Beyond Top Secret by Rob Lubitz takes us down a dark path where a mind control drug that had proven to be so successful, its inventor destroyed it and its formula in fear that someone would misuse it. Years later, the CIA has managed to acquire the formula and in the Post-911 frenzy try to use in in order to capture or kill Osama bin-Laden. The potential for other more nefarious uses threaten everyone’s freedom however.
Two people stand in the government’s way—a tabloid reporter who is tracking down the drug’s story, and an ex CIA operative trying to get to the truth without being killed himself, while at the same time, working to defend an old flame who faces prison for a crime she did not commit. As it turns out, she has been caught up in the former experiment as well.

There are more than a few twists and turns in this novel, and Lubitz has woven them together in a seamless plot that keeps you glued to the action throughout the book. There are no ‘quiet areas’ in this story so be prepared to tear yourself away at every chapter as they all end with the reader wanting more.

If you find yourself impressed with the authenticity of this novel, there is a good reason for that.

Rob Lubitz has held numerous high-level government positions. He has served as a senior United States Department of Justice official, State Courts Administrator (Florida), Governor's Crime Commission Director (North Carolina), Sentencing Commission Director (North Carolina), and Juvenile Justice Director (Arizona). A criminal justice expert, he has been quoted in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, US News and World Report, and ABC World News Tonight. He is a former Air Force Officer with a Top Secret security clearance.
With these credentials, he is more than qualified to tackle a story of this genre, and it shows.

Oh, and if Beyond Top Secret leaves you wanting more, do not despair. There is a sequel. Visit Rob’s Amazon site at https://www.amazon.com/Rob-Lubitz/e/B0060BMXKI for more information.

www.daniellittle.com ( )

Beyond top secret is a good but cliched book. It is suspenseful, thrilling and uses actual historical events very nicely.It is a definite one time read although some readers may find the book upsetting as it fictionalizes the tragic events around 9/11.

*I received a copy of this as part of the Members Giveaway program in exchange for an unbiased review. Brief plot spoilers may follow.*

First things first, I loved this book. It’s not typically the genre of book that I’d gravitate to, but I love a story that panders to the conspiracy theorist inside me every once in awhile. This book knocked it out of the park. Instead of there being one main storyline with a climax, there are actually several smaller stories intertwined that all assist in moving the book as a whole forward. Each smaller story is dependent upon the other in some way, because missing details in one means you’ll miss a detail overall. I love how that was executed. The ‘climax’ of the story isn’t a typical one, at least not to me and I fully enjoyed that. Instead of wondering what happened to some of the characters, those who played a significant part in it had their angles wrapped up by the end of the book. It was rather ironic how Ryan and Alana had to end this book considering that in essence, it is what started the book, but that was another thing that I enjoyed. I also enjoyed that there were a lot of short chapters rather than a few long chapters. Even though the book is promoted as partially having a romantic note, it isn’t given an overwhelming amount of attention and I liked that too. The action in this story also isn’t in the typical manner you’d expect from CIA-based stories and that was something else I enjoyed. A lot of this was mental warfare, mind games. Actually, the entire book was about that, but the action stayed true to that and that was enjoyable to read. There was a lot at play here, but it all functioned well together without distracting the reader. You as the reader were able to see exactly how knocking over one domino actually knocks over several dominos on the other side of the room and it made things more intriguing when trying to piece together how everything would work out in the end. Small details, like mannerisms, even had their place in this story and if you’re paying attention at certain moments, you’ll get some foresight for later on in the book, where the mannerism will be revisited.

Overall, I loved Beyond Top Secret. I cannot say that enough. I waited for a day after finishing the book to see if I could find any major complaints before writing this review on purpose. lol I still don’t have one. Even though this is actually the 2nd book in a series, this book seems capable of being read as a stand alone. I haven’t read the 1st book, but details here and there helped me catch up on bits and pieces of what transpired in the first book. When I first started reading and saw there were 53 chapters, I had the thought that the book was going to run a bit too long and wondered how the story would still be interesting without a bunch of filler. But little do you know that there’s so much packed into these short chapters that before you realize it, you’ll be at the end of the book, wishing there was more to read. I loved how so many elements—drama, action, romance, politics, crime—were at play and did so without overshadowing the other. I couldn’t put it down once I’d started reading because I had to know what came next. I noticed few, if any, grammatical errors, I thought the plot was well executed, and the writing was descriptive enough without going overboard. I thought the characters were fleshed out in the ways that were the most important to the story; I didn’t feel the need to know every minute detail about them. I will say that Ryan’s emotions seemed a bit muted throughout the book, unless he just wasn’t an expressive person or dealt with things internally. I wasn’t sure if that was how Ryan was written on purpose or not, but if I did have anything bad to say, that’d be it but I was still very satisfied with what I got. This was a fantastic read and I’m glad I was selected to receive a copy. If you like books that have a bit of everything, a plot that thrives off of healthy amounts of both narration and dialogue rather than primarily one over the other, and you love a conspiracy theory that hits all levels of government, check out Beyond Top Secret. ( )