop their coverage. The author has attempted to defend his writing in a response to these reviews, but I cannot bring myself to believe him as, while I can understand an author creating a character that has opposing/different bias', a biased shot in the body of the story is from the author, not the character.
Also, the theme behind the story, a relict population of neanderthals living in a remote mountainous area of Asia has already been done in the much better stories by Philip Kerr (Esau) and John Darnton (Neanderthal).

Mr. Robinson started this series with Pulse, and I hope this book is not going to be the last, which I somehow feel strongly it isn't. The characters are amazing, and this book delves further into the background of the leader, King. I don't feel this was as fast-paced as Pulse, but it is not any less of an adventure. Instinct has everything you ask for in a thriller. Death around every corner, world wide pandemic, and non-stop action. The Chess group also shows some vulnerability and it makes it more believable knowing they are not entirely invincible, except of course for Bishop, but you'll have to read Pulse to find out why on that one. Definitely worth reading if you want to just sit back and enjoy the ride.

I got hooked onto Jeremy Robinson when I first read Antarktos Rising. It was an excellent book and I knew then and there that this is my type of author. His Instinct is the second in the Chess Team books. The way he intricately set the story and then kept the suspense going until the very end is just masterful. The action was blazing fast. The good thing about Robinson is that whatever he writes is easy to imagine. As soon as he started describing the Hybrids and the Mothers, the first thing that comes to mind is Apes. But then as you delve further into the description a clearer picture comes into view on what they may look like. I am now reading Beneath, and once again it is amazing how easily all the detail is conveyed about a moon that is not ours.

Spoiler Alert:

Humans had sex with now-extinct relatives
[...]

This article was just posted today and has direct relevance to the story line of Instinct

Seriously, are most of these reviewers paid? Writing is clunky, to be kind. Ideas are promising, though, so I tried hard to wade through. Right up until the paragraph describing the case of smallpox virus as emitting "steam." Not much point in stealing it for safety's sake if in fact the virus was stored under those hot conditions--surely it is sterilized by now. Perhaps the author meant that it was cooled...I shan't know, since I tossed the book and sped here to warn others.

Seriously, are most of these reviewers paid? Writing is clunky, to be kind. Ideas are promising, though, so I tried hard to wade through. Right up until the paragraph describing the case of smallpox virus as emitting "steam." Not much point in stealing it for safety's sake if in fact the virus was stored under those hot conditions--surely it is sterilized by now. Perhaps the author meant that it was cooled...I shan't know, since I tossed the book and sped here to warn others.