All Lines Black

Delta Force #4.5

by Dalton Fury

Syrian militant leader Abu Hamam al-Suri wants to defect from ISIS—an action which will in all likelihood bring about the end of the insurgency. He just wants one thing first. The head of the American commando who killed his son in a raid two years ago.

Newly-appointed Secretary of State Bill Mason isn’t above sacrificing American lives to satisfy his ambition, so when al-Suri’s back-channeled demand falls in his lap, he senses an opportunity to settle the score with his old nemesis, Delta Force squadron commander Kolt “Racer” Raynor.

When Raynor gets the order to lead a mission into Syria to bag the new ISIS money man, his gut tells him something is fishy, especially since he has been ordered to personally lead the mission. Raynor doesn’t mind leading from the front. In fact, he prefers it. But as soon as the assault team is on the ground, Kolt knows his gut instinct was dead on. The mission is a setup, an ambush intended to take out Raynor and his men.

Now Raynor has a new mission: Find out who set him up and why. But to do that, Raynor and the Delta team will have to run the gauntlet—an entire city controlled by enemy fighters.

Genres: Fiction

113 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 6, 2017

About the author

Thomas Greer, the former special operations commander who wrote a series of books under the pen name "Dalton Fury" and exposed the American public firsthand to the modern exploits of the military's most secretive units, died October 21, 2016 from cancer.

Starting as an enlisted soldier and instructor in the elite Army Rangers in the mid-1980s before becoming an officer, Greer later joining U.S. Army Special Forces Operational Detachment – Delta, more commonly known as "Delta Force," the Army's version of SEAL Team Six. He published "Kill Bin Laden" in 2008, recounting his participation in the unsuccessful 2001 mission to capture elusive terrorist leader Osama bin Laden when he was holed up in the Tora Bora mountains of Afghanistan. He went on to write a series of other books, including a fictionalized account of special forces operations.

Greer, 52, was perhaps the first in what has become a long series of shadowy warriors-turned-authors who traded their rifles for pens to meet the public's growing enthusiasm for details on the government's most classified missions. Civilian leaders and military planners increasingly rely on these elite commandos to accomplish secret missions in modern war zones, creating tension between those willing to tell the story and others who choose to uphold their pledge to secrecy.

"Every one of us was dubbed persona non grata by our former organization," Greer told U.S. News in 2015. "To some, that doesn't mean squat. To others, it can be pretty painful as you lose a lot of close friends."

He spoke shortly after Matt Bissonnette, one of the SEALs who contributed to the 2011 mission that killed bin Laden, came under formal Pentagon inquiry for writing his own book, "No Easy Day," as did Robert O'Neill, another of the SEALs on that mission, who revealed himself on Fox News and claimed he fired the shot that killed the al-Qaida leader.

Their actions prompted top SEAL leaders to write a letter to those within their ranks, admonishing those who break from what they described as the "critical tenet of our ethos," to not advertise the nature of their work or seek recognition for it.

"We do not abide willful or selfish disregard for our core values in return for public notoriety or financial gain," Navy Rear Adm. Brian Losey and Force Master Chief Michael Magaraci wrote at the time.

Both Bissonnette and O'Neill claimed they chose to tell their stories for the sake of the American public.

"It was UBL, the biggest target of our generation," Greer explained at the time, using the military's prefered acronym for bin Laden, and referencing the fact that the White House confirmed reports the SEAL unit had conducted the assault. "Once the gates were opened by the Obama administration, I believe both Biss and Rob decided to make their claim to history while it was still marketable."

The greatest source of criticism for the former commandos centered on their decision not to seek approval through established channels at the Department of Defense for discussing classified information. Greer submitted copies of his proposed books for review, as most others like him do, and any information the Pentagon deemed sensitive was either changed or stricken.

Others who knew Greer say he was at least in part inspired to write his own book by a perceived barrier between the general public and the less than 1 percent of them who fought the seemingly never-ending wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"It brings a lot of pride to the American people, especially in times that are needed," says Jim Reese, founder of security consulting firm TigerSwan who served with Greer in both the Rangers and Delta as a fellow officer. "You've got this organization that is in the shadows, and part of it should be. But this is the New York Yankees. What Tom was able to do with both his books and his fiction books was to bring the reality to Middle America, to let Americans be proud of this small element of Americans.

Reviews

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great story but way too short. Kolt and his team go looking for a HVI in Syria.

RIP Dalton!

[Joe Hampton · Rating 5 out of 5]

"If Dalton Fury were a Pit Bull owner, every apartment complex in the nation would let him rent their place with this manuscript. All praise Dalton."
-Kid Cudi

[SteVen Hendricks · Rating 4 out of 5]

ebook Review - All Lines Black - Dalton Fury
This short story ebook, “All Lines Black” by now deceased, former Delta Force operator Dalton Fury (Tom Greer) really caught my attention. I read it via my iPad. In this 113-page short story, a highly placed ISIS terrorist wants to negotiate for power, post-Assad, and also wants to kill the man responsible for his son's death. Surely, no one in the U.S. Government would send an operator on a specific mission so a terrorist could kill him in revenge. Well, it seems the Secretary of State wants some revenge against the main character Kolt "Racer" Raynor, a Delta Force squadron operator. This short story is complex with almost non-stop action, with lots of technical and political information and a desire to read more. The characters are well-fleshed out with rapid-fire dialogue and it has a very clever story-line. This is a fascinating and thrilling ebook-only read! RIP Dalton Fury...I have read or listened to this entire series and I place it - all five books - in my Top 10 favorites...

[Garry Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked the story, but not the abrupt ending - I was unaware it was a short story. I need to read the reviews before I start a new ebook. Now, on to the last book in the series.

[Dan Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Syrian militant leader Abu Hamam al-Suri wants to defect from ISIS—an action which will in all likelihood bring about the end of the insurgency. He just wants one thing first. The head of the American commando who killed his son in a raid two years ago.
Newly-appointed Secretary of State Bill Mason isn’t above sacrificing American lives to satisfy his ambition, so when al-Suri’s back-channeled demand falls in his lap, he senses an opportunity to settle the score with his old nemesis, Delta Force squadron commander Kolt “Racer” Raynor.

When Raynor gets the order to lead a mission into Syria to bag the new ISIS money man, his gut tells him something is fishy, especially since he has been ordered to personally lead the mission. Raynor doesn’t mind leading from the front. In fact, he prefers it. But as soon as the assault team is on the ground, Kolt knows his gut instinct was dead on. The mission is a setup, an ambush intended to take out Raynor and his men.

Now Raynor has a new mission: Find out who set him up and why. But to do that, Raynor and the Delta team will have to run the gauntlet—an entire city controlled by enemy fighters.

[Russty · Rating 4 out of 5]

RIP author in peace, Warrior!!!

Along with writing good books, he had no trouble sharing the spotlight with fellow Unit member / authors(he first introduced me to the Brad Taylor's first book - one of my favorite authors among the current military fiction writers).

[tim warren · Rating 1 out of 5]

Why did this book and half way through and switch.to execute authority?

Book.ended half way through right before helicopter was to.land with geller? I enjoyed all of the previous books
I want my.money back

[SP · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best short stories I've read

[Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrifiv

Great. A must read introduction to Execute Authority. It is a tragedy that the author has passed on. God bless him

[Jim Cerone The Perfect Host DJ MC · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good. Not a full novel, but well plotted and paced.

[Seth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good. Loads of action. RIP Dalton Fury

[Connie Hamby · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good book

It was a really good book i can't wait till the next one thank you to Dalton Fury a good book to read it you like delta force

[Cynthia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would have like this a lot more had the author not included "Hawk" and that other female so prominently. Good action at the end.

[Randall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well that was short

Great story wish it had been longer. To bad Dalton is no longer with us. I look forward to his next book.