Bea Reviews Warning Light by David Ricciardi

Publisher: Berkley
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: April 17th, 2018
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Blurb from goodreads:

When a commercial aircraft makes an emergency landing at an Iranian military base, it looks like a crisis has been narrowly avoided. But for undercover intelligence analyst Zac Miller, the CIA-staged crash landing is the only part of his assignment that goes right.

What was supposed to be a simple surveillance mission quickly heads south when the Iranians apprehend the smooth-talking American. Never trained to be a field operative, Zac's in over his head, especially when it turns out escaping from captivity is only the beginning of his problems. On the run across Europe from both Iranian agents and Western authorities who are convinced he's defected, Zac finds himself fighting for his life, with no guarantee he'll even have one to go back to.

My Thoughts:

Zac Miller is an analyst for the CIA who persuades his boss to let him fill in as a field agent for an undercover operation. He has little field training or practical experience but is convinced he can do what needs to be done. Events, however, quickly spin out of control.

A civilian commercial airplane heading to Singapore develops engine trouble over Iran and lands near an Iranian military base. Iran helps the passengers and they continue their travel but Zac is taken prisoner, suspected of being a spy. I didn't re-read the blurb before reading the book and I'd forgotten that Zac was in fact undercover so I was a bit confused at first, lol. I actually thought he was an innocent tourist. Oops. :D

"Warning Light" was a mostly fast-paced, espionage thriller that was also a long, continuous chase with various people after Zac. It's a book-long chase movie over different continents and through multiple countries. Zac is basically untrained and has to rely on his smarts and wits, and lots of luck. He acquits himself well, although it strained credulity at times. Despite being untrained as a field operative, he was able to easily assess a situation, decide how to handle it, and then take the necessary actions. I was envious of his ability to do so while simultaneously doubting the likelihood. One thing I found improbable were the lengths to which the Iranian government went to when it came to Zac. Those actions, while they added suspense and drama, definitely pushed the boundaries of believability. Zac was a decent human who had to make some difficult and painful choices both to survive and to complete his mission.

But Zac had to decide whether or not he was still a member of civilized society. He'd killed **redacted** because the chance encounter had quickly spiraled out of control. Zac had done what he needed to do to survive, but leaving the boy to die was unconscionable. He decided to save the boy's life to compensate for the one he'd unjustly taken. He knew the math of morality was not so simple, but it was the best he could do. 

While most of the book is from Zac's POV we do get glimpses into the POVs of other characters and there was some behind the scenes political infighting that affected Zac's escape and survival. As Zac was on his own for much of they journey, there was a lot of exposition and internal monologuing.

Overall it was a fun read and I enjoyed Zac. The ending is open and holds out the possibility of future stories. I would read them. "Warning Light" was an enjoyable tale, full of action and suspense, and interesting characters.