Carr is best known as the author of the hit James Reece thriller series that began with “The Terminal List” in 2018 and is still going strong. Blending 20 years of military experience as a Navy SEAL sniper with a passion for the thriller genre, Carr targets audiences keen on military and political thrillers that are both realistic and action-packed.
Carr’s fans will undoubtedly be curious about this new offering, his first stand-alone and the first to feature a protagonist other than their longtime favorite, Reece. This new hero is named Chris Walker, a former Navy SEAL and CIA Ground Branch operative; Walker lives off the grid in a customized 1984 Volkswagen Westfalia camper van with his Belgian Malinois, Paladin.
As with most thrillers, the keystone of the success of “The Fourth Option” lies within the construction of the main character. If he or she cannot pass muster, the mission fails.
Snowball in NOLA
For this first break from the Reece universe, Carr and Woodward don’t stray too far from what they know.Walker is medically retired, carrying the accumulated weight of two decades in special operations and clandestine work. Walker’s world, whether by necessity or by choice, has contracted significantly. He reads, hunts, dives, and plays guitar alone. He speaks to his dog more readily than to people. Like Reece, there is great darkness within him.
The novel begins in the Pacific Northwest, with Walker on the verge of ending his life. He blames himself for the death of John Staub, his closest friend, during an operation in Afghanistan; he sees Staub as his last legitimate reason to live.
At the last moment, he receives a text message from Leigh Ann Staub, John’s widow. She’s been desperately trying to reach Walker for his help. Her son Connor, a 21-year-old aspiring journalist, has been murdered.
Connor had spent more than a year documenting an emerging drug crisis in New Orleans, over a new synthetic opioid called Snowball. The police ruled his death an overdose and found heroin in his car. Leigh Ann is convinced he was framed and that local law enforcement is complicit in his death.
Who Is Chris Walker?
Chris Walker is two things at once: a highly-skilled operative trained in direct action, close-quarters combat, and covert operations. But he’s also an unfinished doctoral candidate in philosophy whose abandoned NYU dissertation explored Schopenhauer’s conception of will. Both define him equally—his internal philosopher never stops running, even when the tactical operator is fully engaged.Carr’s first hero, James Reece, is often referred to as “poet-warrior,” and Walker is clearly cut from the same cloth—a “warrior-philosopher” this time.
Though it happens more in the early chapters, a surprising element emerges when Walker is allowed to explore deeper ideas about the nature of existence. It’s not the usual template you might find in your standard American military or crime thriller, but it turns out to be a welcome choice, giving greater depth to the whole novel.
Through his experiences in Afghanistan (as we observe in flashbacks) and his investigation of Connor’s death, Walker formulates a new operational philosophy; this one operates outside conventional law.
The book title is a play on the Latin phrase “tertia optio,” the CIA Special Activities Division motto, meaning “third option.” In Kabul, Staub suggests amending it to “quarta optio,” or “the fourth option.” When the system itself has failed, Walker operates entirely on his own.
Mind’s Eye
The book is also an exploration of America—its struggles as well as its beautiful landscape and the quiet moments of sheer tranquility that can be found in its natural environs—if one is merely willing to listen. Part of this introspective theme might be the authors’ way of reaching out to fellow service members who are navigating psychological struggles similar to Walker’s.The need is, tragically, all too real. The age-adjusted veteran suicide rate is 1.5 times higher than the civilian population.
But all this doesn’t mean the book is overly contemplative or cerebral. When the soldier within Walker is activated, he doesn’t settle for half-measures. This is a good thing, as the villains are not interested in giving him an easy time in the Big Easy.
Part of the admirable realism here is that, even though Walker has endured more than his fair share of suffering, it does not entitle him to getting a break or smooth sailing during his quest for absolution.
“The Fourth Option” walks a tense line between justice and vengeance, between purpose and self-destruction. It lurks beneath every action Walker takes, and it is this tension, more than the action itself, that gives the book its highly enjoyable depth.
