Flash Point

by Matt Croucher GC

The fantastic debut military fiction novel from a real-life military hero  Dan Coldrain is a former elite Royal Marine Commando haunted by the death of his best friend Reese, killed in action by enemy forces. Coldrain used to believe in honor, service, and the call of duty, but haunted by Reese's death, he drops out of service and instead seeks the lucrative pay checks on the private military contractor's circuit. Soon the Sandman lurks into view, a shadowy figure with connections to the political underworld and a proposal for find a man called Dogan—a terrorist responsible for a slew of lethal explosive attacks in both Iraq and Afghanistan, detain him, and hand him over to the Sandman. For this simple task Coldrain will be granted a four-man team; access to high-grade weapons, explosives, and vehicles; and a cool £1 million per head once the mission is completed. And so the hunt begins, with the contractors dragged through hell and back in search of their deadly suspect. Will Coldrain and his team complete their mission successfully? And, most importantly, will Coldrain battle the demons which so haunt him over his friend’s death?

Genres: War, Adventure

384 pages, Paperback

First published October 28, 2010

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m not raving about this book. I was expecting it to be over the top action packed but this was too much.
It’s chock full of descriptions and named products and equipment with technical explanations all the time.
I didn’t mind the jargon and pneumonics as I understood them all, but someone who’s not served would find them tedious and boring.
I’ll not be rushing out to read any others, certainly not the worst book I’ve read as I finished it but not the best by a country mile.

[Huw Rhys · Rating 1 out of 5]

Matt Croucher is a highly decorated soldier - but an author of any decent ability he is not, I'm afraid. This is just a very, very poor book.

The author uses streams of jargon throughout the book which may mean something to those who've had recent military experience, but mean nothing to those of us who haven't. It launches into huge, mnemoniced technical descriptions of kit and gear which again leave the orinary person baffled as to what they mean.

The plot is at best predictable, at times erratic and occasionally downright infeasible. Like when our protagonists get parachuted into Mogadishu, get blown off course by a few miles, land out at sea, get chased by a flotilla of armed gunboats for miles, rock up on a beach, blow the baddies out of the water, and turn round and see the two men they've travelled half the world to find a couple of hundred yards away - in a tank.

I really thought at times this book was some sort of a wind up - it really was very, very poor.

I don't doubt Matt Croucher's credentials as a a soldier, but he simply shouldn't be allowe dto write books. This was pure drivel.

[Chad Preston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really put me in the shoes of a special forces soldier. I thought it was well done, lots of military jargon and because of the background of the main character lots of British slang. I couldn't put it down. One thing I thought could've been done differently was the ending; the picture was painted well, but it was a little far fetched.

[Druss · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thriller from a man who has been there and done that! Lots of action and edge of the seat stuff. Pacy and you get into the action with vivid descriptions. The Marine vocaubulary used stumped me occasionally but a rip roaring read, a must for military thriller fans.

[Wilde Sky · Rating 3 out of 5]

An ex-marine gets involved in a plot to kidnap a terrorist.

This book started off well but the story got bogged down in military jargon and endless shoot-ups.