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Peter Savage #3

Deadly Savage

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When militants invade the Belarusian State University in Minsk, Peter and his father are caught in the crossfire. Held hostage by gunmen who look suspiciously like Russian soldiers, Peter Savage uncovers a deadly plot to kill thousands of innocent civilians-and lay the blame at the feet of the United States government. In a desperate attempt to avoid a global war, Commander James Nicolaou and Peter are called to the front lines of the sinister campaign, and the stakes have never been higher.

340 pages, Paperback

Published May 3, 2016

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About the author

Dave Edlund

15 books110 followers
Dave Edlund, is the USA TODAY best selling author of the high-octane, award-winning Peter Savage novels. His latest, Judgment at Alcatraz, is available April 27 from your favorite bookseller.

Advance praise for Lethal Savage

“Brimming with reality, intensity, and passion, Dave Edlund turns the ordinary into extraordinary. A rousing tale." ─ Steve Berry, New York Times and #1 International bestselling author of more than 15 novels

"Lethal Savage is a wondrously effective, ticking clock bio-thriller in the best tradition of Doug Preston and James Rollins. Dave Edlund's latest tale to feature his stalwart Peter Savage features the ultimate high-stakes plot to either destroy America or change it forever. Lethal Savage never lets up or lets us down, while making masterful use of both contemporary geopolitics and cutting-edge technology. A tour de force in all respects!" ─ Jon Land, USA TODAY bestselling author of the Murder, She Wrote series and Caitlin Strong series

“Edlund’s lean prose and whip-smart dialogue propel readers through this frighteningly realistic thriller at a breathtaking pace." ─ K. J. Howe, international bestselling author of SKYJACK

"I would follow Peter Savage into any firefight," says James Rollins, New York Times bestseller of The Demon Crown.

A member of the International Thriller Writers, Dave’s action-political thrillers are often compared to the Dirk Pitt novels by Clive Cussler, the Sigma Series novels by James Rollins, the Jack Ryan novels by Tom Clancy, and the international thrillers of Steve Berry.

When Dave isn’t cooking up the latest adventure for Peter Savage, readers can find him working as a leading expert in hydrogen energy. He is an inventor on 90 US Patents and more than 120 foreign patents. He has published in excess of 100 technical articles and presentations and has been an invited author of several technical books on alternative energy. Dave is a graduate of the University of Oregon with a doctoral degree in chemistry.

An avid outdoorsman and shooter, he’s hunted throughout North America for big game ranging from wild boar to moose to bear. Edlund is a long-time resident of Bend, Oregon, where he lives with his wife, son, and four dogs.

Read more about the Peter Savage novels.

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5 stars
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20 (33%)
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14 (23%)
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
Profile Image for Sean Peters.
735 reviews118 followers
July 14, 2016
Firstly a huge thank you to Dave Edlund for sending me his third book in the Peter Savage series.

Secondly again thanks for Dave for being a loyal member of my group "A Good Thriller" on goodreads.com.

Thirdly, thanks for spending July to join in with your book "Crossing Savage" with out Read a long for July, answering questions.

I did enjoy the book, give the book 3.5 to a 4 review, slightly less for this book than the previous two, why mainly due to high amounts of scientific, chemistry, technical wording in between the usual great action parts of the book. I do fully understand the reason behind the technical and chemistry parts of the story and how important they are to the story, but felt it impacted to the action parts.

While visiting his scientist father in Belarus, a military gun designer stumbles into a deadly international plot.

Oregon-based Peter Savage, head of EJ Enterprises, which designs and manufactures magnetic-impulse pistols, reads with interest reports of Russian militia activity in Latvia. Nearby in Sacramento, his close friend Jim Nicolaou, a former Navy SEAL, learns of a suspicious rash of childhood deaths in the same region. Savage visits his father, Ian, a chemistry professor spending a sabbatical year at Belarussian State University in Minsk doing research. Savage is welcomed by expansive local professor Dmitri Kaspar. The reunion is spoiled, however, by the arrival Russian soldiers armed with AK-74s who take the group prisoner. While Savage tries to put together a MacGyver-like escape, Nicolaou is monitoring the unrest in the region from his California vantage. Secret intelligence indicates that the Russians are amassing missiles, and that can’t be good. Savage and company successfully escape only to hear a series of explosions nearby. It’s a rescue team, sent by Nicoloau. Civilian hostages remain; Savage takes a key role in the rescue. Meanwhile, in Washington, the president is being briefed on another threat, of chemical warfare in Europe via an insidious virus. And the virus, it seems, is set to be released by a machine right there in Belarus. Peter, with his colleagues, sets out to implement a plan to disable it.

As always great characters, especially as we get to know Peter Savage more, and his dad Ian and of course Jim Nicolaou and his whole team.

Kept at a good pace, to action packed gripping and thrilling conclusion.

I admire the author so much for his great knowledge in the chemistry aspects, and always look forward to the next book.
5,576 reviews63 followers
June 13, 2020
In this third Peter Savage adventure, he travels to the Baltic country of Belarus, just in time for a Russian false flag operation.

It quickly becomes Die Hard in a foreign university, as Savage and company play hide and seek and kill with a Russian paramilitary group. The Russians have an ulterior motive of spreading a hideous bio-weapon, and blaming America. Peter has to stop them.

Pretty exciting.
Read
February 28, 2016
Dave Edlund’s latest novel, Deadly Savage, his third in the Peter Savage series, is a wild ride front to back. I’ve read all three and this one is the most action packed. It again links Peter Savage with his old friend and active-duty special ops pro, Commander James Nicolaou. This time they are in Belarus, where they are forced into vicious battle with Russian soldiers to prevent the release of a weaponized smallpox virus. As with Edlund’s previous two Peter Savage novels, this story is made credible in part by the science behind much the plot and the unfolding drama. The book’s detailed battle scenes are impressive. In particular the air battle, which gives you a hint of the speed at which decisions and consequences play out as jets fire and evade missiles and crew members choose and then deploy weapons at a stunning pace. Edlund has clearly done his research on military tactics and weapons. You cannot read the book without gaining a heightened appreciation for the complexity of modern warfare and the skills needed to fight it.

The ground combat scenes are equally striking, though the proximity of opposing combatants makes these scenes more graphic and can leave you stunned by the brutality of close-quarter combat.

Edlund’s literary trademark is not just the depiction of fast-paced action sequences, of which Deadly Savage has an abundance, but also in creating stories that display the dual nature of technology, that show how science can serve both the best and the worst aims of human beings. In Deadly Savage, we see how the eradication of smallpox, one of the great medical feats of the last century, might lead to a terrible vulnerability as the need for widespread vaccinations disappears. It’s not implausible to thing that some will see in that vulnerability a possible opportunity that might one day be exploited. Edlund’s skill in subtly reminding readers of the moral dimensions of technology, even those we assume are entirely beneficial, is a wonderful attribute of the book.

Deadly Savage is a great read, tense and unnerving, both as a work of fiction and as food for thought.
Profile Image for Todd Simpson.
776 reviews33 followers
April 18, 2016
Simply Brilliant. There is so much to like about this book. I’m always happy to come across a new Author that can capture my attention like Dave Edlund has. There is always something fascinating and generally frightening reading about a disease like smallpox, and It’s potential to be used as a bio weapon. For most of us it could be quite realistic that a scientist can achieve this in a lab, and the Author has done a great job in bringing this to life. Peter Savage and his father find themselves caught in the University, after militant’s storm in and take over. However, they are in luck when Captain Diaz and his men enter the fray. There is plenty of action, and the story moves along at a good pace. I really enjoyed everything about this book, and I was entertained from start to finish. It’s definitely worth a read.
Profile Image for Gary Stout.
Author 12 books1 follower
December 10, 2015
Peter Savage has been known to ramp up the adrenaline when necessary to protect his family when situations around him get out of control, and in Deadly Savage, the third installment in the popular Peter Savage series, Author Dave Edlund delivers the level of excitement readers have come to expect. When Savage and his father visit a foreign university, a vintage cold war struggle heats up and Savage soon finds himself outnumbered, outflanked, and out of time. With inventor ingenuity, Savage must seek and destroy a bio-warfare device before it unleashes an airborne death capable of pulling the US into a nuclear conflict. Deadly Savage will leave you breathless, and worried, because it just might happen.
1,005 reviews1 follower
August 5, 2016
Deadly Savage by Dave Edlund is third book in the Peter Savage series. It is a thriller with military and science that seems realistic. It deals with a bio-terror using small pox. It has the Russians and satellite countries of both sides involved. It reminds me of a Tom Clancy novel with a little bit of Michale Crichton novel thrown in.It could be the news headlines. It is fast paced and keeps you wanting to know what is going to happen next. This is a author and series that I look forward to reading. IF you like action,adventure and mystery, you will enjoy Deadly Savage.

I received a copy thru a Goodreads Giveaway.

Profile Image for Stephen Martino.
Author 7 books99 followers
July 26, 2016
This is clearly Edlund's most outstanding work to date. Plus, his understanding of both military tactics and weaponry creates an air of realism that that puts his writing on par with Tom Clancy. Edlund takes the reader on a fast paced adventure that could very occur at any time in the near future. With increased Russian aggression, I fear his fictional creation could quickly turn non-fiction pending Putin's next move on the worldwide chess board. If you enjoy military fiction that could be ripped directly out of the headlines, I highly recommend Edlund's latest novel, DEADLY SAVAGE.
Profile Image for Robert Williscroft.
Author 29 books78 followers
January 24, 2017
Every once in a while a book passes through my hands that falls into the category of “this is one of the best books I have read in this genre.” Deadly Savage by Dave Edlund is one of these books. I was gripped by the story, by the plot, by the telling, and by Edlund’s skill in painting an authentic backdrop.

My personal experience gives me the credentials to verify the authenticity of Edlund’s special ops warriors. These guys come alive in Deadly Savage with convincing realism. My experience also gives me the chops to verify Edlund’s portrayal of the inner workings of the highest levels of government. He got it absolutely right!

Edlund did his homework regarding America’s airborne weapons and their associated tactics, in the tradition of Tom Clancy. Ditto for the weapons used by his spec ops guys and those of the other side. You won’t find any technical faux pas here. He may have missed some of the more colorful language that I know these warriors use under fire, but such language probably would have turned off some of his readers – no harm, no foul.

Edlund took the time to develop the personalities of his main characters so that the reader really gets to know them. This is difficult to do in the midst of relating a firefight, but he pulls it off. He even gives the reader some insight into some of the lesser characters. Thank you for that.

Edlund ends his story with a bang that he doesn’t forecast. Don’t skim the last few pages or you will miss it. Finally, he finishes with a note to his readers. I strongly recommend that you DO NOT read this note until after you have finished the book. But DO read it!
Profile Image for LAWonder10.
954 reviews738 followers
May 8, 2017
Although Deadly Savage is a part of a series, it can easily be read as a "stand alone" without the reader feeling "lost". (However, as with any book, it would be more meaningful to have read the others as well.)
The story begins with a sense of melancholy but soon a family visit turns into continual heartfelt action-packed experience. Peter Savage, his two children, and a close friend decides to mix business with pleasure when they go to the small country of  where Peter's father is on a sabbatical doing research. Their trip barely begins when an unexpected series of events threaten their very lives. Thousands of lives - perhaps even billions- lie in the success of a few people. Russia is trying to cast blame on the U.S. Will this devastation succeed in turning world powers against the U.S.? A top secret that is deadly must be kept "under wraps". This "cat and mouse" game of government powers is a no win situation.
The characters are developed in a way they feel very real to the reader. The intense situations are described well without going into unnecessary gruesome detail. The background scenes are easily visualized, This Book Cover and "catchy" Title were chosen well in depicting the main focus of the story. The ending was strong and summarized the plot well.
*The book offers tribute to the military forces and the senseless sacrifice of many lives because of the power-hungry greed of a few.  War is so devastating and many innocent lives are lost. Many military individuals are sacrificed in order to delay the continuing deviance of the before mentioned individuals , who continue to devise more cruel, inhumane ways of destroying life. God never authored any of this...mankind does. When He tries to eliminate it, He is cursed by so many. When He allows it for a period of time, He is cursed by many. When is human nature going to stop blaming God or other forces and place blame where it lies and that is on greedy, selfish, power-hungry, evil mankind.
**This book was gifted to me but I was not asked to give a positive review. This is my honest review,
Profile Image for Craig.
345 reviews
May 1, 2018
I would give this story 3 1/2 stars. For the most part I really enjoyed the story. The pace was relentless and I found it really difficult to put it down. However, towards the end there was what I considered a plot hole. The author stated in the story that a certain character was not lying about having no idea where a second device was, yet later in the story he has another character insinuate that when the original character said "time is not on your side" gave away where the device was. He also had a character state that this statement made no sense otherwise. First, it actually makes perfect sense if you take it as meaning there is no time left for them to disarm the second device. Perhaps the person thought the 'good guys' could not get to the other device before it activated. To me this detracted a lot from the story.

I also could not understand why the main 'bad guy' had to wait until the hero was right there before activating the device. He knew they were assaulting the building, why didn't he just activate it then? To me this was just a poor plot device to set tension.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
859 reviews
November 12, 2019
I just like this character. The fight scenes in this were 1) brutal and 2) hard for me to follow. The planes and bombs were too detailed for me to remember what was going on as they all sound the same to me. Overall, a very fun story though
24 reviews
July 1, 2018
Struggled with this one, others are great.
Profile Image for Anthony Kizer.
116 reviews1 follower
April 19, 2017
Another great installment for the franchise asking some serious questions that we all should be asking ourselves. There was a lot of action packed in this story that was well developed. The characters continue to grow and evolve, also with very interesting scientific knowledge parsed throughout the story. Very interesting story line that I don't really think about to often, but asks very good questions. Will Be reading the next book soon.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews

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