First Team: Fires of War

Larry Bond's First Team #3

by Larry Bond, Jim DeFelice

US covert agents must stop a nuclear war threat on the Korean DMZ in this military thriller from the New York Times –bestselling authors.

"The Team" lead by top CIA officer Bob Ferguson, and supported by Special Forces commando Stephen Rankin and Marine Jack Young, is authorized to take immediate action, beyond the bureaucratic restraints of US intelligence or the military establishment, in the ever-surprising War on Terror.

After years of exhaustive negotiations, North Korea's Kim Jong Il abruptly agrees to surrender all of his nuclear weapons. This sudden change in policy has the US suspicious, and the Team is dispatched to uncover the truth. Newest Team operative, the young and beautiful Thera Majed, goes undercover during the preliminary inspections of the entire Korean peninsula, on a mission so sensitive that she will be disavowed if discovered. But when she discovers hidden weapons in South Korea, a firestorm of debate is set off in Washington. A public announcement of their suspicions could derail the North Korean agreement, and the South Korean government may not even be aware of the weapons' existence. Ferg and the rest of the Team jump in to investigate, and the closer they get to the truth, the harder mysterious forces work to keep them away.

Someone is planning for a full-scale nuclear attack that would throw the civilized world into political and economic upheaval, and Ferg and the Team are the only ones in the position to stop them.

Genres: Thriller, Military Fiction, Espionage, Fiction, Audiobook, Military Thriller

384 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 14, 2006

About the author

Larry Bond is the author of several bestselling military thrillers, including Crash Dive, Cold Choices, Dangerous Ground, Red Phoenix and the Larry Bond’s First Team and Larry Bond’s Red Dragon Rising series. He was a naval officer for six years, serving four on a destroyer and two on shore duty in the Washington DC area. He's also worked as a warfare analyst and antisubmarine technology expert, and he now writes and designs computer games, including Harpoon and Command at Sea. He makes his home in Springfield, Virginia.

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

Reviews

[Tim · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story is mostly a disappointment when you know one side is untrustworthy and another emerges. 1 1/2 stars and 3 of 10

[Don Nichols · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice read!

I really enjoyed reading First Team: Fires of War. It was exciting and very well written. I would recommend this to anyone that likes spy thrillers. It is my first read of Larry Bond's books but will not be my last.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edge of the Seat Thriller

An excellent novel full of excitement and adventure. There were a number of unexpected twists and turns with problems that seemed insurmountable. Through it all Ferguson prevailed. Looking to read the next kindle novel.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've enjoyed all of Larry Bond's novels that I have read over the years and look forward to reading them. I read the first one in this series and somehow think that missed the second one, I will find it and read it next year.

[Harold · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book to be seriously below par. Some of the characters had the promise of being interesting, but they were minimally if at all developed. I kept on reading because I figured that there must be some point to the book. But alas, there was none.

[Warren H Degen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great action packed book

If you like military action packed books you'll love this book. Really fast paced action with some plot twists great book

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not one of Bond's better efforts--too much time spent dealing with medical issues.

[Bill Donhiser · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast paced Techno Thriller. Good plot and Fun to read

[Shorewalker · Rating 3 out of 5]

The usual no brainer, but after a very heavy novel this is a good diversion. Lots of action and lots of twists and turns.

[Brian Carrigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Agreat book hope to read more of this author

[Tamara McKinney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kept me engaged!

[Nigel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first team series from Larry Bond is different from much of his output as it doesn’t feature large scale high-tech battle scenes. Instead it is focussed on small scale covert operations. This time we find the First Team investigation plutonium production and the possible create of nuclear weapons in Korea. Having infiltrated an operative into an atomic energy inspection team they plan to take baseline readings using new highly sensitive covert meters from a waste recycling plant in the South to compare with findings at a similar site in the North. To everyone’s surprise however, the meters detect plutonium in the South causing the need for a hasty replanning of the operation.
Ferguson heads to the North in the company of a possible suspect, when disaster strikes and he is arrested and held at a remote location. Will a rescue mission be authorised? Can the First Team and other agencies uncover the extent of the plot before any plutonium is put to use? To add to the confusion the North mobilises its armed forces and appears to be on the verge of invading the South. Is this a coincidence, a distraction or part of a wider plot?
All in all a solid outing for Bond, as the First Team series grows on me book by book, looing forward to the final book in the series now.

[Jerome Otte · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book incredibly slow and lacking any kind of real action that Mr. Bond was known for in his earlier books. This books story line was interesting, but in the end nothing really happens. I really enjoyed Bond's Vortex, Red Phoenix, etc., but this First Team series dosen't come close to comparing to the action and page turning excitement those books gave you. I don't know if hes just "lending" his name to Jim DeFelice's books or not, but I can't recommend this particular series to anyone.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book over spring break and it was captivating. I'm not sure if this is the first book in the series, but it is the best book that I have read yet. I have always had a love for espionage stories and government spies. This book has these things and suspense hanging as you wait to see what happens to the characters as they face near-death experiences. It has intrigue, spies, defectors, and all the things that make covert missions awesome. I would recommend this to a friend who likes government espionage.

[Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

This First Team book finds them investigating whether or not North Korea may be complying with sanctions on their nuclear material as part of a treaty. They are surprised to find traces of the material in South Korea which starts off a hunt to find out what is going on. Ok read.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun international thriller. Apparently 3rd in the series and I've not read any of the others but wasn't left confused at any part of the book. There are some references to events in early parts of the series though. I'll have to track down the first two and read them.

[David]

If you like CIA?GOVERNMENT storys its a good read

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast paced, well put together story of intrigue, character, and persistence! My first read of Mr. Bond, and certainly not the last! Entertaining & credible as a "techno-political thriller!"

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Larry Bond writes good action novels and his First Team get more action then most. It's good fun.

[Terry Retter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit of a stretch in believability but a good action thriller. The first team seems similar to a couple of TV shows but with a more militaristic theme.