Book Review: The Directive by Matthew Quirk

The Directive by Matthew Quirk 3.25 Stars

Michael Ford is getting married, but before the wedding he wants to reconnect with his brother Jack. By going to see his con-artist brother he sets into motion a downward spiral of deception. Dragged into stealing a well-kept secret that whomever possesses could make billions. The Federal Reserve Bank controls the fate of America's stock market, his theft stands to allow whoever is pulling the strings to control more than just Michael's fate. He must make the heist in order to save everything that he holds dear, but will he manage to save it all, or let it all slip through his fingers?

The Directive starts off kind of slow, but keeps just enough of your attention to keep you reading. It has several great twists and turns and does get more intense as the book goes on. We see Michael Ford trapped in a tough situation. These twists were not always unpredictable, but were still interesting. I did feel that the characters could have used a little more work. Michael Ford is the only one really developed fully. His fiance Annie is naive, and shallow; she comes across as being dense and stupid. I wish Quirk had her being a little more supportive and Michael being more honest with her instead of treating her like she is fragile, especially in regards to her father. She would have figured out his past years before this event.
I also feel that the comment on the front of the book about if you like Ludlum then you would like this book. I am not a Ludlum fan as I find him wordy, but his books have much more depth of character and way better twists to the plot. The comparison isn't really fair to Ludlum.
Overall I likely would not pick up another of Matthew Quirks books. It was good for a one-time read, but did not grab me enough to keep me going with more of his books.