The Diaries - A Gage Hartline Thriller (#1)

This book immediately sucks you into Gage Hartline’s life and struggles and revenge. It took twists that will leave you breathless and offers suspense that will keep you reading on the edge of you seat. 5 stars!

Loved his writing style and use of words. Interesting stories wound together well. I think I have read his second story as the characters seemed familiar, but other than knowing what happened to a few of the characters there was not much harm in reading them out of order. Look forward to the next installment. Thanks for showing us a glimpse into an army way of life after war.

Right out of the gate Driskell establishes himself as a gifted story teller. Reminiscent of a young Grisham, Driskell's prose immediately engages the reader and as the plot thickens, layer upon layer, a well constructed thriller emerges that holds your attention through the very last page. This "never a dull moment" page turner features a story with just the right amount twists and turns, and a well-developed protagonist whose simple morality and heroism will have you cheering silently in your easy chair. A final surprise at the end leaves you glad you read "The Diaries" and hoping Driskell has another offering on the way.

Having spent considerable time during the sixties, seventies and eighties in virtually all of the locales cited, this was accurate enough to portray significant nostalgic "ramblings." The characters are essentially credible and the story flows well. For an erstwhile "dog soldier" the book provokes remembrances of a time which is rapidly disappearing! Well worth the read.

I really enjoyed this book.A great concept with great international characters and settings. Twists and turns were good with a few unpredicted events.Look forward to reading more of this character and this author.

This was a complex thriller with engaging characters and a twisty plot. I enjoyed the book, except for one thing. I would have given it 4 stars, but for the author's constant (and often incorrect) use of the gerund form of the verb. Gerunds, used properly, indicate continuing action. However, the author might say, for example: He entered his apartment, walking across the room and sitting on the couch. Arrgh! Keep it simple. He entered the apartment, walked across the room and sat on the couch. After a while, this writing faux pas began to annoy me ever time I saw it, which was MANY times, often 2-3 times on one page. This is a shame, because the author did such a great job describing the European settings, including several cities I have visited.

Driskell has written an excellent book for espionage novel enthusiasts with The Diaries. This book keeps you guessing with every twist, absorbs you in the action, and forces you to question the sophisticated characters and their motives. As you read through the pages, you cannot help but admire Driskell's creativity and tact as a writer. I would recommend this book to anyone--that is, if you don't mind getting entranced by the end of the first chapter and unable to stop reading (like myself)!

This was a really interesting book. Hard to put down. It was a little slow going for me at first because there were so many things that are with held from the reader to add to the suspense. But I'm glad I kept reading. I definitely recommend it.

This was a really interesting book. Hard to put down. It was a little slow going for me at first because there were so many things that are with held from the reader to add to the suspense. But I'm glad I kept reading. I definitely recommend it.

Good plot nice fleshing of characters, Gage is not superman which is refreshing. Some details about special ops are not as they should be ( like the absurd selection numbers for SFAS/Q) but I can live with that Going to read the next one now

I very much enjoyed this book for several reasons. The action was crisp, the characters well developed, but most of all it was well edited. It always distracts from an otherwise good story to have misspelled words, bad punctuation, and or bad grammar. I will be getting the next one.