Riptide

by Chad Robichaux, Jack Stewart (Contributor)

A shadow war rages. Only one man can drag it into the light.

Still haunted by his former teammate’s betrayal and the unveiling of a conspiracy that runs deeper than he imagined, Foster Quinn is once more thrust back into the world he thought he left behind. In the sweltering heat off the coast of Key West, a mission to seize a billionaire’s yacht ends in a chilling America’s enemies aren’t just beyond our borders—they might be sitting in Congress.

When a powerful Texas businessman recruits Foster to investigate the political malfeasance behind the death of his son, Foster is pulled into a web of corruption that leads him from a luxury megayacht in the Caribbean to a tech mogul’s grand estate in the Pacific Northwest. As he hunts down the men pulling the strings, Foster must resist the temptation in his search for justice to be swept away by revenge. He’ll need all his training and resilience to unravel a plot driven by greed and masked by patriotism. Especially when the war becomes personal, and he realizes it’s coming to his own turf.

The sequel to the USA Today bestseller Silent Horizons, Riptide is an exhilarating, ripped-from-the-headlines thriller that blurs the line between duty and revenge—and leaves no one above suspicion.

From former Force Recon Marine Chad Robichaux and retired Navy fighter pilot Jack Stewart, who bring real-world expertise from their experiences in the Armed Forces to their writingA high-stakes suspense novel for fans of Jack Carr, Mark Greaney, and Brad TaylorFilled with fast-paced action and international intrigue, and interwoven with themes of military brotherhood, sacrifice, courage, and loyaltySecond book in the Silent Horizons series

361 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication May 12, 2026

About the author

Chad Robichaux is a former Force Recon Marine and DoD Contractor who served on eight deployments to Afghanistan as part of a Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) Task Force. After overcoming his personal battles with PTSd and nearly becoming a veteran suicide statistic, Chad founded Mighty Oaks, a leading non-profit serving the military and first responder communities with highly successful faith-based resiliency and recovery programs.

Having spoken to millions of people worldwide, over 500,000 active-duty troops, and having led life-saving programs for approximately 7,000 warriors at Mighty Oaks Ranches around the nation, Chad has become a go-to resource and is considered a subject matter expert on PTSd, veterans care, and national security, having advised Presidential Administrations, Congress, Senate, the VA, the DoD, and was appointed to serve as the Chairman of a White House Veterans Coalition.

Chad serves as a board member for the Center for Security Policy and is the Co-Founder of two non-profits focused on the rescue of Americans and vulnerable people groups trapped or captured in conflict zones around the world. In 2021, Chad led the largest civilian evacuation in American history, rescuing over 17,000 people who were trapped during the Afghanistan withdrawal, including his long-time interpreter and friend, Aziz and is now leading operations in Ukraine and other high-risk areas around the world.

Chad is regularly featured on a wide range of national media and is a Fox News Contributor. Chad's life story was notably shared in a short film by I Am Second, along with a sequel, and is the focus of the documentaries Never Fight Alone, Send Me, and Escape from Afghanistan. Currently, a motion picture movie is being produced based on Chad's award-winning Wall Street Journal best-selling book, Saving Aziz. Chad is also the USA Today best-selling author of A Mission Without Borders, highlighting rescue efforts and humanitarian aid missions he led on ten trips to Ukraine since 2022.

Chad is also a former Special Agent, having served with the US Federal Air Marshal Service and the US State Department Surveillance Detection Program. He holds an MBA from the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT), is a board-certified pastoral counselor with the AACC, and is completing a graduate nonprofit management program at Harvard University.

Chad is a lifelong martial artist, Professional World Mixed Martial Arts Champion, and 4th-degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt. Chad is a devoted Christian and resides in Texas. He and Kathy have two daughters, two sons, and five grandchildren. Through his resilience, passion, and selfless heart to serve others, Chad remains an inspiring figure to many worldwide as the host of The Resilient Show.

source: Amazon

Reviews

[Rodney Booe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Riptide is my first exposure to Chad Robinaux's work. I was excited to see an option for a Christian action, thriller novel. I will start by saying it was refreshing to read this novel without the constant foul language. The storyline of Riptide was easy to follow, even not having read the initial book in this series. The characters were likable, the story was understandable, but the pacing of the book felt off.

Let me explain, I felt like the action points moved quickly - ex. there was an antagonist who was built up to be the primary and then, in the blink of an eye, it's over. I also felt like there was way too much explanation. I appreciate the author's service to our country and it is evident that he knows his stuff regarding all things military. That said, I don't need to know the pros and cons of certain brands of wetsuits in order to understand the story. I was able to, unfortunately, skip large swaths of text detailing weapons and wetsuits among other things without missing a beat of the story.

All said, it was good...but I won't be picking up the next book in the series.

[Susan Wachtel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Riptide by Chad Robichaux with Jack Stewart - Mixed Emotion – Action Packed, Suspenseful, But Struggled with the Moral Ambiguity

Riptide is the first book I’ve read by author Chad Robichaux with Jack Stewart. It’s the second book in the Silent Horizons series.

Readers are introduced to Foster Quinn who is recruited by Texas billionaire Sterling Beaumont to investigate who killed his son. What started out as an investigation becomes a quest for justice and revenge. There may be many people who have benefitted financially by wars our Nation has engaged in. There are some who have likely betrayed our Country and may have colluded with the enemy.

But where does defending our Nation and vowing to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; cross over to one man’s revenge? Someone who thinks he can render justice, but in reality, he is executing revenge. That’s what I struggled with in this book. That’s why we have a justice system. Does it fail us? Yes. Will some escape justice this side of eternity? Yes. But when a person takes revenge based on their personal assessment of what’s right and wrong, that’s where we cross a line.

I found the character, Sterling Beaumont, very interesting and liked him as well as some of the other characters. I struggled with Foster, mostly because of his moral ambiguity. He turned his back on his family for reasons he justified. The novel is marketed as a Christian book. There not a lot that make me believe it was written from a Christian perspective. Thankfully there was no profanity.

Mixed feelings on Riptide by Chad Robichaux with Jack Stewart. It was a fast-paced novel with lots of twists and turns and suspense. Some of the transitions in the storyline were abrupt. The author was very detailed in his descriptions of scenes and actions, and it was a long book as a result. Perhaps someone with a military background might like that aspect of this novel.

I would like to thank Tyndale House Publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of Riptide by Chad Robichaux with Jack Stewart. I was under no obligation to give a favorable review.

[theliterateleprechaun · Rating 5 out of 5]

“𝑶𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒕𝒉 𝒐𝒇 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒊𝒏. 𝑾𝒉𝒐 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖 𝒎𝒂𝒚𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒃𝒆 𝒕𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒅? 𝑺𝒐 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖 𝒏𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒏!” ~ four lines taken from The Laws of the Navy poem by Admiral R. A. Hopwood

Former Force Recon Marine Chad Robichaux is an extremely gifted storyteller. I’ve previously enjoyed three of his novels, and they’ve all been 5-star reads. I love his ability to take me along for the mission, a shadow partner, and show me places and things I’d never have the opportunity to see. The methodical approach to success in his marine career carries over to his narrative. I love that he writes as if he’s whispering his inner step-by-step actions in my comms piece ~ no condescension whatsoever. I’m always hooked on his military brotherhood themes of bravery and loyalty, and I crave the high-stakes suspense.

This novel is the sequel to Silent Horizons and features a Texas businessman, Sterling Beaumont, who recruits Foster Quinn to investigate his son’s death. As Foster chases leads, what begins as information-gathering soon turns into a desire for justice, then borders on revenge. I was reading into the wee hours of the morning as Foster tiptoed between revenge and duty, unsure of who or what to trust.

I appreciated the reminder that our enemies are often the ones we least suspect and that identifying them and knowing them is the roadmap to victory. Foster peels back the cover of patriotism to reveal his enemy, and it shocks both of us.

We may not be a force recon marine, but we’ll find ourselves deep in conflict one day, and perhaps the call to revenge won’t be a whisper, but a yell, and we’ll need to remember that what we do next will determine the success of our mission.

Fantastic title!

I LOVE that this was a clean read.

I’m eagerly awaiting the next installment.

I was gifted this copy and was under no obligation to provide a review.

[Scott Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had several questions running through my head as I read this non-stop action novel. Should a Christian become involved in something like a paramilitary, non-government-sanctioned operation like SILENT HORIZONS? What about Rom. 13.1? And the commitment to the oath of upholding and adhering to the Constitution means allowing for due process? So how does Foster, the protagonist, and Sterling, the billionaire, justify being prosecutor, judge and executioner when they have limited knowledge? Yes, righteous anger is one thing, justice is another thing we need to concern ourselves with, but scriptures also require two witnesses, the US justice system requires evidence that proves beyond a reasonable doubt. So is “Riptide” a metaphor for being carried away by our own zeal?

Robichaux and his co-author give us an inside look into special operatives, those once in the military and those still in it. Not only with realistic lingo and gear, but also the struggle of how to maintain a family life when “duty” requires time sacrifices. The military life is hard on families. And it may be just as hard on being faithful. How do you operate in the military as a person who is supposed to be transformed, not conformed to the world, and thinking differently (Rom. 12.1-2)? I expect characters of faith to behave differently than their counterparts, somehow exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit and not the fruit of the flesh (Gal. 5).

And while Foster struggles with and despises poor leadership in the government, the Rom. 13 passage challenges us to submit. Paul wrote this when the religious elite and the Roman government were persecuting Christ-followers. Yet, he and the Holy Spirit say, “Submit.” I’m sure the authors have pondered this dilemma more than I have, but the novel here doesn’t address the conundrum.

The novel is still a good read, fast-paced and no, or very minuscule, plot holes.

I’m appreciative of the publisher for providing an advanced copy.

[Viking Jam · Rating 1 out of 5]

Review: Oh boy, here we go again with the author's creds in the publisher's description, pushing marketability over content. This preface has all the bullshjt bingo buzzwords like: Force Recon, Marines, Joint Special Operations, Dept. of Defense, State Department, MBA in Pancrase Jiu-Kwondo...blah, blah, blah. Because you know, that if you have the credentials you can obviously write. Right?

Hey, I am not dismissing the dudes service. I work for Army within DOD, and am all hoo-rah from both tips. What bugs me is the publishers' need to expose credentials as being relevant to the task of constructing a cojent story line. These presentations are not mutually exclusive as evidenced by Tom Clancy and others. My first thought was "what are the publishers trying to hide via shameless and blatant authorial promotion?". What is weird, is that there are 6 paragraphs about how the writer is this and that martial recon-air marshal, Afghan kung fu master, and nothing on the novel itself.

Now about this novel. Hoo boy, talk about traisping along a well worn story line path. Spec Ops super soldier RadThor McGunny inserted behind enemy lines to infiltrate the infamous narco-terrorist group "Jihadi Bin Hezbollah" to take out their Primary Leader, Fazil Rammadammadingdong Hamas. What started as a snatch and grab, turns into inner betrayals and subsequent chaos as his team is left without support and NO WAY OUT! Oh the humanity! Only McGunny's Delta spec op Harvard Degree (in progress) stupendo brain, housed beneath a greenish beret' and elite Judo Flong Glurk martial arts skills can save their collective bacon. Mmmm, bacon. Cause muslims hate bacon. Am I right? McGunny's huge, black and possibly gay teamate, Bubba Shock, has his back...er, front and sends doses of Georgia backwoods colloquialisms downrange while lugging tons of ammo and kickin' towlies in the nads. He likes shrimp too. Basted shrimp, BBQ shrimp, shrimp Kabobs, shrimp creole, gumbo shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp.....The real story line is less invigorating but still carries a sign that reads "Nothing new under the sun".

I am wondering how Quinn Foster er....Foster Quinn goes to a remote Island, gets all this modern rebreather gear within an hour of requesting it from his pet billionaire. He then jumps to action to save a random helpless girl in the clutches of armed men while unarmed. Could not said billionaire get him a gun or two? Spear gun? Knife? OIC, McGunny Quinn is so bad ass and hung up on revenge he uses special forces hapkidojitsu to subdue the baddies. The convenience of having a billionaire on hand for first class travel and gear helps expedite a wandering story line. I am still not sure how someone not in the service, still gets to hang out and go on operations with a group of Active Duty SEALS. McGunny would need to be recalled to active duty or re-enlist before that happens. What surprised me most were the gun handling fails. At one point McGunny jacks the slide to add a "fresh round", only the gun was just shot, and being a semi-automatic, would already have a round in it. And WTF is a "Fresh Round"? What does that even mean? Opposed to a "not-so-fresh" or "slightly moldy" round? Another fail is when he uses the "barrel of his gun to track with his eyes". Not sure what this means, but I was taught to track with the front and rear sites. All the bad guys are immeadiately presumed guilty based on McGunny's snap judgements. Garrison must be a pervert because some guys are abducting a girl in the street. Huh? Senator Ord must also be guilty because he has a loose unconfirmed connection to big oil in Africa. As McGunny grinds on their badness as a force multiplier of determination, he is given carte blanche to chase them down vigilante style. Suspension of disbelief is the theme of this story line.

Anyhoo, I am sure Robichow signed off on this blatant ego-chicanery by the publisher in reluctant fashion. One could hope since he is a self-professed Texas Christian, Shinto-Grande Pastor at NYIT/Harvard. Why not write a unique novel without the pages and pages of familial filler. The authors attempt at angst only leaves you groping in the dark for empathy. Like many authors today, the written word is used as a prescription for a movie deal. These two have a pretty good chance at that what with a Top Gun Navy Fighter Pilot co-author whom graduated Surpreme Global Leader at Univ. San Diego. Chad could then add Expert Covert Operations Dojo Yemen-MMA Screen Writer to his resume'.

I received this ARC for an honest review.

4.1/5 Because I liked my story better. This was pure shjt.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I did enjoy this book a good bit, I think it fell a little short of my expectations, at least compared to Silent Horizons. I like the evolution of Foster's character, but I have some issues with how the story is being laid out. I feel like his wife's character is pretty flat - for as much insight as we get into how tormented Foster is with constantly having to not go home to his family, I feel like we don't get to know his wife enough. She just hangs up on him, walks out of the room, etc. We always just get some glimpses of their struggles, but I'd like to see more. Also, I felt like there was a lot of repetition of things. Like yes, we get that he struggles with wanting to go home to his wife and kid, but at times some of the ways it is presented to the reader felt repetitive. My last gripe has to do with the end - don't want to spoil so I'll be vague -but someone reappears without much explanation and I felt that was definitely a big plot hole that made the ending feel really rushed.

All that said, I did like the overall storyline and hope that in the next installment, we get to see Foster link up, even tangentially, with Seth and the crew to go kick some butt. I'm hoping that as he gains experience, Foster stops falling into traps so easily and maybe can be the one doing the out-smarting for a change.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tyndale Fiction for this ARC! #Riptide #NetGalley

[Howard Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riptide is an exciting and action packed novel with a new hero (Foster Quinn) who I hope will appear in future novels. The story is replete with dishonest politicians, Russian influence on US matters, Navy Seals and their abilities, murders, the extremely wealthy and the way they can make things happen and the affect of the lives of military personnel returning from deployments. There are several twists and turns in this interesting novel and the reader never can tell who is trustworthy or not. This novel is highly recommended and I thank NetGalley and Tyndale House Publishers for the opportunity to read and review this novel prior to publication.

[Nora St Laurent · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author (former Force Recon Marine) takes readers to the front line and gives them a view only Chad could with his skills and training. This is a fast-paced, in-depth adventure filled with Mission Impossible moves and action.

While reminding us that God's grace reaches even farther into the bleakest places, Riptide reveals the inner conflict—the tug of pain, fury, and retribution.