Source: Goodreads
Length: 446 pages
My rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Ryan Lock is the bodyguard of the CEO of one of the world’s largest corporations – Meditech. Death threats are a daily occurrence for the CEO of the company that is under the public scanner for animal testing. Animal protection activists make their displeasure at the company evident through open protests. And in the middle of another protest on Christmas Eve, the CEO steps out into the open. Shots are fired before Lock can react and innocent people are killed. When Lock begins his chance, he finds himself at the receiving end of an explosion and more gunshots.
By the time Lock awakens, Josh Hulme, the young son of one of Meditech’s recently resigned experts is kidnapped. With tensions between Meditech and Lock increasing, he finds himself hired to find Josh Hulme. His search takes him to a facility where he comes face to face with a woman whose cruelty and lack of compassion knows no bounds. When the fate of millions of people rests on the shoulders of the woman who is one that the entire world fears, Lock begins a fight against time. Will Lock save himself and many other innocent lives before the old year gives way to the new? Or will the people responsible for bringing everything to its horrible condition make the world come to its knees?
My take:
I’d been meaning to read Lock Down for a while now. It’s blurb had me hooked and I expected to read an absolute blockbuster of a book that would keep me at the edge of my seat. But while Lock Down has many good things that are going for it, it also has its downfalls that pull its rating lower.
The good aspects of the book include Sean Black’s writing style. His style reminds me a lot of Lee Child’s. They have their differences of course, but the feelings they evoke are quite similar. It’s a fast paced setting that has something or the other happening at all times. The story itself was quite neatly done, with all loose ends neatly tied up and not leaving you with a feeling of dissatisfaction.
The best part of Lock Down though, has to be Ryan Lock himself. Black created a character that is easy to associate with, who is a good guy who can fight like the bad guy, who’s not afraid of tinkering with the means if the end is justified, and who, above all, has an admirable code of conduct. Lock is something like a mercenary with a heart. He’s capable of a lot of bad things, but he aims that at the bad guys. He’s got a compassionate bone in him which feels strongly for women and children, giving him a code of honor that is greatly admirable. That doesn’t happen in reality, you think? That’s what makes it all the more likable. You know he’s too much of a straight arrow while yet being great at his job and that character oxymoron makes him someone you will definitely like.
One of the not-so-great aspects of the book has to, oddly enough, be the story. While it is neatly tied up, it also seems a bit weak – almost anti-climatic at the end of it all. It’s interesting but not completely unpredictable and, sadly enough, too simplistic. It seemed like it was just there and there about but could have been a lot more, and fell short of meeting the levels set by the blurb.
All in all, Lock Down is a decent read, one that is quite enjoyable while not being unbelievably great. That being said, I think that Sean Black is a great author. With a little more depth to the story, I think he could really create an amazing read. That is why I’m not giving up on him just yet. The next in his series is called Dead Lock and it is surely going to be added to my to-read list.
If you like Lee Child’s work, or anything along similar lines, you will surely enjoy Sean Black. But, if mystery and action is not your genre, then you should probably pass this one up because those two are the main aspects of this novel. Do you think you will be adding Lock Down to your reading list? Or do you know of other work by Sean Black that you really liked or hated? Share your experiences in the comments below and help another reader pick out his or her next favorite book!
– Rishika
The Book Review Station 
Great review, never heard of this author, might have to give it a go now though 🙂