Pernicious Pursuit

Reviewed By Debjani Ghosh for Readers’ Favorite

After spilling the beans against the criminal outfit The Organization, for whom he used to previously work, Howard Knight is under the FBI’s witness protection. However, The Organization’s reach is far and wide. It does not take long to find his hiding spot in the Netherlands from where goons kidnap him.

His lover and partner-in-crime, Janet Weissel, barely escapes. As Janet tries to chart her future course of action, Howard, meanwhile, is doing everything to stay alive—barely. Will he survive The Organization’s brutal torture, or will he be another nameless victim of this nefarious criminal outfit? Read Pernicious Pursuit by Gary D. McGugan to find out.

McGugan’s Pernicious Pursuit is an action-packed, thrilling tale of survival where the odds are stacked against the bad guy with a good heart. The Organization’s boss is as ruthless and dangerous as Wilson Fisk, the crime lord in Marvel’s Daredevil. With its vast resources—goons, thugs, and top-level government employees on its payroll—it takes every iota of cunning Howard possesses to stay a step ahead of his captors.

The cat-and-mouse chase throughout the book, coupled with short chapters, maintains the breakneck momentum of the narrative. McGugan provides detailed descriptions of the working of the criminal activities; however, this is not an information dump and does not slow the action. These thorough descriptions, rather, provide an insight into the workings of a criminal mind and a deep-rooted, worldwide nefarious organization.

Against the backdrop of such a formidable organization out to grab Howard, I was rooting for him throughout. I was curious how he would thwart the combined attempts of the police and the said outfit. Let’s just say, Howard did pick up a few important survival skills during his employment with The Organization. Further, there are some bad-ass female characters hogging considerable limelight, rather than being relegated to stereotypical, secondary characters as in typical spy thrillers.

The third person POV of every major player in the story kept me in the loop of who was planning what. McGugan’s fluid writing results in an engaging, smoothly flowing story, and unlike many thrillers (spy or not), I did not have to suspend my disbelief even for a bit.

The explosive climax acted as a cherry on top. I recommend Pernicious Pursuit by Gary D. McGugan to lovers of action and adventure as well as thrillers. However, there is a brutal yet realistic description of human trafficking, hence, proceed with caution.