Amok by Barry Eisler
A Dox Thriller

Dark, gritty, and grim story that had me thinking all too much about the wars I have been too close to, the stories I have heard, and the stories I could tell. Wars, occupations, what happens during them, and the impact they have are difficult to experience and hear about…reading about them is not easy but someone should tell these stories. At times I thought of reading ‘The Ugly American’ that was required for a class. So many of the situations Dox experienced and that Isobel recorded are all too real…so I would caution any of you that might be triggered by violence, rape, murder, war, death, and such…it happens in this book.

What I liked:
* Getting to know more about Indonesia and its history – have a friend living there and understand her situation better than I did before.
* Dox: born Carl Williams, brother, son, Texan, Marine sniper, contract soldier, difficult childhood, conflicted at times, intelligent, quick, lethal, grew a lot in this story
* Isobel: physician, dedicated to her country and its people, wishes for peace, willing to do what she must to help, at risk, takes risks, strong part of the story
* Learning a bit about Carl’s childhood and how it impacted him before joining the Marines, in the military, and perhaps later
* The writing, plot, pacing, and unflinching look given to a situation many may not know much about
* The comments and links at the end of the book related to each of the chapters
* That I dd not give up on the story even when I was uncomfortable and it hit too closer to personal memories – glad I persevered, read, learned, and grew, too.
* Believing that this is the first book in a series and wanting to know what will happen next in Carl’s life

What I didn’t like:
* Thinking about war and occupation and the atrocities-collateral damage that too often occurs
* Knowing that there are people like Joko and his gang that get way too much pleasure from what they do
* Still on the fence about Roy, Carl’s father, and if he is redeemable or not…really did not like him and am still not sure I do.

Did I enjoy this book? It was an emotionally difficult story for me to read but I am glad I read it
Would I read more in this series? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars ( )

In AMOK, by Barry Eisler, a young man with the nickname Dox has just returned home to Texas from serving in the Marines along with a few years doing special missions for the CIA. His home life is complicated, to say the least, and when a job offer comes that takes him to Southeast Asia, Dox figures the large payout and the chance to escape his new reality of living in Texas, at least for a little while, is enticing. As the job and the reality of the political landscape unfolds, Dox realizes not only is this job not what it was presented to be, but the world he has been dropped into is dangerous and unpredictable in a way he wasn't expecting. Can Dox figure out who to believe and what is really going on before he is found expendable?
Eisler has created a fascinatingly unique character in Dox. He is compassionate yet cold and serious yet amicable. The underlying layers of Dox are slowly and pleasantly revealed throughout the book. Once the operation begins, the reader is only given the slightest of hints as to what is going on ahead of Dox finding out. Measuring out the discovery leaves the reader yearning for more and knowing info just ahead of Dox naturally forces the reader to predict the outcome and then is wonderfully surprised at what ends up transpiring. As the plot progresses, Dox is constantly weighing his choices and who he should trust. In the action-packed ending, the reader is rewarded with justice in Southeast Asia and Dox finds peace back in Texas.
AMOK leaves the reader to think about how does love, loyalty, and the morally correct choices intertwine in our lives and what is the best way to navigate all of the that. AMOK also has some thought-provoking political ideas that the reader has to consider. A book I'm still thinking about and won't soon forget.
Thank you to Thomas & Mercer, Barry Eisler, and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! ( )