A melange of history, religion and politics with a hefty portion of action, The Last Patriot by Brad Thor sounds like a recipe for success. Yet Thor’s seventh Scott Harvath novel, which sees the US Secret Service agent embroiled in a battle with Islamic fundamentalists in a race to uncover an antique treasure, comes across as an exercise in fear mongering . It is at times both chauvinistic and ignorant, and drips with self-indulgent patriotism.

Unapologetically right wing and militaristic, The Last Patriot seems to suggest that western culture should be protected at all costs, most notably through the national pride of its trigger happy protagonist, Harvath. It could be seen by some that Thor’s portrayal of Muslims is borderline racist. The novels Muslim leaders are rather caricatured, almost comparable to the violent, self-serving Barbary pirates to whom Thor also refers. Although Harvath tells us “there are plenty of moderate muslims”, Thor’s stereotyping of violent Islamic leaders would suggest he feels otherwise.

An American hero, but an everyman none-the-less, there is nothing particularly interesting or likeable about Harvath, who comes across as a little one-dimensional. Although less of an emphasis on characterisation is not unheard of in a novel primarily focused on chase and action, readers will be hard pushed to feel any connection whatsoever with the characters of The Last Patriot. Character development is minimal. The only character that seems to change at all is the novel’s main villain, Dodd, who quite inexplicably flits between brutal killer one moment and merciful, heartbroken widower the next. His sudden flip from religious extremist to doubting stooge is similarly random and seems to take place in the service of the plot line, rather than as an authentic progression of character.

Female characters barely come into it. Weak victims, they are either murdered or rescued by men. The Last Patriot is not much more than an action junkie’s macho fantasy. It consists primarily of guns, explosions and an entirely unsympathetic almost dehumanised foe who is inevitably thwarted by our American hero: an American hero who, just as inevitably, must finally get his girl.

Jingoistic and impelled by machismo, this novel has little heart outside its patriotism. That’s not to say it’s not an enjoyable enough read. Thor has clearly done his research and even those with the slightest interest in history will find the background around Thomas Jefferson and Cervantes appealing. Overall, The Last Patriot comes across as a lesser  Da Vinci Code: intriguing, but with too few puzzles and twists to sustain its initial appeal and surmount its notable flaws. Enjoyable enough, despite its politics, but decidedly lacklustre.

Reviewed by Nicola Currie

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