Shadow Men: It Should Have Been An Easy Kill

by Dan Westerlin

Join Senior Chief Petty Officer Jacob Tapman and Team 3 on their perilous and ill-fated assassination mission into war-torn Syria. The hunters then become the prey as Bassel Abid el Jabbar and his cell of international terrorists silently prowl across the American landscape seeking revenge, jihad and a path to Paradise. In the shadowy world of terrorism and counter-terrorism, the two groups now navigate: each pursuing the other, while both are being played as political pawns by distant puppet-masters, heading towards a cataclysmic end.

All revenues from e-book sales will be donated to the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society and Arts in the Armed Forces.

The mission of the NMCRS is to provide, in partnership with the Navy and Marine Corps, financial, educational, and other need-based assistance to active-duty and retired Sailors and Marines, their eligible family members, and survivors. Through Financial Assistance and Counseling, Quick Assist Loans, Education Assistance, Health Education and Post-Combat Support, Budget for Baby, Emergency Travel and Disaster Relief we use both financial and non-financial resources to identify solutions to meet emerging needs. Please visit the Navy Marine Corps Relief Society at www.nmcrs.org.

The purpose of Arts in the Armed Forces is to provide high-quality theatre programming for active duty service members, veterans, military support staff and their families. The goal is to use the powerfully emotional shared experience of live theater to open up conversations capable of bridging the divides between military and civilian, service member and family member, the world of the arts and the world of practical action. Please visit Arts in the Armed Forces at www.aitaf.org.

Genres: War, Thriller

231 pages, Paperback

Published April 10, 2017

Reviews

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book in a goodreads drawing.

A SEAL team goes into Syria to kill a terrorist. Things go wrong, and of course they are betrayed by the suits, drummed out of the military, and roasted by the press.

Terrorists come to America to get the SEALs, and wreak havoc.

To be honest, it never quite comes together. There are some good sequences, but it just doesn't quite hold together.

[Elizabeth Wanda C · Rating 5 out of 5]

An action-packed, thrilling, and at times upsetting book (one example: Ranch Hand.) But, it is a good book. I especially liked how the author took different characters, in different directions with different reasons toward the same goal. For example the Guatemalans and the Shadowmen.

The characters are well developed and different. Some are brave, selfless, patriotic, and loyal while other characters are greedy, manipulative, and deceitful. These two types work against the criminal and terrorist characters who are single-mindedly focused on their objective. But they too have those only loyal to their cause while others are only loyal to their greed and prosperity.

The storyline is easy to follow, and the plot creates emotional turmoil!

Based on a five-star rating, I give it five stars!
1) Buy from the author in the future? Yes
2) Did it keep me intrigued? Yes
3) Storyline adventurous, mysterious, and believable? Yes
4) Would I recommend to a family member/friend? Yes
5) Did my idea of the book based on the cover remain the same after I read the book? Yes, I knew immediately what the story-line was because of the title and the imagery.

[Theresa Wade · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I have read by the author Dan Westerlin. The writing structure is different than what I have read before. It took me a bit to get use to it so that I captured the story. The story and character building was very good. The book kept my interest most of the time. There were just a few spots in the middle where I felt like nothing was happening and story was extra blah blah that was not needed because it had already been established in the book else where. Still a story worth reading.

[Susan Wright · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall I enjoyed this book. One of the things that I liked most about it was the fact that the action moved quickly and the story was swiftly developed. However, this also plays to the downside of the book and that is the fact that since the story moves so some of the characters aren't very well developed. For some of the Navy Seals it was hard to tell who was who because there was limited backstory or development given to the character. Jake Tapman was easy to identify as he was the leader and one of the main characters of the story. However for the others when switching between names and roles; it sometimes became too muddled.

The plot of the story; the settings in which the action takes place throughout the world; and given the current climate of politics and terrorism made the story very realistic. The author touched on the realities of war and veterans that return home suffering from PTSD. He also touched on the experiences that spouses and family members of vets go through when they try to deal and support their loved ones that are returning home. I'm looking forward to more stories from this author!

[Maggies Daisy · Rating 3 out of 5]

First I would like to thank Dan Westerlin for donating the proceeds of the e-version of Shadow Men to the Navy Marine-Corps Relief Society and Arts in the Armed Forces. I received this book through Goodreads in a generous giveaway. What I liked most about the book were the characters that seem so lifelike. Plus the story coincides with many of the political themes our society is playing roles in at any given moment, like the Mexico/US board, the middle east, terrorism, human trafficking, protestors, news reporters spreading fake news and our elite armed forces that are given the orders to kill on command. The only thing I think that could be improved is to have more details added to the overall story, make the reader feel more of what is happening in the story.

[Brittney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book through Goodreads First Reads. Thanks for the book.


“You and I have both known misery, and the loss of those we love. We all know pain, but it is how we accept that pain that makes you and I so very different.”

The above quote summed this book up perfectly for me. This book was about a team of Navy Seals that go on a mission to assassinate a terrorist. The mission did not go as planned which sets up the rest of the plot throughout the book. This book shows how the war on terror can effect everyone involved. Basically both sides were set up from the beginning by two political agendas.

[Ian Yarington · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this in the giveaways and I'm glad I did, this book was a wildly action packed ride. It reminded me a little of the show Terminal List on Amazon, an action packed military adventure. I like that there are multiple characters and points of view it helps to level everything out and makes it more interesting.

[Kathy Haenftling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story, compelling characters, satisfying read.

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my usual genre that I like. The story was interesting, but it took me quite a while to read mostly because it just didn't hold my interest.

[GERALD GENTRY · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exciting book on today's war and the men who fight it. I highly recommend this book.

[Ciayrra The Scorpion Flower · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is all right. Plenty of action. Very descriptive. I don’t usually like books that don’t have much dialogue, but this one is an exception.

[Sonia Knippshild · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fantastic read. The characters were believable and the story moved fast. I couldn't put it down. Well done!

[Darrell Knippshild · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written. Great read!

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Story!

I am a disabled veteran myself and I have to say, this was a really great story about terrorism, screw ups and ultimate redemption! Tapman was a great lead character and like all the men on his team, true Badasses!! Give this book a read! You will not be disappointed. Proceeds go to a really great cause, Thank you Mr Westerlin!

[Betsy Myers]

I won this book via Good Reads First Reads. I am an ECE administrator and I look forward to adding this book to our lending library for staff and parents at my school.