The Phalanx Code by A.J. Tata

Book 3 in the Gen. Garrett Sinclair series. Sinclair is more Jason Bourne, who leads from the front, than he is a 3-star suit in the rear with the gear. While we all need more like him, this story line seemed a touch far-fetched.

At the end of Total Empire, General Sinclair was sent to the ‘Disciplinary Barracks’ (prison) somewhat for punishment, somewhat for his own protection. After a year of enduring harsh prison life, he ends up getting sent to solitary for his role in a dining hall rumble. Gets roughed up by a guard and told to stay on the mattress for the next half hour. Given the video surveillance everywhere, Sinclair does as he’s told. Maybe 20’ later, the outside wall of his cell explodes inward by a heavily armored Humvee. One of his former Dagger team at the wheel speeds Sinclair off into the farmland surrounding Leavenworth.

Once out, he’s taken to a waiting plane to be flown into the Wyoming mountains where his benefactor awaits. Multi-billionaire tech developer name of Drewson weaves a tale of his evil competitor, another multi-billionaire Frenchman Blanc. Drewson is preparing to roll out Web 3.0 that’s supposed to be protective of its users. Blanc’s latest and greatest involves The Phalanx Code, a universal surveillance system. Each team is littered with coding/decoding geniuses and security teams better equipped than most armies.

The story follows Sinclair as he tries to take down Blanc. Much of what ensues from Sinclair’s grandfather, an Army Ranger who climbed Point-du-hoc on D-Day and helped take St. Mere Eglise. After that, the storyline sort of goes off the rails (at least in my mind. Hard core adrenaline junkie readers will probably salivate with each turn of the page). Allegiances crisscross so much it’s hard to keep straight who is/isn’t on Garrett’s team. Attacks and escapes have convenient contingencies that help Sinclair’s hunt for the truth.

At the core, thrillers need to be somewhat believable. There were simply too convenient situations to be believable that almost resulted in me putting the book down. But I trudged on mostly to see what unfolded in the next outlandish scene. Tata is a former army General so his description of battle are probably realistic, but I have a hard time believing someone like General Garrett Sinclair could actually exist. But the action, body count, and changes in the mission will appeal to an audience. Just don’t think that audience includes me.

ECD

 

#1495. Total Empire by AJ Tata

Dateline: desert east of Dahkla, Morocco (it's a real place. I looked it up):

General Garrett Sinclair and team attempt to rescue an American being held hostage by some breakaway group in NW Africa. Dahkla is a hub of activity in what used to be Western Sahara, which has been annexed by Morocco. A land grab not universally recognized. 

Like most all clandestine rescues, the team hits a roadblock. Almost looks like the bad guys had been tipped. In the process of the rescue, Sinclair’s senior non-com, Sgt Major Sly Morgan, gets captured and is beheaded on the spot. By all appearances, Sgt Major Morgan had been targeted.

At the funeral back home in NC, Morgan’s daughter Zoey tells Garrett that her dad had been gathering intel in the area including notes about a meeting between governmental officials from the US, France, and China where the topic of discussion was the so-called China US Partnership (CUSP). While some agreements have been signed, mostly about China being transparent about its intentions in the region, the real reason for the partnership is the proverbial New World Order where China and the US establish a universal worldwide government (with China having plans on shouldering the US aside). Zoey is hot for revenge of her father’s executioner and disappears.

Garrett tries to alert the President (a childhood friend of the General) about the behind-the-scenes goals of CUSP and who is plotting behind the scenes. Plus, he's butting heads with the Secretaries of State, Defense, and the President’s staff advisors, all of whom favor this new world order. It’s bound to happen eventually so best be on board at the start. Sinclair wants to go after Zoey but is expressly told not to intervene. Why he isn't to go find her doesn't hold water.

Of course, loyalty to Sly Morgan and daughter Zoey take precedence resulting in the General’s teams reassembling to find Zoey wherever she is being held in the western Sahara. Upon learning that Sinclair headed back to Africa, the Sec’y Defense advises the President to cut off all support leaving Sinclair and team effectively in the dark with no resources.

What they find in the sands east of Dahkla are two separate but connected expeditions. One, mostly a diversion, is a treasure hunt for untold hidden wealth in an area called The Eye Of Africa (look that up, too) and possible proof of Atlantis. The other is the development of a Chinese base for land-based lasers that will be used to target orbiting hypersonic nuclear missiles. The idea is China launches these missiles/satellites into orbit. When a target is selected, the lasers signal and target the missiles for ground targets.And they aren't hesitant about using them.

Without Presidential direction, Sinclair realizes he has multiple tasks. First, find Zoey. Second, learn what he can about this Atlantis dig. Third, gather intel on the growing Chinese presence and their goals. Fourth, if anything happens, he’ll need to incapacitate the laser system. He, his Apache pilot, his team of about a half dozen loyal operatives, and, currently, the world’s best sniper, a Moroccan now have to plan on the fly to attack on multiple fronts. Walk in the park, right? If that isn't bad enough, the General also has to keep looking over his shoulder for DC-based interference.

The boys at MRB have reviewed one book by AJ Tata. It too was a bit outlandish. General Sinclair is a lead-from-the-front type, refusing to sit in a room watching satellite imagery of an ongoing op. As such, he’s considered a borderline rogue warrior who should be heading for retirement, not crawling through sand caves and engaging most anyone who doesn’t look like him or his handpicked team. 

This book (and I’m guessing his 14 other novels) have two things in common. Not much character development and plenty of slam bang action. And that’s fine. Tata has a huge readership, so the story arcs of his books are resonating with a considerable audience. As military actions books go, this one’s got a ton of action. Given Tata’s history in the military, the descriptions must be on point . . . if a bit over the top.

Thanks to the good folks at St Martin’s Press for making a review copy available on NetGalley.

Available March 21, 2023

East Coast Don

 

Chasing the Lion by AJ Tata

The lion is Dariush Parizad and his hatred of America goes way back. As a farm child, the family plot was the staging ground for the failed attempt at rescuing the American hostages in Tehran. In the process, his father was killed by the Americans. Afterwards, the Ayatollah himself visited and called the young boy The Lion of Tabas (looks like the Ayatollah knew the value of a good photo op). Dariush grew to become an Olympic class boxer who especially enjoyed pummeling any American opponent. Next was the military where he rose in rank and eventually became head of the Quds Force when an American drone attack took out his boss and mentor.

 Intel from a trusted Mossad agent sends Dagger into a cave in the Gaza Strip. Dagger is the call sign of CENTCOM’s strike team. In the cave are dozens of dead captives who’ve been sequestered via mind control that combined cold war era drugs and cellular technology. Parizad is testing something. Evidence in the cave sends Dagger to Germany where they find the same thing. Parizad again. Next stop is Japan. Same thing, only this time Dagger is wounded.

 The head of Dagger is Lt. General Garrett Sinclair. His 6-man team has been together for decades. Sinclair was a West Point alum and carved out a career as a soldier skilled and wise enough to handle any mission, so far. But he’s a wounded man as his wife Melissa recently died of cancer. A death he missed due to a mission. How many ways can you spell guilt?

In the Japan assault, a crossbow arrow brings Sinclair down. The arrow is laced with Demon Rain that affects the central nervous system. He is whisked away for medical treatment. One of this team is killed, another gets lost in ‘the system’ and the rest are in hiding.

Taken to an Army base hospital? Nope. How about Ft. Dettick in Maryland where all the chemical warfare research goes on. During his ‘recovery’ he learns enough to fire up his rage. For example, during an earlier mission, wife Melissa had been taken to Dettrick and interrogated. Five Akula-class subs that Iran bought from Russia have slipped under the net and are creeping up on both US coasts. The upcoming inauguration of our first female president (college bestie of Melissa) is a couple weeks away and to keep some semblance of continuity, she will be keeping the current SecDef, SecState, and CIA Director in place. All three were West Pointers a year ahead of Sinclair and the air around them is beginning to stink. The Pointer's goal is simple: they want a ground war with Iran.

Parizad’s plan is careful, intricate, and planned to strike within the US to both shock the country and cripple the economy. While Sinclair continues to have issues from the poisoned arrow and the ‘treatment’ he was receiving at Ft. Dettrick, he still has to find out more about his wife’s death, protect his two kids, find Parizad, and convince the incoming president of the threat to the country.

 That’s a mouthful. Sinclair has a ton on his plate and not a lot of time to stop Parizad. The story is complex, told over maybe a month at best, and enfolds at a breathtaking pace. A very satisfying thriller told by one who knows of what they speak. AJ Tata is a former Brigadier General (a 1-star) with command stops with the 82^nd Airborne, the 101^st Airborne and the 10^th Mountain Division. His last tour was in Afghanistan. Now he writes books (14 so far) and hits the news shows for expert commentary when asked. Earlier book series were the four 'Threat' books, the six-book 'Jake Mahegan' series, and the three 'Reaper' books. I read one reviewer who said that Gen. Sinclair was a combination of Jack Reacher and Jason Bourne. That sounds about right. Apparently, this is the first in Tata's latest series.

 While I liked the book and read it in just a few sittings, I did have a few issues. First, how likely is it that a Lt. General (3-stars) will be a boots-on-the-ground leader of this small team? A 3-star slicing throats, cutting off fingers, jumping out of a helicopter while in pursuit, being the first through the door? Just wondering. Second, the use of cell phones (stimulated by a mind control drug) to control the population seems a bit of a reach. Conspiracy-wonks will say, ‘that’s absolutely possible’. Third, the drug, Demon Rain, is a failed cold war remnant that the Iranians have somehow figured out how to combine a variant of LSD with cell phones to trigger mass mind control and population manipulation. I may be naïve, but that seems to be a bit of a stretch. Fourth (and this might actually be true), is Ft. Dettrick still studying Cold War drugs? Got a neighbor who used to work there. Maybe I’ll ask. Finally, how important, really, was it to wrap covid-19 into this story? Maybe just to keep it current. No matter. They all kept the story hopping.

 Regardless of my minor story telling issues, this is a cracking read. As breakneck paced thrillers go, this is first rate. Suspend a few realities and hang on. The Reaper series is about a sniper. I may see if the local library has any.

Available June 1, 2021.