Genre: Thriller
Description:
“NCIS Special Agent Linus Schag is no stranger to violence and
bloodshed, but when he’s sent to Iraq to take custody of two Navy SEALs
suspected of murder, he finds himself thrust into a manmade inferno as
coalition forces fight to free northern Iraq from the Islamic extremist group
called ISIS.
The explosion of an IED allows the SEALs, suspected of killing a
fellow commando, to escape and flee up the Tigris River in a stolen Navy patrol
boat. Schag pursues the SEALs in another boat assisted by an Army criminal
investigator, a vengeful Iraqi interpreter, and a hostile Navy boat crew.
Facing danger at each bend in the river, Schag and his companions endure
ambushes, firefights, and friendly fire as he tries to discover the secret that
lures the SEALs straight into the dark heart of an ISIS-made hell on earth.”
Author:
“Martin Roy Hill is the author of two national award-winning
series—the Linus Schag, NCIS, thrillers and the Peter Brandt mysteries—the USCG
DSF-Papa sci-fi thrillers, Eden: A Sci-Fi Novella, and a collection of short
stories, DUTY. He is a former journalist and national award-winning
investigative reporter for newspapers and magazines. His nonfiction work has
appeared in Reader’s Digest, LIFE, Newsweek, Omni, the Los Angeles Times, and
many others. His short fiction has appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine,
ALT HIST: The Journal of Historical Fiction and Alternate History, Nebula Rift,
Mystery Weekly, Crimson Streets, and others.”
Appraisal:
This is part of a series featuring Linus Schag (sounds like shag, the
c is silent). He’s an agent for the NCIS, the internal law enforcement division
of the US Navy. In this story he and his cohorts are chasing two Navy SEALs
suspected of murder into an area of Iraq that is essentially at war. Needless
to say, things are intense. The story has a lot of things at play to reach a
resolution. Not only does Schag need to figure out where the escapees are
likely to be headed beyond the obvious “upriver,” but they need to be careful
to stay as under-the-radar as possible from enemy forces (ISIS in this case). The
army crew tasked to assist him complicates things at times due to the normal
competitiveness and friction between different branches of the US military.
Then they have an Iraqi native accompanying them as a translator who makes some
of their crew nervous and has goals of his own that also complicates things. The
result is a unique story that keeps the reader guessing as to how or if things
are going to work out.
Buy now
from: Amazon US Amazon UK
FYI:
Although part of a series, this book stands
alone. Reading the prior books in the series to follow this story is not necessary.
Format/Typo
Issues:
Review is based on an advance reader copy which might not reflect the
final product, so we can’t judge this area.
Rating: ****
Four Stars
Reviewed
by: BigAl
Approximate word count: 40-45,000 words
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