Gone Too Far

I'm happy to say Ms. Brockmann delivers on all those unanswered questions... once again providing a thrilling mystery interwoven with great characters and plenty of love. Old friends are revisited and new twists keep the pace going full throttle. And again, the flashbacks to a WWII romance are an added bonus. Thank goodness, Ms. Brockmann hasn't "Gone Too Far", but has plenty more stories of wonderful characters to tell. I now look forward to Max and Gina's story! But in the meantime, I'll reread the series start to finish... it's just that good! Worthy of keeping. For those who aren't familiar with the Ms. Brockmann's US SEALs... this team's tales are great stand-alone stories, but are even better as a series. Their stories are found in the following books (in order):

1. Unsung Hero about Lt Tom Paoletti
2. Defiant Hero about Lt JG John Nilsson
3. Over the Edge about Sr Chief Stan Wolchonok
4. Out of Control about SEAL Ken Karmody
5. Into the Night about Lt JG Mike Muldoon
6. Gone Too Far about Lt Roger "Sam" Starett

She does have another series of 11 books on a different sexy SEAL team, some of which are being republished too. These are shorter books, without the interwoven flashbacks of the newer series. They are, so far:
1. Prince Joe about Lt Joe "Cat" Catalanotto
2. Forever Blue about Lt C. "Blue" McCoy
3. Frisco's Kid about Lt Alan "Frisco" Francisco

and Night Watch (formerly published as Wild Wild Wes) about Chief Wes Skelly, which is coming in September 2003.

(There are nearly a dozen books in this older series, so only the few above are easily obtainable. Hopefully the rest will be released again too???!!!)


FINALLY... Sam & Alyssa's story...   July 15, 2003
Purl Gurl (Chicago, IL United States)
24 out of 26 found this review helpful

"Gone Too Far" is the much-anticipated story of Navy SEAL Roger "Sam" Starrett and FBI Agent Alyssa Locke, the secondary characters who were first introduced in Suzanne Brockmann's "The Unsung Hero", first of the SEAL Team Sixteen books. From the beginning, Brockmann was setting up her readers for a roller-coaster ride of emotions with two of her now most popular characters. Wreaking havoc on their personal feelings for each other, the professional paths of Sam and Alyssa continue to cross through each of Brockmann's SEAL Team Sixteen books. Their clashing relationship became intense and intimate for one night in "The Defiant Hero". Due to lack of communication and fear of their true feelings for each other, they try to put that intimate encounter behind them only to meet up again in "Over The Edge" and relive their passion. Just when a budding relationship was seemingly on the horizon, the unthinkable happens, putting an end to any further personal relationship that may have developed. A glimpse of Alyssa's turmoil is focused on in "Out of Control", when she runs into Sam when working with SEAL Team Sixteen again. "Into the Night" goes into further detail of Sam's miserable homelife. The latter two books try to show Sam and Alyssa trying to move on with their lives.

Now in "Gone Too Far" Sam and Alyssa's story is told. It begins several months after "Into the Night" ends with Sam driving across the country to finalize personal matters. He stumbles across a dead body in a Sarasota home and discovers his daughter is missing. As a possible suspect in the murder and impatient to wait around to have the FBI solve this case, he goes off on his own to find his daughter. Alyssa risks her professional career and personal feelings to help Sam. Along this journey, they discover that they have never gotten over each other and finally come to terms with their feelings towards each other. Cleverly interweaving storylines and references from her previous books, Brockmann creates a story filled with emotion and suspense. SEAL Team Sixteen's quick-response to the assasination attempt in "Into the Night" questioned and is brought a subplot in "Gone Too Far". The secondary subplots are Tom and Kelly (the main characters in "The Unsung Hero") and Max and Gina (hostage negotiator and hostage, respectively, in "Over the Edge"). There is also back-in-time subplot (a Brockmann trademark) that involves a WWII romance, which ties with Sam's past. In "Gone Too Far", Sam and Alyssa's childhoods are explained and the reader has an understanding of how it has shaped them into the adults they are today.

A good story on its own, it is highly recommended that the previous SEAL Team Sixteen books ("The Unsung Hero", "The Defiant Hero", "Over the Edge", "Out of Control", "Into the Night"), be read prior to further understand and appreciate the the trials and tribulations of the angst-ridden duo. Brockmann has spun a complex tale with different subplots all interweaving with each other. Sam Starrett and Alyssa Locke fans will not be disappointed.


FINALLY... Sam & Alyssa's story...   July 11, 2003
Purl Gurl (Chicago, IL United States)
9 out of 9 found this review helpful

"Gone Too Far" is the long-awaited story of Navy SEAL Roger "Sam" Starrett and FBI Agent Alyssa Locke, the secondary characters who were first introduced in Suzanne Brockmann's "The Unsung Hero", first of the SEAL Team Sixteen books. From the beginning, Brockmann was setting up her readers for a roller-coaster ride of emotions with two of her now most popular characters. Wreaking havoc on their personal feelings for each other, the professional paths of Sam and Alyssa continue to cross through each of Brockmann's SEAL Team Sixteen books. Their clashing relationship became intense and intimate for one night in "The Defiant Hero". Due to lack of communication and fear of their true feelings for each other, they try to put that intimate encounter behind them only to meet up again in "Over The Edge" and relive their passion. Just when a budding relationship was seemingly on the horizon, the unthinkable happens, putting an end to any further personal relationship that may have developed. A glimpse of Alyssa's turmoil is focused on in "Out of Control", when she runs into Sam when working with SEAL Team Sixteen again. "Into the Night" goes into further detail of Sam's miserable homelife. The latter two books try to show Sam and Alyssa trying to move on with their lives.

Now in "Gone Too Far" Sam and Alyssa's story is told. It begins several months after "Into the Night" ends with Sam driving across the country to finalize personal matters. He stumbles across a dead body in a Sarasota home and discovers his daughter is missing. As a possible suspect in the murder and impatient to wait around to have the FBI solve this case, he goes off on his own to find his daughter. Alyssa risks her professional career and personal feelings to help Sam. Along this journey, they discover that they have never gotten over each other and finally come to terms with their feelings towards each other. Cleverly interweaving storylines and references from her previous books, Brockmann creates a story filled with emotion and suspense. SEAL Team Sixteen's quick-response to the assasination attempt in "Into the Night" questioned and is brought a subplot in "Gone Too Far". The secondary subplots are Tom and Kelly (the main characters in "The Unsung Hero") and Max and Gina (hostage negotiator and hostage, respectively, in "Over the Edge"). There is also back-in-time subplot (a Brockmann trademark) that involves a WWII romance, which ties with Sam's past. In "Gone Too Far", Sam and Alyssa's childhoods are explained and the reader has an understanding of how it has shaped them into the adults they are today.

A good story on its own, it is highly recommended that the previous SEAL Team Sixteen books ("The Unsung Hero", "The Defiant Hero", "Over the Edge", "Out of Control", "Into the Night"), be read prior to further understand and appreciate the the trials and tribulations of the angst-ridden duo. Personally, I was beginning to dislike Sam, especially in "Into the Night". Brockmann has sucessfully redeemed him "Gone Too Far". Brockmann has spun a complex tale with different subplots all interweaving with each other. Sam Starrett and Alyssa Locke fans will not be disappointed.


Worth the wait and then some!   July 22, 2003
Kathryn (Washington, DC - USA)
12 out of 13 found this review helpful

For fans of Ms. Brockmann's U.S. Navy SEAL Team 16 series, this book has been a long time coming - 6 books in fact. And it is well worth the wait! For those lucky readers just now discovering Brockmann's thrilling blend of suspense, nail-biting action, steamy sexual encounters, and characters who jump off the page, don't worry. You should have little trouble following the action-packed plot. But BEWARE. Once you finish this satisfying read, you'll want to run out [or click and] buy all her other books - starting with Unsung Hero. Happy news...she's a prolific writer so you'll have lots of great stories to choose from.

Ms. Brockmann is a gifted storyteller. She weaves many seemingly unrelated plot threads together and builds incredibly strong secondary characters. Be prepared to care about Lt. Sam Starrett and FBI agent Alyssa Locke, to Lt. Commander Tom Paoletti, FBI agent Jules Cassidy and SO many more. As any long-time reader can attest...you may not like all her characters, but you won't be indifferent to any of them.

So do yourself a favor...read this book!


Best books of the series so far, loved it!   July 7, 2006
JJN-1313 (Pennsylvania)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

6th book in the series, and actually the first one I read. It's what motivated me to go back and read the others ones. Once I read book 5, I decided to skim through book 6 again. Stories 5 and 6 are very intertwined, one couldn't happen without the other. I liked book 6 when I first read it, but it didn't have that...zing...first time around because I was lacking a lot of the backstory. So now knowing about all the characters and the plot backstory, I wanted to go through 6 again. Instead of skimming it, I ended up practically rereading the whole thing, only skipping over the historical parts and some side-story stuff.

Book 6 is Sam and Alyssa's story. Finally! They've been in all the other books, and this one was all theirs. Sam and his wife Mary Lou have finally realized that they really screwed up by getting married just because she got pregnant during their short affair. The divorce is all set, but Sam has been waiting 3 weeks for Mary Lou to send the papers back and they haven't come and she's not answering his calls. So he goes to Florida to see her. But when he gets to the house, there is a dead body in the kitchen. Alyssa, an FBI agent and sometimes friend/past lover of Sam's, comes down to help. Mary Lou and baby Haley have completely disappeared.

While all that is happening, SEAL Team Sixteen's Lt. Commander Tom Paoletti - featured in book 1 - has been taken into custody by the Navy for questioning about the terrorist attack that happened in book 5. The Navy and the government want to find someone to blame for what happened. As the book unravels, the two different parts of the story intertwine and Sam and Alyssa find themselves searching for a terrorist and fighting the love that has always existed between them.

As a bonus for this book, you get some Max/Gina. Gina was in book 2 as the key hostage in the plane hijacking for which Max was the FBI negotiator. They've kept in touch over the years and developed a serious friendship. Gina wants more, but Max is completely fighting it. These two are two of my favorite characters and are a really great almost-pairing. I really loved this part of the story.

The historical sections were about Sam's aunt and uncle, an interracial couple during the WW2 time period. How the met, their part in the war, etc. And you also get a fair amount of Sam's backstory as a child. It was all pretty interesting.

I really liked book 6, more so the second time around. The story has a lot more depth to it if you've read the others books first. The characters mean more, the storyline means more, etc. Alyssa and Sam are a really great pairing, along with Max/Gina. And the storyline was great. It made so much more sense after having read book 5 because book 6 is very dependent on the plot of book 5. I could have done without Mary Lou in this one because she just annoys me, but again she was needed for the plot.

Rating: 4.5 / 5