The Cabal: A Kirk McGarvey Novel

First off, let me say that I am a David Hagberg fan ... and this book as some reviewers point out is "ultra-fast paced" ... BUT that itself is a big part of the problem, since this mach 4 pace and action don't give the author the "novelistic space" that any author needs to slowly and interestingly build character ... AND establish plot credibility.And this last is why I gave this book 3 not 4 stars - even by the end of the book, I simply didn't feel very convinced that the motives and evil vision of "The Cabal" of bad guys (and they are painted well as scary bad) were all that clear, nor did I feel that what they were up to was even all that convincing or realistic. So the global politics context of the book was rather weak and disappointing and the bad guys were basically comic-book type stick figures.What I did like in regard to character development was how Otto and Louis were given bigger and more human roles, and how Kirk is still #1 in "the spy with integrity" competition! I also liked the way Hagberg pointed out the scary role that DOD contracters are being given in our various wars, such as Iraq.Don't avoid buying this book, however, just because I gave it a 3, if you're a Hagberg fan or (especially) if you like really fast-moving action thrillers!

I picked up The Cabal at random, last December, not even realizing it featured an ongoing protagonist (McGarvey). Within six pages of the book, I was completely mesmerized. I KNEW I should put the book down and go back to the beginning of the series, because Hagberg was a major find for me and I didn't want to miss a word of the series. However, I could not tear myself away from the book in hand. I passed on a free tour of a Picasso exhibit, a Christmas dinner catered by my employer at a major art museum - with an open bar to boot - in order to curl up at home and finish reading.I dare not say more because I just detest plot spoilers. Simply know that Hagberg excels at fast-paced plotting and insightful characterization, so much so that I backtracked and have now, as of late January 2011, read nearly all of the other McGarvey novels. I CAN say that the McGarvey of The Cabal is a very different man from the earlier novels. He is still the ultimate patriot, still the embodiment of honor, but he is also devastatingly human.If you can restrain yourself, start at the beginning of the McGarvey series, and save the best - The Cabal - for last.

I agree with those that believe that the Kirk McGarvey series by David Hagberg is something special. I have read every one of them and with the exception of Dance With the Dragon, there are just no weak links. This book clearly did not prove to be an exception. It may be the darkest and most pulse pounding of all of them as many bad things happen to the ex-CIA Director between the covers of this novel, but Kirk McGarvey doesn't get nightmares. He gives them to those who mess with him. To try and detail the plot would be a mistake as the reader needs to find his or her own way through the landmines that (literally) await the central character. Tightly written, great action and suspense and an ending which promises more to come. You will begrudge the time that you have to put this book down to do things like eat and sleep.

The Cabal tackles the loose ends from David Hagberg's previous two Kirk McGarvey novels, Dance with the Dragon and The Expediter, with the ex-CIA director unravelling a conspiracy among powerful figures in the US governmnet to alter the world's political and economic balance of power. Meanwhile, McGarvey is wanted for treason and his own government is after him.It's a different type of story from Hagberg's usual novels of the US versus some foreign enemy and resembles Robert Ludlum's paranoid conspiracy thrillers, but Hagberg does it well.As always, Hagberg is great at building suspense, creating realistic scenarios, and quickly moving the plot along, without getting bogged down in too much detail or background information. There's some great new locations here, with McGarvey operating out of Iraq, and some real surprises as Hagberg kills off major characters. People close to McGarvey die and although the case becomes a personal one for him, Hagberg is a skillful enough writer not to write a trite, rehashed revenge story.The book does get a little repitive at times and some more pages devoted to the villains would have been nice. The villaisn are an interesting bunch this time around, but Hagberg focuses very little on them, except for their assassins.It's a good but not great Hagberg thriller and doesn't quite match the qaulity of The Expediter. But it's still a fast and enjoyable read. David Hagberg is extremely prolific, and I have no idea how he manages to write so many good books.

great

I don't ever recall having an unfavorable review of a David Hagberg (or Sean Flannery) book, but The Cabal has to be one of his very, very best. No descriptive words are necessary as anyone reading this review knows Hagberg well enough to know what I am saying. Just enjoy! It is a shocker.

The best Hagberg book to date.You won't be able to put this one down. Catch up on your sleep before you start.

I found myself strangely disappointed with this latest installment in the McGarvey series. Perhaps it was just too much happening with too shallow a plot line. It was fast paced and actually the last thirty pages could have been stretched a bit to extend the best action in the entire novel. Maybe Hagberg has simply set the bar too for himself and this effort failed to clear it cleanly for me. Or maybe there are just too many books out now with this whole shadow government conspiracy.