Drowning: The Rescue of Flight 1421 by T. J. Newman (2023)

 

If you’re looking for an adventure to keeps you on the edge of your seat, this is the book for you. T. J. Newman, a former flight attendant, proves she knows her stuff by writing a fast-paced novel about doomed commercial flight 1421 and the desperate efforts of the various rescue teams up top to save the passengers.

Soon after takeoff from Hawaii, flight 1421 loses an engine and all power, crashing into the ocean, and sinking to the bottom with 12 passengers aboard. They find themselves 200 feet below the surface, waist-deep in water, and with 6.5 hours of air remaining. Two of the trapped passengers, Shannon and Will Kent, are the daughter and soon to be ex-husband of the head of one of the aforementioned dive teams.

Up on the surface, Chris Kent is desperate to save her family. There is no procedure for a rescue like this; there has never been a need for one. There is however a proven method for rescuing sailors from a sunken submarine, but the one-of-a-kind vessel used for the rescue is waiting for a replacement part. Chris, the leader of an elite dive team and a civilian has a plan to adapt the vessel to use with the plane, but the Navy and the Coast Guard will only agree to her plan as a last-ditch effort.

Will, an engineer by trade and first officer, now caption, Kit Callahan work together to keep the passengers safe while waiting for their rescue. Will knows that Chris’ plan will work and all three must work together to bring Chris’ plan to reality.

The book is emotional and tense from the beginning but Newman ups the ante in the last couple of chapters. For those of you of a certain age, the story is reminiscent of 1970’s disaster movies. I felt like I was right there with all the characters both on the plane and above. I highly recommend the read.

Warner Brothers has purchased the movie rights to Drowning and release is planned for 2024. The movie adaptation of Newman’s first novel, Falling, was released in 2021.

4.2 stars on Goodreads, 4.5 on Amazon

Sunburst (Sky King Ranch #2) by Susan May Warren (2022)

 

Sharpshooter and Navy Seal, Ranger Kingston has always put duty above dreams and he therefore views love as the biggest liability out there. When Ranger gets word that his brother Colt has been taken hostage in Nigeria along with the refugee worker he was there to protect, Ranger rushes to join the rescue team. No one is more surprised than him when it turns out the refugee worker is none other than the woman he loved and left four years before, Noemi Sutton.

When the injured Ranger and Noemi get separated from the rescue team they are on their own to get to safety. Ranger needs medical care but both know the hospital is out of the question as they are still being hunted by the kidnapping terrorists. When they arrive at a small village, the people are reluctant to aid the white soldier. It is only when Noemi introduces herself by her Nigerian name and tells the villagers she and Ranger are married they agree to help.

The lie backfires when Noami’s Nigerian uncle comes to collect them. According to Nigerian custom the prospective groom must first bargain for the bride’s hand and get permission before the marriage takes place. Noami’s extended family insist the couple get married again. Will the relationship last this time around? Are Ranger and Noami finally free of the terrorists who kidnapped her?

A secondary story revolves around the non-speaking Tae who was introduced in the first book in this series and is now staying at the Sky King Ranch where the Kingston clan live. I suspect book number three, Sundown which is due to be released in November, 2022, will be Tae’s story. The three books are tied together by this story arc but can also stand alone.

I have also read Warren’s Global Search and Rescue series and enjoyed those books as well. Several of the characters from that series make an appearance in the book. Warren is a Christian author and her story lines reflect that.

4.57 stars on Amazon, 4.7 on Amazon

This book is not available at EPL. Ask any of the reference librarians to get it for you from an area library.

Box 88 (#1 in Book 88 series) by Charles Cumming, (2020)

 “A pulse-pounding narrative that straddles two eras — 1989 and 2020 — BOX 88 is a “wonderfully taut, exciting and up-to-date spy thriller” that introduces a compelling new character and a captivating international storyline”.  Spectator, Books of the Year

 Box 88 was my introduction to Charles Cumming and I now I understand why his books are so popular. Even though the story jumped between years and locations, I never lost track of who was where and why.

Lachlan Kite is the leader of BOX 88, a joint US/UK anti-terrorism spy agency that only a handful of MI6 and CIA operatives know exists. At the funeral of his childhood best friend, Lachlan is kidnapped and the kidnapping is witnessed by Cara, a young MI5 agent, whose team leader is determined to prove the existence of Box 88. As the MI5 team investigates the kidnapping, Lachlan’s pregnant wife is also abducted and the threat of her dead is used as leverage to obtain information he is sworn to protect.

Lachlan’s kidnapper is after information on his very first mission for Box 88. Lachlan had been recruited straight out of boarding school when it was learned that he had been invited to spend the summer of his gap year on the coast of France with his best friend and his family. This visit provides access to one of Iran’s most dangerous terrorists who will be visiting. Lachlan’s mission is find out what the man is plotting. The mission ends in the betrayal of his best friend.

This is not a James Bond type spy novel as there are no fancy gizmos or glamorous women. What it is a well written story of what spy craft looked like in the late 1980s. Though espionage is the main theme of the story it is also a coming-of-age story as young Lachlan works to discover who he really is while balancing friendship, loyalty, and romance with his mission.

The second book in the series, Judas 62, is due out in September 2022 and will continue looking back at Lachlan’s Box 88 missions. I’m sure a handful of the characters from Box 88 will also make a repeat appearance.

4.08 stars on Goodreads, 4.2 on Amazon

Down Range (Garrett Kohl, #1) by Taylor Moore, 2021

 

Down Range is not only the first in a series; it marks the debut of Taylor Moore as an author. Moore, a former CIA Intelligence Officer, writes about what he knows best, government agents. Garrett Kohl, the hero in this modern day western/thriller, is a deep-cover DEA agent working with the CIA in Afghanistan when the story begins. When on a covert surveillance mission, he can only observe while an entire village is massacred. Although Garrett’s orders are to not to get involved, he rescues the 10-year-old Asadi who somehow manages to escape the bullets. Garret expects to be fired for his actions but instead finds himself charged with protecting the only viable witness to the atrocity.

As a former Green Beret and now an elite DEA agent, Garrett knows he can keep the boy safe. Rather than use a safe house, Garrett takes Asadi back to the family ranch he loves and the family he hasn’t spoken to in years.  Once there Garrett finds that the town is under attack by drug dealers who have infiltrated law enforcement, corrupted local businesses, and are now terrorizing his own brother. When Garret discovers the situation cannot be resolved peacefully, he puts his special skills and his knowledge of the land to good use.  After all, Garrett has spent the better part of his career hunting terrorists.

The book is very well written, and the author’s vibrant and vivid descriptions of the land, horses, homes, businesses, and the characters will take you right into the action. Should appeal to fans of C. J. Box and Jack Carr.

Book two, Firestorm is due out in August when I expect to see Asadi again. His story isn’t finished.

4.21 stars on Goodreads, 4.6 on Amazon

The Final Twist (Colter Shaw #3) by Jeffery Deaver (2021)

 

The Final Twist takes place in San Francisco and begins just hours after the events of The Goodbye Man (Colter Shaw #2). Colt (“Colt”) Shaw, the son of a survivalist family, is an expert tracker and makes his living as a "reward seeker." He is a restless soul who travels the country in his Winnebago helping the police solve cases and private citizens locate missing persons.

Colt discovers a hidden letter left for him by his deceased father, Ash.  In it Ash asks Colt to carry on his mission to bring down the corrupt BlackBridge Corporate by finding the evidence hidden by the murdered would be whistleblower, Amos Gahl. When Colt’s estranged brother Russell turns up and helps Colt out of a difficult situation, they learn a family with the initials SP is going to be terminated in 24 hours. The brothers now have two missions, and one is a race against time.

The book is full of twists and reversals as the answers to the BlackBridge mystery steadily fall into place.

Deaver is meticulous in his references to the history of the San Francisco area.  The book also provides a great deal of background information on the main characters all of which have a direct bearing on the people they have become.

Character from earlier books reappear and there are references to cases worked in the earlier novels. Although not necessary to read the books in order, the background story of Colt’s family builds from book to book. The Final Twist is the first Deaver book I have read.

Deaver is also the author of the Lincoln Rhyme series.  The first book of the series, The Bone Collector, was the basis of the movie starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie and the short-lived NBC series Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector. The next Lincoln Rhyme’s book, A Perfect Plan, is due out in September.

4.09 stars on Goodreads, 4.5 on Amazon

Man of War (Eric Steele #1) by Sean Parnell (2018)

 

In his fiction debut, the author introduces the reader to Eric Steele, a former Special Forces operative, now a member of an elite clandestine operation assigned to a US intelligence unit known simply as the "Program." It’s members, known as Alphas, work solely for the President of the United States, handling situations that cannot be dealt with through normal channels.

When a hostile force attacks a military convoy and steals a nuclear weapon, everyone who should be in the know are blindsided. Steele, who is stationed in the Middle East, is sent to clean up the mess. The hostile leader turns out to be a rogue Alpha and Eric’s former mentor and he leads Steele through the Middle East, Europe, and Africa before things come to a head in Washington, DC.

Parnell’s writing style is both informative and captivating while building the reader’s curiosity and suspense. Chapters shift between character viewpoints—one chapter may be told from Steele’s perspective, while the next is from the Vice President’s or the Director of the CIA or some other character. The suspense builds as the reader tries to find the connecting thread.

The author, Sean Parnell, is a retired Army captain and is well acquainted with the military and how special forces operators walk, talk, and handle themselves on and off the battlefield. He uses military acronyms throughout the book which are always explained but can get confusing if you don’t have a military background or a particular interest in military weapons.

Currently there are three books in the Eric Steels series (all can be found at EPL) and the fourth one is to be published in September. A personal storyline carries through the series, but it is not necessary to read them in order as each book is a complete mission.

3.96 stars on Goodreads, 4.6 on Amazon

Burning Bright (Peter Ash #2) by Nicholas Petrie (2017)

 

Peter Ash spent eight years in Afghanistan and Iraq as a Marine lieutenant. He has returned to civilian life with severe claustrophobia which Peter calls “white static”. As a result, he has spent the last two years backpacking through the west, camping, and living out of his truck. Throughout the series, Peter uses his skills to help others and Burning Bright is no different.

When escaping a large grizzly bear by climbing a tall tree, Peter discovers a series of climbing ropes moving from tree to tree. As the bear has no intention of leaving, Peter follows the ropes to a hanging platform. There he meets June Cassidy,  an investigative journalist who has just escaped a kidnapping attempt. June’s mother, a prominent software designer for the Department of Defense has recently been killed in a hit and run accident. Given the mysterious events that followed her death, June comes to believe her mother was murdered for one of her many projects. Could the kidnapping attempt have something to do with that project? But which one?

There are several references to the plot in the first book, The Drifter, but it is not necessary to have read it to enjoy this well-developed story and cast of characters.

Reviewers have compared Peter Ash to Jack Reacher and Jason Bourne.

Profanity throughout.

The sixth book is the series, The Breaker, was recently published.

4.10 stars on Goodreads, 4.5 on Amazon

Troublemaker AND The Woman Left Behind (GO-Team 1 & 2) by Linda Howard (2016 & 2018)

 

The GO-Team is an elite paramilitary group. In Troublemaker, Morgan Yancy, an operative and team leader is ambushed and almost killed, and his supervisor, Axel McNamara, wants to know why and by whom. To keep Morgan safe, Axel sends him to his ex-stepsister Isabeau “Bo” Maran. Bo is the part-time police chief of a small West Virginia mountain town where Morgan is expected to lay low and stay vigilant. As to be expected, sparks fly between the two but when Morgan’s cover is blown, he will do whatever he has to to keep Bo safe. Bo’s dog Tricks serves as the comic relief.

3.8 stars on Goodreads, 4.2 on Amazon

Jina Modell works in Communications for the GO-Team and she is happy there. She likes the money and being able to kick terrorist butts without ever leaving the climate-controlled comfort of the control room. That changes when she is reassigned to work as an on-site drone operator in the field with the all-male teams. Jina, who hates to sweat, must learn how to run and swim for miles, jump out of a plane, and shoot a gun or else it’s the unemployment line.

Levi is the leader of Jina’s new team and is responsible for turning her into one of them. Much to everyone’s surprise Jina survives the training and the team heads to Syria on a mission. While the men are out in the field, Jina is left operating the drone from the base. The team is betrayed, and the base is destroyed. Jina must rely on her training to find her way to the exfiltration site on her own. Her team thinks she is dead, but Levi is determined to bring Jina home dead or alive.

4.10 stars on Goodreads, 4.6 on Amazon