What do you think?
Rate this book
Ethan Galaal #1
Clandestine
In deep cover behind enemy lines, one wrong move could cost him his life... Officially, Ethan Galaal does not exist. Very few people can do what he does and do it well. Maybe a handful in the whole world. As the DIA's most highly trained operative, his missions blur the lines between private investigator, kidnapper and assassin. But most of all, his specialty is that cesspit of war known as the Middle East. With his tanned skin and fluent language skills, he can readily pass for a Gulf Arab. As such, his latest op involves gathering intel on the Islamic State. Posing as a young recruit, he slips into the regime. But it will take all his skills to get by. A wrong move, or a slip of the tongue, and he is as good as dead. And then he meets Alzena. The beautiful, repressed neighbor of one of his targets. She captivates him. In more ways than one. So now he must make a choice. Risk his life to get her out, or focus solely on the mission. And he thought the op was tough before... If you like Tom Clancy`s Jack Ryan, Vince Flynn`s Mitch Rapp and Lee Child`s Jack Reacher, with a touch of Ian Fleming`s James Bond shaken in to boot, then give Ethan Galaal a try.
336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 29, 2015
136 people are currently reading
161 people want to read
About the author
Isaac Hooke
102 books508 followersIsaac Hooke is the best-selling author of the Ethan Galaal series of thriller novels, as well as the SF-themed ATLAS trilogy. When Isaac isn't writing, publishing, and blogging, he's busy cycling and taking pictures in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. He has a degree in Engineering Physics.
You can follow Isaac on Twitter @IsaacHooke and his website http://IsaacHooke.com.
You can follow Isaac on Twitter @IsaacHooke and his website http://IsaacHooke.com.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
February 26, 2016
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the author.
Ok, forget the disclaimer. I would have gladly paid for this book! Ethan Galaal is an undercover operative in the employ of the DIA whose job is to infiltrate ISIS and generally gather information, sabotage their activities and do whatever he deems necessary to accomplish his mission. Ethan is primarily a lone wolf, he makes his own decisions and is really good at what he does.
The thing that struck me about this character is that he is not a simple 2 dimensional western cowboy. He has to be more authentic than the people he is infiltrating in order for them to accept him as one of them. In the process he can't help but get to know and, in some ways, care for some of his enemies. Especially the youngest ones. Ethan sees that these kids are essentially indoctrinated in a set of beliefs that incompatible with his own, but within their own points of view, they are not evil. I think this humane depiction of the enemy was what impressed me. Of course some of them are batshit crazy and exist only to wipe out western culture.
The action was believable, the tension palpable. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the next in the series.
Ok, forget the disclaimer. I would have gladly paid for this book! Ethan Galaal is an undercover operative in the employ of the DIA whose job is to infiltrate ISIS and generally gather information, sabotage their activities and do whatever he deems necessary to accomplish his mission. Ethan is primarily a lone wolf, he makes his own decisions and is really good at what he does.
The thing that struck me about this character is that he is not a simple 2 dimensional western cowboy. He has to be more authentic than the people he is infiltrating in order for them to accept him as one of them. In the process he can't help but get to know and, in some ways, care for some of his enemies. Especially the youngest ones. Ethan sees that these kids are essentially indoctrinated in a set of beliefs that incompatible with his own, but within their own points of view, they are not evil. I think this humane depiction of the enemy was what impressed me. Of course some of them are batshit crazy and exist only to wipe out western culture.
The action was believable, the tension palpable. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the next in the series.
October 9, 2015
Authentic 2015 Middle East Conflict Spec Ops Thriller
This thriller is unique in the world, covering spec ops behind enemy lines, in 2015 Syria where the Islamic State has taken hold of the capital, Raqqah. Tom Clancy can’t shake a stick at this. It’s a fast paced thrill ride on par with the best thrillers out there right now. Where else can you read a book about something that’s just happened, is still happening, while it’s happening?
The research is impeccable. What weaponry does the Islamic State use to fight its wars? What technology does it use to spread propaganda? What vehicles? What supplies? What technology does the clandestine wings of the United States use to carry out spec ops? What about MI6? The answers lie in this book, and it is all completely plausible and thoroughly researched.
The characters make you feel. You will get a warm blush from the love interest, and feel pity for the foreign fighters that go to fight to die. You will laugh at the conversations between fellow spec ops. By the end of it, you too will want to fight where you are needed. You’ll never find another author like Isaac Hooke.
March 24, 2015
A hard core military book about a group of clandestine government contractors infiltrating ISIS is about as far from my preferred sci-fi/fantasy genre as you can get. It is however written by an author whom I have really enjoyed in the past. When offered a free copy for an honest review I decided to give it a go and was not disappointed. In fact I ended up really liking it!! I thought it was very well written with fully developed characters and lots of fast paced action that kept me interested in where the story was going. The author was able to add huge amounts of details and descriptions without using three or four huge boring paragraphs to do it. He was able to convey in a few words the rough the terrain, how oppressed a neighborhood felt, or the decor and food of a restaurant. Having never been to the Middle East I could easily picture it in my head. I found the characters to be interesting enough that I could easily see some of them as part of a series of sequels, prequels or stand alone books.
February 13, 2016
When I began this book I tried to forget all the Tom Clancy and WEB Griffin book I have ever read. But I did not succeed. I read this with the others ion the back of my head and this book meet the expectations and then some. The action keeps the story moving through the "slower how we got to this point" parts. Ethan Galaal is a believable character but one you will never meet in real life. His type A personality makes him likable to everyone who would come in contact with him. Some of his actions though are not believable then again this is fiction not a biography. For me this series ranks up with the Tom Clancy novels and is a perfect addition to anyone who likes this genre of book.
June 3, 2016
Reminiscent of Tom Clancy's early Jack Ryan adventures and a worthy successor to Vince Flynn's Mitch Rapp. I was given an Audible audio copy of this book by the author, and since I'd read the third book in the series and not the first two I got right into it! I'm a character reader, I get into the characters, their story, who/what they are. The author does an amazing job of painting the primary character quickly & thoroughly. All the significant characters in his writing are developed similarly. This book is in all senses of the word, a thriller that could easily be plucked from today’s headlines. No spoilers from me though I can see more about these characters in the future.
February 5, 2016
Modern-day warfare adventure
Easy reading and hard to put down Clandestine introduces the reader to Ethan Galaal, an American soldier who looks the part of an ISIS warrior. Ethan embeds with the Islamic State to provide valuable Intel to the Western allies fighting with the Kurds in Syria. The story reads well with lots of detail and gives you a small idea of what these people are dealing with daily.
Easy reading and hard to put down Clandestine introduces the reader to Ethan Galaal, an American soldier who looks the part of an ISIS warrior. Ethan embeds with the Islamic State to provide valuable Intel to the Western allies fighting with the Kurds in Syria. The story reads well with lots of detail and gives you a small idea of what these people are dealing with daily.
January 12, 2016
First of all, thank you Isaac Hooke for the free book. Black ops infiltrating jihadist regime to try to destroy from within. Three men infiltrate working separately as lone wolves as well as together. Very realistic relating to the world issues today. Would recommend to those who like this type of story. Will read more of this author's books.
March 28, 2015
This was an excellent read. Isaac Hooke is a fantastic writer and I enjoy all of his books. They are not my usual choice of genre but once I read one, I had to read them all. I really enjoy his writing. This particular book was a thriller that kept you enthralled right to the end. Great story!
May 10, 2015
Wow!
I thoroughly enjoyed this! This is my first Hooke book and I was really sucked in by the writing, the action, the characters, the twists, everything!! What a great, great story and what a great writer!
I thoroughly enjoyed this! This is my first Hooke book and I was really sucked in by the writing, the action, the characters, the twists, everything!! What a great, great story and what a great writer!
November 9, 2015
This was an awesome up close and personal read about current events in the Middle East. Great story, great characters and tons of action. If you love military fiction with non stop action this is your book !
March 31, 2016
A real page turner, it took me back to time I spent in the middle east. I couldnt put it down and was not disappointed along the way. Although I must say the ending was a bit too happy for my taste. Look forward to the next one.
December 24, 2015
A fun, action packed quasi spy novel
An excellent first effort. Tons of fun. Lots of patriotic fighting. The silly mistakes and love story strain credulity but obviously make the story more interesting. I enjoyed it.
An excellent first effort. Tons of fun. Lots of patriotic fighting. The silly mistakes and love story strain credulity but obviously make the story more interesting. I enjoyed it.
March 22, 2016
This is an excellent read. I stayed up way too late reading it as I had to keep turning the page!!! This is a good insight into the middle east and ISIS, but it is also full of adventure and suspense. It is very well written.
May 1, 2015
Not Military Sifi, but still a good read
I enjoy your story telling Isaac, keep them coming :D. Little fast paced, but enough to keep you interested. Definitely pick it up
I enjoy your story telling Isaac, keep them coming :D. Little fast paced, but enough to keep you interested. Definitely pick it up
October 12, 2015
Like the series and I like the author... I read ALL of his books. I'm an aerospace engineer and I think they're very entertaining. One of the good "New Authors"
January 23, 2016
Excellent Read!
This book takes you right into the action with the infiltrators. A Must Read for military action fans.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book takes you right into the action with the infiltrators. A Must Read for military action fans.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
February 24, 2016
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Hooke brings the Middle East conflict alive with a story ripped from the headlines. If you like Clancy, Rollins, Thor then this book is a must read!
August 10, 2017
OUTSTANDING !!!
This was an outstanding clandestine services thriller. Ethan Galaal is a clandestine operator in one of the most dangerous places on earth. Under cover as an ISIS muj. Oh man! This was so good, when I finished I went and bought the next two books in the series. If you like this genre, you must give this one a read!
This was an outstanding clandestine services thriller. Ethan Galaal is a clandestine operator in one of the most dangerous places on earth. Under cover as an ISIS muj. Oh man! This was so good, when I finished I went and bought the next two books in the series. If you like this genre, you must give this one a read!
October 29, 2017
Excellent Book
Fast action with more character development than I have found in other books in this genre. I left off one star because the details of the weapons noted me.
Fast action with more character development than I have found in other books in this genre. I left off one star because the details of the weapons noted me.
October 5, 2018
Some interesting tactical techniques and equipment. Lots of action . enjoyed the book a lot and will read more by Isaac Hooke.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 9, 2020
Preposterous.
Bland and plodding. I would have toughed out the last third of this except for the author's descent into the ridiculous.
Bland and plodding. I would have toughed out the last third of this except for the author's descent into the ridiculous.
May 6, 2017
This is a DNF for content. Not as squeaky clean as I like. This wasn't going to rate highly anyway but until the sexual content I liked it well enough to finish. There were some things I took issue with like having so much money when he needed it? Surely everything he owned would have been searched when he came into the country? How did he have what he needed? He even seemed to have multiple USB drives at the ready that hadn't been mentioned before. Anyway, adieu to this book and author.
August 11, 2024
Did not finish this book - did not like it
April 10, 2015
I enjoyed this novel. I haven't read a decent military spy thriller in a while and this definitely was a change of pace for me. One thing that stood out to me as I read the book was the amazing amount of research that the author must have put into the work in an effort to make it as authentic as possible. The author clearly read up on middle eastern culture and that of fundamentalist Jihadist groups in order to present a realistic, gritty novel inspired by real world events. I thought I was familiar with this part of the world, at least as more than the common lay person, but the author proved me wrong. Not only does the author have a great handle on the setting the story is placed in but he also has a great handle on weapons, tactics and day to day life in the Islamic State. His thorough grasp on his setting makes it easy to slide into the world he has created which is certainly a plus. It is also cool how he manages to weave contemporary events into his story, while still creating a unique tale of his own.
Where the story does fall a little flat is in the characterization. In general, the characters are fairly one dimensional and a tad bland. We are told that the three men sent undercover in the Islamic state are the best at what they do, but very little happens on page to showcase this. I would have preferred to see the three of them perform more Selous Scout activity, actually showing more detecting, deceiving, disrupting, delaying and destroying. We see the main character carrying out a bit of low level espionage, commit a high level assassination and rescue, but very little is shown of him or his other two spies actually disrupting and sabotaging the Islamic state from within. That would have been fun to read. Overall, though I still enjoyed the novel, just wish the characterization was stronger and that it was a bit longer, although it does move at a fairly brisk pace. Bring on the sequel!
Where the story does fall a little flat is in the characterization. In general, the characters are fairly one dimensional and a tad bland. We are told that the three men sent undercover in the Islamic state are the best at what they do, but very little happens on page to showcase this. I would have preferred to see the three of them perform more Selous Scout activity, actually showing more detecting, deceiving, disrupting, delaying and destroying. We see the main character carrying out a bit of low level espionage, commit a high level assassination and rescue, but very little is shown of him or his other two spies actually disrupting and sabotaging the Islamic state from within. That would have been fun to read. Overall, though I still enjoyed the novel, just wish the characterization was stronger and that it was a bit longer, although it does move at a fairly brisk pace. Bring on the sequel!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 6, 2016
I have previously read, and enjoyed, a print copy of the next book in the Ethan Galaan series and was fortunate to be gifted the audio copy of this book by the author. I did enjoy it despite a few problems with the narrator. One unusual aspect which was very pleasant and added to the atmosphere, was the insertion into the soundtrack of very occasional background 'calls to prayer' and a simulation of incoming radio calls.
Mr,Hooke is a powerful writer and his description of life in the Islamic State paints a very powerful picture especially of the fear of and brutality towards the inhabitants and the lives endured by women.. The story is fast paced, violent at times and yet also has room for compassion
The narrator: Mr.Richardson's dialogue was excellent, clearly differentiating between characters and giving them distinctive personalities. Unfortunately, the voice given for Ethan didn't conform with that which I had in my head but that is simply a personal matter.
However, when reading the text in between the speech, the presentation was irritating, an automaton with intonation and, at times, with odd phrasing - shorts bursts of text spattered with tiny pauses. It is especially bad in the earliest chapters. Sadly, there are several occurrences, also, of poor editting where a sentence is started, stopped, then repeated. The whole makes for a distraction from the story
Overall, I would recommend this book to all action, thriller or military fans but suggest listening to the audio sample first to ensure that the narration is an acceptable one for your personal taste
Mr,Hooke is a powerful writer and his description of life in the Islamic State paints a very powerful picture especially of the fear of and brutality towards the inhabitants and the lives endured by women.. The story is fast paced, violent at times and yet also has room for compassion
The narrator: Mr.Richardson's dialogue was excellent, clearly differentiating between characters and giving them distinctive personalities. Unfortunately, the voice given for Ethan didn't conform with that which I had in my head but that is simply a personal matter.
However, when reading the text in between the speech, the presentation was irritating, an automaton with intonation and, at times, with odd phrasing - shorts bursts of text spattered with tiny pauses. It is especially bad in the earliest chapters. Sadly, there are several occurrences, also, of poor editting where a sentence is started, stopped, then repeated. The whole makes for a distraction from the story
Overall, I would recommend this book to all action, thriller or military fans but suggest listening to the audio sample first to ensure that the narration is an acceptable one for your personal taste
March 30, 2015
I am a big fan of Isaac Hooke's writing. I got and ARC of this one, and basically devoured it over a 4 day period at work breaks. The story is basically pretty simple. The government has allowed a black ops program to send undercover operators into hotspots to disrupt terrorist and insurgent operations, in this case, ISIS. Ethan Galaal is just such an operator. He is tasked with disrupting ISIS operations, and provide intelligence on their movements and leader. Disrupt and disable are his orders. He does this in many ways, building up intelligence assets and disrupting operations where possible. He kills a dangerous foreigner trying to help their nuclear program. When the group moved out to take on the Kurds, he goes with them, is discovered, escapes, and in a terrific action scene, manages to escape. All very satisfying and excellently paced. This book is exceptionally well researched, with the details ringing true, as if the writer was there in Syria describing it all first hand. Isaac Hooke has the ability to make you feel like you are right in the thick of the action, rifle in hand, taking fire.This book will get your hear pounding with the exceptionally realistic battle scenes. Any fan of Brad Thor's and Tom Clancy should love this book. A great addition to the ranks of Thriller/Military action writers.
December 14, 2016
Sucked me right in.
This story is well written and seems very well researched. Vivid descriptions made it easy to see the world and the people Ethan interacted with, though at times I would have liked a few more details about him; he was a bit harder to imagine.
The action was well paced, flowing from segment to segment without lingering too long in any place of the story. The technical data could have been less, especially the paragraph listing the stats of the sniper rifle –that was the one section I actually skipped. Some other terms threw me off and made me pause to research or remember what they were even if they did support the feeling of authenticity.
I have never been in the Middle East, on a battlefield, or in a covert operation of any kind, so I cannot attest to the accuracy or cease ability of the events of the story and its setting, but as a layman I can say that the story felt authentic enough to draw me in and make me believe thais could be how it could happen.
I am looking forward to reading the next installments of Ethan Galaal's adventures.
Thank you, Mr. Hooke, for the entertainment and keep on writing. I can definitely say you are one of my favorite authors.
This story is well written and seems very well researched. Vivid descriptions made it easy to see the world and the people Ethan interacted with, though at times I would have liked a few more details about him; he was a bit harder to imagine.
The action was well paced, flowing from segment to segment without lingering too long in any place of the story. The technical data could have been less, especially the paragraph listing the stats of the sniper rifle –that was the one section I actually skipped. Some other terms threw me off and made me pause to research or remember what they were even if they did support the feeling of authenticity.
I have never been in the Middle East, on a battlefield, or in a covert operation of any kind, so I cannot attest to the accuracy or cease ability of the events of the story and its setting, but as a layman I can say that the story felt authentic enough to draw me in and make me believe thais could be how it could happen.
I am looking forward to reading the next installments of Ethan Galaal's adventures.
Thank you, Mr. Hooke, for the entertainment and keep on writing. I can definitely say you are one of my favorite authors.
December 20, 2015
'On the ground' military action tale of three US soldiers masquerading as ISIS soldiers. Lots of action sequences with death and injury for many of the bad guys (and a few of the good guys.) This was very current with references to politics and locations which are very much in the news today. The stories were told about each of the three US soldiers, but they all seemed alike - as the story wound on I wasn't certain which one of the heroes was which. I enjoyed it, but it was pretty superficial. More depth of character and more ambiguous, difficult choices would have made the book more compelling.
However, I already own the second book in the series, and I'm likely to read it, as well.
However, I already own the second book in the series, and I'm likely to read it, as well.
October 5, 2016
Ethan Galaal along with two other contract agents are imbedded into the ISL militants in Syria with the purpose to sending back intelligence data to se in tracking ISL volunteers and pinpointing targets for air strikes. Many close calls and disgust at the actions of the ISL troops keep Ethan scrambling. When he meets a Syrian woman and convinces her to provide him some information he puts her life in jeopardy and ends up breaking cover to rescue her from beheading. Along with the 3 operatives she joins in a scramble to the border with Iraq and safety with anti ISL forces. Military action tale with a contemporary setting.
December 21, 2015
I really enjoyed this story and did not want to put the book down. I was impressed that Isaac understood Range Gate Pull-Off (5 stars) but felt the story was a little weak that he was able to operate so freely undercover without suspicion (4 stars).
I have book two in my queue and look forward to it.
I have book two in my queue and look forward to it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews