Black Mountain (Alex Hunter #4)

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Title: Black Mountain
Series: Alex Hunter #4
Author: Greig Beck
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: Action/Adventure
Pages: 312
Format: Kindle digital edition

Synopsis:  Spoilers

Alex Hunter has recovered physically while in Israel. Unfortunately, his mind has not and he can't remember who he is or who anyone else is either. Upon realizing he has been lied to and with some of his powers returning, Alex returns to the United States seeking out his mother.

At the same time, "Something" has come out of the Black Mountain and people are missing. Matt Kearns, a scientist from the first book, is roped into investigating.

One Night. One Black Mountain. Many disparate and dangerous groups. And one monster. All come together in one explosive orgy of violence and death.

My Thoughts: Spoilers

This was fun, and probably more so because Alex Hunter isn't as big a part of things. That does seem to be the formula Beck likes. Ramp the tension up and THEN bring in the Arcadian.

There were a lot of different threads here. Alex and Israeli Commando Lady. Scientist Matt and his pals and the cops. Mossad Hit Squad going after Alex and Lady. HAWC's commander Hammerson seeking out Alex and Lady. Cops seeking out the lost people. A slightly successful version of the Arcadian formula being field tested against Alex. And then the monster/s killing people, taking people, eating people. It all worked together pretty good and I never felt like POV was ever too short or too long. It was a skillfully woven tapestry of a story.

It did have it's eye rolling moments though.
The monsters have supposedly been underground for 13,000 years living by the light of lichens and they're just acclimating to the light fine and being super de dooper killers? Guns have little effect on their hides but knives stop them? They don't blink at modern tech at all or feel confusion at it? Finally, the whole "oh, they're not really the bad guys, we just treated them badly" bullshit. That turned my stomach.
Then there is the people side of things.
One of the scientists with Matt refuses to go into the cave but then they find the boot of a missing little girl and suddenly said scientist can't be stopped from going in and all they have is a hand gun? Cops disobeying direct orders from the Chief of Police, to his face?

Some of the good stuff. The 3 experiments of the Arc-044 formula. They're as strong as Alex and even more determined but completely gone round the bend and literally rotting away. Super soldiers indeed. We'll definitely be seeing more of them. Alex and another HAWC fighting the bigfoots. That was just cool. Alex taking out a group of terrorists in Egypt before coming to the U.S. He throws a terrorist out a window, who has explosives strapped to his body, and shoots him so he blows up in the air, 3 stories up. Now is that cool or what?

By the end of the book though, Alex is wanted by the Israeli's and the United States more as a lab specimen than anything else. He disappears but I wonder how he'll survive on his own or if Hammerson will covertly supply him. I guess I'll just have to wait and see.