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State Secrets
Betrayal comes with a price tag. Loyalty costs everything.When a devastating cyber breach exposes America's most secret intelligence network, the clock starts ticking before dozens of covert operatives are compromised. Enter Hawk, the government's most lethal weapon, dispatched to recover what cannot be lost—at any cost.
From the remote villages of Eastern Europe to luxurious estates in the Mediterranean, Hawk races against time and a shadowy organization known only as The Alliance. What begins as a mission to retrieve stolen information quickly spirals into a deadly game of deception where loyalty is currency and trust is a fatal mistake.
As the body count rises and global security hangs in the balance, Hawk must navigate a treacherous underworld of billion-dollar auctions, double-crossing mercenaries, and enemies hiding in plain sight. With President Bullock's administration already on shaky ground, failure is not an option.
In this high-stakes thriller where secrets are the ultimate weapon, Hawk will discover that the deadliest threats often come from within.
From the remote villages of Eastern Europe to luxurious estates in the Mediterranean, Hawk races against time and a shadowy organization known only as The Alliance. What begins as a mission to retrieve stolen information quickly spirals into a deadly game of deception where loyalty is currency and trust is a fatal mistake.
As the body count rises and global security hangs in the balance, Hawk must navigate a treacherous underworld of billion-dollar auctions, double-crossing mercenaries, and enemies hiding in plain sight. With President Bullock's administration already on shaky ground, failure is not an option.
In this high-stakes thriller where secrets are the ultimate weapon, Hawk will discover that the deadliest threats often come from within.
317 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 12, 2025
143 people are currently reading
10 people want to read
About the author
R.J. Patterson
194 books209 followers*** Signup for my newsletter and receive a free copy of The Warren Omissions, the first book in my James Flynn thriller series, by visiting http://eepurl.com/bZwpdf ***
THE FIRST SIGNS that I might like writing -- and that I might be slightly competitive -- appeared when my year two (or first grade) teacher, Mrs. Holland, asked my class to write and illustrate our day. Mine read like this: “The Red team beat the Blue team, 1 to nil. And I won.” The next 47 entries covered my exploits on the soccer pitch while growing up in Ipswich, England.
In South Carolina as a teenager, my dad told me that I could get paid to watch sports provided I could write about it. Sounded easy enough and by the time I was 16, I landed a job at my town’s daily newspaper and had a column on Major League Baseball players from our area. I also covered my first riot there at a sporting event -- and it’s safe to say I was smitten with journalism.
After graduating from one of the best journalism schools in the country, I took a job as a sports editor in South Georgia and learned firsthand about the passion of high school sports in rural America. I thought I knew before, but I didn’t. This was another world.
I also had the opportunity to cover major sporting events like the Olympic Games, the World Series, the Super Bowl, and the Final Four. It was a thrill!
But nothing was as thrilling to me as uncovering the truth in investigative assignments. I once broke a story about a prominent southern football team’s NCAA violation -- and found out the violating coach had committed suicide only a few months earlier. The story won a national writing award and stoked my desire to write about these issues. It made me realize that the sports world was just another fantastic backdrop for drama.
After writing non-fiction books with athletes, for athletes, and ghost writing for many others, I decided to enter the world of fiction writing. It had been something I wanted to do but never found the time. So, I made the time--and had a blast in the process.
I’m not out to become the next Faulkner or Hemingway -- I’m just out to tell a good story. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy writing them!
THE FIRST SIGNS that I might like writing -- and that I might be slightly competitive -- appeared when my year two (or first grade) teacher, Mrs. Holland, asked my class to write and illustrate our day. Mine read like this: “The Red team beat the Blue team, 1 to nil. And I won.” The next 47 entries covered my exploits on the soccer pitch while growing up in Ipswich, England.
In South Carolina as a teenager, my dad told me that I could get paid to watch sports provided I could write about it. Sounded easy enough and by the time I was 16, I landed a job at my town’s daily newspaper and had a column on Major League Baseball players from our area. I also covered my first riot there at a sporting event -- and it’s safe to say I was smitten with journalism.
After graduating from one of the best journalism schools in the country, I took a job as a sports editor in South Georgia and learned firsthand about the passion of high school sports in rural America. I thought I knew before, but I didn’t. This was another world.
I also had the opportunity to cover major sporting events like the Olympic Games, the World Series, the Super Bowl, and the Final Four. It was a thrill!
But nothing was as thrilling to me as uncovering the truth in investigative assignments. I once broke a story about a prominent southern football team’s NCAA violation -- and found out the violating coach had committed suicide only a few months earlier. The story won a national writing award and stoked my desire to write about these issues. It made me realize that the sports world was just another fantastic backdrop for drama.
After writing non-fiction books with athletes, for athletes, and ghost writing for many others, I decided to enter the world of fiction writing. It had been something I wanted to do but never found the time. So, I made the time--and had a blast in the process.
I’m not out to become the next Faulkner or Hemingway -- I’m just out to tell a good story. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy writing them!
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Author
The action and intrigue don’t let up in this story.
State Secrets the latest in the Phoenix Chronicles series wasn’t anything like I expected. I’ve been used to the Phoenix operatives being one step behind up until they figure out who the target is and then the gloves come off. This latest episode had me believing they might never get more than three or four steps behind the person behind the data breaches, much less unmask the hands behind the curtain pulling the levers.
State Secrets has plenty of action with the Phoenix Operatives deep in the mix, but the data breaches introduced an entirely new dimension to this story. Along with the intense action, there is enough subterfuge to keep the reader looking down several rabbit holes. There were several times I just knew I’d figured out who the bad guy was only to learn later I wasn’t even close.
If you’ve been reading the Phoenix Chronicles from the start, you must read State Secrets. If you are new to the Phoenix Chronicles, it might be best to binge read the series from book one before you dip into State Secrets, so you have the full context behind this story.
I received an Advance Reader Copy of State Secrets from the author and chose to provide my review.
State Secrets the latest in the Phoenix Chronicles series wasn’t anything like I expected. I’ve been used to the Phoenix operatives being one step behind up until they figure out who the target is and then the gloves come off. This latest episode had me believing they might never get more than three or four steps behind the person behind the data breaches, much less unmask the hands behind the curtain pulling the levers.
State Secrets has plenty of action with the Phoenix Operatives deep in the mix, but the data breaches introduced an entirely new dimension to this story. Along with the intense action, there is enough subterfuge to keep the reader looking down several rabbit holes. There were several times I just knew I’d figured out who the bad guy was only to learn later I wasn’t even close.
If you’ve been reading the Phoenix Chronicles from the start, you must read State Secrets. If you are new to the Phoenix Chronicles, it might be best to binge read the series from book one before you dip into State Secrets, so you have the full context behind this story.
I received an Advance Reader Copy of State Secrets from the author and chose to provide my review.
December 12, 2025
I always look forward to reading this author latest book..
This one catches one from the first pages, When he parachutes out of the plane to land, elements of wind. lights, then bullets throw him off course.
The extraction met with a flash flood and he kept trying to get Big Earv on the radio.to let him know they were coming. It had a gripping plot that i didnt want to to stop reading
This one catches one from the first pages, When he parachutes out of the plane to land, elements of wind. lights, then bullets throw him off course.
The extraction met with a flash flood and he kept trying to get Big Earv on the radio.to let him know they were coming. It had a gripping plot that i didnt want to to stop reading
December 15, 2025
A great Phoenix Chronicle international thriller with a well written plot and an outstanding cast of characters. Brady Hawk must deal with global security while trying to figure out who are the bad guys. A page turning read with intense action and intrigue. Highly recommended Phoenix Chronicle thriller.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews