An Act of Treason

Kyle Swanson Sniper #4

by Jack Coughlin, Donald A. Davis

In the fourth novel in the New York Times bestselling series, Marine sniper Kyle Swanson finds himself in the sights of a man he once idolized—a true American hero turned traitor Swanson and his beautiful girlfriend, CIA agent Lauren Carson, are on a mission in Pakistan when their world is turned inside out. Kyle is captured and thrown in prison. Lauren is accused of being a double agent. The one person they trust to help is the man who sent them on the black operation—Jim Hall, a legendary CIA agent, Kyle's sniper mentor, and Lauren's boss and former lover. But Hall has gone rogue. He is selling America's innermost secrets to a ruthless Pakistani warlord who wants to mold al- Qaeda into a legitimate political party, and secure a nuclear arsenal. For Jim Hall, his former protégé Swanson is the final obstacle. Success or failure pivots on whether Swanson can stop the old friend who trained him to be a shooter. From the streets of Washington to the Bavarian Alps, the two snipers stalk each other in a deadly hunt that has only one possible outcome.

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Military Fiction, Action, Military Thriller, War, Suspense

334 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2011

About the author

Gunnery Sgt. Jack Coughlin’s autobiography, Shooter, describes his experiences as the top-ranked marine sniper in the Iraq War.

Coughlin is also the author, with Donald A. Davis, of the Kyle Swanson Sniper Novels: Kill Zone, Dead Shot, Clean Kill, and An Act of Treason.

Coughlin grew up in Waltham, Massachusetts, and joined the Marines when he was 19. He served with the Marines during the drive to Baghdad and has operated on a wide range of assignments in hot spots around the world.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/jackco...

Reviews

[Glen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kyle Swanson is betrayed by his mentor,who sells his allegiance to a rogue political party in Pakistan, for really, no good reason.

Swanson has to stop him before the leader can get his hands on the nukes.

Diverting, but not very memorable.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

In “An Act of Treason” Kyle Swanson is sent on a mission not only to rescue the survivors of a military unit wiped out in Afghanistan by the Taliban but to bring justice for their brutal slaying of one of the soldiers filmed on a cell phone camera. With legendary CIA agent Jim Hall, a trusted friend and his associate Lauren Carson, Kyle travels to Pakistan freeing the soldiers only to be betrayed as the city of Islamabad explodes around him in his dash to reach the rescue helicopter. Delayed when he stops to save a mother, her daughter and son injured in the blast he’s captured and incarcerated, discovering help from an unexpected ally.

All too soon it becomes evident after Kyle escapes his prison and Lauren Carson is accused by the CIA of working as a double agent that Hall has gone rogue, building a nest egg for his retirement by selling American secrets to a prominent Pakistan warlord and leader of the “Bright Path Party” who has an agenda of his own. With Kyle and Lauren on the run and every agency hunting them, Task Force Trident steps in to uncover his Hall’s whereabouts by tracking his financial transactions and preparing a plan to bring down the deadly agent.

The action never stops as Kyle Swanson recovering from the demons that haunted him tracks a mentor and friend from Washington to the Bavarian Alps outrunning assassins, and setting his own trap to bring the coldblooded murderer out of hiding. Intensity and suspense ratchet higher with an accusation of mass murder and treason against Kyle, a double-dealing charge against Lauren, a political conspiracy, the dissolution of Task Force Trident and a deal to cover up the CIA’s blunders only to have the tables turned on the accusers. As events unfold that have the two snipers hunting each other, the plot moves quickly and smoothly to a tragically vicious shooting and a fiery confrontation at the end.

In this story Kyle finds a love interest in the beautiful CIA agent Lauren Carson after both are smitten when they meet for the first time. Appearances attract but there’s little chemistry between the two as the sexual interaction between them seems forced and more of a game than anything substantial especially when Lauren is confronted by the volatility and danger of their jobs, wanting his love and support only to find it lacking in the duty-oriented Swanson.

Along with tough, resourceful and hard-headed U.S. Marine Gunnery Sergeant Kyle Swanson, the authors have created a tenacious, smart and ambitious character in CIA Agent Lauren Carson, a woman who uses her beauty to her advantage. Her boss and former lover the quirky and seemingly affable CIA Agent Jim Hall who’s disillusioned by the CIA turns into a liar and heartless coldblooded killer whose arrogance brings about his ruin. Like all the books in this series it is the complexity and dimension of characters like these that infuse the story with excitement and high-energy.

I liked “An Act of Treason” with plot twists that make it hard to put down and I would highly recommend it.

[Paul Pessolano · Rating 3 out of 5]

“An Act of Treason” by Jack Coughlin, USMC (RET) with Donald A. Davis.

Category – Mystery/Thriller

This is the fourth novel in Kyle Swanson, Marine Sniper series.

Kyle and CIA Agent, Lauren Carson, have been sent to Pakistan to avenge the beheading of an American soldier. The mission seems simple enough because they have been basically handed over two Taliban fighters. They have been set up for Kyle by al-Qaeda warlord, Muhammed Waleed. Kyle supposedly completes the mission when he kills the two; however, a trap has been set for Kyle.

Kyle is captured and imprisoned, and Lauren is being branded as a double agent by the CIA. The only one that may be able to help them is Jim Hall who was Kyle’s sniper mentor. The problem is that Jim Hall has gone rogue and is building himself a nest egg by working with Waleed and stealing agency money that was set up for payoffs and bribes.

Kyle and Lauren are helped by a real friend in the likes of Sir Geoffrey Cornwell. Kyle makes a daring escape from the Taliban and he and Lauren find refuge with Cornwell.

Kyle, finding out about the treachery of Hall, begins a search for him that travels across Europe. He and Lauren hope to make Hall show himself by attacking his money deposits and destroying his safe houses.

Hall and Kyle find themselves face to face, with the possibility that only one of them will come out alive.

This is a good read especially for those readers who have read the other Marine Sniper books.

[Nick Brett · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fourth book in the series and the best so far. A massive improvement on the previous one to which I gave a tepid three stars.

This hits a few high points with only one significant low point. Our sniper hero, Kyle Swanson, is betrayed by a former mentor (also a sniper, what were you expecting?) and left framed for an attack in Pakistan. Helped by his chums in the Trident black ops team, he escapes capture and takes the fight to his former mentor.

I enjoyed this, the balance of plot and action is a massive improvement on the previous two books, there are a few interesting characters (and no caricature Muslims or gung ho right wing US politics thank Goodness) and I liked the scenes and individuals from Trident. The sniper stuff is not too invasive (as it has been in previous books) and the blend and logic felt right most of the time. Swanson is not an absolute all action hero able to jump tall building with a single bound and it was nice to see him needing support.

The down side is an AWFUL love interest with a female CIA agent. She and Swanson fall for each-other at first sight, and it feels wrong and it feels clumsy and was totally unnecessary. Apart from that, it does what it says on the tin, and does it pretty well.

[Pierre Tassé (Enjoying Books) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting book with insight into some CIA and Taliban workings. Not everything is as you would expect and not everyone is as clean and upstanding as you are lead to believe. THe book was hard to put down and now that I have read it, I have ordered #5. Yes, I love the series this much. I hope you take the time to do it also.
Oh ya, there is a disconnect that I could not follow from #3 to #4 and that revolves around the girlfriend of Kyle. Not sure what happened to the girl in #3.

ENjoy

[Jim Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good solid political thriller filled with action, adventure and a little romance, Coughlin has written another Kyle Swanson sniper novel that satisfies. Rarely a dull moment, I may have to read all his Swanson novels. This is my 2nd and I can't recall at this moment why I gave the other one a full 5 star rating but seems it may have been better although I couldn't tell you the 1st thing about it now. Recommended. Sometimes I hate guns and think there should be tighter restrictions and laws concerning their use but with Swanson and also Bob Lee Swagger the authors seem to know their stuff and make guns fascinating. They use them in their novels as they should be used and they actually provoke my interest in kinds of guns and the history of guns.

[Reem Eisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t really like the book much but decided to finish it just coz I started it. Im a big fan of thriller and action books, but the way it was written and the storyline is what I didn’t like. Ending was great though when everyone started supporting the hero’s to get Hall. Glad Lauren didn’t die and Swanson didn’t kill himself at the end.

[Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Marine Core sniper Kyle Swanson finds himself as a man he once always dreamed of being, a true American hero. Swanson and his gorgeous girlfriend, CIA agent Lauren Carson, are on a mission in Pakistan when something very unexpected happens. Kyle is captured and thrown in a local prison where he is confronted with others, and feels very unsafe. Lauren is then accused of sharing information for both countries to cause havoc. Now Jim Hall was the person who sent them there, so they are bound to be determined to fulfill what is asked of them by him. Now Jim Hall is a CIA agent just as Lauren is, but he has a lot more prestige to his name then most agents. Jim was also Swanson's sniper mentor, and even Lauren's previous lover. But Hall is the actual problem that was the cause of Lauren and Swanson's troubles. He is selling America's confidential information to a murderous Pakistani warlord who wants to form al- Qaeda, a large terrorist group, into a political party, and secure a nuclear arsenal for the world's destruction. Jim Hall sees Swanson as his last problem from success. So Swanson breaks out of prison and hunts down Hall, ending all his madness. Which Swanson encounters many obstacles throughout his journey to kill Jim Hall, including having to go back to the U.S. and then back to Pakistan's mountains.

I would recommend this book to readers who love a lot of action and plot twists!

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marine Sniper Kyle Swanson is betrayed by his friend and mentor Jim Hall. Jim is set to retire from the CIA (after 12 years in the Marine Corps) and betrays his country for a big payday to finance his retirement. He sets up Kyle to take the fall for a terrorist bombing he engineered to cover his exit and frame Kyle. Released from jail in Pakistan, Kyle allies himself with a lovely CIA agent he trusts and supported by the Trident Group, they pursue Jim Hall around the world by following the money. They eventually meet and only one prevails. There is much more to the plot but you get the idea. Suffice it to say, this is another excellent military thriller in Jack Coughlin's outstanding Marine Sniper series. Semper Fi Jack!

[David Dalton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite action/spy series. I need to catch up on all the Kyle Swanson books. I already have the next book in line: on my Kindle. But I will wait several months before I get back to this series. Well written with good characters that you either love or hate. This is the old mentor turns evil storyline. Do all mentors turn bad? Either that or they get killed and our hero/heroine then go out and avenge them!

[Ron · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Act of Treason was a very interesting and thrilling book, it was fully action-packed and I could not get my eyes off it. The book made you think about those people keeping their home country safe. I thought that the book was absolutely amazing and kept me at the edge of my seat. There are other books written by the author that are related, and are thrillers, I am going to be reading them as soon as I can get my hands on them!

- Happy Reading

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kyle Swanson is like Jason Bourne in this one. I read this in less than six hours. Couldn't put it down. Kyle is in Pakistan where he is betrayed by the man who mentored him. He has a new girlfriend too. No mention is made of what happened to the last one. I enjoy meeting the character from Kyle's PTSD induced dreams, "The Boatman." I think it's time Kyle did some narcoficantes in Colombia or Mexico. Why confine his skills to Europe and Asia?

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked it, but whatever happened to his romance with the girl he rescued? She was Lady Patricia's aid, and in this book, there is no mention of her, at all. Otherwise, another great Swanson outing! I'm on to the next...

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

A typical Gunny Kyle Swanson story with lots of twists and turns. The plot kept me engaged and the CIA's imcompetence once again resonated throughout. I look forward to the next book in the series.

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good! Has the ring of truth of somebody who's been there and done that.

[Bec · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really enoyed this, was very fast paced and entertaining with very likeable characters. Makes you wonder how much goes on out there that we have no idea about!!

[Steven Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly good book with some minor errors. Great action and suspense. I wonder if in the next book, Kyle will have a new woman again. He seems to get a new woman every book.

[Pete · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid entry into the genre but perhaps a bit too predictable. Most of the story is focused on the political intrigue aspect as opposed to the operational side. The final faceoff between Swanson and his mentor was somewhat rushed and anti-climatic. Not quite at the level of a Vince Flynn novel but still a worthwhile investment of time.

[MARY · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kyle's recuperation is cut short. His former teacher/friend Agent Jim Hall who was also a Marine Sniper turned CIA Agent turned bad guy, calls for his help on a CIA mission. But only it turns bad for him and Agent Lauren Carson. But in the end he got what was coming to him. I enjoyed this book.

[John A Cunliffe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Keep em coming!

Another cracking story from Mr Coughlin,well done gunny.Looking forward to the next one.Amazon get ready here I come.Absolutely brilliant!Onward ever onward.

[Salsadancer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terrorism, sniper, CIA, defection, beautiful girl, Pakistan make a pretty good story.

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book great characters and plot development

[Colbert L. Boyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another winner!

The writers have again woven characters and events into an exciting story. Kyle and his team is at the top of their covert game.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yeah another good one from “Jack Coughlin” with the usual fine detail of the sniper’s craft. A fun escape for a few days and the writing is often just a bit better than some others in the genre.

[Kevin Stumpf · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars for me. Excellent, quick read. Good characters. Kyle Swanson is a believable Mitch Rapp type character. Slightly quick end without any falling action but I can overlook that in this case.

[Edwrd Poole · Rating 5 out of 5]

You have to love Kyle and his adventures looking forward to the next in this series.

[Mr.Wade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story.

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good pace, it kept me engaged throughout. The series just keeps getting better and better.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a simple tough guy read. Some of the characters seemed flat and sophomoric at times but I enjoyed the plot and the unexpected villain.

[Kendal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great thriller, but a bit rushed at the end.