When thinking up Agent Scot Harvath, Thor took a number of pages out of the books of Clancy, Ludlum, Baldacci...You know, the guys who invented the American Spy novel. I grew up reading those guys, but it's been awhile since I've returned to a book that follows their formula so closely. While it's nothing original, The Lions of Lucerne is a hell of a lot of fun. And, after reading this, it brings me great joy to announce that I've officially decided - when I grow up - I want to be a Secret Agent in an American International Spy novel. Think about all the things I could accomplish! 
 (Warning: spoilers beyond) 
 (view spoiler)[- I could survive an avalanche that took out a cadre of highly trained professional skiers/secret agents with nothing more than a minor concussion and some nasty bruises...All while saving the life of the daughter of the President of the United States, naturally. 
 - I could pull a couple strings and helicopter right on up to the top of that damn mountain and uncover a devious clue revealing the unnatural cause of that avalanche. Rappelling down the side of a cliff-face in blizzard conditions with serious (and fresh) injuries? No problem at all! 
 - I could then use this clue (with no concrete evidence, just my ((overly sarcastic)) word) to convince the helicopter pilot to fly me to a closed murder scene, simultaneously convincing him to delay the FBI so I can have more time to find an incredibly obscure clue at said murder scene. 
 - On the strength of that clue (a piece of a candy bar) I would then evade the capture of multiple professional hit-men, accumulate a few more serious injuries, and throw together my favorite disguise appropriate for international travel. 
 - I'd then whisk myself off to Switzerland, hastily throw together another disguise (Calling myself Pete Sampras, heh!) and sniff around until I found another obscure lead and/or a gorgeous Swiss agent that could feed me an obscure lead of her own. 
 - Next, evade capture...Survive a few more shootouts, nearly drown in a frigid river, get my ass kicked a couple more times...blah blah blah...Did that beautiful Swiss Agent just say something about Dessert Wine?!? My God! We have our obscure lead that ties EVERYTHING together. 
 - Once confirmed the wine is the Key to It All, it'd be high time to climb yet another mountain in blizzard like conditions and assault a fortified base - guarded by an elite team of mercenaries - with nothing more than a couple of hunches, my trusty sidearm and, of course, the Beautiful Agent who is rapidly falling for me. 
 - Finally, storm through the fortress with no real difficulty, rescue the President...Oh Wait!!...The Bad Guy is here! Quickly beat his ass...NOW save the President...Fly home, get a promotion, fly back to Europe to take out the Other (Badder) Bad Guy, and swoop back to Geneva to spend some time with my new lady. 
 - Oh, and I would accomplish all of this in like 12 days...Most of it while the entirety of the United States Intelligence forces (FBI, CIA, Secret Service) are treating me as a fugitive on the run; responsible, of course, for the capture of the President I just did all that cool shit to save. 
 - Call it a day...The things I would go through to be such a bad ass, I swear... (hide spoiler)]