Savage Son is the third book in the Terminal List/James Reese series from Jack Carr. Reese is in Montana recuperating after brain surgery to remove a tumor caused by a drug given illegally for PTSD. He has vengeance on his mind.

First, there is a CIA traitor who went over to the Russians and working for the Russian mafia. He also has a Syrian sniper who killed a very good friend in the the last book. The CIA taitor is desperate to kill Reese before he can get to him.

The son of the Russian mafia faction is high up in the Russian intelligence. Sergei is also a psychopath who hunts humans brought to a an island in the Barents Sea off the coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula. He kidnaps Reese’s best friend’s sister as bait as he plans on hunting Reese.

The novel openly uses Richard Connell’s “The Most Dangerous Game” as the frame work of the novel. There is plenty of action, gun-fights, gun-porn, and suspense to keep the pages turning. Another great novel in this series. Carr has some quotes of other authors including Robert E. Howard.

Richard Connell’s “The Most Dangerous Game” is the only story by him I have ever read. I know he was in slick magazines in the 1920s and 30s. Did he ever write anything ever approaching “Most Dangerous Game?” My impression and I might be wrong that Connell wrote more light hearted flapper fare of the period and “Most Dangerous Game” is very out of character. It is one of the classic adventure stories that should be read.