The Last Weapon

Thriller fans itching for a Hollywood-worthy, summer blockbuster sort of book will find Matthew McCluskey’s debut novel, The Last Weapon, a perfect fit for their beach bags. While the main characters seem to have been pulled straight out of central casting—the jaded, lovelorn, bourbon-swilling academic hero; the skirt-chasing, “wild card” sidekick; the sultry secret agent; the plucky, “hot-beneath-her-glasses” girl-reporter, and the relentless, evil intellectual—McCluskey’s action-packed pacing is the real star here.

The brief, compelling Prologue starts things off with a bang that propels the reader forward at a breakneck pace. Even in the comparatively calmer into chapters, where we are introduced to the major players—most importantly, physics professor Mike Harris, his rival, Harvard physics legend, Professor Hassan Zare, as well as Harris’ benefactor, Henry Colton—there is a palpable tension that builds with the passing of each brief chapter and continues the forward momentum set off by the title-subject.

At times, the action outpaces the characterization—reactions and reflections are glossed over in between and following major action plot points, which can make the characters, related dialog and situations feel…well…a little too Hollywood. But, if you’re willing to sometimes suspend your disbelief and forgive the occasional contrivance, you’ll enjoy this high-adrenaline, plot-twist-riddled ride.