Code Red

Rogue Warrior #1

by Ian Loome

Bob is just another homeless guy. So why is he being hunted by a crack team of assassins?

Bob Singleton used to be a top CIA assassin. Now, scarred by his terrible past, he lives in a refrigerator box behind a dumpster in downtown Chicago.

He just wants to be left alone. But his past is coming back to haunt him, in the shape of a nurse and a teenage boy who desperately need his help.

They are being pursued by trained killers because they stumbled on a long-buried conspiracy, a secret that is tied to a failed mission in Bob’s military past.

Now they need Bob to protect them. The old Bob, the one who fearlessly put his enemies in the ground.

Bob sees a chance to discover the truth about what happened all those years ago. Can he redeem himself, and honor the sacrifice of the men who died?

To do so, he must use the same deadly skills that made him a legend in his day. Skills he had sworn he would never use again….

Code Red — the first in a stunning new action thriller series. Perfect for fans of Jason Kasper, Jack Carr, and Lee Child.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Suspense, Mystery Thriller, Mystery

460 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 5, 2023

About the author

Have you reviewed one of my books?

I formerly wrote under the pennames "Sam Powers" and "LH Thomson". I was offline for most of the last five years! Send me an email at ian@ianloome.com if you're interested in a review copy of my latest.

Would you like to try my writing?

Grab a couple of free novels at https://ianloome.com/readergroup/

Ian Loome originally published novels as 'LH Thomson' and 'Sam Powers' before consolidating them under his own name in 2021.

He grew up in Africa, England and Canada. A former journalist, he was born in Libya and spent much of his youth in Africa in a communist dictatorship. A weekend tennis match was often against a member of the KGB or East German Stasi. He has lived around the world and covered stories ranging violent crime to features and celebrity interviews.

He served several stints as a legislature reporter, assignment editor and newsroom manager.

He writes the Liam Quinn Mysteries, the Joe Brennan spy novels and numerous stand-alone titles. In his spare time, he plays blues guitar and has toured with a radio charting blues band.

On the autism and ADHD spectrums, he lives with his partner Lori in Canada.

Reviews

[Abibliofob · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have tried another for me new author, although I found out that he isn't that new and I have one of his earlier books on my tbr pile written under the name Sam Power. Code Red by Ian Loome is the first in a brand new series about Bob Singleton and it is a fast paced thriller. The book is well written and the storyline is great and I must say I liked the characters. It is not the usual stuff although some of it is familiar. I have to thank Netgalley and Inkubator Books for letting me read this advance copy of a great book that is out in stores on July 5.

[Zoé-Lee O'Farrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first thing I thought of with this book is Jack Reacher. I thought Lee Child’s ruined this genre for everyone as I mean come on it’s Jack, he’s untouchable – even if we are still on a break. However, in walks Bob Singleton. We follow the formula for the genre however, there is something endearing about Bob. Maybe it’s the name.

Despite being a long book, I don’t feel like I have connected with Bob as much as I have with the likes of Jack Reacher or Tom Rollins (series by Paul Heatley). I feel he’s quite aloof, which he is, and there is more than meets the eye. It was a tough book for him, as we learn of the losses and betrayal.

I did guess who the betrayer would be from the beginning, but the author does a great job of trying to throw you off the scent. It was only as we were nearer the end of the book that things were not adding up… We find out why.

It’s the first book in a promising new series and it’s one I will keep up with, hopefully, my love for Bob will grow and I become more attached to him. I just felt with this book we were going through the motions rather than attaching any emotions to the characters. The writing is solid and wants to make you read on, even with the little lag in the middle. It had enough interest for me to want to find out who was behind everything and why.

[Cody Simons · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a bad plot line with spies who lie and a bum who turns out to be a deadly assassin forced to avenge those lies.

[Dane Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

A seemingly washed-up Special Operator is awakened from a decade-long inebriated stupor, when events from his past return and threaten the life of an innocent teenager and a nurse; the only person who treated him like a human being.

Dragged back into a life he had long-since left behind, they forced him to employ skills he vowed never again to use.

Chased by the government, law enforcement and, mercenaries, Bob Singleton risks everything to save the innocents, while attempting to uncover the source of a leak that resulted in the death of his teammates.

This was a pulse-pounding ride from start to finish. Ian Loome painted the perfect picture of a tormented warrior, punishing himself for perceived missteps and errors in judgement.

The emotions of each character, both good and evil, are thoroughly examined, allowing you to empathise with even the vilest of acts.

This was an excellent read.

This work gave an extensive look at espionage, covert ops and private military contractors, plus the effect of little to no oversight.

There were a few repetitive phrases in this title; however, as an author myself, I am quite aware of the inescapable habit of over-using your favourite sequence of words.

In the words of William Faulkner, you must “kill all your darlings”; remove unnecessary characters, storylines or sentences. This is easier said than done.

If you're looking for an action-packed, character-driven thriller, this book is perfect.

[Sabrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first book by Ian Loome and boy did it grab me from the beginning. What does a homeless man, the CIA and a team of assassins have in common? Read this book and find out. I thought the book was interesting and the story grabbed you and kept me wanting to read just one more chapter! Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for an ARC of this book!

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book turned out to be really good, great characters, a lot of action, and a plausible plot(since the CIA is involved). I almost gave
it 5 stars, but the ending suggests another book on the horizon.
Hopefully the author is in the midst of writing it.
Thanks to Inkubator Books and NetGalley for the ARC.
I definitely recommend this book and have a couple other books
by Ian Loome to read from another series.

Unable to find book with ISBN "9781837561216" on Goodreads.

[Cody · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recommended

As a firearms enthusiast, I'm disappointed in how many gaffes were included. Especially at the end. Not one decent concealed carrier, much less highly trained operatives, are going to have to cock or chamber a round in a pistol they're carrying. Futhermore, nobody "cocks" a semi-auto.
And this isn't the movies. If someone wants to shoot you ,they just shoot you. They don't go into these long diatribes beforehand.
As unrealistic, this story was, I enjoyed all the action, and Bob,Dawn, and Marcus were good characters.

[Chaplain Stanley Chapin · Rating 3 out of 5]

i liked it and I did not like it.It was a fair storyline, that had too many consequences that were unbelievable and possibly even unattainable.

[LJ (ljwritesandreviews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a good while since I've read an action thriller and the blurb for Code Red immediately appealed to me, so I was eager to dive in.

This is the first in the series featuring Bob Singleton, an ex CIA assassin hiding from his troubles by drinking too much and living on the streets. His past catches up to him, forcing him out of retirement to help teenager Marcus after his parents are killed.

Code Red was fairly long for an action thriller, but there wasn't a dull moment in the book with a breakneck pace that kept me turning those pages.

Bob was a likeable character. A trained assassin, he was a killing machine, but his code of conduct and morals kept him from becoming cold and unfeeling. He wasn't perfect. His problems with alcohol tended to get the best of him, but with his past, you couldn't hold that against him.

There were a good few twists and turns through the novel. A number were a bit predictable, but still enjoyable.

If you're looking for a well-written action thriller, with a big-hearted yet troubled main character, then I'd highly recommend Code Red to you.

[Sonja Charters · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book in an exciting new thiller series, A Rogue Warrior.

This one grabbed me from the start as I was completely intrigued by Bob. Currently living on the streets, it really made me wonder what had happened to put him in this situation.

Gradually we learn about Bob's past and when his past comes back to catch up with him, he has to once again rely on his CIA skills.

I found this a much longer read than my usual quick read thrillers, so it took me a few days to get through it, but as the storyline was so intriguing, I didn't find this too onorous.

I wasn't too keen on Bob at first but I think that there is much more to his character and he definitely grew on me throughout.

This is the first book I've read by this author and it's not one that I'd usually grab off the shelves, but I really enjoyed this and would definitely be interested in reading more of the series.

[Paul DeGroot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read, but predictable

I was looking for a new author to try. The book was good, but very predictable and not the suspense I hoped. I figured it out very early. Prefer books where I am stumped then stunned.

[Karolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marcus Pell arrives home from school wondering why his mum didn’t pick him up as usual. The front door is unlocked and he goes in to find Janet grabbing a suitcase off Richard and being told to pack a couple of outfits in his gym bag and then they need to get going. Janet comes running back in, saying it’s too late and shooting the deadlock on the front door. Richard tells him to hide in the basement by the woodpile under the orange tarp. Next thing he hears is thumping against the front door and then faint gunshots. After a while, there’s a creak, was that the door into the basement? A footstep on the stairs? A faint light shows through the holes in the tarp and Marcus has problems with his breathing. He tries holding his breath but that just makes it worse. Then he stands up to see what is going on when he sees a gunman, standing there. He crouches back down when he decides to use his phone to set an alarm for five seconds to an ‘explosion’ sound and slides the phone as far away from him as possible. He stands up just before it goes off, then the man turns towards the sound when he hears it go off and Marcus hurls the tiny axe at the gunman. He caught it, then dropped it to the floor. Before he could bring the gun up, he was shot and Janet was standing behind him. She said to Marcus they had to go, Richard was dead. She gave him the car keys and said whoever got to the car first should drive. She asked if he still wore his pendant, he said yes. She told him that under their pictures there was a name and he would be able to help him if anything happened to her. Then they made their way out of the basement, Marcus got out of the front door and to the car, Janet didn’t. She was shot down in front of him but it was the impetus needed to make him go. He started the car, got into reverse and off the driveway then shot off up the road, making sure he got well away.

Bob Singleton had been living on the streets of Chicago for a few years, he was now a drunk, lived off a soup kitchen but made sure he still did some exercises to stay relatively fit. He went to a free medical centre when he needed to and was generally looked after by a nurse called Dawn there. She was friendly and kindly towards him. Marcus Pell managed to track him down to the free medical centre and actually speak to Dawn, she gave him a rough idea of where to look for Bob, from where she had followed him to six months earlier. Marcus tracked the alleyways looking for Bob, what he didn’t realise was that government agents were tracking those same alleyways too.

Marcus seemed to have found what was Bob’s flop house but no Bob but then he heard voices near the dumpster. He was trapped. He remembered the empty bottle and when he found it, he threw it as far as he could in the opposite direction to what he wanted to flee. Then he ran for as good as he was worth and got a few alleyways over until he turned into one and a truck turned into the other end. The men following him came into the alley after him. Marcus crouched in a space behind a dumpster, he peered round the side, with the men coming from one direction and the truck still blocking the other, he was stuck. Then he heard a bottle rolling around near the bottom of his foot, then he knew he was caught as the men ran up to the dumpster and one pulled his gun on him. Before they knew it, Bob was up behind them and fought them until Marcus and him could break away into a warehouse door.

They work their way through the first warehouse evading the surrounding agents and get into the second warehouse which is a storage one for furniture but Bob is even more impressed when he sees what Marcus finds, which is a Challenger car so they can drive out of the warehouse. They are driving one way out of the city when Marcus tells Bob that it was Dawn from the free medical centre that had told him where to look, they then realise Dawn could be in the same sort of trouble.

When they find Dawn down an alleyway, she is facing two men. One of the men is pointing a gun at her head. Bob reverses into the alleyway, then a bit more and a bit more aggressively until he makes them break apart. He flings the rear door of the car open for Dawn, tells her to get in. The dumpster helps the door shut and they hotfoot it away from there. Then they find somewhere safe to hole up for the night.

Who could be out after the Pell’s? Why would anyone be after Bob Singleton? Which of his old missions could this be related to?

This is a terrific read, full of action, fighting and guns. It’s a great plot and well written into a story that pulls you in from the start. Bob may have been living on the streets but he is still a kind hearted man and he doesn’t want harm to come to his charges. He may be up against it but he still has his skills. And he wants to know why they are trying to kill the rest of his small team off, after all this time. I really enjoyed reading this one, something a bit different from the normal, I must say! I would read book two if there was one.

[Cath · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is book one of the A Rogue Warrior Thriller series and the main character is former CIA operator and assassin, Bob Singleton, the team alpha (or lead) of black ops Team Seven, until an operation went bad in Tehran leaving three of his team dead and a kill order put out on the rest of them. Someone had betrayed them and wanted all the loose ends taken care of immediately. After losing his fiancé because of the pressures of is work and feeling guilt at what happened in Tehran, he gave up on a real life and started living on the streets of Chicago. He has lived in an LG refrigerator box beside a dumpster in an alley for some ten years and is no longer quite the man he used to be. He drinks to be able to sleep and to forget. He just wants to be left alone! But the actions of one of his former Team Seven members, Smalls, the computer expert, has suddenly opened up the secrets of the conspiracy behind their last mission. Now the remaining survivors are being hunted and deadly killers have orders to clean shop, with any innocents caught up in it, counted as collateral damage.

Seventeen year old Marcus Pel got home, only to find both his parents there and in a panic, but before they can get out of the door two SUV’s pull up. Both his parents suddenly have guns in their hands, as men in black enter the house and start shooting. When it all goes wrong, his mother tells him to run to the car and get away, and tells him there is a name and address of someone he can trust in his locket, he has always worn. Bob’s name and former address are all Marcus has to go on, and that soon leads him to Nurse Dawn Ellis, who has recently treated Bob after he was shot with rock salt pellets trying to help a young man who was being attacked. The only way to be safe is to go with Bob while he tries to work out who betrayed his team all those years ago and is now sending teams of killers to wipe out any witnesses. He still has the skills of old, but definitely isn’t in as good a condition as he used to be! With people needing him, maybe now he can find out the truth and make amends for those who died. He thought he would never have to use his deadly skills ever again, but with the people sent after them, he has little choice.

Some fantastic characters as well as trying times for them all to get through. Bob will be facing an old foe or two as the story continues and the past is revealed. Bob has to get over the shakes from his alcohol withdrawal and get his mindset back to facing danger at every turn. Dangerous people may be chasing the three of them at every turn, leaving them little to do but run and hide. That is until Bob turns the tables and hunts down one of the men responsible to get answers and find out who the other traitor was. Dawn tries to persuade him not to kill anyone, but that’s hard to do when the other side is willing to kill at a moment’s notice and take out innocents as well. Cracking action at every turn, with a couple of shocking twists at the end which might leave you surprised. Where the three will end up and what the future might be for them all, is all up in the air and open to fate. I can’t wait to read more and would love to know what happens to them next and whether Bob will get his life back in control or go back to living in the streets. I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and loved it, so have bought it as well. I can’t wait to read more books by this author. I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.

[Janalyn, the blind reviewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once upon a time Bob Livingston was in one of those government agencies that don’t exist he was also the alpha of the group which meant he was the best of the best. Unfortunately when we need Bob he’s a homeless alcoholic and going to his favorite store to lift a bottle of vanilla extract because that is the cheapest way to get drunk. While in the store three gang members come in and threaten the young cashier but before taking hurt Daniel the boy in the booth they’ll have to deal with Bob Livingston and are lucky to get away with their life. In another part of town Marcus Pell arrives home to see Richard and Joanne packing and telling him to do the same thing before he could wonder why his mother Russia sent to the basement and tells them to hide anything anything happens to them to look behind the picture in the locket he wears around his neck every day. Soon he learns why his parents are murdered and when he looks behind the locket it tells him to go see Bob Livingston and give him an address. When he arrives at this address this is how he meets the professor and a clue as to where he can really find Bob. He will eventually find him but before he can explain anything Bob will have to save his life and become the killing machine he swore he never would be again and Marcus wouldn’t be the only one he’ll be responsible for. Let me just say this is a super long book and I only put it down once. I know there are probably things that wouldn’t happen in real life but I was so swept up in the greatness of this book I couldn’t even stop to ponder it this is going to involve the CIA shady government agencies government contracts spies treason and multiple deaths and I loved all of it. I did think nurse Dawn with her motto “you don’t have to kill everyone “was a bit naïve especially when these people are trying to kill you but that is my only critique of the book I absolutely loved it I love the little Marcus I was shocked by who Excelsior was because OMG what a backstab her! But this is a stellar good against evil book and it was excellent a truly excellent read through and through. Please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Cathy Geha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Code Red by Ian Loome
Rogue Warrior Thriller #1

Action-packed thrill ride from beginning to end – Could not put it down!

What I liked:
* Bob: homeless, alcoholic, ex-Cia assassin, has a personal moral code, responsible, lethal, lost focus but might get it back, intriguing, have a feeling there is a lot more to him than we see in this first book
* Dawn: RN, works in free clinic in poor part of town, lost her son to gang violence, church goer and believer, sees the good in others, strong, caring, doesn’t like swearing, doesn’t give up
* Marcus: survivor, parents gunned down, dealing with trauma and stress, stronger than he realizes, has mechanical mind, would like to know more about him
* The plot and speed of the story telling
* That I was drawn in and my attention held from beginning to end as I rooted for the good guys
* Meeting some of the supporting characters and wondering which ones might show up in the future
* The action scenes
* The ability to see this book as a movie in the future
* Being able to hate the bad guys
* The twists and turns
* The setup for the books that will follow
* Reading a new-to-me-author that I thoroughly enjoyed

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* Thinking about traitors and what might motivate them
* Knowing that there are evil people in the world who do what they want and also thinking about those in government that might not be as “good” as they would like others to believe they are

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Inkubator Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

[Nikki Brooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never thought I'd say this - but move over Jack Reacher, you have a worthy contender on your heels!

Bob should be invisible. Living on the streets amongst the nameless and anonymous street people. But this is a man of secrets and someone, somewhere really wants to make sure those secrets stay undercover!

Bob seems to encourage loyalty in people that he meets (before his fall into a bottle and after). I love when a character believe they have something to redeem but you later find out that it's their own self-guilt they are trying to redeem. Bob is a man in need of a mission and someone to save. That mission is one he thought he'd left behind years ago and that person he has to save - well that would be himself and a teenager, Marcus.

Along the way they gather a rag tag group of allies including a nurse with a heart of gold, a professor with a past and an enemy who has a deluded sense of his own self-importance!

I like my thrillers on the chunky side and this definitely satisfied that! I read quickly and it still took me two days to get through it! A well crafted tale of the CIA and super-covert teams and clandestine contracts, unexpected heroes and those willing to commit murder and treason for profit. Dawn and Marcus gave Bob that reason for living he had been missing and whilst I did guess Excalibur's identity I was really intrigued to know the WHY of it all!

I'd happily read more of this series and Bob may be my new favourite hero with a flaw!

[Richard Bacon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the latest thriller from Ian Loome. It is neither a Max Castillo mystery nor a Joe Brennan story, both of which are book series by the same author.

This novel tells the story of the "redemption" of Robert (Bob) Singleton. The reader first meets Singleton as a homeless alcoholic living in the streets of Chicago. However, through careful weaving in the plot we learn that he was at one time the leader of an elite military group.

Singleton manages with increasing reluctance to rescue three people who were being pursued by the same people who were after him. Each has a role to play in Singleton's eventual redemption but none more than Nurse Dawn. In fact it is nurse Dawn who believes most strongly in the possibility of redemption regardless of how terrible one's previous mistakes may have been.

Loome skillfully portrays the characters in his novel in such a way that we care about what happens to each of them. As the plot unfolds we learn more and more about each of the characters in Singleton's life. This is the mark of a great storyteller. And
Loome is a great story teller. His characters are believable. The plot holds together perfectly. The theme of redemption is carefully crafted for each of Singleton's group. And most importantly, the book is a true page turner.

Five stars are not enough for this masterful and thrilling work by longtime storyteller Ian Loome.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC through "Booksprout" and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

This story is about repercusion that happened in Iran many years ago. The story begins with an individual attempted to get information from an individual who was a part of that event and who was thought dead. As a result of information supplied, a hit was placed on a family who were also presumed dead. The parents were killed, but before the mother died she gave Marcus, her son, a piece of paper with a name and address. She told Marcus to go there and this person would provide help. The name of this individual was Bob Singleton, another one who was also thought dead. Bob had become a bum and was living on the street. Bob has just previously stopped a robbery , but as a result he suffered a wound from a shotgun blast. He went to a clinic where he was helped by nurse Dawn. She had helped him before.

Later it became necessary for Bob, Dawn and Marcus to leave because that same group that killed Marcus's parents was also after them. The story continues with the three of them trying to do what was necessary to stay alive.

Read along as the trio travels from Chicago ending in the lakes in New York. The action just keeps going on and on. The ending will answer any questions you have. Definitely a book to read.

[Billie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bob is just another homeless guy. So why is he being hunted by a crack team of assassins?
Bob Singleton used to be a top CIA assassin. Now, scarred by his terrible past, he lives in a refrigerator box behind a dumpster in downtown Chicago.
He just wants to be left alone. But his past is coming back to haunt him, in the shape of a nurse and a teenage boy who desperately need his help.
They are being pursued by trained killers because they stumbled on a long-buried conspiracy, a secret that is tied to a failed mission in Bob’s military past.
Now they need Bob to protect them. The old Bob, the one who fearlessly put his enemies in the ground.
Bob sees a chance to discover the truth about what happened all those years ago. Can he redeem himself, and honor the sacrifice of the men who died?
To do so, he must use the same deadly skills that made him a legend in his day. Skills he had sworn he would never use again….

This is a thrilling read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and action with wonderful world building.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.

I read a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.

[Mary Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a terrific read. Fast-paced and full of action. It begins with the killing of the parents of a teenage boy who manages to escape, and ends up finding Bob Singleton. Bob is homeless but was an army vet and events are connected to an act of betrayal in Iran years ago. When Bob rescues Dawn, a nurse who has helped tend his injuries in the past, it results in Bob, Dawn and Marcus, the teenager, going on the run from a team of assassins hellbent.

As characters go, Bob is quite aloof and I guess that is deliberate in this first book of the series. We see how he is like he is and how he got to be living this way. There are glimpses of a softer side to him and there is an underlying sense of morals and integrity behind the gruff exterior. I look forward to seeing this develop in future books.

I was carried along with the fast nature at which the story unfolded and it was only later in the book when I thought I had figured things out. Turns out I was right but I enjoyed how this was finally revealed. A definite new series to follow for me.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Frederick Tan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bob Singleton was a former CIA operative down o his luck and living like a bum in the street of North Preoria, Chicago. However his past has a nasty way of coming back to haunt him. Someone from his past want him dead after a botched assignment in Tehran ended with him taking the rapped for its failure. Now after all these years, an seventeen year old boy was told to contact him when his parents was gunned down infront of him. That set off a chain reaction that also involves a nurse Dawn who works as local caregiver to the street people.
Amid hordes of assassins send after them, Bob needs to protect them while running away. All jis past training as a CIA operative came back to him as he fought them off while also searching for the moles that betrayed their mission. As the mercenaries and government operative came after him, Bob must decide how to keep them alive ling enough to finish his job to bring closure to his past.

[Leanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book and although I didn't particularly like Bob at this stage, the plot was what really grabbed me and held on tight throughout. I love a long book like this one if it's intriguing throughout the whole story and this one definitely hit that goal out of the park. I never once felt bored or felt my mind wander. In fact I would have read this monster of a book in one sitting if I didn't have to wake up early the next morning. Bob is a strange character that I didn't connect with but I feel that there are many more layers under his rough exterior that I would like to know about. The plot was nail biting suspense as the three characters on the run faced many challenges that had me holding my breath. With a few suprise twists and a unexpected ending I am eager for the next book in this series.

[Serena Buffaloe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of action in this book !!!!

Really , really enjoyed this book !!! Lots of action and adventure, for sure !!
Bob is a down on his luck homeless guy . He does try to take care of himself, but a loser ,alcoholic former special team 7 guy with PTSD , and a slight hero complex , he has it bad.
As luck would have it he has an altercation at a local bodega , and from then onward , stuff gets real !!
A lot of former team 7 issues get a new spin , and good old Bob finds himself in a heap of trouble.
I enjoy books of this caliber , and am very much looking forward to the next story !!

[patrick Lorelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bob Singleton is homeless and just wants to be left alone after years it is looking that way. But not so everything begins to unravel and by the time a young boy shows up in his alley looking for him he knows he must protect him and then he must protect the nurse who has been helping him at the clinic. His past is catching up with him. This is at times a fast-paced story and at other times a little slow. Yes, it all works for the story but by the time you get to the end, you are surprised by the twist that has happened. A really good story and good characters. I received this book from Netgalley.com

[Naturalbri (Bri Wignall) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who doesn’t love a good psychological thriller, in the form of a CIA style action story? This book is very a Jason Bourne style read, packed with action, lots of twists and an old agent trying to find out what happened in the past.
I absolutely loved getting to know the main character, see what kind of man he was and slowly get to know what kind of agent he had been. The story was written very well and gave lots excitement throughout.
Overall, I was very impressed with this book. It kept me on the edge of my seat and was definitely well worth getting to know this author. I look forward to reading more from them!

[Marilyn Hay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I pretty much recommend anything that Ian Loome writes and this book, the first in a series, is no exception. He's an amazing storyteller, creating characters which feel real and engage your interest - you want to know what happens next. You want them to win against the odds. He crafts stories that have twists and turns, fast paced page-turners that are virtually impossible to put down. If you haven't read his work, do yourself a favour and read this book (I'm betting you'll read the whole series), and then read his Liam Quinn series (absolutely delightful, a lighter touch with the same wonderfully engaging characters and interesting mysteries).

[Ellen White · Rating 4 out of 5]

He had a nice pad, and a couple of free meals at the soup kitchen got him by.
Bottles of vanilla kept the nightmares at bay. A bum with integrity and helping when a robbery went bad.
A family fleeing with instruction to her son. If needed find Bob. That can't be right
he is a bum, the young boy, didn't want to question his mother's words.
Beginning series that has some interesting characters, within a good plot.
What Bob was is needed once again, can he be that guy again.
Readers will enjoy.
Given arc by Net Galley and Inkubator for my voluntary revie

[kirsty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book that I have read by this author and I liked it. It was well written with a storyline that hooked me in and engaged me all the way through and well developed characters that were believable and I felt like we really got to delve into the mind of all the characters and explore why they made the choices that they did.

It is fast paced and full of action which made for a very quick read that had me speedily turning pages just to find out what happened next.

An enjoyable read that has left me wanting to read more in the series

[Samuel murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent thriller.

Excellent thriller that has Bob Singleton a special operations operative living as a down and out requiring medical treatment after saving a cashier from death during a robbery. While recovering he observes special forces closing in on the nurse that dressed his injuries and takes actions to save her and a teenager who came looking for him after his parents were killed. Subsequent events result in Singleton trying to keep them alive, himself sober while trying to uncover a traitor that lead to the death of comrades while on a mission.

[Beach Bum · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, but nothing new

It's a tried and tested formula CIA SOG member gets out after a bad mission, hits the rails and lives on the street
Bad man wants to clean up the SOG team members a few years later and it goes from there
It's an ok story with the usual betrayals and loyal friends with a couple of civilians thrown in for good measure
I'm usually ok with 3* book, but for some reason I'm not sure I will bother with the next in the series. I might leave it a while and reconsider, but for now, off to something else