A number of years ago, this Marine squad was tasked with grabbing a CIA operative being held captive in an Al-Anbar house. Capt. Logan West wasn’t happy with the assignment. Came up too quickly. Not enough intel. Too many holes. But his commander says get with it.
The raid turns out to be a trap. The house was a torture chamber beyond anything they had seen before and what intel the CIA had was bogus and unsubstantiated. The squad was surrounded and most were slaughtered. West and his Gunny got out alive, but far from unscarred. Logan essentially quit the Marines, became a drunk and tossed out by his wife. Once Gunny John Quick was discharged, he ran for the boonies of Montana to escape his memories in a self-imposed prison in the mountains.
Logan awakens from a booze-induced blackout to what’s obviously a well trained military type standing over him in Logan’s basement. He wants an Iraqi battle flag that one of his Marines lifted from that torture house. Not interested in cooperating? Maybe the screams from your wife might change you mind.
Despite his hangover, West overcomes his opponent and heads for his wife’s house where 3 or 4 guys are doing their best to get her to call Logan for the information, but years of marriage to a Marine Force Recon officer taught a little toughness and she manages to off a couple just before Logan gets there to finish the job. A call to the FBI brings in a whole bunch of help.
That flag. What’s its importance and to whom? Maybe it’s that souvenir Gunny Quick brought back from the torture house. Well, the bad guys thought of that, too. And about a half dozen guys are working their way to the Gunny’s house unaware that being retired doesn’t mean the old skills are forgotten, and manages to keep one of the mercs alive.
The FBI, West, and Quick put their heads together and interrogate their captive. What the hell? They were hired by a security boss for a Mexican cartel. But what good is an Iragi flag to a cartel, where did they find all these mercs, and how does this relate to that failed mission in Al-Anbar?
Betley, a former Marine officer, takes the reader on a spectacular chase from Maryland to Montana to Texas and back to Iraq trying to find out the flag’s secrets, what those secrets are leading to, and where and when will whatever happen? The threat is that thousands may die forever changing the world.
The good folks are Atria Books (a Simon & Schuster imprint) sent this preprint with a note that Betley was signed by Emily Bestler who also brought Vince Flynn and Brad Thor to wide distribution. If she says this guy could be the next big thing in thrillers, who am I to argue? Pace and authenticity are the calling cards here and Betley has both in spades. No doubt the beginning of a series of Logan West books.
To quote Samuel L. Jackson in Jurassic Park: “Hold onto your butts.”
Available March 1, 2016
East Coast Don
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