Military Thrillers

You know, it's been a while since I've read anything that could solidly be called military suspense or a military thriller. I do have a small collection of certain authors on my bookshelf, mostly Nelson DeMille, after a high school english teacher recommended The Charm School to me, though.

In truth, I've picked up Tom Clancy a few times, but never actually read any of his work. Hunt For Red October has been perpetually on my TBR list. My grandmother has a copy, so it's just a matter of borrowing it from her, really.

I think I'm intimidated by the genre. I'm certainly intimidated by political and military movies. I try them all and a lot of them go completely over my head (because it's buried in the sand, but that's a different matter).

But when the amazing Susan Schwartzman asked me if I would be interested in reviewing A.J. Tata's new book, Rogue Threat, there was really no hesitation on my part: she's never steered me wrong with a book recommendation and I'd like to think that I'm pretty open in my reading tastes.

I spent New Year's Eve reading Rogue Threat and really had a fun time with it. In fact, the teaser in the back of the book for the next Threat book has me all but drooling on myself. Tata is a military man himself and his knowledge is evident in the reading of this book. I really like Matt Garrett, too. He's a twenty-first-century action hero if ever there was one!

The plot involves missing aerial drones, a terrorist organization that is targeting high traffic landmarks, and a conspiracy that continues from Tata's debut, Sudden Threat. Although reading these out of order may spoil some of the suspense of the Garrett brothers' first appearance, this one can be read on its own with minimal, "Should I already know this?" moments.

Matt Garrett, a paramilitary operative with the CIA, is still recovering from his mission in the Philippines, a mission that cost him his only brother. But an enemy from the past has resurfaced and is heading a twisted plot, with revenge against Matt as his number one priority. Government conspiracies, double agents, and nice technothriller aspects combine to make this series, and Tata, a welcome addition to the genre.

I think Tata may have me reaching once again for more books in this genre, the way Nelson DeMille did ten years ago! I'm not joking. It takes literally just a couple pages for the action to get underway in this book and it doesn't let up until you turn the final page. And then that teaser! The promise of more about the Garretts is enticing enough for me to have to track down a copy of Sudden Threat while waiting for the new book to be released.