Man of War by Sean Parnell #Review #Thriller

Series: Eric Steele # 1
Format: Hardcover, 368 pages
Release Date: September 11, 2018
Publisher: William Morrow
Source: Library
Genre: Thriller

The New York Times bestselling author of Outlaw Platoon makes his fiction debut with this electrifying military thriller—a gripping tale of action, suspense, and international intrigue that introduces a compelling new hero, Eric Steele

“Fast, hard, and effortlessly authentic.”— Lee Child

Eric Steele is the best of the best—an Alpha—an elite clandestine operative assigned to a U.S. intelligence unit known simply as the “Program.” 

A superbly trained Special Forces soldier who served several tours fighting radical Islamic militants in Afghanistan, Steele now operates under the radar, using a deadly combination of espionage and brute strength to root out his enemies and neutralize them.

But when a man from Steele’s past attacks a military convoy and steals a nuclear weapon, Steele and his superiors at the White House are blindsided. Moving from Washington, D.C., to the Middle East, Europe, and Africa, Steele must use his considerable skills to hunt this rogue agent, a former brother in arms who might have been a friend, and find the WMD before it can reach the U.S.—and the world is forever changed.

Man of War, by author Sean Parnell, is the first installment in the authors Eric Steele series. Man of War introduces a new hero for our troubled age. Eric Steele, code named Stalker 7, is a badass with the brains and brawn that readers love, but also a man with deep compassion and a commitment to his mission and his country. Eric is what's called an Alpha. An elite clandestine operator who works for the Program to go where ever he is asked to be quickly. He's also a former US Special Forces solder who did time in Afghanistan before being scooped up by the Program.

 

Each Alpha answers directly to the president, and each operator is responsible for covering a specific geographical territory, thus giving the commander-in-chief a third option when diplomacy won’t work and starting a lengthy war is out of the question. Alongside of Eric, is Bobby "Demo" Cortez. I think readers will love the relationship between Eric and Demo. Demo also brings a bit of humor to the story. This is a literal cat and mouse game between Eric and his former mentor Nathaniel West. Steele was there when Nate was thought to have been killed, and he grieved the loss of his friend and his family. Now, he’s faced with the shocking and devastating reality that his former teammate has gone rogue and is knee-deep in a plan to strike a blow to America.

 

West has an agenda that includes payback to those who betrayed him and left his family to be killed. He is a master manipulator who is pretty much one step ahead of Eric for most of the story. By going after a nuclear weapon, West has upped the game to the point where he must be stopped at all costs; no matter what former friendships might play into the decision. Other characters you must pay attention to are CIA Director Robin Styles who I would also call a villain, as well as Meg Harden, CIA, who spent 10 years in the Army. The last character is Vice President John Rockford who was CIA Director before being asked to to as VP under President Cole.

 

Look folks, I know this is a trying time for some of you politically, but there is not one single thing about this story that focuses on the disruptive sniping between the parties which is unhealthy for this country. Especially when China is laughing at the US and moving quickly to take over the US as the dominate country in the world. Man of War has a tried and likely premise, a nuke has gone missing in the Middle East and our hero has to find it to avert a world war traveling from various countries as well as DC. As the author is former military himself, there is some realistic sense of authenticity. There is a slight romantic angle to this story, but I have to read the sequel in order to see if this ends up working out or not. But, the point I was trying to make is, this isn't focused on political shenanigans except for the aspirations of one particular character and just happens to be female.

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