Chris Ryan Extreme: Hard Target

Faster, Grittier, Darker, Deadlier

By: Chris Ryan

Narrated by: Josh Cohen

The first book in the Chris Ryan Extreme series. Former SAS Warrant Officer Joe Gardner has fought the Regiment's deadliest enemies, in some of the most desolate places on earth. And he's always won. Now he's about to face his toughest challenge yet.

After losing his hand whilst on a covert operation in Afghanistan, Gardner is forced to stand down from active duty. Now he lives off the grid. But trouble finds him in the shape of a phone call from an old friend. Ex-Regiment legend John Bald is trapped in a bullet-ridden favela in Rio de Janeiro and a violent gang is out to kill him. Unless Gardner helps, Bald is a dead man.

What begins as a simple rescue mission soon descends into a desperate struggle for survival as Gardner finds himself caught up in a conceit that stretches from the slums of Brazil to the frozen steppes of Siberia. Stalked by elusive MI6 agents and ruthless ex-Blades, Gardner must draw on all his training and instincts to hunt down the hardest target of all - before disaster strikes...
The Chris Ryan Extreme books take you even further into the heart of the mission with more extreme action, more extreme language and more extreme pace. Like Call of Duty or Medal of Honor, you'll feel part of the team.

(P)2010 Hodder & Stoughton Limited©2010 Chris Ryan

Critic reviews

This high octane tale certainly packs a punch.

Nobody takes you to the action better than Ryan, because he's the real deal.

Chris Ryan is as hard as nails.

Extremely Good.............but!

Would you consider the audio edition of Extreme Hard Target to be better than the print version?

The narrator did a great job on this really bringing it to life.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Extreme Hard Target?

The firefight in the favela

Which character – as performed by Josh Cohen – was your favorite?

Gardner

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

no

Any additional comments?

Curious errors that make you wonder if Ryan actually wrote this.
Referring to a near miss by a bullet as

Chris Ryan has used a tried and true formula again

This a storyline that is familiar from Chris Ryan. I didn't like the sound effects or dramatic music, it really did nothing to enhance what was really a fairly ordinary story. The punishment Joe Gardiner takes and seem to miraculously keep functioning is a bit of a stretch. Not one of his best, but still worth a listen at the discounted price.

hard hitting easy read

What made the experience of listening to Extreme Hard Target the most enjoyable?

I could close my eyes and relax, thus taking in the whole experience.It also allowed me to do other things when reqired without loosing the plot.

What did you like best about this story?

The easy flow from each story line.ie. mission 1 to 4

Which character – as performed by Josh Cohen – was your favorite?

Gardener

Any additional comments?

Yes, will the story continue, or do we assume that aime dies?

Worst book ever.

Between the sound effects and the poor story very hard to finish, waste of money.

Not good

This was a terrible read, disjointed story line and terribly unrealistic, science fiction stuff. The sound effects rounded off a terrible overall experience.