Review of “The Third Estate” by D.R. Berlin, MD

Score: 90/100 (9.0 out of 10)

If you like stories about mercenaries, secret organizations/societies, espionage, political intrigue, and conflicted characters, then The Third Estate by D.R. Berlin (MD) may be for you!

The titular “Third Estate” is a secret organization involved in sketchy activities supposedly for the “common people,” being labeled a terrorist organization. The Third Estate is very similar to the Company from Prison Break or Poseidon United from Running on Broken Bones & You Will Know Vengeance by W.A. Pepper.

The Third Estate is led, in large part, by the enigmatic and powerful Grey Lady. The Grey Lady reminded us a lot of Lady Olenna Tyrell from Game of Thrones, which should be a pretty flattering comparison. Like Lady Olenna, the Grey Lady of the Third Estate comes across as a pompous, commanding socialite with a mixture of unrealistically high expectations and condescension.

Unsurprisingly, the Third Estate and its black activities have crossed paths with other powerful forces including the military, mostly represented by the equally-ruthless Colonel Mitchell in this book. The Third Estate and the military have a tense, antagonistic relationship and rivalry, particularly when it comes to Professor Milo Anderson, who is a target for both sides.

Also caught between this conflict are the two main protagonists of this book, Sophie Allard, an aspiring combat pilot at the Stockton Military Institute, and Kai Lovac, a super agent and elite mercenary hired by the military to take care of the Third Estate/Professor Anderson problem.

Both of these protagonists have an interesting amount of depth, especially for a book like this which you'd think would be more action-based (rather than character focused). Sophie is an admirable, inspiring person with hopes and dreams. She is even willing to ignore orders and risk her own life and future to rescue a rival, Parker Worthington, the son of a general. She overcomes incredible odds including bad weather conditions to pass her flying test. She has a tragic back story relating to her mother, Violet, and surprisingly linked to Kai Lovac.

Kai Lovac is also an interesting character because, despite him having a sizable kill count and a reputation for getting the job/mission done, he shows a distinct and relatable human side. You can tell that he is conflicted throughout this book, especially when he comes to recognize Sophie, with whom he has a past. He actually reminded us a lot of Chris Kyle, the real-life Navy SEALS sniper who was the focus of the acclaimed movie American Sniper. He is constantly making risk and collateral assessments when pursuing his targets, showing that he has both a professional, efficient mindset as well as a conscience.

This book has a lot of great ideas and a colorful cast of characters.