What do you think?
Rate this book
Danny Black #7
Black Ops
SAS hero Danny Black returns in the seventh book in the bestselling series by SAS legend Chris Ryan.
308 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 22, 2019
104 people are currently reading
284 people want to read
About the author
Chris Ryan
344 books1,024 followersColin Armstrong (b. 1961), usually known by the pen-name Chris Ryan, is a British author, television presenter, security consultant and former Special Air Service sergeant.
After the publication of fellow patrol member Andy McNab's Bravo Two Zero in 1993, Ryan published his own account of his experiences during the Bravo Two Zero mission in 1995, entitled The One That Got Away. Since retiring from the British Army Ryan has published several fiction and non-fiction books, including Strike Back, which was subsequently adapted into a television series for Sky 1, and co-created the ITV action series Ultimate Force. He has also presented or appeared in numerous television documentaries connected to the military or law enforcement.
After the publication of fellow patrol member Andy McNab's Bravo Two Zero in 1993, Ryan published his own account of his experiences during the Bravo Two Zero mission in 1995, entitled The One That Got Away. Since retiring from the British Army Ryan has published several fiction and non-fiction books, including Strike Back, which was subsequently adapted into a television series for Sky 1, and co-created the ITV action series Ultimate Force. He has also presented or appeared in numerous television documentaries connected to the military or law enforcement.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
June 7, 2020
Er, oh dear. Chris Ryan has sleepwalked his way through writing this short entry in the Danny Black series. 279 pages of the very average.
A Muslim agent working for MI6 has gone dark and now seems to be killing those who were part of his support team, including three SAS soldiers who helped train him.
Cue Danny Black, brought in to track him down before more lives are lost. With the assistance of a female MI6 agent who was the spy’s handler he starts a chase around the world. A few set pieces and a bit of action, but the reader will be way ahead of everyone in guessing what is going on. Throw in some badly delivered politics and “surprise” revelations this is all a bit obvious and unsatisfying.
It felt like Chris Ryan dialled this one in.
A Muslim agent working for MI6 has gone dark and now seems to be killing those who were part of his support team, including three SAS soldiers who helped train him.
Cue Danny Black, brought in to track him down before more lives are lost. With the assistance of a female MI6 agent who was the spy’s handler he starts a chase around the world. A few set pieces and a bit of action, but the reader will be way ahead of everyone in guessing what is going on. Throw in some badly delivered politics and “surprise” revelations this is all a bit obvious and unsatisfying.
It felt like Chris Ryan dialled this one in.
August 10, 2020
Danny Black is being called to help to find a killer who has killed his fellow service persons.
This person was one of the team mate. Who MI6 said has turned and now working for the IS.
There are still a few more on the killer list. And Danny Black is going to find the killer before he kills again.
Of course, things are not what it seems. He went to Syria and found out the truth.
So why is all the persons killed and who did it?
I feel bad for Danny as persons keep lying to him. His method is a bit brutal and sometimes unsettling.
The more important point is how he stays sane and human while doing this very violent job.
This person was one of the team mate. Who MI6 said has turned and now working for the IS.
There are still a few more on the killer list. And Danny Black is going to find the killer before he kills again.
Of course, things are not what it seems. He went to Syria and found out the truth.
So why is all the persons killed and who did it?
I feel bad for Danny as persons keep lying to him. His method is a bit brutal and sometimes unsettling.
The more important point is how he stays sane and human while doing this very violent job.
September 20, 2019
Predictable....but ok fast read.
December 12, 2020
Quick and easy reading. Very bloodthirsty and gory. Predictable. Nevertheless enjoyable.
December 29, 2022
Overall a very average book. I felt the story line was predictable and the writing was fairly poor and filled with mistakes, such as the wrong colour hair for a character or the wrong name used when writing about them. At times the gore was unnecessary and felt like it was trying to make up for a poor storyline to keep the reader interested but it did the opposite for me.
September 13, 2023
The worst book in this series so far, certainly one of the worst books I’ve read in a long time. From the original book with military operations and a highly skilled team to a one-man-army who’s deceived by a single line of flirting.
I like to think that I am generous with my ratings overall, but I just can’t think of a positive for this book. The plot is just awful and there’s an unwelcome return of gratuitous violence, which is more detailed than the plot for some reason.
Quick ‘plot’ summary:
Danny Black, grisly and experienced SAS solider is sent on a one man mission - convenient seen as his entire team from the earlier books have now been killed off - to find a turned undercover operative. He begins his investigation, though I’m not aware of the SAS training it’s members in investigation, by visiting the operatives handler Bethany. Who’s an incredibly attractive bi-sexual blonde woman (seeming bi-sexual so a full and wholly unnecessary woman-on-woman sex scene could be included later in the book). She gives him a lead to follow-up in Beirut, so we at a least get bit of travelling, but then sells Danny Black out to an IS militant. Leading to an ambush in which the only minor military part of this book happens.
It turns out that her and the operative, Ibrahim, were married with a child and that the, terribly named, MISFIT operation leaders - in which Bethany and the Operative were working - sold out Ibrahim to IS because he knew they let the Russians (because the UK or US would never…) bomb a school with kids - this ‘revelation’ is laid out in less detail than his torture and death - despite being a much more significant plot device.
Following this Bethany returns to the UK, flying into Manchester as their security is clearly much worse than Londons for no valid reason at all, to kill more people with some knives she bought from John Lewis. Now, seemingly a female incarnation of Jason Bourne, despite being an MI6 desk worker with basic gun training for most her career, she sets about brutally killing some guards for no reason whatsoever (don’t worry this is explained in fine detail for, again, no reason) before extracting revenge on a fringe character we met earlier and if forgot existed. She then, with much less finesse, murders more guards and tries to burn a woman alive using a toaster…. no I’m not lying.
Danny Black shows up despite not sleeping at all for several days, but the highly-trained lethal military operator is confused by hair dye and then nearly killed by Bethany using a car jack or something (I was skim reading just finish at this point). Both Bethany and Danny then set about a car chase through the Brecon Beacons in a storm and don’t crash somehow, before a mini-gun wielding helicopter tries to kill both Bethany and the child (undoing the whole UK and US would never thing which is the reason for the whole plot) but Danny saves them… by crashing into them.
In the end Bethany survives because she has some recordings of a confession about the bombing which MI6 don’t want to be leaked… and presumably because she’s needed in the next instalment of the Jason Bourne movies.
Oh, and the kid survives, but we almost forget he exists for most of the book until he’s a convenient plot point again.
Summary:
I struggled through this whole book, partly due to the writing which just doesn’t stand up to most of this series and I found difficult to get into, but also because this series has drifted so far from the original focus of SAS units undertaking military and covert operations. Danny Black is now apparently a budget James Bond with less finesse, more utterly pointless gore and torture, and far far worse storytelling.
This, I think, is where my time with Danny Black comes to and end. It was, mostly, fun whilst it lasted.
I like to think that I am generous with my ratings overall, but I just can’t think of a positive for this book. The plot is just awful and there’s an unwelcome return of gratuitous violence, which is more detailed than the plot for some reason.
Quick ‘plot’ summary:
Danny Black, grisly and experienced SAS solider is sent on a one man mission - convenient seen as his entire team from the earlier books have now been killed off - to find a turned undercover operative. He begins his investigation, though I’m not aware of the SAS training it’s members in investigation, by visiting the operatives handler Bethany. Who’s an incredibly attractive bi-sexual blonde woman (seeming bi-sexual so a full and wholly unnecessary woman-on-woman sex scene could be included later in the book). She gives him a lead to follow-up in Beirut, so we at a least get bit of travelling, but then sells Danny Black out to an IS militant. Leading to an ambush in which the only minor military part of this book happens.
It turns out that her and the operative, Ibrahim, were married with a child and that the, terribly named, MISFIT operation leaders - in which Bethany and the Operative were working - sold out Ibrahim to IS because he knew they let the Russians (because the UK or US would never…) bomb a school with kids - this ‘revelation’ is laid out in less detail than his torture and death - despite being a much more significant plot device.
Following this Bethany returns to the UK, flying into Manchester as their security is clearly much worse than Londons for no valid reason at all, to kill more people with some knives she bought from John Lewis. Now, seemingly a female incarnation of Jason Bourne, despite being an MI6 desk worker with basic gun training for most her career, she sets about brutally killing some guards for no reason whatsoever (don’t worry this is explained in fine detail for, again, no reason) before extracting revenge on a fringe character we met earlier and if forgot existed. She then, with much less finesse, murders more guards and tries to burn a woman alive using a toaster…. no I’m not lying.
Danny Black shows up despite not sleeping at all for several days, but the highly-trained lethal military operator is confused by hair dye and then nearly killed by Bethany using a car jack or something (I was skim reading just finish at this point). Both Bethany and Danny then set about a car chase through the Brecon Beacons in a storm and don’t crash somehow, before a mini-gun wielding helicopter tries to kill both Bethany and the child (undoing the whole UK and US would never thing which is the reason for the whole plot) but Danny saves them… by crashing into them.
In the end Bethany survives because she has some recordings of a confession about the bombing which MI6 don’t want to be leaked… and presumably because she’s needed in the next instalment of the Jason Bourne movies.
Oh, and the kid survives, but we almost forget he exists for most of the book until he’s a convenient plot point again.
Summary:
I struggled through this whole book, partly due to the writing which just doesn’t stand up to most of this series and I found difficult to get into, but also because this series has drifted so far from the original focus of SAS units undertaking military and covert operations. Danny Black is now apparently a budget James Bond with less finesse, more utterly pointless gore and torture, and far far worse storytelling.
This, I think, is where my time with Danny Black comes to and end. It was, mostly, fun whilst it lasted.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 18, 2020
BLACK OPS by Chris Ryan
Danny Black is back with another rip-roaring action-packed adventure. This time to find and kill the man thought to have killed three members of the ‘Regiment’. In true SAS fashion, Black’s trail leads him from the security of England to the bad fields of Syria and the back streets of Beirut.
Despite being able to surmise the identity of the killer, probably before Black does, and while the hunter becomes the hunted, there is enough intrigue, gory murders and fighting to question who is your deadliest enemy? The ones on the street or the ones at home?
Fans of Chris Ryan will enjoy this, the 7th Danny Black, a fast-paced and exciting read.
ISBN 978 1 473 66810 2 Published by Coronet / Jonathan Ball
Danny Black is back with another rip-roaring action-packed adventure. This time to find and kill the man thought to have killed three members of the ‘Regiment’. In true SAS fashion, Black’s trail leads him from the security of England to the bad fields of Syria and the back streets of Beirut.
Despite being able to surmise the identity of the killer, probably before Black does, and while the hunter becomes the hunted, there is enough intrigue, gory murders and fighting to question who is your deadliest enemy? The ones on the street or the ones at home?
Fans of Chris Ryan will enjoy this, the 7th Danny Black, a fast-paced and exciting read.
ISBN 978 1 473 66810 2 Published by Coronet / Jonathan Ball
June 18, 2020
Extremely disappointing
The premise is actually very clever, (no spoilers), but it involves some interesting ideas gleaned from how the Secret Services/Intelligence/counter intelligence go about things.
What’s wrong with it, is that, this clever idea just has the bare bones of a story thrown at it, with Danny Black (the only real player), going through the motions, through an infuriatingly short book, that’s as linear and generic as it comes.
It’s a real waste of such a brilliant idea, could have been a classic.
A real shame.
I would add that the rest of the Danny Black series books 1 - 6, by contrast are all 5* reads and very much worth your time and money.
The premise is actually very clever, (no spoilers), but it involves some interesting ideas gleaned from how the Secret Services/Intelligence/counter intelligence go about things.
What’s wrong with it, is that, this clever idea just has the bare bones of a story thrown at it, with Danny Black (the only real player), going through the motions, through an infuriatingly short book, that’s as linear and generic as it comes.
It’s a real waste of such a brilliant idea, could have been a classic.
A real shame.
I would add that the rest of the Danny Black series books 1 - 6, by contrast are all 5* reads and very much worth your time and money.
January 21, 2021
Plenty of action. Not running to 450 pages, so not a real lot of filler. Didn't have to do too much skimming.
Not too clear about who is a badass and who isn't. Well not always. Anyway, the primary badass seems to walk away unscathed, which I don't like. Good should always triumph over evil, and a lot of bad guys get wasted, but not everyone. In the meantime a lot of innocent people doing their jobs are killed.
Danny is pretty tough, but nearly getting killed near the end doesn't ring true. He's got a gun, his adversary has a tyre iron. Give me a break! Guess what? He survives.
So OK. Sort of.
Not too clear about who is a badass and who isn't. Well not always. Anyway, the primary badass seems to walk away unscathed, which I don't like. Good should always triumph over evil, and a lot of bad guys get wasted, but not everyone. In the meantime a lot of innocent people doing their jobs are killed.
Danny is pretty tough, but nearly getting killed near the end doesn't ring true. He's got a gun, his adversary has a tyre iron. Give me a break! Guess what? He survives.
So OK. Sort of.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 17, 2022
A very quick read and a good story line, although I'm not so sure the ending would happen like it did. The usual split infinitives ['he put the phone down' instead of 'he put down the phone'.] and referring to the 'ground' as the 'floor'. Then at the end, after we know Bethany had dyed her hair dark, he said 'her blonde hair was matted to her skin'.
This is the first Chris Ryan book I've read and I would consider reading another.
This is the first Chris Ryan book I've read and I would consider reading another.
November 16, 2019
This was a really pleasant read, plot had enough twisting to keep you reading on. The main protagonist Danny has enough humanity in him to make him feel more realistic than some other killing machines in other book series. This was my first book of Danny Black series but now I'll definitely check out the earlier ones as well!
June 23, 2020
Always enjoy reading a Chris Ryan book. Action packed fast paced and remarkably gory. A captivating story with great characters. Even though you can guess who the 'bad guy' is (the blurb gave a little bit of a hint) it's a really twisty ending. Oh, and a bit of a blinding error in the last chapter, but whats in a colour! A thoroughly enjoyable read.
November 14, 2020
Nothing complicated about Danny boy. He's just cold hard and ruthless. Gets whacked round the head the times with a tyre iron but he still just gets up and after the baddie. Not an Agatha Christie but a couple of nice twists ... and plenty of action. Yes. Good simple book again Mr Ryan. I'll read the next one!
February 5, 2021
Good book if your a man hateing femanist
Good book but seems like it was written by a man hating femanist first time ever for Chris Ryan's books don't know what came over him to write it like that maybe political pressure but for me it ruined the book as it lost all its usual style and just came across like it was trying to push the femanazis a gender very disappointed
Good book but seems like it was written by a man hating femanist first time ever for Chris Ryan's books don't know what came over him to write it like that maybe political pressure but for me it ruined the book as it lost all its usual style and just came across like it was trying to push the femanazis a gender very disappointed
January 22, 2025
This is my second Chris Ryan book, and they just keep getting better.
Ryan wastes no time getting straight to it, setting up the stakes within the first few pages and then launching into a full-scale attack on the reader from there.
Black Ops rarely lets up its relentless pace, with Ryan placing SAS operative Danny Black into quite the situation. The violence is harrowing, the action is anxiety-inducing, and while the twist was not entirely a surprise, it still served the story well.
I'm not sure how I feel about the ending yet, but it doesn't detract from the fact that this entry in Ryan's series is still a very solid one. I'll be sure to seek out the rest of Danny Black's exploits.
Ryan wastes no time getting straight to it, setting up the stakes within the first few pages and then launching into a full-scale attack on the reader from there.
Black Ops rarely lets up its relentless pace, with Ryan placing SAS operative Danny Black into quite the situation. The violence is harrowing, the action is anxiety-inducing, and while the twist was not entirely a surprise, it still served the story well.
I'm not sure how I feel about the ending yet, but it doesn't detract from the fact that this entry in Ryan's series is still a very solid one. I'll be sure to seek out the rest of Danny Black's exploits.
January 10, 2020
Does not disappoint a very well thought story
Danny black, again another challenging episode with highs and lows twists and turns, just when I thought it could not go any further it surpassed, an edge of the seat read.
Danny black, again another challenging episode with highs and lows twists and turns, just when I thought it could not go any further it surpassed, an edge of the seat read.
March 31, 2021
Power house spectacular read.
Another 5* read from an author who knows his stuff because of his own lived experience. I'm completely addicted to the Danny Black books. The excitement and explosive plot are what keep me reading. Brilliant...Now on to the next one.
Another 5* read from an author who knows his stuff because of his own lived experience. I'm completely addicted to the Danny Black books. The excitement and explosive plot are what keep me reading. Brilliant...Now on to the next one.
May 31, 2021
Very readable but I could sort of tell this was the seventh in a series. Plot somewhat bizarre; I know we’re talking fiction here but this just overshot the mark. Still an enjoyable not too demanding fast paced thriller.
January 1, 2023
Great rollercoaster of a read
For the most part well written if at times poorly punctuated and composed , which made the reader pause and scrutinise the meaning.
That apart a great fast paced ,believable and gripping read
For the most part well written if at times poorly punctuated and composed , which made the reader pause and scrutinise the meaning.
That apart a great fast paced ,believable and gripping read
September 5, 2025
I liked this book and it was quite an easy book to read. There was a massive twist in the plot, but I saw it coming and it was very obvious what was going to happen. I also fel that the ending was rushed and could have been done better.
August 26, 2019
Really good
Read this really quickly. Very fast paced, couldn’t put it down. Really good set of characters. Can’t wait for the next one.
Read this really quickly. Very fast paced, couldn’t put it down. Really good set of characters. Can’t wait for the next one.
September 23, 2019
Fantastic read. Full of action and non-stop suspense. I enjoyed the main character and hope to read more of Chris’s work.
October 23, 2019
Fast paced and Action packed
Danny black doing what he does best.Action packed
With the now customary twists and turns.
Chalk another good read up to Chris Ryan
Danny black doing what he does best.Action packed
With the now customary twists and turns.
Chalk another good read up to Chris Ryan
January 15, 2020
Brilliant as always
The latest instalment in the Danny black series does not disappoint yet again. 5 stars is well deserved. Can't wait for the next one!!!
The latest instalment in the Danny black series does not disappoint yet again. 5 stars is well deserved. Can't wait for the next one!!!
March 18, 2020
Brilliant story telling as usual from Chris ryan
Nothing to dislike shout any ryan book.recomend to all.my friends a great page Turner from start to finish brilliant brilliant
Nothing to dislike shout any ryan book.recomend to all.my friends a great page Turner from start to finish brilliant brilliant
January 5, 2021
Good pace
Keeps up the action and drama. Difficult to put down from the start and stirs the imagination. Definitely a fan.
Keeps up the action and drama. Difficult to put down from the start and stirs the imagination. Definitely a fan.
February 21, 2021
Another great Danny Black book
Grips you from start to finish with a fantastic storyline with lots of twists. Can’t wait for the next one to be released.
Grips you from start to finish with a fantastic storyline with lots of twists. Can’t wait for the next one to be released.
March 3, 2021
Fast paced and engaging thriller, rather too bloodthirsty for my taste.
March 31, 2021
Omg I’m exhausted. What a ride. God this guy is good. Phew.
June 7, 2021
Still as good as ever never tire of reading these books
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews