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Stop at Nothing (Michael Gannon #1)
Finished: February 2024
Book Source: Library
Book Publishing Date: March 2020
When a Gulfstream jet goes down in the Bahamas carrying a fortune in cash and ill-gotten diamonds, expat diving instructor Michael Gannon is the only person on the scene. Assuming himself the beneficiary of a drug deal gone bad, Gannon thinks he’s home free with the sudden windfall until he realizes he forgot to ask one simple question.
Who were the six dead men on the plane?
Gannon soon learns the answer to that fateful question as he is thrust into an increasingly complex and deadly game of cat and mouse with a group of the world’s most powerful and dangerous men who will stop at nothing to catch him.
But as the walls close in, Gannon reveals a few secrets of his own. Before he retired to the islands, Gannon had another life, one with a lethal set of skills that he must now call back to the surface if he wants to make it out alive.
Trigger Warnings:
Murder, Gun Violence, Drowning victims, Death of a child (teenager.. small mention)
Characters
- Ruby Everett – a Navy lieutenant with the Office of Naval Safety out of the Pensacola Naval Air Station
- Michael Gannon – a diving instructor living in the Bahamas
My Review
Michael Ledwidge offers readers a high-stakes, adrenaline-fueled adventure with a touch of mystery and intrigue that keeps the pages turning. Initially, the story starts off slowly, presenting the main character as a seemingly ordinary beach bum. However, as the plot unfolds, it quickly escalates into an action-packed narrative where the protagonist finds themselves fighting for survival against formidable odds.
Ledwidge crafts intense action scenes that had me questioning how the characters are going to get out of the situation. The ‘twist’ with the background of who Gannon really is made the last third of the book so fun.
This was a solid read for fans of high-octane thrillers looking for an adrenaline rush. While it may take some patience to get through the initial setup, the payoff is worth it for those who enjoy fast-paced action and suspenseful twists.
Spoilers/Summary
CONTENT BELOW CONTAINS SPOILERS.
A plane crashes off the shore of the Bahamas. It has no identifying features. Gannon dives out there, sees there are dead bodies on board that look like they died from loss of cabin pressure. Gannon takes the uncut diamonds and the money he finds and hides it underwater in a hidden tunnel cave.
Ruby Everett was called out to investigate the crash but when she gets out there she is told not to go near it. This is strange and not to protocol and then she sees a video the other diver too of the people on board. She gets off base to help her sister have her baby. Things go south from there, the person that gets there to relieve her is ‘sick’ and can’t help out, as is the other diver she was with. (They’re all dead)
She decides to meet with an independent investigative reporter. When she goes to meet him, Gannon is also there after he sees the cover up going on. The director of the FBI was dead on that plane and it’s getting covered up. While meeting with the journalist, the bad guys find them and shoot the head off of the reporter.
Gannon and Everett get away and go to Gannon’s ex partner at the NYC police precinct. They escape from his office as the bad guys come in and kill the officers that are in the building. They get away and get on a plane and get down to the Bahamas.
When they get there, the local sheriff has been taken hostage to get the money and video back from Gannon. The bad guys kill him… (sad!).
It turns out that Gannon is part of Navy Seal Team 6 and a highly specialized fighter. He ends up killing everyone basically single handedly.
There is a whistle blower that is being kept up in Italy and is going to release lots of secrets in a few days. The secrets will impact lots of high up people in the government. The bad guys were trying to stop him but couldn’t get to him. The only way they could get to him was through a doctor that was checking up on him. They kidnapped the doctor’s son and told the doctor they would let him go if he stopped the whistle blower from talking. The plane went down and killed the son — so the bad guys were worried if it came out, the doctor wouldn’t go through with the plan. Gannon stops them all and the whistle blower leaks the secrets.