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Tom Reece #1
Cry Havoc: A Tom Reece Thriller
“Easily Jack Carr’s most ambitious and best realized book yet, a scintillatingly seminal tale with echoes of
f le Carré, Forsyth, and Ludlum.” —BookTrib
From the “hottest author on the thriller scene today” (The Real Book Spy), #1 New York Times bestselling author Jack Carr brings the worlds of special operations and CIA paramilitary units into direct collision in the jungles of Vietnam with his explosive new thriller introducing young Navy SEAL Tom Reece, a man torn between the blurred lines and allegiances of the military and the increasingly murky world of intelligence. This is how it all began...
1968. A time of division. A time of civil unrest. A time of war.
Just before the Tet Offensive, before President Johnson announces he will not run for reelection, before the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobby Kennedy, as riots and protests rage across the nation, a spy ship is captured by communist forces off the coast of North Korea.
The crew thought they had destroyed everything of intelligence value. They were wrong.
As a KGB “illegal” elicits information from a high-ranking NSA official, and teams of special operators infiltrating into Laos, Cambodia, and North Vietnam disappear without a trace, an ambitious Soviet advisor launches an ingenious plan that could forever alter the world balance of power.
Tom Reece, a SEAL operator attached to the highly classified and shadowy MACV-SOG is about to be thrust into a bloody battle to discover the truth.
From the Kremlin to the White House, from the streets of Saigon to the rugged A Shau Valley, along the paths of Ho Chi Minh Trail and into the secret war in Laos, Navy SEAL Tom Reece has an official mission assigned by Military Assistance Command, Vietnam-Studies and Observations Group, but it’s his unofficial mission that might get him killed.
From “master novelist” (Ballistic) Jack Carr comes a fast-paced and brutally realistic thriller, one that will make you question all you thought you knew about Vietnam, pressing “emotional buttons that other writers wouldn’t dare explore” (The Real Book Spy).
From the “hottest author on the thriller scene today” (The Real Book Spy), #1 New York Times bestselling author Jack Carr brings the worlds of special operations and CIA paramilitary units into direct collision in the jungles of Vietnam with his explosive new thriller introducing young Navy SEAL Tom Reece, a man torn between the blurred lines and allegiances of the military and the increasingly murky world of intelligence. This is how it all began...
1968. A time of division. A time of civil unrest. A time of war.
Just before the Tet Offensive, before President Johnson announces he will not run for reelection, before the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobby Kennedy, as riots and protests rage across the nation, a spy ship is captured by communist forces off the coast of North Korea.
The crew thought they had destroyed everything of intelligence value. They were wrong.
As a KGB “illegal” elicits information from a high-ranking NSA official, and teams of special operators infiltrating into Laos, Cambodia, and North Vietnam disappear without a trace, an ambitious Soviet advisor launches an ingenious plan that could forever alter the world balance of power.
Tom Reece, a SEAL operator attached to the highly classified and shadowy MACV-SOG is about to be thrust into a bloody battle to discover the truth.
From the Kremlin to the White House, from the streets of Saigon to the rugged A Shau Valley, along the paths of Ho Chi Minh Trail and into the secret war in Laos, Navy SEAL Tom Reece has an official mission assigned by Military Assistance Command, Vietnam-Studies and Observations Group, but it’s his unofficial mission that might get him killed.
From “master novelist” (Ballistic) Jack Carr comes a fast-paced and brutally realistic thriller, one that will make you question all you thought you knew about Vietnam, pressing “emotional buttons that other writers wouldn’t dare explore” (The Real Book Spy).
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First published October 7, 2025
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About the author
Jack Carr
20 books7,035 followersJack Carr is a former Navy SEAL who led special operations teams as a Team Leader, Platoon Commander, Troop Commander and Task Unit Commander. Over his 20 years in Naval Special Warfare he transitioned from an enlisted SEAL sniper specializing in communications and intelligence, to a junior officer leading assault and sniper teams in Iraq and Afghanistan, to a platoon commander practicing counterinsurgency in the southern Philippines, to commanding a Special Operations Task Unit in the most Iranian influenced section of southern Iraq throughout the tumultuous drawdown of U.S. Forces. Jack retired from active duty in 2016. He lives with his wife and three children in Park City, Utah. He is the author of The Terminal List, True Believer, and Savage Son.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 332 reviews
October 31, 2025
Jack Carr does it again!!!
With this book he expands the Reece-verse with this meticulously crafted historical thriller. Set during the Vietnam War, we see how the special forces warrior came to be a part of the murky world of Cold War spy games. Carr’s integration of historical events is nothing short of brilliant, where his attention to historical detail elevates this book to another level. The book has many great characters, where the many layers of human emotion and how these characters deals with it, decides whether they are on the right or wrong side of the equation.
A brilliant Carr novel, and great origin story to see where James Reece got his values and moral compass from, to form the man he became in the Terminal List series. Highly recommended!!
With this book he expands the Reece-verse with this meticulously crafted historical thriller. Set during the Vietnam War, we see how the special forces warrior came to be a part of the murky world of Cold War spy games. Carr’s integration of historical events is nothing short of brilliant, where his attention to historical detail elevates this book to another level. The book has many great characters, where the many layers of human emotion and how these characters deals with it, decides whether they are on the right or wrong side of the equation.
A brilliant Carr novel, and great origin story to see where James Reece got his values and moral compass from, to form the man he became in the Terminal List series. Highly recommended!!
October 14, 2025
I think 3 stars is being very generous…closer to 2.5. I love Carr but this ain’t the one. I’m sure there was a plot somewhere in here but it was virtually indecipherable due to Carr’s borderline compulsive need to over describe every gun, aircraft, knife, watch, haircut, coffee, tea, vanilla wafer, etc. He’s always done this to an extent but this was on a whole ‘nother level. I’m sure this is a “me problem” and perhaps it says more about my attention span than anything else but I constantly had to re-read sections because I’d realized I’d zoned out for minutes at a time. I’ll just call it…this book was very well researched, thoughtful, etc and had it been non-fiction I’d say it’s the most interesting historical work of the Vietnam era…the problem, however, is that this was supposed to be a thriller and I was far from thrilled…I was, in fact, quite bored
August 31, 2025
READ MY FULL REVIEW AT Best Thriller Books
Jack Carr knocks this one out of the park! Cry Havoc is an explosive and emotional thriller with elements of historical fiction that pulls no punches and leaves you shaken as the brutally unforgiving events of war unfold. It’s a masterclass in blending storytelling with real-life events, expertly blurring the lines between fact and fiction.
It's a highly engaging saga that captures your attention and keeps you hooked throughout, turning you into an addict who can’t flip pages fast enough to get your next fix. It’s an emotional rollercoaster filled with moments that will make you gasp, exclaim expletives, fist pump and shed tears. Taking you from the jungle to the streets, waterways and hotels of a war-torn Vietnam to experience the conflict from different perspectives while you cheer on our heroes and pray for the demise of the enemy.
Giving off a feeling that writing this book was much more than just writing a novel, rather it’s a deeply personal and important mission for Carr.
Jack Carr knocks this one out of the park! Cry Havoc is an explosive and emotional thriller with elements of historical fiction that pulls no punches and leaves you shaken as the brutally unforgiving events of war unfold. It’s a masterclass in blending storytelling with real-life events, expertly blurring the lines between fact and fiction.
It's a highly engaging saga that captures your attention and keeps you hooked throughout, turning you into an addict who can’t flip pages fast enough to get your next fix. It’s an emotional rollercoaster filled with moments that will make you gasp, exclaim expletives, fist pump and shed tears. Taking you from the jungle to the streets, waterways and hotels of a war-torn Vietnam to experience the conflict from different perspectives while you cheer on our heroes and pray for the demise of the enemy.
Giving off a feeling that writing this book was much more than just writing a novel, rather it’s a deeply personal and important mission for Carr.
November 25, 2025
Eager to delve into the latest novel by Jack Carr, I reached for this book, which takes things in a slightly different direction. While fans of Carr’s work will be familiar with his James Reece novels, this book seeks to explore the kernel of that military experience. Tom Reece taught his son everything he knows by serving as a Navy SEAL in the middle of the Vietnam War. After a US spy ship is captured by North Korean operatives, the Americans were sure they ha destroyed everything, but some key intel remained. KGB officers used the intelligence given to them to plot out many of the attacks that would help turn the war, while also painting targets on some well outside the battle theatre. Navy SEAL Tom Reece is pushed into the spotlight as he tries to dismantle the messy situation in which his country finds itself. He must not only find the leak, but also neutralise the opposition without revealing too much. This includes killing in the jungles of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, while also targeting KGB members who work in the backrooms and hide in the shadows. Reece will have to use his abilities to push things in the American’s favour, while also making sure that the tides turn swiftly. Reece pours all his efforts and shed much blood to keep his country from sliding into oblivion, though he was also laying the groundwork for his son’s service decades later. Jack Carr delivers a stunning piece that keeps the reader on edge as they learn much that never made it into high school history books!
Jack Carr has never failed to impress me with his writing and story ideas, even though I have never had a passion for military tactics. Using recent history as his backdrop, Carr builds up great themes within his narrative and then pushes things along to keep the reader hooked. Fans of his work will know that Carr does not shy away from controversy within his stories and provides stellar direction to elucidate his point. With each passing chapter, the story gets more intense and there is much to discover, all of which ties into the present-day work of James Reece.
Characters under Carr tend to develop easily and yet nothing is entirely smooth, even with so much backstory to offer. Many of those who emerge, both on the battlefield and in backrooms, have their own struggles and successes, which connect with Carr’s larger themes or push an idea or two. These characters flavour the larger story, none more so than Tom Reece. Readers familiar with Carr’s approach will enjoy how he uses characters to shape events, both in the past and during present stories. Tom Reece is central to the story’s advancement, but there are a handful of others, both known to history and simply faces in the story, who help shine light on many of the themes. Carr’s ability to craft them serves as a wonderful conduit to the novel’s added success.
The plot points of the book develop slowly and with much intensity, particularly as it relates to events in country. Carr weaves the story together with a number of surprises as he builds things up for the reader’s entertainment, looking both at the Vietnam War and the various geopolitical aspects that shaped that period. Surprises are plentiful and needed to keep the reader on the edge of their seat, tapping into both historical record and Carr’s own fictional development. I am glad that Carr took the time to lay some groundwork for his series protagonist and am excited to see where things are headed in the future.
Kudos, Mr. Carr for another high-octane piece that mixes military might with strategic gameplay.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
Jack Carr has never failed to impress me with his writing and story ideas, even though I have never had a passion for military tactics. Using recent history as his backdrop, Carr builds up great themes within his narrative and then pushes things along to keep the reader hooked. Fans of his work will know that Carr does not shy away from controversy within his stories and provides stellar direction to elucidate his point. With each passing chapter, the story gets more intense and there is much to discover, all of which ties into the present-day work of James Reece.
Characters under Carr tend to develop easily and yet nothing is entirely smooth, even with so much backstory to offer. Many of those who emerge, both on the battlefield and in backrooms, have their own struggles and successes, which connect with Carr’s larger themes or push an idea or two. These characters flavour the larger story, none more so than Tom Reece. Readers familiar with Carr’s approach will enjoy how he uses characters to shape events, both in the past and during present stories. Tom Reece is central to the story’s advancement, but there are a handful of others, both known to history and simply faces in the story, who help shine light on many of the themes. Carr’s ability to craft them serves as a wonderful conduit to the novel’s added success.
The plot points of the book develop slowly and with much intensity, particularly as it relates to events in country. Carr weaves the story together with a number of surprises as he builds things up for the reader’s entertainment, looking both at the Vietnam War and the various geopolitical aspects that shaped that period. Surprises are plentiful and needed to keep the reader on the edge of their seat, tapping into both historical record and Carr’s own fictional development. I am glad that Carr took the time to lay some groundwork for his series protagonist and am excited to see where things are headed in the future.
Kudos, Mr. Carr for another high-octane piece that mixes military might with strategic gameplay.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
October 16, 2025
I was intrigued by the 4.6 stellar reviews and synopsis. I am very interested in history and have family who fought in Vietnam. Unfortunately this plot was not for me. I hope other readers enjoy this as I am clearly the outlier on Cry Havoc.
October 13, 2025
The story is a mix of fiction and historical events but it’s done so well that it is clear Jack Carr did a ton of research and brings this story to life with such a passion, respect and admiration for the teams back then. But never fails to show that it was a very dirty and brutal war with victims on both sides.
November 6, 2025
This was a disappointing book for me. I am a long time Jack Carr fan and have read everything he has published and always anxiously await and preorder his new novels. This one did not do it for me. I found the characters bland and boring. The history of the Vietnam war was interesting but I think I needed to know more myself to truly understand the content behind this one.
Unfortunately 2 stars is because the action is always good but the general plot and characters were boring to me. I toughened out to finish the book but do not recommend. The James Reece series is 1000x better.
Unfortunately 2 stars is because the action is always good but the general plot and characters were boring to me. I toughened out to finish the book but do not recommend. The James Reece series is 1000x better.
October 16, 2025
Meh.
Not bad, but the other Carr books are all better. The story was choppy and disjointed. It just wasn’t very entertaining or fun to read.
Not bad, but the other Carr books are all better. The story was choppy and disjointed. It just wasn’t very entertaining or fun to read.
November 29, 2025
I have read and enjoyed all the books about Reece, both father and son by Jack Carr. This one, Cry Havoc the latest and possibly a new series with Tom Reece is together with the first book, Terminal List in my mind the best work from this author so far. In this story we meet Tom Reece in Vietnam during the events of 1968, both with secret missions and espionage. Throw in some love and betrayal and you have what you need for a great book. I know I'm partial to stories about the Vietnam war and that may influence me somewhat. He writes that this is probably his most researched book to date and I think it shows. That and the fact that he has interviewed a few veterans about this conflict. I must confess that it was hard to put this book down to get some food and sleep but that made the pleasure last longer. I love the attention to details and the fact that most of the characters that appear in this book is someone I have read about and in some cases also have their books. This made it so much more interesting. I only wish a Swedish K would have been used at some crucial point since I'm Swedish and that is one of the weapons I've trained on and used during my time in the army. I will recommend this book to all that lend me an ear and I sincerely hope we get more of Tom in the future. Now I will put my shot through signed edition of this book on its shelf in my library.
October 27, 2025
Jack Carr's previous books are some of my favorites. This one I DNF'd 130 pages in. I may go back, but not sure. He obviously changed his formula on this one, as it was dry and boring! Not sure he used a different editor (or just did not use one at all), but it was basically an advertisement for every single thing a soldier wears or carries during the Vietnam era. I may have missed it, but socks and underwear brands may have been in there as well. And the long poker section and discussion. UGH! Whatever system or team the author used for this books needs to be discarded. I think all the high stars come from web based reviewers, and perhaps the authors friends. You missed the mark entirely on this one George!
November 5, 2025
This is easily my least favorite Jack Carr book even though it was still a fairly enjoyable read. The problems are mostly that it feels like Carr was really focused on writing a period piece that really feels like you're in Vietnam 1968 behind enemy lines with the badasses of MACV SOG. On that he 100 percent accomplished what he set out to do. However, books are more than their setting and plot-wise it was hard to stay engaged. That's mostly because there wasn't much plot at all. You're just kind of going on different missions with Tom Reece without much overall direction or tension. This is problem with both prequels and historically accurate fiction. You definitely know that Tom is never really in jeopardy and the plot is constrained by actual historical events. There's kind of a revenge plot that starts around page 400 of 510 but it was kind of too little too late to be that interesting. Just give me more James Reece thrillers please, or if there are going to be more Tom Reece books at least make them less wrapped up in historical events so they can have more compelling thriller-style plots.
October 10, 2025
Damn, first historical fiction from Jack Carr I’ve read, as usually just did the terminal list series. As the old saying goes “War is Hell” but the fact so much was researched and just how bad the Vietnam war really was for those on the ground. This fictional story with that as the background doesn’t make it any less impactful or gut wrenching. It’s a good spy action novel that portrays seals as the biggest badasses around but also feels grounded. It’s an origin war story for the father of James Resse and I liked it a lot. It was tough at parts for some war violence as this probably happened but doesn’t do any good to hide in the sand about things. If you’re a fan of historical fiction spyesque action novels this will be a good pick for you! Plus seems like Jack Carr has hit his stride with his war espionage books post terminal list!
October 11, 2025
If you like Tom Clancy and the minutiae of combat, you will probably like this.
I’m not interested in gun calibers or specific aircraft or how a claymore mine works.
I have enjoyed other works that Carr has published.
I’m not interested in gun calibers or specific aircraft or how a claymore mine works.
I have enjoyed other works that Carr has published.
November 12, 2025
You can read this review or just watch the beginning of Two and a Half Men, Season 6, Episode 24...
Naively, I was hopeful that with a change of period and characters, Jack Carr would use the opportunity to improve his writing. He has failed spectacularly.
The book reads like the work of a high school student given an assignment on the Vietnam War — someone who did their research thoroughly (per the author's own words) and, out of enthusiasm and lack of experience, decided nothing should be left out. The result is 500+ pages of a chaotic compilation of Wikipedia-level descriptions (from gun specs to extinct Serbian caviar) and ridiculous exchanges — ranging from a gorgeous European woman explaining the benefits of having a mistress to an average American guy, to a deputy head of Russian intelligence agency solemnly educating his boss that U.S. media are private or what West Point stands for.
Worse yet, all characters seem to share the same brain. They think alike, talk alike, and even narrate their own thoughts in motivational T-shirt slogans with PTSD: “If you are going to survive in this world you are going to be more attentive.”
But at the end of the day, Mr. Carr has said it best himself:
“‘You kidding? No SEAL would ever write a book,’ Tom replied.
‘Have to learn how to write first,’ Graves noted.”
He should’ve taken that advice.
Naively, I was hopeful that with a change of period and characters, Jack Carr would use the opportunity to improve his writing. He has failed spectacularly.
The book reads like the work of a high school student given an assignment on the Vietnam War — someone who did their research thoroughly (per the author's own words) and, out of enthusiasm and lack of experience, decided nothing should be left out. The result is 500+ pages of a chaotic compilation of Wikipedia-level descriptions (from gun specs to extinct Serbian caviar) and ridiculous exchanges — ranging from a gorgeous European woman explaining the benefits of having a mistress to an average American guy, to a deputy head of Russian intelligence agency solemnly educating his boss that U.S. media are private or what West Point stands for.
Worse yet, all characters seem to share the same brain. They think alike, talk alike, and even narrate their own thoughts in motivational T-shirt slogans with PTSD: “If you are going to survive in this world you are going to be more attentive.”
But at the end of the day, Mr. Carr has said it best himself:
“‘You kidding? No SEAL would ever write a book,’ Tom replied.
‘Have to learn how to write first,’ Graves noted.”
He should’ve taken that advice.
October 27, 2025
Cry Havoc is an incredible story of Tom Reece, a Navy Seal on assignment during the Vietnam War with the MACV-SOG. The power of the writing is overshadowed only by the quality of narration - but, suffice it to say, both are phenomenal. Though a work of fiction, make no mistake - this is a history lesson. The level of detail Carr goes into, especially concerning the spy network during the Cold War, is intense. If you are looking for a straightforward fictional narrative, this level of detail may prove to be a bit “much” for you. I do not subscribe to that theory. I believe it was done to paint an accurate picture of the quagmire that was Vietnam and the Vietnam War. I beg you to stick with it through part 1 as parts 2 and 3 are the true payoff, and I think you will see why such level of detail was necessary. The fictional portion of the story is, in my opinion, Carr’s finest work. Not only does he "introduce" us to a new protagonist that I strongly hope we see again, he sheds light on the origin stories we have grown to love in the James Reece series. Cry Havoc does NOT disappoint.
November 15, 2025
At first I was disappointed to jump back in time to the Vietnam War…but then I loved it. Another great Jack Carr novel.
November 18, 2025
This is my second favorite Jack Carr book behind, “The Terminal List.” It was that good. James Reece is a force in his own right, but his dad, Tom Reece, is a relentless, intelligent, and versatile asset that just brought the fight despite the odds. His loyalty, toughness, and ability were on full display in this book. I can’t wait to read more about him.
The story takes place during the Vietnam War. Mostly in 1968. Reading this book was like living during that time and seeing Vietnam first hand. Jack Carr does a great job at giving us readers, context, dialogue, and great attention to detail. His characters, stories, and missions all made this read so fun and enjoyable. I didn’t want it to end.
Spoilers down below.
In Laos in 1968, according to the 1962 Geneva Act, Laos was supposed to be neutral, but it wasn’t. It allowed the NVA-North Vietnamese Arm to resupply units in South Vietnam. They used the Truong Son Strategic Supply Route or better known as the Ho Chi Minh Trail to the west.
Thomas Reece was apart of a special trained team known as MACV-SOG-Military Assistance Command, Vietnam-Studies and Observation Group, were takes with prosecuting the secret wars in Laos and North Vietnam. They were supposed to study and observe but they also brought the fight to the enemies front yard.
The Montagnard Mercenary, a team of ingenious fighters from the Central Highlands, were allies with America and often accompanied them on these missions. Also known as, “The Yards.”
Frank Quinn was his One-Zero. The veteran SOG operator.
They were in the jungle then on a wire tap mission to record transmissions along the NVA communications line. They would use these recordings to interpret the data by analyzing its contents to use for exploitation.
However, they were attacked by an entire company which consisted of 300-500 soldiers during the operation. Meaning they had a mole at Phu Bai, Da Nang, or Saigon. They knew the MACV-SOG were there and were waiting.
In the process, one of the ‘Yard operators went down. Shot in the gut. Tom carried him to the extract point. After heavy fire, he and the team were rescued. However, Quinn’s extraction bird was down. Without hesitation, Tom cut his rope and fell back into the Laotian Jungle- No Man Left Behind.
Four months earlier:
The USS Pueblo off the coast of Wonsan, North Korea, was taken over by North Korea. The USS Pueblo which was lead by Commander Lloyd M. “Pete” Bucher, was a spy ship that collected intelligence as part of Operation Clickbait. It held a lot of highly classified information but didn’t have a big enough incinerator to get rid of all the material or wasn’t armed with explosives, but he and his sailors did their best to evade and destroy what they could. After taken several hits, he surrendered. The first thing the North Korean Military did was shoot Bucher in the head.
In Moscow, the Director of the GRU, Mikhail Lavrinenko and his second in command, Anatoly Penkovsky, met with the top cryptologist, Sergei Egorov. The Soviets through the Koreans had gained access to America’s cipher machines-the KW-7, KL-47, and the KWR-37 from the USS Pueblo. The Americans were not able to destroy much of the intelligence they occupied before surrendering. Egorov was tasked with learning the new systems. All he needed was the key. Which Lavrineko was going to get from Allister Desmond. A NSA analyst who was recruited by Stasi. East German’s Ministry for State Security. His handler is Clara Mueller. A beautiful intelligence officer who used her beauty to gain access to Desmond’s knowledge and expertise. Allister also has a thing for espionage. He didn’t see West Germany as Him betraying his country because Germany and the United States were allies. Little did he know he was actually going to be helping the Soviets. They meet at computer science conferences but now Clara will be sent to America to retrieve the “key” Egorov needs in order to translate the Americans encrypted data.
January 27, 1968.
Tom Reece, Frank Quinn, and a recruit of Quinn’s, Amiuh would go on these unsanctioned “hunting expeditions” as a preparation technique or trial exercise. Also known by other regiments as, “Odd Couple’s Hunting Adventures. They referred to them as UNODIR-Unless otherwise Directed. On this specific training day, they came across a security detail really close to their base. It was a seven man crew. They attacked. Killed the six subordinates and took the officer as a POW.
In Maryland, Allister got Clara the key that the Soviets needed for the cipher machines they had secured from the Pueblo.
Amiuh was a Montagnard orphan who lost his parents and sisters at the hand of NVA soldiers. He saw them rape and kill his mom and sisters and murder his dad, along with several others in his village due to their catholic beliefs and because of their openness to welcoming Americans. Later on, he realized that the Priest that gave him the Croix de Lorraine and other Parish Priest would work with U.S. Armed Special Forces to train and aid them in their fight with North Vietnam. The missionary that lived in their village belonged to the Civilian Irregular Defense Group-CIDG-a program called Fighting Fathers. Which was developed by JFK prior to his assassination. Amiuh learned French from the Priests and English from the Green Berets that were stationed there. He grew up, was now a hunter of men instead of animals, married a woman who had lost her family the same way he had, and they had a son, Tuan. He worked with Reece and Quinn. Because of capturing an NVA prisoner, he would too get a Seiko watch, that he would eventually give to his son.
Tom and Quinn’s punishment for their off the books missions was no money and no R&R. Amiuh would also not get the watch he wanted. Instead, they had to escort the prisoner to CCN - Command and Control North in Da Nang. Lieutenant Colonel Konrad Backhaus, a legend, was not pleased with their actions but was impressed by Tom’s understanding of three other languages: German, French, and Vietnamese.
Tom gave Amiuh his Seiko watch instead. Amiuh gave him the tiger paw necklace from his first hunt. Tribal Code.
In Moscow, Major Kirill Dvornikov, the major that oversaw all GRU operations in Southeast Asia, suggested to Lavrinenko that with the ciphering key they could play and be privy to the Americans mission’s specifics. Instead of kill-capture, they can capture-kill, and continue to exploit them for information and possibly turn them. He proposed they bring the POW’s to the Soviet Union. They would be used as leverage after they were exploited to exchange for captured GRU and KGB assets in America. They would aim for the soldiers that were apart of MACV-SOG.
Tom won his Rolex Submariner watch in Da Nang playing poker with a Sargent David Lee who was also known as, “The Gambler.”
Quinn believes they are compromised. They are losing way too many men. He thinks there is a mole in Saigon. He suspects Special Exploration Directorate, now known as STD-Special Technical Directorate. A South Vietnamese SOG contingent.
Tom’s dad was Vietnam at the end of the war because he recruited Ho Chi Minh to spy for the OSS. Which was the precursor to the CIA. Essentially, the CIA trained the Viet Minh and Viet Cong to an extent. Who were now their enemies and who they were currently fighting.
The prisoner that Tom and Quinn had brought to Da Nang started talking. They came and got them so they could transport him to CMIC-Combined Military Interrogation Center in Saigon. The prisoner kept repeating, “Crack the Sky, Shake the Earth.”
The prisoner Quinn and Reece captured was an actual Colonel. Phúc Trǎn, NVA military intelligence. Dvornikov’s high level source in Saigon is willing to put himself in order to keep Trǎn quiet in order the Tet Offensive to happen. They were two days out.
If Kirill was successful he would be moved back to France and the KGB. If he failed, he was headed to Serbia to work till his death. He asked for one favor, an assassin, by the name of Adrik Voronin. A serial killer known as the “Red Ripper” turn KGB assassin turned GRU assassin.
On their way transporting their prisoner, they were ambushed. At the end, Colonel Trǎn was killed by Captain Lam. Tom and Quinn believed Lam was one of spies. Amiuh died in the ambush as well.
Nick Sarrano would be working the lead for the CIA.
Nick put honey in his tea. Tom got the idea from him and passed it down to James I assume.
In the satchel that Trǎn was carrying names on a hit list of names of people in the North only. Nick’s guess is he isn’t the only one with a list like this. He is the only one that got caught.
While at CIA headquarters in Saigon. He met Ella DuBois. Her dad Gaston, was a proprietor do DeBois Consortium. They were meeting Nick. Tom took a liking.
Dan Eldridge, the liaison who worked for the State Department was a double agent for the GRU. He was recruited at the University by his Contemporary Foreign Affairs Professor after his brother died in Vietnam. He was angry and frustrated with the war. His handler was a woman by the name of Lan Tri Phuong. She would please him then relay his messages to the Soviets. Just like with Clara and Allister.
Lan Tri Phuong reported to Dr. Jean René Brémaud. A French doctor living in Saigon. He was once a supporter of the allies when Paris was invaded by Germany. But after liberation and seeing the aftermath of his fellow Countrymen and Americans he left for Vietnam only to see the same result. He was then recruited by the Soviets and with marital status and profession he was a great asset. He would take Lan’s information and do a dead drop for his cutout to find. Eldridge was on the brink of being exposed by Quinn and Reece.
Dvornikov got permission to eliminate Reece and Quinn after Tet. Kirill will use the snapper team.
Quinn carried a Tomahawk. (My guess is Tom got the inspiration from Frank. That’s where he got the idea to use Winkler).
Quinn and Tom were attacked at the safe house. They two killed all six assailants.
Tom, Nick, and Quinn killed all 8 combatants atop of the Hotel Majestic in Saigon. The armored men mistook the party for U.S. and South Vietnamese military officers instead of a party for the employees of Gaston DeBois.
Five days later in Moscow, Lavrinenko and Penkovsky were discussing the latest reports of the Tet Offensive and its failures. Anatoly suggested that even though it was a tactical defeat for the NVA, it was a win in sense of a psychological victory for the Soviets. The Fourth Power-the press are panting it as a loss. Therefore relaying that to the American people. In ‘68, support for the war had diminished. The Soviets planned on capitalizing on the tainted perceptions.
Gaston DeBuis plus both sides with the CIA and the Soviets. Both have been trying to recruit him and his Buisness in rubber plantation for his import/export buisness.
Quinn was on his way to Amiuh’s families village to inform his family of his death. Tom, as a directive of Serrano, was at attend Gaston DeBois as his guest at his plantation as a token of appreciation for saving his life. Nick needed Tom to make good as they were recruiting Gaston. The CIA couldn’t spare both guys.
Tom was being watched.
Desmond was carrying a rotor reader that Clara gave him. It allowed him to imprint a copy of the code into the reader.
Two days after Tom had attended dinner at Gaston’s, Ella showed up at his hotel and for the next two weeks they spent every waking moment together when she wasn’t at work.
Tom’s mission with Ella is to find out who her dad’s Soviet contact is and to compromise their communication. Tom is having a hard time with his feelings for Ella and his untruthful behavior.
Dvornikov has ordered Voronin to use the VC to kill Gustan DuBuis.
Voronin was successful. He used a waiter at Cercle Sportif Saïgonnais to kill Gaston. Ella and Tom were headed to the table to meet Mr. DuBuis for lunch when it happened. Tom killed the perpetrator and his co-assailant, but was shot behind the ear in the process.
Tom survived. The bullet hit the base of his skull. His cervical one. That is part of your spinal column. He should make it.
He was shot by a Makarov pistol. A Soviet caliber.
Tom will be laid up for 8 weeks to recover.
Ella broke it off with Tom. She blamed America for the death of both her Mom and Dad. She couldn’t separate him from the war.
Colonel Singlaub presented Reece with the Purple Heeart. Singlaub knew Tom’s father and credits him for saving his life. If Tom could pass the PT he could stay in-Country. If not, he had to go back stateside.
Anatoly Penkovsky son died of tuberculosis when he was a baby. His wife blamed the state and divorced him. He too blamed them. Because of his son was born on the Western Bloc, he would have survived. Now, even as second of command at the GRU, he worked as a mole for the CIA. They used the Oprah house as a way to transfer messages.
Two months after being shot he was back in the jungle looking for Quinn and his downed chopper. Nurse Leolia Maxwell pushed him hard in his rehabilitation. He was stronger for it. He passed the military PT and Colonel Singlaub saw that he was back to Phu Bai. Serrano had briefed him on the KIA and MIA numbers increasing. That drove Tom harder.
Tom made it to the crash site. The only survivors that He could find were Quinn and Hiep. Frank was hurt but the NVA had taken both He and his Montagnard solider hostage and marched them barefooted into the jungle.
Tom, on the Ho Chi Minh Trail headed north in deeper into Laos killed two NVA/VC soldiers riding their bikes south. Reece stole their weapons and their bike.
Tom found the NVA company and their depleted staff. They had Quinn and Hiep. Frank was badly injured. Hiep. Not so much. Tom found that interesting.
Tom found the depot that was holding Hiep, Quinn, and three other Americans hostage. One of the NVA soldiers was going to kill Quinn, so Reece, in a bad predicament, shot the soldier giving his location away.
Once Tom fired, he was hit with fire power. Then Voronin tied Quinn up on a tree and gutted him then set his intestines on fire. Reece couldn’t even try and take his friend’s life as a way of mercy. He shot three more NVA soldiers in the process though.
Took Tom three days to make it back to the South Vietnamese border. He swam at night in the Sepon River for the most part until he reached a wood-and-steel structure built by the fence when the ran into Sergeant Leiter.
When Tom got back to Phu Bai, he convinced Colonel Backhaus to authorize a unapproved, unilateral operation in a sovereign and neutral country. They left at midnight. Tom got his in-extremis POW rescue mission.
When Tom and the crew got to the depot, it was empty. Except for message left by the Soviet. Quinn’s body was bound to a tree by barbed wire with his head cut off and stuck in his stomach where his intestine used to be.
The Russians currently have six American hostages in Siberia.
The reason the depot was vacated was because Dan Eldridge told his cutout who told Dr. Brémaud who made an emergency radio transmission to Hanoi who then were able to extract Voronin just in time.
When Tom got back from hospital in Da Nang, Nick was waiting for him. Serrano got it cleaned by Singlaub, Tom would be loaned to the CIA. Nick and the agency already figured out the mole in Saigon: Eldridge. They found his cutout, Lan Tri Phuong. They found Dr. Brémaud. The most surprising one though, was Rene’s handler, Ella DeBois. She had been turned by Kirill when she was a student in Paris.
Dvornikov went by Gabriel de Machaut.
Tom and Nick kidnapped Ella while picking up the drop from Dr. Brémaud. They gave her an ultimatum: give them Dvornikov or lose everything. She was supposed to meet him in Thailand like they had been since February in 1968.
Ella was supposed to spike Kirill’s drink using choral hydrate. Contact Trân, then Tom and Nick would retrieve his body and escort him out of the Country.
Instead of the drug working, Kirill figured it out. Voronin shot her.
When Trân called to say he saw Kirill and Voronin leaving without Ella, Tom went into action. He found Ella. Then took after the Russians. After a shootout with the GRU’s security team and Trân getting shot three times, he and Serrano went after both guys. Using the boat they were driving, Tom rammed the boat Voronin was driving causing Kirill to fall overboard. He then used a drive shaft to take the legs of Voronin-he couldn’t walk. His legs were cut to threads. He and Serrano captured both guys.
Voronin and Kirill were taken to a secure location in Bangkok owned by the CIA. Tom gutted Voronin and set his intestines on fire like Adrik did Quinn. Killing him. Dvornikov started talking.
Instead of the POW’s in Siberia, the U.S. were going to exchang Dvornikov for all 82 soldiers of the U.S.S. Pueblo plus the body of the sailor who was killed. It would bring an end to the Pueblo crisis.
Serrano offered Tom the full time CIA gig.
Eldridge would be reassigned and used to pass disinformation through his cutout to Dr. Brémaud.
Allister Desmond was arrested by the FBI.
Lan drugged Eldridge with sodium Amytal. She was supposed to inject him with heroin once he was subdued but she used so much of the Amytal that Eldridge sunk in his bath and had drowned. The American with dark black hair and blue eyes that had come visit her offered her a job. The first was the kill Eldridge.she accepted.
Lavrinenko figured out it was Anatoly who was the spy. He had him followed. They found the CIA from the Oprah Theater. They picked him up, didn’t harm him, but switched out the play that held the secret message to expose Desmond. The Americans knew they had a leak. Allister was one of them. Penkovsky only mentioned Desmond. He never gave up both Allister AND John Walker who was more valuable. Lavrinenko gave up one spy for a more important one and the Americans assumed they fixed their problem.
Lavrinenko would have Anatoly burn in the chimney of the crematorium.
Tom was at Mama Bic’s looking for his next job. Serrano offered him a spot in a new program he is starting called, “Phoenix.” He would be responsible for identifying and destroying NVA and VC infrastructure.
He had another job for Tom first. A chance at some retribution. It was in Berlin if he accepted the CIA job.
Through Det A, the 39th Special Forces Detachment, formed to prepare for an unconventional response to a possible war with the Soviets, were focused on sabotage and infiltrating East Germany. Tom was their test subject as he swam across the Teltow Canal. He was successful.
He made it to Kirill Dvornikov’s apartment where he waited until he made it back with a young woman with brown hair who was working him. Her parents had been killed by The Red Army in the Battle of Berlin. She had not forgotten. Tom was sent to recruit Kirill. He refused. Tom shot him between the eyes. He questioned if the CIA had sent him there to kill the one man that knew about the POW’s in Siberia. A way to make it go away.
In the end, he was intrigued by Nick Serrano’s offer about Phoniex. He could help his MACV-SOG teammates and eliminate targets. What he was good at! His way of making a change.
The story takes place during the Vietnam War. Mostly in 1968. Reading this book was like living during that time and seeing Vietnam first hand. Jack Carr does a great job at giving us readers, context, dialogue, and great attention to detail. His characters, stories, and missions all made this read so fun and enjoyable. I didn’t want it to end.
Spoilers down below.
In Laos in 1968, according to the 1962 Geneva Act, Laos was supposed to be neutral, but it wasn’t. It allowed the NVA-North Vietnamese Arm to resupply units in South Vietnam. They used the Truong Son Strategic Supply Route or better known as the Ho Chi Minh Trail to the west.
Thomas Reece was apart of a special trained team known as MACV-SOG-Military Assistance Command, Vietnam-Studies and Observation Group, were takes with prosecuting the secret wars in Laos and North Vietnam. They were supposed to study and observe but they also brought the fight to the enemies front yard.
The Montagnard Mercenary, a team of ingenious fighters from the Central Highlands, were allies with America and often accompanied them on these missions. Also known as, “The Yards.”
Frank Quinn was his One-Zero. The veteran SOG operator.
They were in the jungle then on a wire tap mission to record transmissions along the NVA communications line. They would use these recordings to interpret the data by analyzing its contents to use for exploitation.
However, they were attacked by an entire company which consisted of 300-500 soldiers during the operation. Meaning they had a mole at Phu Bai, Da Nang, or Saigon. They knew the MACV-SOG were there and were waiting.
In the process, one of the ‘Yard operators went down. Shot in the gut. Tom carried him to the extract point. After heavy fire, he and the team were rescued. However, Quinn’s extraction bird was down. Without hesitation, Tom cut his rope and fell back into the Laotian Jungle- No Man Left Behind.
Four months earlier:
The USS Pueblo off the coast of Wonsan, North Korea, was taken over by North Korea. The USS Pueblo which was lead by Commander Lloyd M. “Pete” Bucher, was a spy ship that collected intelligence as part of Operation Clickbait. It held a lot of highly classified information but didn’t have a big enough incinerator to get rid of all the material or wasn’t armed with explosives, but he and his sailors did their best to evade and destroy what they could. After taken several hits, he surrendered. The first thing the North Korean Military did was shoot Bucher in the head.
In Moscow, the Director of the GRU, Mikhail Lavrinenko and his second in command, Anatoly Penkovsky, met with the top cryptologist, Sergei Egorov. The Soviets through the Koreans had gained access to America’s cipher machines-the KW-7, KL-47, and the KWR-37 from the USS Pueblo. The Americans were not able to destroy much of the intelligence they occupied before surrendering. Egorov was tasked with learning the new systems. All he needed was the key. Which Lavrineko was going to get from Allister Desmond. A NSA analyst who was recruited by Stasi. East German’s Ministry for State Security. His handler is Clara Mueller. A beautiful intelligence officer who used her beauty to gain access to Desmond’s knowledge and expertise. Allister also has a thing for espionage. He didn’t see West Germany as Him betraying his country because Germany and the United States were allies. Little did he know he was actually going to be helping the Soviets. They meet at computer science conferences but now Clara will be sent to America to retrieve the “key” Egorov needs in order to translate the Americans encrypted data.
January 27, 1968.
Tom Reece, Frank Quinn, and a recruit of Quinn’s, Amiuh would go on these unsanctioned “hunting expeditions” as a preparation technique or trial exercise. Also known by other regiments as, “Odd Couple’s Hunting Adventures. They referred to them as UNODIR-Unless otherwise Directed. On this specific training day, they came across a security detail really close to their base. It was a seven man crew. They attacked. Killed the six subordinates and took the officer as a POW.
In Maryland, Allister got Clara the key that the Soviets needed for the cipher machines they had secured from the Pueblo.
Amiuh was a Montagnard orphan who lost his parents and sisters at the hand of NVA soldiers. He saw them rape and kill his mom and sisters and murder his dad, along with several others in his village due to their catholic beliefs and because of their openness to welcoming Americans. Later on, he realized that the Priest that gave him the Croix de Lorraine and other Parish Priest would work with U.S. Armed Special Forces to train and aid them in their fight with North Vietnam. The missionary that lived in their village belonged to the Civilian Irregular Defense Group-CIDG-a program called Fighting Fathers. Which was developed by JFK prior to his assassination. Amiuh learned French from the Priests and English from the Green Berets that were stationed there. He grew up, was now a hunter of men instead of animals, married a woman who had lost her family the same way he had, and they had a son, Tuan. He worked with Reece and Quinn. Because of capturing an NVA prisoner, he would too get a Seiko watch, that he would eventually give to his son.
Tom and Quinn’s punishment for their off the books missions was no money and no R&R. Amiuh would also not get the watch he wanted. Instead, they had to escort the prisoner to CCN - Command and Control North in Da Nang. Lieutenant Colonel Konrad Backhaus, a legend, was not pleased with their actions but was impressed by Tom’s understanding of three other languages: German, French, and Vietnamese.
Tom gave Amiuh his Seiko watch instead. Amiuh gave him the tiger paw necklace from his first hunt. Tribal Code.
In Moscow, Major Kirill Dvornikov, the major that oversaw all GRU operations in Southeast Asia, suggested to Lavrinenko that with the ciphering key they could play and be privy to the Americans mission’s specifics. Instead of kill-capture, they can capture-kill, and continue to exploit them for information and possibly turn them. He proposed they bring the POW’s to the Soviet Union. They would be used as leverage after they were exploited to exchange for captured GRU and KGB assets in America. They would aim for the soldiers that were apart of MACV-SOG.
Tom won his Rolex Submariner watch in Da Nang playing poker with a Sargent David Lee who was also known as, “The Gambler.”
Quinn believes they are compromised. They are losing way too many men. He thinks there is a mole in Saigon. He suspects Special Exploration Directorate, now known as STD-Special Technical Directorate. A South Vietnamese SOG contingent.
Tom’s dad was Vietnam at the end of the war because he recruited Ho Chi Minh to spy for the OSS. Which was the precursor to the CIA. Essentially, the CIA trained the Viet Minh and Viet Cong to an extent. Who were now their enemies and who they were currently fighting.
The prisoner that Tom and Quinn had brought to Da Nang started talking. They came and got them so they could transport him to CMIC-Combined Military Interrogation Center in Saigon. The prisoner kept repeating, “Crack the Sky, Shake the Earth.”
The prisoner Quinn and Reece captured was an actual Colonel. Phúc Trǎn, NVA military intelligence. Dvornikov’s high level source in Saigon is willing to put himself in order to keep Trǎn quiet in order the Tet Offensive to happen. They were two days out.
If Kirill was successful he would be moved back to France and the KGB. If he failed, he was headed to Serbia to work till his death. He asked for one favor, an assassin, by the name of Adrik Voronin. A serial killer known as the “Red Ripper” turn KGB assassin turned GRU assassin.
On their way transporting their prisoner, they were ambushed. At the end, Colonel Trǎn was killed by Captain Lam. Tom and Quinn believed Lam was one of spies. Amiuh died in the ambush as well.
Nick Sarrano would be working the lead for the CIA.
Nick put honey in his tea. Tom got the idea from him and passed it down to James I assume.
In the satchel that Trǎn was carrying names on a hit list of names of people in the North only. Nick’s guess is he isn’t the only one with a list like this. He is the only one that got caught.
While at CIA headquarters in Saigon. He met Ella DuBois. Her dad Gaston, was a proprietor do DeBois Consortium. They were meeting Nick. Tom took a liking.
Dan Eldridge, the liaison who worked for the State Department was a double agent for the GRU. He was recruited at the University by his Contemporary Foreign Affairs Professor after his brother died in Vietnam. He was angry and frustrated with the war. His handler was a woman by the name of Lan Tri Phuong. She would please him then relay his messages to the Soviets. Just like with Clara and Allister.
Lan Tri Phuong reported to Dr. Jean René Brémaud. A French doctor living in Saigon. He was once a supporter of the allies when Paris was invaded by Germany. But after liberation and seeing the aftermath of his fellow Countrymen and Americans he left for Vietnam only to see the same result. He was then recruited by the Soviets and with marital status and profession he was a great asset. He would take Lan’s information and do a dead drop for his cutout to find. Eldridge was on the brink of being exposed by Quinn and Reece.
Dvornikov got permission to eliminate Reece and Quinn after Tet. Kirill will use the snapper team.
Quinn carried a Tomahawk. (My guess is Tom got the inspiration from Frank. That’s where he got the idea to use Winkler).
Quinn and Tom were attacked at the safe house. They two killed all six assailants.
Tom, Nick, and Quinn killed all 8 combatants atop of the Hotel Majestic in Saigon. The armored men mistook the party for U.S. and South Vietnamese military officers instead of a party for the employees of Gaston DeBois.
Five days later in Moscow, Lavrinenko and Penkovsky were discussing the latest reports of the Tet Offensive and its failures. Anatoly suggested that even though it was a tactical defeat for the NVA, it was a win in sense of a psychological victory for the Soviets. The Fourth Power-the press are panting it as a loss. Therefore relaying that to the American people. In ‘68, support for the war had diminished. The Soviets planned on capitalizing on the tainted perceptions.
Gaston DeBuis plus both sides with the CIA and the Soviets. Both have been trying to recruit him and his Buisness in rubber plantation for his import/export buisness.
Quinn was on his way to Amiuh’s families village to inform his family of his death. Tom, as a directive of Serrano, was at attend Gaston DeBois as his guest at his plantation as a token of appreciation for saving his life. Nick needed Tom to make good as they were recruiting Gaston. The CIA couldn’t spare both guys.
Tom was being watched.
Desmond was carrying a rotor reader that Clara gave him. It allowed him to imprint a copy of the code into the reader.
Two days after Tom had attended dinner at Gaston’s, Ella showed up at his hotel and for the next two weeks they spent every waking moment together when she wasn’t at work.
Tom’s mission with Ella is to find out who her dad’s Soviet contact is and to compromise their communication. Tom is having a hard time with his feelings for Ella and his untruthful behavior.
Dvornikov has ordered Voronin to use the VC to kill Gustan DuBuis.
Voronin was successful. He used a waiter at Cercle Sportif Saïgonnais to kill Gaston. Ella and Tom were headed to the table to meet Mr. DuBuis for lunch when it happened. Tom killed the perpetrator and his co-assailant, but was shot behind the ear in the process.
Tom survived. The bullet hit the base of his skull. His cervical one. That is part of your spinal column. He should make it.
He was shot by a Makarov pistol. A Soviet caliber.
Tom will be laid up for 8 weeks to recover.
Ella broke it off with Tom. She blamed America for the death of both her Mom and Dad. She couldn’t separate him from the war.
Colonel Singlaub presented Reece with the Purple Heeart. Singlaub knew Tom’s father and credits him for saving his life. If Tom could pass the PT he could stay in-Country. If not, he had to go back stateside.
Anatoly Penkovsky son died of tuberculosis when he was a baby. His wife blamed the state and divorced him. He too blamed them. Because of his son was born on the Western Bloc, he would have survived. Now, even as second of command at the GRU, he worked as a mole for the CIA. They used the Oprah house as a way to transfer messages.
Two months after being shot he was back in the jungle looking for Quinn and his downed chopper. Nurse Leolia Maxwell pushed him hard in his rehabilitation. He was stronger for it. He passed the military PT and Colonel Singlaub saw that he was back to Phu Bai. Serrano had briefed him on the KIA and MIA numbers increasing. That drove Tom harder.
Tom made it to the crash site. The only survivors that He could find were Quinn and Hiep. Frank was hurt but the NVA had taken both He and his Montagnard solider hostage and marched them barefooted into the jungle.
Tom, on the Ho Chi Minh Trail headed north in deeper into Laos killed two NVA/VC soldiers riding their bikes south. Reece stole their weapons and their bike.
Tom found the NVA company and their depleted staff. They had Quinn and Hiep. Frank was badly injured. Hiep. Not so much. Tom found that interesting.
Tom found the depot that was holding Hiep, Quinn, and three other Americans hostage. One of the NVA soldiers was going to kill Quinn, so Reece, in a bad predicament, shot the soldier giving his location away.
Once Tom fired, he was hit with fire power. Then Voronin tied Quinn up on a tree and gutted him then set his intestines on fire. Reece couldn’t even try and take his friend’s life as a way of mercy. He shot three more NVA soldiers in the process though.
Took Tom three days to make it back to the South Vietnamese border. He swam at night in the Sepon River for the most part until he reached a wood-and-steel structure built by the fence when the ran into Sergeant Leiter.
When Tom got back to Phu Bai, he convinced Colonel Backhaus to authorize a unapproved, unilateral operation in a sovereign and neutral country. They left at midnight. Tom got his in-extremis POW rescue mission.
When Tom and the crew got to the depot, it was empty. Except for message left by the Soviet. Quinn’s body was bound to a tree by barbed wire with his head cut off and stuck in his stomach where his intestine used to be.
The Russians currently have six American hostages in Siberia.
The reason the depot was vacated was because Dan Eldridge told his cutout who told Dr. Brémaud who made an emergency radio transmission to Hanoi who then were able to extract Voronin just in time.
When Tom got back from hospital in Da Nang, Nick was waiting for him. Serrano got it cleaned by Singlaub, Tom would be loaned to the CIA. Nick and the agency already figured out the mole in Saigon: Eldridge. They found his cutout, Lan Tri Phuong. They found Dr. Brémaud. The most surprising one though, was Rene’s handler, Ella DeBois. She had been turned by Kirill when she was a student in Paris.
Dvornikov went by Gabriel de Machaut.
Tom and Nick kidnapped Ella while picking up the drop from Dr. Brémaud. They gave her an ultimatum: give them Dvornikov or lose everything. She was supposed to meet him in Thailand like they had been since February in 1968.
Ella was supposed to spike Kirill’s drink using choral hydrate. Contact Trân, then Tom and Nick would retrieve his body and escort him out of the Country.
Instead of the drug working, Kirill figured it out. Voronin shot her.
When Trân called to say he saw Kirill and Voronin leaving without Ella, Tom went into action. He found Ella. Then took after the Russians. After a shootout with the GRU’s security team and Trân getting shot three times, he and Serrano went after both guys. Using the boat they were driving, Tom rammed the boat Voronin was driving causing Kirill to fall overboard. He then used a drive shaft to take the legs of Voronin-he couldn’t walk. His legs were cut to threads. He and Serrano captured both guys.
Voronin and Kirill were taken to a secure location in Bangkok owned by the CIA. Tom gutted Voronin and set his intestines on fire like Adrik did Quinn. Killing him. Dvornikov started talking.
Instead of the POW’s in Siberia, the U.S. were going to exchang Dvornikov for all 82 soldiers of the U.S.S. Pueblo plus the body of the sailor who was killed. It would bring an end to the Pueblo crisis.
Serrano offered Tom the full time CIA gig.
Eldridge would be reassigned and used to pass disinformation through his cutout to Dr. Brémaud.
Allister Desmond was arrested by the FBI.
Lan drugged Eldridge with sodium Amytal. She was supposed to inject him with heroin once he was subdued but she used so much of the Amytal that Eldridge sunk in his bath and had drowned. The American with dark black hair and blue eyes that had come visit her offered her a job. The first was the kill Eldridge.she accepted.
Lavrinenko figured out it was Anatoly who was the spy. He had him followed. They found the CIA from the Oprah Theater. They picked him up, didn’t harm him, but switched out the play that held the secret message to expose Desmond. The Americans knew they had a leak. Allister was one of them. Penkovsky only mentioned Desmond. He never gave up both Allister AND John Walker who was more valuable. Lavrinenko gave up one spy for a more important one and the Americans assumed they fixed their problem.
Lavrinenko would have Anatoly burn in the chimney of the crematorium.
Tom was at Mama Bic’s looking for his next job. Serrano offered him a spot in a new program he is starting called, “Phoenix.” He would be responsible for identifying and destroying NVA and VC infrastructure.
He had another job for Tom first. A chance at some retribution. It was in Berlin if he accepted the CIA job.
Through Det A, the 39th Special Forces Detachment, formed to prepare for an unconventional response to a possible war with the Soviets, were focused on sabotage and infiltrating East Germany. Tom was their test subject as he swam across the Teltow Canal. He was successful.
He made it to Kirill Dvornikov’s apartment where he waited until he made it back with a young woman with brown hair who was working him. Her parents had been killed by The Red Army in the Battle of Berlin. She had not forgotten. Tom was sent to recruit Kirill. He refused. Tom shot him between the eyes. He questioned if the CIA had sent him there to kill the one man that knew about the POW’s in Siberia. A way to make it go away.
In the end, he was intrigued by Nick Serrano’s offer about Phoniex. He could help his MACV-SOG teammates and eliminate targets. What he was good at! His way of making a change.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 23, 2025
I do not think I have seen a series prequel introduction of a character to rival this once since Clancy introduced us to Jack Clark in Without Remorse. Carr does a fantastic job of being to life the hero that built the hero that we have all come to love in James Reece. It’s is also a solemn reminder of the self sacrifice made by so many during that era.
November 4, 2025
A Must-Read from Jack Carr!
Jack Carr delivers a gripping historical thriller with his latest novel, spotlighting Tom Reece—the father of James Reece from The Terminal List series. Set during the Vietnam War, this marks Carr’s first foray into historical fiction, blending MACV-SOG and CIA intrigue into a riveting narrative.
Carr’s meticulous research and deep respect for the men of MACV-SOG and the pivotal events of 1968 shine through every page. Following Red Sky Mourning and a narrative pause for James Reece, Carr seizes the opportunity to explore Tom Reece’s military and intelligence exploits in rich detail.
I was captivated by this novel and excited by its potential to further illuminate historical espionage. Jack Carr continues to dominate the thriller genre with precision and passion.
My Personal Jack Carr Rankings:
1. The Terminal List
2. Savage Son
3. Cry Havoc
4. The Devil’s Hand
5. Red Sky Mourning
6. True Believer
7. In The Blood
8. Only The Dead
Jack Carr delivers a gripping historical thriller with his latest novel, spotlighting Tom Reece—the father of James Reece from The Terminal List series. Set during the Vietnam War, this marks Carr’s first foray into historical fiction, blending MACV-SOG and CIA intrigue into a riveting narrative.
Carr’s meticulous research and deep respect for the men of MACV-SOG and the pivotal events of 1968 shine through every page. Following Red Sky Mourning and a narrative pause for James Reece, Carr seizes the opportunity to explore Tom Reece’s military and intelligence exploits in rich detail.
I was captivated by this novel and excited by its potential to further illuminate historical espionage. Jack Carr continues to dominate the thriller genre with precision and passion.
My Personal Jack Carr Rankings:
1. The Terminal List
2. Savage Son
3. Cry Havoc
4. The Devil’s Hand
5. Red Sky Mourning
6. True Believer
7. In The Blood
8. Only The Dead
October 13, 2025
Solid 4.5 star book. I'd give it 5 stars for its entertainment and historical value - but sometimes Jack Carr can get too emotionally involved in his guns and spend way too much time describing them..LOL.. But, this book has great characters, an extremely interesting storyline, and so many spies and intrigues that you are never - ever - bored. Loved it.
November 18, 2025
This book could probably have 200 less pages and it would be much better
November 6, 2025
This book takes us back to the father of the main protagonist we’ve been with for so long, starting a prequel series. This one is set in Vietnam during the war, offering a sort of historical fiction. Though it attempts to offer an exciting storyline centered around Tom Reece, it kind of feels more like a fairly stereotypical plotline around a generic hero character not dissimilar from the Reece we know so far. In fact, they could be the same character, down to their thought patterns and actions. Tom should have been written differently so he feels like a different person in a different time. Instead it feels like a modern book set during Vietnam. Ultimately Tom is just another invincible killing machine taking our Soviet bad guys. The plot was frustrating and not quite as interesting to me, and needlessly violent. Overall I would say this was a pretty disappointing add to the series.
November 1, 2025
One of the most self indulgent books I've read in a long time, Jack Carr spends most of the book describing the gear they carry and the ammo they have! I understand he served but he needs to concentrate on character development, I didn't care about the characters at all and the author didn't either just the watch strap he was wearing!! Wouldn't recommend this book to anyone
December 10, 2025
So we were all sorely disappointed when Jack Carr delayed publishing Cry Havoc because he got lost in the rabbit hole of research, determined to get the players and their accessories right. There was a lot of strange stuff for him to sort out that older people take for granted because we grew up with it and still remember bits and pieces.
The details, the weapons systems, the specs, the Hueys, are all there, and that’s what we read these books for, except Carr too often brings that eye for detail to things that don’t matter. Like, wtf is a 1966 Vincent Dauvissat Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos? Come on, nobody cares about that stuff in a war novel. There’s some superhero shenanigans where the characters are running, climbing, and killing when they should be dead, but it’s not as bad as the jacked-up gorillas dominating today’s thrillers. Jack Carr, who is a pseudonym, BTW, keeps it pretty real and does a fine job besides.
So, Mr.Petersen, thank you for being clever enough to take a break from your repeating character James Reece, and write about his father instead, in a different time, in a different war.
VERDICT: Vietnam is our friend now. I think.
https://criticusbookreviews.wordpress...
The details, the weapons systems, the specs, the Hueys, are all there, and that’s what we read these books for, except Carr too often brings that eye for detail to things that don’t matter. Like, wtf is a 1966 Vincent Dauvissat Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos? Come on, nobody cares about that stuff in a war novel. There’s some superhero shenanigans where the characters are running, climbing, and killing when they should be dead, but it’s not as bad as the jacked-up gorillas dominating today’s thrillers. Jack Carr, who is a pseudonym, BTW, keeps it pretty real and does a fine job besides.
So, Mr.Petersen, thank you for being clever enough to take a break from your repeating character James Reece, and write about his father instead, in a different time, in a different war.
VERDICT: Vietnam is our friend now. I think.
https://criticusbookreviews.wordpress...
October 19, 2025
Jack Carr does not miss. I’ve been waiting months for Cry Havoc to come out and it did not disappoint. Having read the glimpses of Tom Reece in the James Reece books, it was amazing to get a whole book about Tom. I have read a few things and listened to some podcasts about MACV-SOG, but this book made me realize just how much more there is to learn about this time in history. One of the things that Jack does as an author that is extremely visible in the way he writes is the amount of research he does of a topic he is writing about. The Acknowledgements section at the end details the amount of books he read, people he talked to, podcasts he listened to, and more. It’s truly remarkable and it is what makes his books that much better. I will absolutely be researching more about MACV-SOG, and I will now count down the days to the next Jack Carr book.
This is a phenomenal fictional thriller set in Vietnam that follows a timeline of real events and as always in Jack’s books, the authenticity is unmatched. I couldn’t put this book down, and it was a fantastic read.This book had a lot of character development and background setup to give the reader a better look into Tom Reece. I am eager to get the next James Reece book once Jack finishes writing it, but I hope he comes back and makes a second Tom Reece book in the future.
This is a phenomenal fictional thriller set in Vietnam that follows a timeline of real events and as always in Jack’s books, the authenticity is unmatched. I couldn’t put this book down, and it was a fantastic read.This book had a lot of character development and background setup to give the reader a better look into Tom Reece. I am eager to get the next James Reece book once Jack finishes writing it, but I hope he comes back and makes a second Tom Reece book in the future.
November 22, 2025
This is the story of James Reece's father Tom, mostly set in Vietnam starting in 1968. The first half is pretty much history of the conflict, with a lot of the characters based on real people.
lt seems like American forces were never meant to win anything while there. The government half assed it, sending troops but not supporting them the way they should have.
Wrapped into the history lesson are the actions of Navy SEAL Tom Reece on loan to MACV SOG. There are traitors on all sides, with the Russians manipulating everyone they could get a hold on.
This serves to establish Tom's mindset and why he does the things he does.
lt seems like American forces were never meant to win anything while there. The government half assed it, sending troops but not supporting them the way they should have.
Wrapped into the history lesson are the actions of Navy SEAL Tom Reece on loan to MACV SOG. There are traitors on all sides, with the Russians manipulating everyone they could get a hold on.
This serves to establish Tom's mindset and why he does the things he does.
October 17, 2025
What an amazing book! I would have read it much faster but life got in the way. Wasn’t sure what I would think of this new direction but I loved reading every word of it and would like to see more. The characters felt real and the sprinkling in or real historical figures reinforced that feeling. The action drew me in and I couldn’t at the book down till I got thru that sequence. And the ending was great! Carr is such a great author that even his Author Notes was great to read and I wanted more.
October 26, 2025
4.5 stars! I really really liked this book! The first in what I think is going to be a subseries of the original James Reece character, this book follows his father, Tom, in the throes and chaos of 1968 Vietnam.
Its delayed release, originally scheduled for May, was frustrating to hear, but it’s also clear that this is his most researched book to date.
I couldn’t stop reading the last third of it. I could almost hear the CCR / Buffalo Springfield /Animals soundtrack as I read. It’s quite a ride.
Its delayed release, originally scheduled for May, was frustrating to hear, but it’s also clear that this is his most researched book to date.
I couldn’t stop reading the last third of it. I could almost hear the CCR / Buffalo Springfield /Animals soundtrack as I read. It’s quite a ride.
November 9, 2025
Jack Carr is quickly becoming one of those authors whose books I'll pick up whenever they get released. But this one was not quite up to the level of the Terminal List series.
Cry Havoc is more of a historical fiction outing. It blends the action and technical aspects of the James Reece books with a bit more of the style of narrative non fiction from Carr's Beirut book. And while that will still work for fans of military history, I found myself not caring as much about the characters this time out. I definitely feel like this book was a long setup of how Tom Reece became involved with the CIA, but that the payoff of that setup won't hit until more books in this new series come out.
Cry Havoc is more of a historical fiction outing. It blends the action and technical aspects of the James Reece books with a bit more of the style of narrative non fiction from Carr's Beirut book. And while that will still work for fans of military history, I found myself not caring as much about the characters this time out. I definitely feel like this book was a long setup of how Tom Reece became involved with the CIA, but that the payoff of that setup won't hit until more books in this new series come out.
December 2, 2025
Another great read from Jack Carr! I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the entire terminal list series. This one prequels that series and tells the story of James Reece’s father, Tom Reese. I love how he laid out the origin stories of some of the characters and equipment in this book that show up in the terminal list. This might just be my new favorite Jack Carr book. Action from start to finish.
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