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Tom Clancy's Op-Center #15
Tom Clancy's Op-Center: Scorched Earth
In this gripping thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of Out of the Ashes, an Islamic extremist is on a quest for vengeance after his only son is killed and it’s up to Op-Center to stophis lethal plot.
General Bob Underwood—a special presidential envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL—is en route to the Syrian city of al-Bukamal when a rocket-propelled grenade strikes the side of his Humvee and the heavily armored convoy comes under attack. The general’s bodyguard is brutally murdered, and Underwood himself is kidnapped. Hours later, the President and top officials watch in horror from the Oval Office, as the general is viciously beheaded by an ISIL leader—broadcast on live television through a direct feed from Al Jazeera.
The world is stunned by the bloody scene, but even more so that this supposedly loose-knit terrorist organization was able to orchestrate a lethal attack on the world’s most powerful military. American forces goes into high gear on land and sea to retaliate, but when the ISIS leader's son is killed in an American bombing raid, his rage knows no bounds and he determines to wreak vengeance on the American homeland itself.
With everything in the balance, Op-Center must assemble both its domestic strike force, as well as its international intervention force—built around a seasoned squad operating out of the secretive unit that captured Osama bin Laden—to stay one step ahead of a ruthless enemy.
This edition of the book is the deluxe, tall rack mass market paperback.
General Bob Underwood—a special presidential envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL—is en route to the Syrian city of al-Bukamal when a rocket-propelled grenade strikes the side of his Humvee and the heavily armored convoy comes under attack. The general’s bodyguard is brutally murdered, and Underwood himself is kidnapped. Hours later, the President and top officials watch in horror from the Oval Office, as the general is viciously beheaded by an ISIL leader—broadcast on live television through a direct feed from Al Jazeera.
The world is stunned by the bloody scene, but even more so that this supposedly loose-knit terrorist organization was able to orchestrate a lethal attack on the world’s most powerful military. American forces goes into high gear on land and sea to retaliate, but when the ISIS leader's son is killed in an American bombing raid, his rage knows no bounds and he determines to wreak vengeance on the American homeland itself.
With everything in the balance, Op-Center must assemble both its domestic strike force, as well as its international intervention force—built around a seasoned squad operating out of the secretive unit that captured Osama bin Laden—to stay one step ahead of a ruthless enemy.
This edition of the book is the deluxe, tall rack mass market paperback.
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 2, 2016
346 people are currently reading
906 people want to read
About the author
George Galdorisi
27 books29 followersGeorge Galdorisi is a career naval aviator and writer. His thirty years of active duty service included four command tours and five years as a carrier strike group chief of staff. He is the Director of Strategic Futures and Technical Assessments at the Navy's Information Warfare Center Pacific in San Diego, California. He has been writing for decades and it is the ultimate “flow” experience for him.
In addition to his recent Rick Holden thrillers published by Braveship Books (The Coronado Conspiracy and For Duty and Honor), he has written twelve books distributed by mainstream publishers, including several New York Times bestselling novels in the rebooted Tom Clancy’s Op-Center series, including Out of the Ashes, Into the Fire, Scorched Earth, and Dark Zone. With his longtime collaborator, Dick Couch, he coauthored the New York Times best seller, Tom Clancy Presents: Act of Valor, the novelization of the Relativity Media number-one rated movie. He is also the author of The Kissing Sailor, which proved the identity of the two principals in Alfred Eisenstaedt's famous photograph; as well as over 400 articles in professional journals and other media.
George has received a number of national and international writing awards, including: the Navy League of the United States Alfred Thayer Mahan Award for Literary Achievement, the U.S. Naval Institute General Prize Essay Contest, the Surface Navy Association Literary Award, the Navy League of Australia's Annual Essay Competition, the Naval Helicopter Historical Association Literary Award, and the Military Writers Society of America Silver Medal Award, among others.
Other than writing thrillers, George likes nothing more than connecting with readers. You can follow him on Facebook and Twitter, and learn more about his books, blogs and other writing on his website: http://www.georgegaldorisi.com/ - especially his “Writing Tips,” – which offer useful advice for all writers from established authors to future best-selling writers.
In addition to his recent Rick Holden thrillers published by Braveship Books (The Coronado Conspiracy and For Duty and Honor), he has written twelve books distributed by mainstream publishers, including several New York Times bestselling novels in the rebooted Tom Clancy’s Op-Center series, including Out of the Ashes, Into the Fire, Scorched Earth, and Dark Zone. With his longtime collaborator, Dick Couch, he coauthored the New York Times best seller, Tom Clancy Presents: Act of Valor, the novelization of the Relativity Media number-one rated movie. He is also the author of The Kissing Sailor, which proved the identity of the two principals in Alfred Eisenstaedt's famous photograph; as well as over 400 articles in professional journals and other media.
George has received a number of national and international writing awards, including: the Navy League of the United States Alfred Thayer Mahan Award for Literary Achievement, the U.S. Naval Institute General Prize Essay Contest, the Surface Navy Association Literary Award, the Navy League of Australia's Annual Essay Competition, the Naval Helicopter Historical Association Literary Award, and the Military Writers Society of America Silver Medal Award, among others.
Other than writing thrillers, George likes nothing more than connecting with readers. You can follow him on Facebook and Twitter, and learn more about his books, blogs and other writing on his website: http://www.georgegaldorisi.com/ - especially his “Writing Tips,” – which offer useful advice for all writers from established authors to future best-selling writers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
May 6, 2020
After making a huge propaganda killing against the United States, a terrorist leader is incensed when a retaliatory strike hits too close to home and makes his war even more personal. Scorched Earth is the third book of the Op-Center reboot and the first exclusively by George Galdorisi as retired Admiral Chase Williams coordinates his Op-Center team in fighting the war on terror that has suddenly become personal on both sides.
General Bob Underwood—a special presidential envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL—is kidnapped after his security detail is massacred then hours later is beheaded on live television. American forces retaliate with a strike on Mosul resulting in the death of the ISIS leader's son, his father promises vengeance. A homegrown terrorist cell kidnaps the admiral who oversaw the strike on ISIS but are accidently foiled in their attempted to send him to Mosul to be killed and retreat to a hideaway in rural Maryland. Based off information that it’s Geek Team Op-Center’s SEAL team is sent to Iraq to investigate all the aircraft delivering to the city, but come up empty resulting in the Geek Team backtracking and the terrorist cell and finding their location in Maryland. Op-Center’s CIRG team locates the house and rescues the admiral while taking out half of the terror cell. Meanwhile the admiral’s son, a SEAL himself, believing the Navy fumbled the ball goes AWOL to Iraq with help from an old teammate and infiltrates the ISIS headquarters in Mosul but is captured. The SEAL team, with information from the Geek Team, with a contingent of Rangers rescues the prodigal son while shaming the ISIS leader.
Like the previous book this was quickly moving story was an engaging read from start to finish, especially the first two-thirds of the book when the kidnapping of the admiral was the main plot. However, once his son decided to go rogue the end of the book was relatively telegraphed paint-by-the numbers ending. Yet despite the “going rogue” cliché and the ISIS leader’s desire to “go live for the evening news”, the action was particularly good which made up a tad for the headshaking narrative turn. Overall Galdorisi’s solo effort was good and while I wish he would have avoided the stupid “going rogue” trope as it probably would have improved the book some, it did not ruin it.
Scorched Earth is a good military-political thriller and is George Galdorisi only solo effort in the reboot series, so far. While I did not like subplot that finished off the book, it did not make the book bad and throughout the action scenes were solid. Overall, this book is better than a vast majority of the original Op-Center run.
General Bob Underwood—a special presidential envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL—is kidnapped after his security detail is massacred then hours later is beheaded on live television. American forces retaliate with a strike on Mosul resulting in the death of the ISIS leader's son, his father promises vengeance. A homegrown terrorist cell kidnaps the admiral who oversaw the strike on ISIS but are accidently foiled in their attempted to send him to Mosul to be killed and retreat to a hideaway in rural Maryland. Based off information that it’s Geek Team Op-Center’s SEAL team is sent to Iraq to investigate all the aircraft delivering to the city, but come up empty resulting in the Geek Team backtracking and the terrorist cell and finding their location in Maryland. Op-Center’s CIRG team locates the house and rescues the admiral while taking out half of the terror cell. Meanwhile the admiral’s son, a SEAL himself, believing the Navy fumbled the ball goes AWOL to Iraq with help from an old teammate and infiltrates the ISIS headquarters in Mosul but is captured. The SEAL team, with information from the Geek Team, with a contingent of Rangers rescues the prodigal son while shaming the ISIS leader.
Like the previous book this was quickly moving story was an engaging read from start to finish, especially the first two-thirds of the book when the kidnapping of the admiral was the main plot. However, once his son decided to go rogue the end of the book was relatively telegraphed paint-by-the numbers ending. Yet despite the “going rogue” cliché and the ISIS leader’s desire to “go live for the evening news”, the action was particularly good which made up a tad for the headshaking narrative turn. Overall Galdorisi’s solo effort was good and while I wish he would have avoided the stupid “going rogue” trope as it probably would have improved the book some, it did not ruin it.
Scorched Earth is a good military-political thriller and is George Galdorisi only solo effort in the reboot series, so far. While I did not like subplot that finished off the book, it did not make the book bad and throughout the action scenes were solid. Overall, this book is better than a vast majority of the original Op-Center run.
November 11, 2023
Well...For those of you who are at all interested in my reviews, you know when I start a review like this that it is going to be mixed.
Disclaimer: I reserve the right to my own opinions and perspectives. While you may not agree with me or my take, I respect that right, but by the same token I insist on my right to express my personal objective opinions and viewpoints whether they please or not. Liberal Utopians will certainly be offended so best they skip this and move right along.
This recent Tom Clancy thriller is apparently part of a set, no longer written by Tom Clancy himself but under his franchised name. This new style of writing is a great disappointment to me for many reasons, the most important being the rife concessions made to political correctness. While I certainly agree with women's rights to a point (equal rights entailing equal performance and responsibility). I am literally sick to death of every new novel hyping about amazing women warriors that outshine their weaker male counterparts. This has little basis in reality and is little more than soothing bruised feminist egos.
This recent novel was certainly gripping (the reason it received 3 stars as opposed to 2. The plot and narrative were all well-constructed and convincing...here it comes, look for it...BUT, this novel is replete with a cast of female superheroes that would make Wonder Woman blush. Why does the writer feel he has to be such a PC feminist apologist in order to pull out a good story? Granted there are women who are equal to men in many areas even in combat, however, on the battlefields they are the exception rather than the rule. I do not mean at all to belittle their courage, skill, or tenacity, but there are just practical physical limitations that are imposed upon them
Other than this gripe the rest of the story was solid but this maudlin and nauseating bow to female supremacy was well overboard and not at all realistic. Please do not misconstrue my statements as misplaced machismo by any means, I have personally witnessed the differences in a combat environment between the male and female counterparts and insist that, for a given number of sound reasons, there are certain areas that must remain the domain of male assets only, special forces are indeed one of these. Cognitively sharp females and others who have put themselves in harm's way will certainly concur. Women make great hostages for terrorists and get men to do stupid things to save them. Females are a distraction both physically and emotionally to their male counterparts in a long-standing combat environment. Finally, women are indisposed at least once a month either mildly or otherwise completely incapacitated.
A few contradictions within this title remain nevertheless glaring:
Laurie Phillips (ex-Marine officer decorated for heroism) is the rebel who breaks orders and according to the novel: "Ms Phillips? She's got big cojones (testicles)--sorry boss--she's got the guts of any of our guys." Thus, exclaims a former (overly sensitive) USMC Master Gunnery Sergeant. (p95).
Later the author really piles it on with the team leader Major Volner fawning like a kitten over the intellect and prowess of this mighty female warrior: ""We have our pick of literally scores of analysts (JSOC) who can do what you do. But none of them have been there and done that like you have (do you hear the oohs and ahhs here?), and none of them --and I'll say this carefully--none of them have brass ones like you have.
Thus, we are virtually assured that Laurie Phillips either had reassignment surgery or is some type of US Amazonian elite warrior, which seems to abound in this novel. (there are at least 4 others in differing levels of PC).
Yet later we are apprised that this heroic female warrior, once the SHTF, finds herself looking at freshly eliminated terrorists, "Phillips didn't say a word, but she was white as a sheet." Meanwhile..."A few of the young Rangers were high-fiving each other." And we ask ourselves the obvious: "What happened to the powerful former female Marine Corps Captain, decorated for heroism, with her brass balls?" (pp. 148-149)
Anne Sullivan, A woman who by her sheer brilliance, a sort of Hillary wannabe, roars up the chain of command to a Senior super grade position within the government, at age 55, as if by magic, to become number 2 in the Ops Center chain of command (The author would have, no doubt, put her in charge, but even to the most incredulous reader that would have been going overboard, given all the other concessions). (pp. 136 - 138).
Becky the FBI’s CIRG HRT Blackhawk pilot, and I quote "Becky [Barron] was a former star lacrosse player at Northwestern with an undergrad degree in electrical engineering and an MS in information technology. Also, a former US Navy Helicopter pilot, cashiered for her reckless rule-breaking and heroic rebelliousness. (pp. 156-158).
Okay... then there is the effort to throw into the plot a sort of mixed CSI geek-tech team that is hyper-cool and visionary beyond belief...actually beyond reality. One of the female stars, Scott, is also dressed in goth (as if this were an important detail), while it's jeans and tees for the rest of these ultra-brilliant young and dynamic techies (honestly makes you barf).
As if this were not enough this super-secret and omnipotent organization with direct access to the POTUS, tries to convince the CEO of FedEx to turn his flights around, because there is a hostage on board. He of course refuses, but in reality, a little threat of accessory to murder, combined with a call from up the chain of command warning them of the loss of their lucrative contracts, would have easily overridden his objections. (p.136). An absurd scenario that degraded the novel. Needed an alternative explanation such as too late or no way to communicate, but this was frankly asinine.
Finally, although minor, it does not take a genius to realize that Johnny Walker is a Scotch and NOT an Irish whiskey:"...each man holding a glass of Irish whiskey...The younger man was silent for a moment as he took a gulp of the Johnnie Walker Black." (pp. 297-298).
Factual flaws and kowtowing to political correctness left me cold on this one, and it is highly doubtful I will bother to spend my earnings on and read any others in this series. I will stick to more realistic writers who do not manipulate their readers by incorporating politically correct, yet unrealistic characters in their novels. I am not saying that women could not feasibly fulfill certain roles or be part of dangerous operations but, and this is a big but, they remain the exception rather than the rule for a host of reasons.
Finally, these are my opinions. You may agree or disagree, but remain respectful.
Disclaimer: I reserve the right to my own opinions and perspectives. While you may not agree with me or my take, I respect that right, but by the same token I insist on my right to express my personal objective opinions and viewpoints whether they please or not. Liberal Utopians will certainly be offended so best they skip this and move right along.
This recent Tom Clancy thriller is apparently part of a set, no longer written by Tom Clancy himself but under his franchised name. This new style of writing is a great disappointment to me for many reasons, the most important being the rife concessions made to political correctness. While I certainly agree with women's rights to a point (equal rights entailing equal performance and responsibility). I am literally sick to death of every new novel hyping about amazing women warriors that outshine their weaker male counterparts. This has little basis in reality and is little more than soothing bruised feminist egos.
This recent novel was certainly gripping (the reason it received 3 stars as opposed to 2. The plot and narrative were all well-constructed and convincing...here it comes, look for it...BUT, this novel is replete with a cast of female superheroes that would make Wonder Woman blush. Why does the writer feel he has to be such a PC feminist apologist in order to pull out a good story? Granted there are women who are equal to men in many areas even in combat, however, on the battlefields they are the exception rather than the rule. I do not mean at all to belittle their courage, skill, or tenacity, but there are just practical physical limitations that are imposed upon them
Other than this gripe the rest of the story was solid but this maudlin and nauseating bow to female supremacy was well overboard and not at all realistic. Please do not misconstrue my statements as misplaced machismo by any means, I have personally witnessed the differences in a combat environment between the male and female counterparts and insist that, for a given number of sound reasons, there are certain areas that must remain the domain of male assets only, special forces are indeed one of these. Cognitively sharp females and others who have put themselves in harm's way will certainly concur. Women make great hostages for terrorists and get men to do stupid things to save them. Females are a distraction both physically and emotionally to their male counterparts in a long-standing combat environment. Finally, women are indisposed at least once a month either mildly or otherwise completely incapacitated.
A few contradictions within this title remain nevertheless glaring:
Laurie Phillips (ex-Marine officer decorated for heroism) is the rebel who breaks orders and according to the novel: "Ms Phillips? She's got big cojones (testicles)--sorry boss--she's got the guts of any of our guys." Thus, exclaims a former (overly sensitive) USMC Master Gunnery Sergeant. (p95).
Later the author really piles it on with the team leader Major Volner fawning like a kitten over the intellect and prowess of this mighty female warrior: ""We have our pick of literally scores of analysts (JSOC) who can do what you do. But none of them have been there and done that like you have (do you hear the oohs and ahhs here?), and none of them --and I'll say this carefully--none of them have brass ones like you have.
Thus, we are virtually assured that Laurie Phillips either had reassignment surgery or is some type of US Amazonian elite warrior, which seems to abound in this novel. (there are at least 4 others in differing levels of PC).
Yet later we are apprised that this heroic female warrior, once the SHTF, finds herself looking at freshly eliminated terrorists, "Phillips didn't say a word, but she was white as a sheet." Meanwhile..."A few of the young Rangers were high-fiving each other." And we ask ourselves the obvious: "What happened to the powerful former female Marine Corps Captain, decorated for heroism, with her brass balls?" (pp. 148-149)
Anne Sullivan, A woman who by her sheer brilliance, a sort of Hillary wannabe, roars up the chain of command to a Senior super grade position within the government, at age 55, as if by magic, to become number 2 in the Ops Center chain of command (The author would have, no doubt, put her in charge, but even to the most incredulous reader that would have been going overboard, given all the other concessions). (pp. 136 - 138).
Becky the FBI’s CIRG HRT Blackhawk pilot, and I quote "Becky [Barron] was a former star lacrosse player at Northwestern with an undergrad degree in electrical engineering and an MS in information technology. Also, a former US Navy Helicopter pilot, cashiered for her reckless rule-breaking and heroic rebelliousness. (pp. 156-158).
Okay... then there is the effort to throw into the plot a sort of mixed CSI geek-tech team that is hyper-cool and visionary beyond belief...actually beyond reality. One of the female stars, Scott, is also dressed in goth (as if this were an important detail), while it's jeans and tees for the rest of these ultra-brilliant young and dynamic techies (honestly makes you barf).
As if this were not enough this super-secret and omnipotent organization with direct access to the POTUS, tries to convince the CEO of FedEx to turn his flights around, because there is a hostage on board. He of course refuses, but in reality, a little threat of accessory to murder, combined with a call from up the chain of command warning them of the loss of their lucrative contracts, would have easily overridden his objections. (p.136). An absurd scenario that degraded the novel. Needed an alternative explanation such as too late or no way to communicate, but this was frankly asinine.
Finally, although minor, it does not take a genius to realize that Johnny Walker is a Scotch and NOT an Irish whiskey:"...each man holding a glass of Irish whiskey...The younger man was silent for a moment as he took a gulp of the Johnnie Walker Black." (pp. 297-298).
Factual flaws and kowtowing to political correctness left me cold on this one, and it is highly doubtful I will bother to spend my earnings on and read any others in this series. I will stick to more realistic writers who do not manipulate their readers by incorporating politically correct, yet unrealistic characters in their novels. I am not saying that women could not feasibly fulfill certain roles or be part of dangerous operations but, and this is a big but, they remain the exception rather than the rule for a host of reasons.
Finally, these are my opinions. You may agree or disagree, but remain respectful.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 8, 2016
I have been a fan of the Op-Center series of books that Tom Clancy originated. So, upon his death I wondered how they would fare. They had been written by others most of the time, but without Clancy's influence would they drop in quality.
I think this latest addition to the series answers the question, the quality has not dropped off it remains the same and presents an exciting read for Clancy fans of Op-Center.
After an act of terrorism POTUS approves an air strike against the leader of ISIS and the compound in which he is believed to be with his top advisors. The air strike doesn't kill the leader, instead it kills his first born son.
This drives the leader of ISIS to put together a plan to bring the war of terrorism onto U.S. soil and to exact revenge against the American President and the American People in an effort to demoralize them and take the fight out of them.
It is decided to kidnap the Navy Commander who orchestrated the attack on ISIS. This man is now back stateside and working at the Pentagon. Thus ISIS comes to the U.S., takes his captive, and works to get him exfiltrated out of the U.S. and back to the Middle East where they can behead him on camera.
When conventional methods of law enforcement can't track down the kidnap victim and bring him home the President turns to Op-Center and gives them the green light to try to find and rescue the victim.
There are many small twists and turns that will surprise the reader. There are political statements made in the story regarding how we should go about fighting terrorism and whether or not certain agencies should be given broader powers to operate both in country and outside of the country.
It is an excellent read and one that I am sure you will enjoy.
I think this latest addition to the series answers the question, the quality has not dropped off it remains the same and presents an exciting read for Clancy fans of Op-Center.
After an act of terrorism POTUS approves an air strike against the leader of ISIS and the compound in which he is believed to be with his top advisors. The air strike doesn't kill the leader, instead it kills his first born son.
This drives the leader of ISIS to put together a plan to bring the war of terrorism onto U.S. soil and to exact revenge against the American President and the American People in an effort to demoralize them and take the fight out of them.
It is decided to kidnap the Navy Commander who orchestrated the attack on ISIS. This man is now back stateside and working at the Pentagon. Thus ISIS comes to the U.S., takes his captive, and works to get him exfiltrated out of the U.S. and back to the Middle East where they can behead him on camera.
When conventional methods of law enforcement can't track down the kidnap victim and bring him home the President turns to Op-Center and gives them the green light to try to find and rescue the victim.
There are many small twists and turns that will surprise the reader. There are political statements made in the story regarding how we should go about fighting terrorism and whether or not certain agencies should be given broader powers to operate both in country and outside of the country.
It is an excellent read and one that I am sure you will enjoy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
May 12, 20233.5 rounded up
Good story
Good story
March 10, 2018
Another satisfying book in the "Op-Center" series. Not great literature, but a fun, thrilling, fictional story, with a current events setting.
couldn-t-get-through
December 27, 2016Scorched Earth (Tom Clancy's Op-Center #15)
by George Galdorisi and Dick Young
Read by Peter Berkrot
I couldn't finish this book. The writing was so-so but the problem was the reader, Peter Berkrot. His voice sounds like a comic-book villain. I just could not stand it and quit the book on CD #3.
by George Galdorisi and Dick Young
Read by Peter Berkrot
I couldn't finish this book. The writing was so-so but the problem was the reader, Peter Berkrot. His voice sounds like a comic-book villain. I just could not stand it and quit the book on CD #3.
October 8, 2016
I don't usually read these types of books, but since I won this audio version here on Goodreads, I gave it a go. Fast read, but that could be, because I was just listening, lol. It was a pretty good story! All in all, I would definitely read more Political/War thrillers.
October 10, 2016
Close, but not worthy to use Clancy's name
The concept of ISIS going after a naval officer is feasible. The officers son going to rescued him really was not. If also lacked technical details. Entertaining, but little more.
The concept of ISIS going after a naval officer is feasible. The officers son going to rescued him really was not. If also lacked technical details. Entertaining, but little more.
February 11, 2018
A page turner for sure. One of the major characters gets written out of the book. The book revolves around ISIS and their offensive in the Levant. Op Center is central in the story,and the plot revolves around Chase Williams and his team of operatives. Definitely lives up to the Clancy legacy!!
August 23, 2016
Good story, but I am not sure I like the way it is written. A lot of technobable and the conversation between characters is pretty stiff.
August 20, 2018
Not quite as good as the previous two but still fun.
March 29, 2020
Rating this book is difficult. It's a generic Op-Center book, but not as good as its two predecessors in this new revived book series and definitely not as good as the original series was. The book takes place in 2016 in both the Washington, DC area and Iraq, primarily ISIL occupied Mosul. ISIL takes the fight for a caliphate to the US and the US responds in kind, with dramatic personal consequences. With the crisis Op-Center gets to use both of its operational arms, domestic and foreign. The author is fond of showing his knowledge of military equipment and their acronyms, but is not as successful as Tom Clancy was at seamlessly integrating this in his text, and quite often it distracts even for someone that enjoys these type of books. In comparison the inner workings of the Geek tank is generally limited to "they hacked". This Geek tank in an integral part of the new Op-Center but it's personnel is stereo-typical (a Goth-girl, and a convicted hacker are the latest visible characters), that adds little or nothing to the inner workings of the Geek Tank.
Given the above, a 3 star review would have aligned with my sense of "I liked it", but it is not as good as other books I've given 3 stars including the previous two Op-Center Books. As such, the book gets 2 stars as 2.5 stars is not an option. Hopefully the series will improve with the return of writer Jeff Rovin, who wrote the original Tom Clancy's Op-Center series.
Given the above, a 3 star review would have aligned with my sense of "I liked it", but it is not as good as other books I've given 3 stars including the previous two Op-Center Books. As such, the book gets 2 stars as 2.5 stars is not an option. Hopefully the series will improve with the return of writer Jeff Rovin, who wrote the original Tom Clancy's Op-Center series.
April 19, 2020
This is an exciting adventure that has a current setting and points toward what we need to be concerned about in the future. It involves terrorism of ISIS and the efforts of the Op-Center with other agencies and the military. This is the first time I have read any of the Tom Clancy's Op-Center series. I usually go for more depth and read fiction of a more classical nature, but this was good and kept my interest. I also liked the fact that the author goes back and forth in settings in rather short segments rather than having a long chapter about what's going on in one setting and then having another long chapter cover what happened in the meantime in another setting. The main difficulty I had as I read was the many acronyms used without much explanation. You were just supposed to know, I guess. If you are up to speed with current military and security jargon, you may not have that problem. There was probably also an assumption that you had read the preceding 14 books in the series, but I hadn't. It didn't keep me from following the storyline but I might have been more familiar to start with. I might like to go back and read one of Tom Clancy's famous books. This one was written after his death by George Galdorisi.
March 17, 2021
Besides being a quick read and break from my normal fare. Too many serial killers can mess with your head. I enjoy these action packed fast paced military novels. This could be considered spoilers by some. Where it falls short is in the death of a team member. True I have not read the previous 15 books so I am not as familiarly with the team as other readers but I didn’t feel the gravity of the death. It meant little as we didn’t get to know this character in this novel. Maybe if I had read the other books first I might care more, but even a series a novel should stand on its own and this one did little to make me care about the team and therefore it did not impact me. Really this novel did little with the ops center team and I formed no bond with them. Again I know that’s the style of the novel these are but their still should be some connection besides having to read the first 15 books.
March 22, 2021
This was definitely a page turner that was hard to put down. However, written in 2016 it was a bit disappointing philosophically because the US military did not kick ISIS's butt and win the war in Syria. It was Russia who joined the side of the Syrian President Assad (against whom the US was fighting by supporting anti-Assad rebels) who defeated ISIS (at least for the time being). The Middle East is a complicated place w no easy solutions to centuries long warfare between different the tribal groups. If only it was as simple as this book made it out to be. But I guess this is fiction!
June 20, 2024
Best of the rebooted Op Center series so far. After ISIS pulls off a stunning killing of High Ranking US Military Official, the United States strikes back killing the son of an ISIS leader. This causing the leader to want to retaliate, and it is up to Op Center to thwart the plan before it can be carried out.
Lots of action and a good plot made this a solid four star. As previously mentioned, the best of the reboot so far.
Lots of action and a good plot made this a solid four star. As previously mentioned, the best of the reboot so far.
August 12, 2017
I did not enjoy it- too many names with titles that did nothing for me, and thus did nothing to enhance the book. I don't think when you are reading, every person's title needs to be stated - to me it detracts from the story and makes everything dis-jointed. Otherwise a fair read- just like current climate
October 23, 2017
Good but lacking something
I am a big Clancy fan and miss his style of writing. Many writer's are trying to fill his shoes, but there is something. I think this book just jumps into the ending without all the finesse and build up of Tom Clancy. That being said I still enjoyed this book and will read more from this author.
I am a big Clancy fan and miss his style of writing. Many writer's are trying to fill his shoes, but there is something. I think this book just jumps into the ending without all the finesse and build up of Tom Clancy. That being said I still enjoyed this book and will read more from this author.
August 20, 2020
CC1
The new series is excellent. It holds up well with the old Opt-center series . Paul and Mike Rogers would be proud. Chase and everyone associated did great 👍. This story is not to unfamiliar then real life. Excellent reading great story Tom Clancy would be proud. 5 stars plus. Great job George!!!! Thanks,Carl Clause
The new series is excellent. It holds up well with the old Opt-center series . Paul and Mike Rogers would be proud. Chase and everyone associated did great 👍. This story is not to unfamiliar then real life. Excellent reading great story Tom Clancy would be proud. 5 stars plus. Great job George!!!! Thanks,Carl Clause
September 17, 2022
Another great continuation to the Op Center line. This time the midpoint was more predictable, and an eye for an eye was almost accomplished. I don't mind cliche scenarios though, so long as the story remains interesting - which it was for the multiple players. Though I suspect there was some reuse of plot points from the last book/s. Still a good read.
June 20, 2017
The usual wild ride well told !
This series never fails to be current, on the mark and exciting ! Not a good read before sleep- your brain will be churning !
Thanks for keeping the franchise relevant!
This series never fails to be current, on the mark and exciting ! Not a good read before sleep- your brain will be churning !
Thanks for keeping the franchise relevant!
August 3, 2018
Unabridged Persian the reader is the absolute worst and is just makes the whole book seem like a child retarded book it just isn't good it just really isn't good and the reader makes it even worse I don't know how the unabridged version is but The Abridged version is just bad it's just really bad
August 22, 2020
After you realize that there is more than one central character in this book, you will find that it is quite good. It has lots of the Clancy style detail, but not overwhelmingly so. Intrigue and action are balanced just right. Toward the end, you have a tough time putting it down. It's a good read.
October 20, 2021
cured of Clancy
If the alphabet soup and the too detailed weapons and machinery descriptions was eliminated this book would be a dull short story.
I missed the detail, when I ordered book, that it was written by someone else.
If the alphabet soup and the too detailed weapons and machinery descriptions was eliminated this book would be a dull short story.
I missed the detail, when I ordered book, that it was written by someone else.
November 2, 2023
Today's world
The in and out of everything that happens when dealing with terrorist that want to rule as a dictator and murder all that don't think their way or follow their way of thinking.
The in and out of everything that happens when dealing with terrorist that want to rule as a dictator and murder all that don't think their way or follow their way of thinking.
May 30, 2017
Not really at the level of the rest of TC's clients
June 26, 2017
Plan on reading more of these!
October 1, 2017
Fun book to read
Good read. Entertaining. Like mostTom Clancy books. Lots action with lots of details about the equipment used my the military ops.
Good read. Entertaining. Like mostTom Clancy books. Lots action with lots of details about the equipment used my the military ops.
December 27, 2017
Great!
Excellent plot and character development. Too many details about planes and helicopters, that add little to the story for the civilian reader. It remains an excellent read.
Excellent plot and character development. Too many details about planes and helicopters, that add little to the story for the civilian reader. It remains an excellent read.
April 19, 2018
Decent book, but not great. Give it 3.5 stars.
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