Force Ten: Doubling the Penny

by Mark Shaff

In the debut Marcus Diablo novel, Redemption Road, Marcus' wife, Annie, is murdered during a terrorist attack on the United States. Now in the highly-anticipated sequel, Marcus Diablo and Force Ten are back. As Marcus struggles to raise his sons and heal their broken hearts, he must reconcile his feelings for the woman who has fallen in love with him and his boys. When an attack on the nation's Internet system brings all communications, transportation and financial networks to a halt, Marcus is forced to define his role as a full-fledged member of Force Ten-the world's most respected and effective private military contracting firm. Join Marcus Diablo and an unforgettable cast of characters as they come to terms with the power of family and love, while they fight to save a nation and bring their brand of Justice-Force Ten Justice-to those responsible.

324 pages, Paperback

Published December 1, 2016

Reviews

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mark Shaff has done it again. Another brilliant page turner. As with the first Marcus Diablo book, Redemption Road, this is a powerful thriller.
We find ourselves on a breath taking trip with Marcus in his new well earned role as a member of Force Ten, a prestige private military contract firm.

How will Marcus and the Force Ten team deal with the situation that develops when the nations internet is disabled. All communications are down causing untold problems. Will Sheikh Nazir al-Mahoud become involved in Marcus Diablo's life again? What danger will Marcus face?

There is much going on. As well as the Internet problem (which is a major issue), Marcus is also dealing with his own personal feelings.
Is he ready for a new love? Would Annie be pleased for him? What about his boys ?

This is full of fascinating characters with plenty of action and intrigue. It grips the reader from the beginning right through to the end. It really is a must read.

[Jennifer Tooker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full disclosure, I received a copy of this book from the author however I have voluntarily chosen to write a review. All opinions are my own.

No rest for Diablo in this second book

Doubling the Penny is the second in the series of Force Ten novels by author Mark Shaff that follows the life of Marcus Diablo as he seeks to avenge his wife’s death and take down the man responsible for her very public execution. Set approximately six months after the close of Redemption Road, Marcus, his family and the rest of Force Ten have set up residence at “Beginnings”, the vast, secluded Canadian Ranch that doubles as headquarters for the mercenary group Force Ten. After a Black Friday internet “crash” takes out most of the United States’ internet access, Marcus and Force Ten wonder if this isn’t the latest in a recent series of attacks on the States by Islamic radicals. Force Ten mobilizes to attempt to locate the source of the supposed EMP that has crippled a recovering nation, but when thousands of people simultaneously fall ill, and the contagions begin to spread like wildfire across the nation, Marcus realizes that the internet was only a ruse to keep watchful eyes and resources away from the main attack. For the second time in less than a year, Marcus finds himself knee deep in matters of National Security as he and the team take on the task of locating the origin of the latest attack and the person responsible. As more details come to the fore, Marcus finds himself forming an alliance with an unlikely partner to bring down the instigator.

For me, I really think that I liked Doubling the Penny more than Redemption Road. Don’t get me wrong, they are both brilliant, but for as much as Redemption Road did to set the scene and bring Marcus to the place where he was consumed with vengeance and a burning desire to enact it, Doubling the Penny did to bring the story full circle and provide Marcus and his entire family not only with the closure they sought, but also a glimmer of hope. Just like its predecessor, Doubling the Penny has action and adventure spun into a web of revenge and intrigue. The latest plot and the delivery system is pure evil genius. If you think about it, the situations depicted as were the ones in Redemption Road are very feasible. That aspect alone is terrifying, and I really hope that Shaff does not give any would be bad guys out there any ideas! At times, the story was heartbreaking as the team find themselves in the absolute pit of humanity while they search for answers. Marcus wasn’t the only focus of the story in this one as there was also a bit of back story for a few of the Force Ten members as well as the perpetrators. I can definitely see this being the end of this story arc for Marcus, but not the end of his association with Force Ten. There will always be evil to combat, and Marcus and his elite team will always rise to the challenge. If there will be other books in this series, it is hard to tell but if there are I will be interested to see what mastermind Marcus and Force Ten encounters next.

[Sarai Henderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book jumped right into the action. We follow Marcus Diablo in the aftermath of a terrorist attack and the murder of his wife. There was a lot of action in this story. I wasn't really invested in the characters like I would want to be. World building is key, and I didn't get a lot of that. The story was intriguing and kept me interested throughout the book.

Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.