I received this book through NetGalley's program. The story starts with the assassination of two individuals in Maine. As a result, Jack Tate on his way in Maine for a vacation, is stopped for a speeding violation and since his rental vehicle and his appearance are similar to that seen at the murder scene, he is brought in for questioning to the police department in Camden Maine. After waiting for a while, he is interviewed where he states he is not the party involved. Eventually he is released and allowed to leave. He was planning to stay in Camden anyway so he went to the inn where he had a reservation. At the3 same time, there were two other vehicles similar to his in their parking lot. While there, there was a 3rd killing in addition to 4 other people who were just bystanders.

With assistance from the Police chief, they were able to arrest 2 individuals. Jack took one of the individuals to an airport where he hoped to be able to get the plane at the airport in Hamden which was to take the Killing team to the next location. Jack was successful, but the plane was shot down near the location where another group of terrorist were waiting. Jack survived and headed into Washington D.C. where he hoped to meet up with his foster brother. Unfortunately things would not be that easy.

To find out exactly what purpose the terrorist group had inn mind and what adventures Jack ran into in Washington, then you must read this book.

There’s a new hero on the block, in the form of MI6 agent Jack Tate, and his first outing in this new series

Jack Tate is a tough agent who
You like immediately but know he’s got a hard exterior
And the story begins....

This is a really tense and action packed start to the book , a great beginning to the new series

Jack Tate is planning on spending a month on holiday on the east coast of America…….He’s an SAS trooper who is now a member of MI6 and he’s more than ready for the break from work. He is planning to see some of the country, travelling down to Washington where he plansto spend some time with his foster brother Simon Hunter, who is an Intelligence Officer working in the British Embassy. However he wasn’t expecting to be taken into custody by the police before he ever got to his motel! It seems someone is assassinating prominent public figures . . . . and then there’s a nationwide power outage that stops anything which uses a computer processor – no modern cars, communications network, modern aircraft, power, nothing – total blackout for the country. As Jack is the only MI6 operative on the ground he sets out to discover what has happened, who is behind it and to try to stop the perpetrators from achieving their goal – whatever that may be!

This is an action packed thriller, with a strong protagonist and rollercoaster action to keep you on the edge of your seat. Imagine the panic if suddenly all computer based technology equipment, vehicles and gadgets stopped working! This story is that nightmare brought to life. Add in one of the lead perpetrators also being out for revenge and organising assassinations and you’ve got the makings of this real page turner! There’s a Metro PD Detective Jon Chang who inadvertently ends up at the centre of events and merits a mention in my review for his actions. Jack Tate is James Bond updated and this is the start of a new series featuring him and I look forward to read more about his escapades in future.

Thank you to HQ and NetGalley for my copy of this book which I voluntarily read and have honestly reviewed.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this ARC.

This is my first read by this author and I thought the premise looked interesting and my type of read. I wasn’t disappointed - although I did feel the book got off to a slow start initially and was more about setting the scene and introducing the characters. I loved the authors writing style and that the story was told through different characters. I really liked the main character, he was very believable with a good background story. When the book started to pick up pace, it became a thrilling read full of plot twists and suspense and raced to a conclusion with all loose ends nicely tied up. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and devoured it in less than 2 days - it was a cracker of a read. Hope there is a follow up 2nd book as I’d definitely want to read more to see how Jack Tate develops as a character.

British MI6 agent Jake Tate is on holiday in Maine, USA when a terrorist attack on a massive scale takes place. An Electro-Magnetic Pulse (EMP) had been detonated which destroys anything that is controlled by electronics. Being the world we live in today that is a hell of a lot of things and rendering the country to its knees.

With the country in a panic, key figures being assassinated, and violence escalating Jake’s skills are called upon as he is the only person on the ground in the US that has the knowhow to stop this attack turning into a war.

Total Blackout is an exciting, explosive thriller that had me on the edge of my seat more than once. The book moves between the bad guys and Jake and we also get to see into Jake’s past. The book opens with the blackout and then moves back in time two days.

Whilst I was gripped to the pages I was also a little disappointed that by 35% of the way through the book we still weren’t back where we started with the blackout and that apart from Jake’s few suspicions of the Russian’s staying at the same motel as him, being stopped by the police, and some assassination attacks nothing more had occurred. I was expecting this to be a full-on adventure the whole way through.

This is a tense thriller that is very modern and shows how much we actually rely on technology these days. I loved Jake’s character and the way he thought about things and acted. He had an air of James Bond to him, just not as posh!

This book is exhilarating, frightening, and far too realistic for my liking 🙂 I now can’t wait to see what is install for Jake in the future.

When former SAS trooper and member of MI6, Jack Tate decides to take a relaxing holiday to America, the last thing he imagined would be being arrested by the police before even getting to his motel. His holiday plans of seeing the sights, relaxing and unwinding are completely thrown out of the window when he finds out there’s an assassin on the loose. Jack’s thrown straight into investigating what’s going on and doing it in style.

This is a fast-paced thriller that will have your heart racing. As Jack works tirelessly to uncover the plot, an electromagnetic pulse is used to prevent the Americans and Brits from using any form of electronic communication. With Jack racing to Washington to find his brother, time is against his as the country is thrown into total blackout.

With it being a thriller, there is obviously plenty of violence involved and lots of technical information about the guns and equipment used. The deaths in the story are fairly graphic and violent so if you’re wanting to avoid that, then this isn’t one for you. There’s definitely a lot of focus on the action and it this helps maintain the pace of the book.

A thriller that will have you hooked from the start with non-stop action and a rollercoaster ride of adventure. A gripping read from start to finish, I can’t wait to see what Alex Shaw will do next…

Full of non-stop action, Total Blackout is a gripping read from start to finish.

Introducing Jack Tate, an SIS British Agent, who is on holiday in the USA and finds himself in the middle of the aftermath of a planned terrorist attack.

A great start to a new series!

Exciting full of improbable heroic feats this tale set around a terrorist attack on the U.S that removed all electrical power. An English SIS operator happens to be on holiday and comes to the rescue assisted by Washington detective. A mad Russian intent on revenge for a failed mission in Ukraine 5 years earlier is the bad guy in the story assisted by a sinister Chinese organisation it all sails violently along. Exciting irreverent stuff a good time filler!

This was my first Shaw book and I wasn't sure what to expect. I really loved the blackout idea and the potential background societal chaos. The plot is really well set up starting in small town Maine and leading to Washington shenanigans. I'm going to start this series from the beginning now. Tate is like a better rounded less clichéd Reacher which gives this series enormous promise. Lovely ludicrous escapism.

Not one I would usually choose but it’s good to try something different now and again. However this book was too graphic in its violence for me. I’m sure if action thrillers are your genre of choice then you will enjoy it though.

Total Blackout is the first instalment in the Jack Tate SAS thriller series from bestseller Alex Shaw and the series begins in style with a high-octane, heart-pounding action sequence which sets off a thrilling and multilayered plot. While vacationing in Camden, Maine, former SAS trooper Jack Tate is accused of a high profile assassination. Hours later, after another shooting, the Camden PD reluctantly realise that Tate is the wrong man. Upon finally returning to his hotel, Tate overhears a group of guests speaking Russian. They seem to be discussing a military mission, but who are they and what is the event they mention? With his suspicions rising and unable to sleep, Tate tries to call a contact—but the power goes out... China has attacked the US with an EMP bomb, but China is not the only nation-state threatening the ‘land of the free’. Cloaked by chaos, a clandestine Russian operation is underway on US soil; but what is the mission objective? And what is their leader’s secret agenda?

Uncovering this plot, Jack Tate races to Washington to find his brother; but for the former SAS trooper, turned MI6 operative, things are never easy, today things will be deadly. In Washington, one diplomat is murdered and another is missing. Investigating this, as the EMP strikes, Metro PD Detective Jon Chang finds that he alone is left to follow the trail. But can Chang defeat the demons that have cost him his family, before the death toll rises? Jack Tate and Jon Chang will be forever changed, as they fight to defy the odds in a battle they must not lose. Move over, James Bond! There's a real hero in town. He's tough, trained and superb at what he does. An extraordinarily exhilarating action thriller from word go, this is a must-read for fans of espionage and political thrillers with a complex but able protagonist who knows how to remain calm even when the reader is on the edge of their seat. Highly recommended. Many thanks to HQ Digital for an ARC.

This is my first book by Alex Shaw and it is a little belter. Jack Tate is on holiday in the USA and on his way to see his step-brother Simon, who is a diplomat for the British Embassy when he is pulled over. He soon finds himself on the wrong side of the law and being hauled off to the police station. Jack has been in worse situations so takes it all in his stride, he was a SAS operative and now works for the MI6 back in the UK. It isn’t long before his innocence checks out but his interest is peaked.

When Huge parts of the USA is plunged into darkness, with only very old forms of communication still working and modern cars drained of power he kicks into working mode. This is one hell of a fast-paced all-action thriller. Jack is smooth, handsome and top class at what he does. He feels that there is more to a terrorist group just messing with technology.

Alex Shaw throws everything into this book, While the police department, headed by Jon Chang, investigate a couple of assassinations, Jack Tate heads down the road of tracking down the terrorists. It isn’t long before the two entwine. Both Chang and Tate are masters at what they do. Tate though has the edge of taking out the enemy then ask questions if anyone is still left standing. It is gritty and bloody but sends a message.

The action increased along with my great expectations for a memorable ending which Shaw serves up in style. Just magnificent!

I wish to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.

An exciting, and sometimes scary story. It is frightening to think that with modern technology an event like this could actually happen. The mistake the enemy makes is to try and avenge old lost battles, because it gives the others that extra little bit of time they need.

Jack Tate is on a much-needed holiday. He has flown to America and rented a car for a month. It is pretty huge as the rental company had run out of smaller vehicles, he has a huge black Tahoe SUV. He is planning to see some sights, and end up in Washington to spend some time with his foster-brother Simon Hunter, who works at the British Embassy. He begins his sightseeing in Camden, Maine, to see how it differs from Camden, London, where he was brought up; and gets pulled up by the police, ostensibly for speeding. But something is up, the policemen handcuff him and take him to the police station but they do not read him his rights. It turns out there has been a murder and a car similar to his seen close by. He is interviewed by the Chief of Police who eventually realises that he is (or was) SAS, and could be of some use to his investigation. Very early the next morning terrorists flying over Washington DC release as Electro Magnetic Pulse bomb (EMP) which took out almost every electronic article in the whole of America plus parts of Canada and Mexico. Most modern cars, tills, hospital equipment, kitchen equipment, alarms, phone systems, nothing works.

And so begins an excellent thriller. Jack initially assists Chief Donoghue with searching for the killer, who has struck again; then again. He eventually hears that Simon is missing, presumed kidnapped; so he sets off for Washington, using various forms of transport, some very old and some modified by the terrorists. He captures one of the terrorists, who is not a killer, and he is more than happy to tell Jack what he knows, which isn’t actually very much about the terrorists and why they are killing seemingly random people. Jack is lucky to find a single policeman, Chang, who helps him in the final battle at a quiet airport where the terrorists are meeting back up from their various missions, to return home. His support provides Jack with a few elements of surprise, and gains him a valuable few seconds of time to rescue Simon and deal with the bd guys.

As one would expect there is quite a lot of brutality involved, but also some chivalric behaviour - even terrorists who are paid for their services have lines they will not cross! The plot is well thought through, and a real page-turner. I will be very happy to read more by this author.

A good thriller that keeps you intrigued all the way through. Jack Tate is in Camden, USA, on his way to visit his brother when he is pulled over by the police as a suspect in recent assassinations. Once everything is cleared up, he becomes a vital asset to the local police as he is an MI6 agent and a former SAS agent. A terror attack is planned on the USA unlike any other using electromagnetic pulses. This is alongside a number of prominent assassinations.
The book is fast moving and thrilling and makes you want to keep reading, It is a good story with plenty of twists and convincing characters..

A one word summary would be "disappointing". I decided to read this book because the plot sounded better than average but for me it turned out to be underwhelming.

I read this book in one sitting, finishing at 01:00, and went straight to sleep as there was no adrenaline buzz to keep me awake.

The whole story is based around an EMP and the little that I know tells me that EMPs have adverse effects on electronics. This is used in the book to wipe out anything on the ground that uses modern electronics but neglects completely the effect that it would have on anything in the air, like airplanes of all sorts. None of them fall out of the sky which is more than a little odd as over the US at any time there are 1,000s of airplanes. Also, when the US wakes up to discover what has happened, there is no panic, no sense of doom. It all seems like another day, just without anything that uses modern electronics; looting almost non-existent and virtually no one on the streets!

Sorry, my willing suspension of disbelief failed when that EMP went off.

A sincere thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for providing me with an ebook copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is not my usual genre,  however I wanted to take the opportunity to read something from outside my norm. And I am glad I did!! Thank you for  opening up my mind to something totally different. Characters were so well developed that I felt as though I knew them. I love when a book draws you into the story and it feels like you are living it with them.

Total Blackout by Alex Shaw should have been a packed thriller with non stop action however it started too slowly and seemed to take a while to get into its stride.

There were also a very large cast of characters which mean that I felt that the book didn't flow very well at times.

On the positive side there was some action especially in the second part of the book which may bode well for any next book in the series

I'm disappointed to say that this just didn't do it for me - it's fast-paced and full of "boy's-own" type adventures, daring deeds and heroics from the good guys who seem impervious to shoot-outs but it was all a bit ho-hum I felt.

An interesting premise but no real sense of place or time and when finally the prime motivation of the baddie is revealed it all seemed a tad unlikely.

I feel that it's one of those book that can be classed as "if you like this sort of book, you'll like this book".

Nonetheless I can see it being popular and well received.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

This was a roller coaster ride from the first page to the last. Amazing storyline, great characters and non stop action. I enjoyed every hour it took to read and now feel bereft. Fantastic Book!

For me personally, this thriller took a little while to get into. The start seemed slow, jumpy, and a bit confusing due to the amount of information given in the first couple of chapters. It took me a little while to warm to Jack Tate, but, by about a third of the way through I did find him very lovable, and enjoyed his development throughout the story.

I also really liked the plot of this book. It's very interesting (although complex), and, due to the story being fast-paced, the book drives itself along. I liked the writing, I think it was appropriate for the story, and was the right amount of descriptive for the duration of the book.

I will say that I think there are too many characters in this, especially as some are introduced anonymously at first meet, and then reintroduced properly later in the story. This made some of the scenes very hard for me to follow, and I had to stop and remind myself of who people were before I could continue.

The violence and deaths that happen throughout (and there is a lot) are graphic and descriptive, so it might be one to avoid if you don't like that sort of thing! It really is a brutally illustrative violent thriller, and that definitely put me off in some places - it often felt like the focus was on the action and not on the plot line, sometimes at the detriment of exploring the latter in more detail.

Overall a solid thriller, but not one that blew me away. Conversations often felt a little stilted, and what I imagine is suppose to be a big twist, I saw coming a mile away. If you like more graphic/violent thrillers (as mentioned above), this could be a good choice for you!