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Lethal Alliance: A Boyd and Abboud Literary Thriller
Extremist politicians routinely bash the nation's leading law enforcement agency. What could possibly go wrong? FBI agent Russell Boyd and interpreter Nawar Abboud find out the hard way in the second book of the Boyd and Abboud Mystery Series.
Finding common ground in their hatred of the U.S. government, a Muslim terrorist group based in Syria and an American cult calling itself the Kin of Christ plan a lethal attack at a crowded sports event. To stop them, Boyd infiltrates the Kin of Christ while Abboud pretends to sympathize with the Islamic terrorists. But just as they’re poised to stop the attack, they’re stunned to find themselves battling an even deadlier foe.“Rick George is a master of the page turner.”
Finding common ground in their hatred of the U.S. government, a Muslim terrorist group based in Syria and an American cult calling itself the Kin of Christ plan a lethal attack at a crowded sports event. To stop them, Boyd infiltrates the Kin of Christ while Abboud pretends to sympathize with the Islamic terrorists. But just as they’re poised to stop the attack, they’re stunned to find themselves battling an even deadlier foe.“Rick George is a master of the page turner.”
326 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 28, 2024
2 people want to read
About the author
Rick E. George
5 books13 followersRick George is the author of four novels. His poetry and short fiction have appeared in numerous literary magazines.
He has worked as a wildland firefighter, a sportswriter, and an educator. He lives in the Cascade Mountains of Washington with his wife April.
He has worked as a wildland firefighter, a sportswriter, and an educator. He lives in the Cascade Mountains of Washington with his wife April.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
February 16, 2024
Having read and enjoyed the first Boyd and Abboud story I was keen to read this one. I received an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review. The story is way more than a thriller. Rick has done meticulous research which gives the story a complexity that I appreciated. The characters were sympathetic, the prose flowed beautifully and the story had me feeling many emotions: anger, disgust and hope, to name a few. The nastiness of some events was outweighed by the kindness and caring of others.
I liked the change of locations and even though Rick mostly writes of the Pacific Northwest, I loved reading accurate details of southern Vancouver island and my hometown of Sooke!
There were the requisite plot twists I did not see coming. Thanks Rick for a great ride and a great read!
I liked the change of locations and even though Rick mostly writes of the Pacific Northwest, I loved reading accurate details of southern Vancouver island and my hometown of Sooke!
There were the requisite plot twists I did not see coming. Thanks Rick for a great ride and a great read!
February 16, 2024
I read this book in one sitting. A terrific read with very relatable characters.
Boyd and Abbott face a challenging foe in this fast paced story.
Deeply imbedded within the American government, a group makes it move to take over the government of the day.
Mayhem, manipulation, betrayal and murder along with the emotions of those involved combine to make this a nail biting tale.
Thank you for the opportunity to read your book Rick.
Boyd and Abbott face a challenging foe in this fast paced story.
Deeply imbedded within the American government, a group makes it move to take over the government of the day.
Mayhem, manipulation, betrayal and murder along with the emotions of those involved combine to make this a nail biting tale.
Thank you for the opportunity to read your book Rick.
February 17, 2024
Once again Boyd and Abboud have done it again against all the odds and prevailed in saving innocent lives! I love that there was more of a dynamic around the characters themselves and the plot I felt was so relevant to the issues still seen today. I really cannot wait for the next in the series to see where the world takes them! I received and advanced reader copy of the book from the author.
February 27, 2024
Firefighters in a Burning World
– A Review of Lethal Alliance by Rick E. George
"Some men just want to watch the world burn."
- Alfred Pennyworth, The Dark Knight
Conspiracy theories are thick in the air these days, like pollen in spring. All are false, but none are harmless; the constant drumbeat of false narratives heats the blood of those who believe them and provides cover for the real conspiracies that do threaten life and peace. A "boy cried wolf" syndrome leads us to believe nothing, so we ignore the boy when the real wolf approaches.
In Lethal Alliance, author Rick E. George has peered into the minds of the real wolves in our current era and with that research has woven a tale of complicated intrigue that makes for a thrilling novel and is all the more frightening for its plausibility.
FBI Agent Russell Boyd and agency interpreter Nawar Abboud are back in this dark and fast-paced thriller, putting their lives and their love on the line to walk into the pack of red-toothed conspiracists and foil their plans. As they sink deeper in this underworld, Boyd going under cover as a government-hating White Supremacist, they discover lines of connection that become ever more complex, powerful, and lethal.
The central question of the story asks what would happen if multiple forces with different ideologies, but the same goals were to join forces. Carried along in this house fire of a narrative, we see how internal enemies of democracy and external ones could collaborate to destroy what they both despise. More fuel is added to the blaze by those holding powerful positions, sworn to serve our country, who are as complicit in the terrible destruction that waits in the wings with their hatred of democracy, lust for power, and sheer incompetence. Boyd and Abboud are two of many who rush into this conflagration sworn and dedicated to snuffing the fire before it's too late.
As they risk their lives confronting this darkness, Boyd and Abboud grapple with their growing love, both wounded by their pasts, both uncertain about the future. Their love is palpable; the author brings visceral emotion to their love story, and I felt their struggle as if it were my own. How much peace, romance, or normal life could these two share with the weight of these terrible events on their shoulders, the author asks. How can any of us.?
In the eye of this maelstrom stands little Lely, the Syrian girl our heroes rescued in the first installment, Sinister Refuge. Abboud and her extended Seattle family have fostered the teenager and struggle to give her a normal life. The horror and darkness she witnessed has now tainted her painting, which was her refuge. Feeling that refuge threatened, as it was before, Lely fights her growing anger and struggles with the confusion that all innocents feel in the face of intractable human cruelty. But as the story ends, it is she who stands alone as a living symbol of what can heal a nation divided: a shared belief in the sanctity of civil engagement.
Rick E. George writes powerful thrillers that put us in the middle of real-world threats and show the kind of real-world courage needed to face them. Lethal Alliance is his crowning achievement so far. Anyone who loves seat-edge thrillers but wants flesh-and-blood characters instead of super-naught-spies or brooding warriors will love this book.
But it is much more than a great read; Lethal Alliance is a cautionary tale; one we should heed. Men really do exist who only want to watch the world burn. Who will face the heat to extinguish the flames?
– A Review of Lethal Alliance by Rick E. George
"Some men just want to watch the world burn."
- Alfred Pennyworth, The Dark Knight
Conspiracy theories are thick in the air these days, like pollen in spring. All are false, but none are harmless; the constant drumbeat of false narratives heats the blood of those who believe them and provides cover for the real conspiracies that do threaten life and peace. A "boy cried wolf" syndrome leads us to believe nothing, so we ignore the boy when the real wolf approaches.
In Lethal Alliance, author Rick E. George has peered into the minds of the real wolves in our current era and with that research has woven a tale of complicated intrigue that makes for a thrilling novel and is all the more frightening for its plausibility.
FBI Agent Russell Boyd and agency interpreter Nawar Abboud are back in this dark and fast-paced thriller, putting their lives and their love on the line to walk into the pack of red-toothed conspiracists and foil their plans. As they sink deeper in this underworld, Boyd going under cover as a government-hating White Supremacist, they discover lines of connection that become ever more complex, powerful, and lethal.
The central question of the story asks what would happen if multiple forces with different ideologies, but the same goals were to join forces. Carried along in this house fire of a narrative, we see how internal enemies of democracy and external ones could collaborate to destroy what they both despise. More fuel is added to the blaze by those holding powerful positions, sworn to serve our country, who are as complicit in the terrible destruction that waits in the wings with their hatred of democracy, lust for power, and sheer incompetence. Boyd and Abboud are two of many who rush into this conflagration sworn and dedicated to snuffing the fire before it's too late.
As they risk their lives confronting this darkness, Boyd and Abboud grapple with their growing love, both wounded by their pasts, both uncertain about the future. Their love is palpable; the author brings visceral emotion to their love story, and I felt their struggle as if it were my own. How much peace, romance, or normal life could these two share with the weight of these terrible events on their shoulders, the author asks. How can any of us.?
In the eye of this maelstrom stands little Lely, the Syrian girl our heroes rescued in the first installment, Sinister Refuge. Abboud and her extended Seattle family have fostered the teenager and struggle to give her a normal life. The horror and darkness she witnessed has now tainted her painting, which was her refuge. Feeling that refuge threatened, as it was before, Lely fights her growing anger and struggles with the confusion that all innocents feel in the face of intractable human cruelty. But as the story ends, it is she who stands alone as a living symbol of what can heal a nation divided: a shared belief in the sanctity of civil engagement.
Rick E. George writes powerful thrillers that put us in the middle of real-world threats and show the kind of real-world courage needed to face them. Lethal Alliance is his crowning achievement so far. Anyone who loves seat-edge thrillers but wants flesh-and-blood characters instead of super-naught-spies or brooding warriors will love this book.
But it is much more than a great read; Lethal Alliance is a cautionary tale; one we should heed. Men really do exist who only want to watch the world burn. Who will face the heat to extinguish the flames?
August 12, 2025
Lethal Alliance, by Rick E. George; Knapweed Press; $12.99 paperback; ebook $2.99
Good detection requires patience, methodical investigative steps, and luck. Luck might be better expressed as being open to stunning, utterly unexpected surprises. This is what you get in Lethal Alliance, by Rick E. George. George, acclaimed author and resident of the mighty northwest United States, gives us chase, intrigue, and betrayals aplenty. Chase into pursuit, trust into betrayal, and determination into dread are constants, happen in an eye’s blink, and are all utterly believable. What begins as an FBI source recruitment case will wrap you first in telling visual, personal and regional descriptions. Then George’s clever dialogue reveals his characters’ professionalism. That is, until it whirls you into stunning, then shocking twists.
We follow as Boyd, an FBI agent, and his Arabic translator Nawar come into a bizarre set of circumstances. In what is perhaps one of the best confidential informant interviews you’ll read, we discover they hire themselves a suspicious, crafty, and dubious source. A white supremacist race-baiter, this source becomes their wedge into a sensational plot to use a weapon of mass destruction at a Seattle Mariners’ game. Of course, the race is on. What is this weapon so dreaded that its effect would literally kill thousands? What is its target, and when will its destruction happen? Where is it; who has it? When we discover the who, the how it will be delivered becomes the new focus. When you think you’ve figured out the delivery method, you haven’t. You haven’t even figured out what you thought you did to bring you to the hand-off. I’m not revealing anything which might give away the plot. Suffice it to say that the magnificent evening and night time descriptions of the Puget Sound and Victoria areas are part of the set up. We follow as our FBI man and his translator protégé become even more friendly as she finally expresses her fears. Originally from Syria, she survived the horrific Syrian Civil War to wash ashore as a refugee in America after terrors unimaginable. Her family and loves from her country of origin are a morass of woe. We are only dimly aware of their impact. We discover her current abilities are tied to what it means to be an American, in a free country, where she can express herself as a liberated woman.
We find that despite their proclamations of nationalist Patriotism, the supremacists are selfish, hateful, and ruthless. They are gangsters, whose practices are all but primitive. Murder and torture are only part of their repertoire. The FBI’s undercover skills elicit the white racists have an even more insidious plot, which brings to bear the role of the Arabic translator. We gradually learn who are not only betrayers, but also murderers. Revelations only come sporadically, often wrongly, but with action and headlines aplenty. Soon we are asking ourselves how this can possibly end, when we can’t trust our beliefs about one character then another. Is the treachery higher than we can even imagine?
You’ll find this satisfying at many levels. The plotting is superb, unpredictable, and well crafted. Scenery is almost camera ready, while dialogue draws merit from the least exchange. Do what you can to get this book, set aside undisturbed time and enjoy!
Good detection requires patience, methodical investigative steps, and luck. Luck might be better expressed as being open to stunning, utterly unexpected surprises. This is what you get in Lethal Alliance, by Rick E. George. George, acclaimed author and resident of the mighty northwest United States, gives us chase, intrigue, and betrayals aplenty. Chase into pursuit, trust into betrayal, and determination into dread are constants, happen in an eye’s blink, and are all utterly believable. What begins as an FBI source recruitment case will wrap you first in telling visual, personal and regional descriptions. Then George’s clever dialogue reveals his characters’ professionalism. That is, until it whirls you into stunning, then shocking twists.
We follow as Boyd, an FBI agent, and his Arabic translator Nawar come into a bizarre set of circumstances. In what is perhaps one of the best confidential informant interviews you’ll read, we discover they hire themselves a suspicious, crafty, and dubious source. A white supremacist race-baiter, this source becomes their wedge into a sensational plot to use a weapon of mass destruction at a Seattle Mariners’ game. Of course, the race is on. What is this weapon so dreaded that its effect would literally kill thousands? What is its target, and when will its destruction happen? Where is it; who has it? When we discover the who, the how it will be delivered becomes the new focus. When you think you’ve figured out the delivery method, you haven’t. You haven’t even figured out what you thought you did to bring you to the hand-off. I’m not revealing anything which might give away the plot. Suffice it to say that the magnificent evening and night time descriptions of the Puget Sound and Victoria areas are part of the set up. We follow as our FBI man and his translator protégé become even more friendly as she finally expresses her fears. Originally from Syria, she survived the horrific Syrian Civil War to wash ashore as a refugee in America after terrors unimaginable. Her family and loves from her country of origin are a morass of woe. We are only dimly aware of their impact. We discover her current abilities are tied to what it means to be an American, in a free country, where she can express herself as a liberated woman.
We find that despite their proclamations of nationalist Patriotism, the supremacists are selfish, hateful, and ruthless. They are gangsters, whose practices are all but primitive. Murder and torture are only part of their repertoire. The FBI’s undercover skills elicit the white racists have an even more insidious plot, which brings to bear the role of the Arabic translator. We gradually learn who are not only betrayers, but also murderers. Revelations only come sporadically, often wrongly, but with action and headlines aplenty. Soon we are asking ourselves how this can possibly end, when we can’t trust our beliefs about one character then another. Is the treachery higher than we can even imagine?
You’ll find this satisfying at many levels. The plotting is superb, unpredictable, and well crafted. Scenery is almost camera ready, while dialogue draws merit from the least exchange. Do what you can to get this book, set aside undisturbed time and enjoy!
February 17, 2024
I leapt at the chance to have an Advanced Reader Copy of this book, the second in what I hope will become a fulsome Boyd and Abboud series. The only trouble I have with giving my honest opinion is not writing an entire dissertation.
I already love these characters, and how they are so individually presented through their thoughts and speech patterns. The same is true of all of the characters, which gives depth and rich texture to the racing, riveting plots. The settings are described casually, as a matter of what the characters are viewing rather than as a specific purpose, which adds even more to the reality of the story. Even the minor characters are given such personality it’s easy to picture the scene unfolding with the tones and atmospheres captured by the interactions of the characters, in skin-prickling dread or anxious frustration.
The subject matter is already intense, and the writing style ensures a maximum pack to the punch. The twists and turns in this book are particularly jarring as they should be, and the writing creates such a seamless flow throughout each scene that these jarring moment create that gut-wrenching jolt the character also feels. The different perspectives as the story moves would be jerky and confusing in less skilled hands, and they are masterfully used to control the pace, reveal more of the characters, and guide the story in a natural way, with no sense of an expectation from the reader but rather rising up to meet the reader’s expectation.
What’s even more chilling is that this could be a possible future, looming darkly ahead. The threads from past events lend themselves all too readily to be woven into this new series of even more devastating events. Thankfully the humour of Abboud and Boyd helps make the tension bearable.
By necessity of the subject at the centre of the plot, there are some very wretched moments, some heart-achingly poignant moments, and an incredible amount of detailed action. The level of research to make these people and this story so authentic is just staggering, and absolutely worth it: I already can’t wait for the next one. My pulse starts to race at the thought of what comes next for Boyd and Abboud. And Lely. Brilliant, broken Lely.
I already love these characters, and how they are so individually presented through their thoughts and speech patterns. The same is true of all of the characters, which gives depth and rich texture to the racing, riveting plots. The settings are described casually, as a matter of what the characters are viewing rather than as a specific purpose, which adds even more to the reality of the story. Even the minor characters are given such personality it’s easy to picture the scene unfolding with the tones and atmospheres captured by the interactions of the characters, in skin-prickling dread or anxious frustration.
The subject matter is already intense, and the writing style ensures a maximum pack to the punch. The twists and turns in this book are particularly jarring as they should be, and the writing creates such a seamless flow throughout each scene that these jarring moment create that gut-wrenching jolt the character also feels. The different perspectives as the story moves would be jerky and confusing in less skilled hands, and they are masterfully used to control the pace, reveal more of the characters, and guide the story in a natural way, with no sense of an expectation from the reader but rather rising up to meet the reader’s expectation.
What’s even more chilling is that this could be a possible future, looming darkly ahead. The threads from past events lend themselves all too readily to be woven into this new series of even more devastating events. Thankfully the humour of Abboud and Boyd helps make the tension bearable.
By necessity of the subject at the centre of the plot, there are some very wretched moments, some heart-achingly poignant moments, and an incredible amount of detailed action. The level of research to make these people and this story so authentic is just staggering, and absolutely worth it: I already can’t wait for the next one. My pulse starts to race at the thought of what comes next for Boyd and Abboud. And Lely. Brilliant, broken Lely.
December 1, 2025
Lethal Alliance is a sharply intelligent and relentlessly suspenseful literary thriller that feels both urgently contemporary and deeply human. In this second installment of the Boyd and Abboud series, Rick E. George delivers a story that grips from the first page and never loosens its hold, pairing taut investigative tension with a nuanced exploration of extremism, loyalty, and the fragile lines between faith and fanaticism.
FBI agent Russell Boyd and interpreter Nawar Abboud are once again thrust into the heart of a crisis one that feels chillingly plausible in today’s polarized landscape. When a Syrian-based terrorist group forms an unlikely alliance with a radical American cult known as the Kin of Christ, the result is a plot with catastrophic potential. The dual-infiltration narrative is brilliantly executed: Boyd burrows into the cult’s insular world while Abboud navigates the perilous terrain of feigned sympathy with jihadists. Their parallel missions create a richly layered tension, amplified by the knowledge that both are one misstep from exposure.
George excels at crafting villains who aren’t caricatures but rather unsettling reflections of real-world ideological extremism. The novel digs into the psychological mechanisms that make ordinary people susceptible to radical movements, all while maintaining relentless narrative momentum. As the plot accelerates toward an attack at a major sporting event, the story takes a startling turn that introduces an even deadlier, unexpected adversary raising the stakes both morally and politically.
What sets Lethal Alliance apart is not only its razor-sharp pacing but also its emotional and intellectual depth. Boyd and Abboud are compelling, multidimensional protagonists, and their interplay adds warmth, humor, and humanity to an otherwise high-intensity narrative. Fans of literary thrillers, sophisticated suspense, and geopolitically grounded fiction will find this installment both thought-provoking and impossible to put down.
FBI agent Russell Boyd and interpreter Nawar Abboud are once again thrust into the heart of a crisis one that feels chillingly plausible in today’s polarized landscape. When a Syrian-based terrorist group forms an unlikely alliance with a radical American cult known as the Kin of Christ, the result is a plot with catastrophic potential. The dual-infiltration narrative is brilliantly executed: Boyd burrows into the cult’s insular world while Abboud navigates the perilous terrain of feigned sympathy with jihadists. Their parallel missions create a richly layered tension, amplified by the knowledge that both are one misstep from exposure.
George excels at crafting villains who aren’t caricatures but rather unsettling reflections of real-world ideological extremism. The novel digs into the psychological mechanisms that make ordinary people susceptible to radical movements, all while maintaining relentless narrative momentum. As the plot accelerates toward an attack at a major sporting event, the story takes a startling turn that introduces an even deadlier, unexpected adversary raising the stakes both morally and politically.
What sets Lethal Alliance apart is not only its razor-sharp pacing but also its emotional and intellectual depth. Boyd and Abboud are compelling, multidimensional protagonists, and their interplay adds warmth, humor, and humanity to an otherwise high-intensity narrative. Fans of literary thrillers, sophisticated suspense, and geopolitically grounded fiction will find this installment both thought-provoking and impossible to put down.
December 30, 2025
One word encompasses this book: Wow. Rick E. George has crafted a story that is so captivating, I found myself completely engrossed in every page. The descriptions and colorful language build a story so vivid that you forget you are reading.
What would happen if the American government went rogue? In this era of misinformation and AI impersonators, the possibilities are endless.
FBI agent Russell Boyd and his Arabic interpreter, Naward Abboud, are tasked with taking down a terrorist plot on American soil. But when they are on the cusp of making their arrest, the tables turn, leaving them running for their lives, and the headlines portray them as the culprits.
I won't spoil the story, but if you are a fan of thriller spy novels, this book is for you. Even if you aren't, this book is for you. I am already a fan of this new author and look forward to what he comes up with next.
What would happen if the American government went rogue? In this era of misinformation and AI impersonators, the possibilities are endless.
FBI agent Russell Boyd and his Arabic interpreter, Naward Abboud, are tasked with taking down a terrorist plot on American soil. But when they are on the cusp of making their arrest, the tables turn, leaving them running for their lives, and the headlines portray them as the culprits.
I won't spoil the story, but if you are a fan of thriller spy novels, this book is for you. Even if you aren't, this book is for you. I am already a fan of this new author and look forward to what he comes up with next.
March 18, 2024
Having read the first book in the series I was keen to see how the author would develop the relationship between Boyd and Aboud. I never expected the second in the series to be such a whirlwind read, I couldn't put it down!
The plot seemed outlandish at first but the more I read, the more plausible it became. What started as a simple undercover operation soon progressed to a believable attempted coup involving government agencies and the highest elected officials. Alongside the development of the story, the two main characters became more rounded and their relationship grew more real.
Often a sequel proves to be disappointing, but definitely not in this case. I am really looking forward to book 3.
The plot seemed outlandish at first but the more I read, the more plausible it became. What started as a simple undercover operation soon progressed to a believable attempted coup involving government agencies and the highest elected officials. Alongside the development of the story, the two main characters became more rounded and their relationship grew more real.
Often a sequel proves to be disappointing, but definitely not in this case. I am really looking forward to book 3.
March 2, 2024
Rick George’s Lethal Alliance is a must read for anyone interested in suspense and political intrigue. Lethal Alliance explores current events, incorporates extreme scenarios, and has all the makings of a gripping story that hits disturbingly close to home. I loved the character development of the strong and highly capable women in this novel.
Even after the last page was turned, I kept thinking about this novel…could this actually happen? Without giving too much away, I loved the ballot box as the ever enduring symbol of hope.
I received an advance review copy of this book in exchange for my honest review, and I highly recommend reading Lethal Alliance. I couldn't put it down!
Even after the last page was turned, I kept thinking about this novel…could this actually happen? Without giving too much away, I loved the ballot box as the ever enduring symbol of hope.
I received an advance review copy of this book in exchange for my honest review, and I highly recommend reading Lethal Alliance. I couldn't put it down!
February 15, 2024
Rick E. George has written a thriller that could be ripped right from the front pages. I found myself at times so angry on behalf of Boyd and Abboud! The plot moved quickly, and yet, the pace slowed down when needed. George has a way of including specific details, that lend such realism to the story. He also has a way of creating such compassion for his characters. I thoroughly enjoyed this second installment in the Boyd and Abboud series and look forward to the next. I received an Advance Review Copy in exchange for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews