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Russian Agents #2
The Saudi-Iranian War
Two Russian agents are trying to stop three nuclear weapons. Iran’s Acting Supreme Leader wants to make his title permanent by overthrowing the Saudi monarchy. Will nuclear weapons, VX and two armored forces converging on Riyadh let him succeed? Or can Russian agents and American technology stop Iran in time?
430 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 13, 2019
422 people are currently reading
81 people want to read
About the author
Ted Halstead
21 books61 followersTed Halstead served twenty-five years in the State Department as a Foreign Service Officer, most of it overseas, and was promoted to the Senior Foreign Service after his second tour at US Embassy Riyadh. His tours included four years at US Embassy Seoul, and two years at the East Asia Pacific Bureau in DC. He is a National War College graduate, and served for three years at a regional US military headquarters.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
April 6, 2019
A well informed tale of modern war and weapons
Not your standard war or weapons porn. This one is well thought out with believable political and social context along with elements of current news woven throughout. It differs from the usual terror attack novel in that this author takes the time to develop the political and social underpinnings of his plot. That occasionally slows the pace somewhat. But he does return to "movie mode" interweaving the scenes and upping the pace. The author does push the weapon descriptions up to almost weapon porn limits but thankfully fails to treat them as magical. The good guys are mostly likeable as are a few of the bad ones. I look forward to reading more in future books.
Not your standard war or weapons porn. This one is well thought out with believable political and social context along with elements of current news woven throughout. It differs from the usual terror attack novel in that this author takes the time to develop the political and social underpinnings of his plot. That occasionally slows the pace somewhat. But he does return to "movie mode" interweaving the scenes and upping the pace. The author does push the weapon descriptions up to almost weapon porn limits but thankfully fails to treat them as magical. The good guys are mostly likeable as are a few of the bad ones. I look forward to reading more in future books.
July 21, 2019
Well planned scenarios
Ably written with a well thought out end-game. Although for a pleasant change it had none of the too often expected “Good ole US of A” being the main heroes, instead FSB agents were, it was sadly let down by the modern US penchant for describing each item of military equipment, both big and small, in excruciating detail and model number - when will authors realise that the reader does not really care. If it is a Leopard tank then just say so, don’t attempt to impart the knowledge that it is 2A7+ and then go into intricate detail of its capabilities - that just detracts from the storyline and makes the reader skip-read and miss parts,of the plot altogether!
Ably written with a well thought out end-game. Although for a pleasant change it had none of the too often expected “Good ole US of A” being the main heroes, instead FSB agents were, it was sadly let down by the modern US penchant for describing each item of military equipment, both big and small, in excruciating detail and model number - when will authors realise that the reader does not really care. If it is a Leopard tank then just say so, don’t attempt to impart the knowledge that it is 2A7+ and then go into intricate detail of its capabilities - that just detracts from the storyline and makes the reader skip-read and miss parts,of the plot altogether!
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July 30, 2019Fans of military fiction will love the detailed descriptions of tanks, drones and warheads. But fans of political thrillers will enjoy the pacing and the story. It reads like a Tom Clancy novel, in that there are numerous characters and lots of moving parts. However, unlike Clancy, there are no side-plots that take a tangent to nowhere. Every person and event described in the book lead directly to the main plot, making this a pretty quick, concise read. I highly recommend this book, especially if you’re curious about military fiction.
October 27, 2019
Detailed Militray Thriller
The Saudi Iranian War was another great story by Ted Halsted. I love how he tries his novels together and keeps a saga going that a reader cant wait for his next book. If you love military hardware Ted does a great job describing them and engulfing you into their details. His explanations teach you something while reading this thriller. Great read and cant wait for his next one.
The Saudi Iranian War was another great story by Ted Halsted. I love how he tries his novels together and keeps a saga going that a reader cant wait for his next book. If you love military hardware Ted does a great job describing them and engulfing you into their details. His explanations teach you something while reading this thriller. Great read and cant wait for his next one.
April 4, 2019
A techno thriller.
Interesting book. Kind of Tom clancy-ish. Not quite as much tech detail but enough for me. (I enjoy the tech). I liked how the Americans were not the mail focus and played a relatively minor role. And how he’s bringing up possibilities of future books.
Interesting book. Kind of Tom clancy-ish. Not quite as much tech detail but enough for me. (I enjoy the tech). I liked how the Americans were not the mail focus and played a relatively minor role. And how he’s bringing up possibilities of future books.
April 13, 2019
Complex and intriguing political, military and economic forces drive a compelling plot. Lots of action among the Qataris, Saudis and Iranians. Very fast paced high tech air armored battles. Loved it.
April 15, 2019
Great modern day war novel
The author explained many technical issues about the aircraft and armored vehicles in the story. He described territory as if you were there.
Really enjoyed the aspect of the conflict that had minimal US involvement.
The author explained many technical issues about the aircraft and armored vehicles in the story. He described territory as if you were there.
Really enjoyed the aspect of the conflict that had minimal US involvement.
May 3, 2019
If only this book was history
The fiction is great. I don’t know anything about tank battles, rockets, drones and helicopters but description are believable. The description of Iranian people and Russian FSB as good people rings true. I enjoyed reading this book and look forward to more from this author.
The fiction is great. I don’t know anything about tank battles, rockets, drones and helicopters but description are believable. The description of Iranian people and Russian FSB as good people rings true. I enjoyed reading this book and look forward to more from this author.
July 14, 2019
Great read
Our favorite Russian agents return for this nail biting thriller. My only minor complaint is that at times the author gets too descriptive with weapons and equipment and it bogs down the story slightly.
Our favorite Russian agents return for this nail biting thriller. My only minor complaint is that at times the author gets too descriptive with weapons and equipment and it bogs down the story slightly.
October 30, 2019
Very well researched. Timely and highly realistic. Great read with suspense amd interviews
And right out of today’s newspaper headlines. Could not believe the twists turns and recent news inclusions. IT may be exactly what’s could happen.
And right out of today’s newspaper headlines. Could not believe the twists turns and recent news inclusions. IT may be exactly what’s could happen.
April 8, 2019
This is a very good book.
***** this is a very well written book. Intelligent and exciting. Completely original. Nice to see some good guys from Russia, there are some as we know.
***** this is a very well written book. Intelligent and exciting. Completely original. Nice to see some good guys from Russia, there are some as we know.
May 31, 2019
Right out of the headlines and possibilities.
An exciting and thrilling adventure which will leave you breathless. I really enjoyed this book and could not put it down.
An exciting and thrilling adventure which will leave you breathless. I really enjoyed this book and could not put it down.
June 16, 2019
Great read
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I look forward to more by Mr. Halstead. I recommend this book to all who enjoy such stories
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I look forward to more by Mr. Halstead. I recommend this book to all who enjoy such stories
August 23, 2019
The Saudi Iranian War review
The Saudi Iranian War is the second exciting fast paced action book that I've read written by author Ted Halstead.
The Saudi Iranian War is the second exciting fast paced action book that I've read written by author Ted Halstead.
October 30, 2019
Outstanding
I really enjoyed reading this book and will read more from the author in the future. Starting shortly as I like this author’books
I really enjoyed reading this book and will read more from the author in the future. Starting shortly as I like this author’books
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January 20, 2020Brilliant read
A great read full of twists and turns worth reading by anyone who served in the gulf. Well described and great detail making it a must read for everyone
A great read full of twists and turns worth reading by anyone who served in the gulf. Well described and great detail making it a must read for everyone
April 9, 2020
My review
I purchased the 3 books in this set. I enjoyed them very much. If your looking for a good, and a slight cliffhanger I recommend these.
I purchased the 3 books in this set. I enjoyed them very much. If your looking for a good, and a slight cliffhanger I recommend these.
May 15, 2020
A great read
Ted Halstead writes a story at a cracking pace. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.
I’ll certainly read more.
Ted Halstead writes a story at a cracking pace. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.
I’ll certainly read more.
June 23, 2020
Believable scenarios - interesting characters. Picks up gauntlet laid down by Tom Clancy. Am now onto 3d book
February 6, 2020
Entertaining
I enjoyed the different perspectives and the plot included actual alliances and plausible courses of action. Im looking forward to the next book in the series
I enjoyed the different perspectives and the plot included actual alliances and plausible courses of action. Im looking forward to the next book in the series
May 18, 2019
Good read !
I am A fan of action adventure, such as bown, WEB Griffin,Tom Clancy and many others. Well I have to say Ted Halstead has become a other of my favorite authors. Please take the time to read Ted's books.
I am A fan of action adventure, such as bown, WEB Griffin,Tom Clancy and many others. Well I have to say Ted Halstead has become a other of my favorite authors. Please take the time to read Ted's books.
December 15, 2020
The Saudi War
A very different vie w of a many vests from different countries. A lot of military Jayden used alot that meant nothing to me
A very different vie w of a many vests from different countries. A lot of military Jayden used alot that meant nothing to me
July 4, 2020
Entertaining, weaponry comparisons, politics and mayhem page turner.
Very effective author. Quickly covers a lot of ground in character and story building. Tense intrigue and riveting action with a lot of battle tech and tactical scenarios. All types of current aircraft, tanks and ordinance are compared in combat, in battle numbers and mixes. Nukes, spies, drones, subs, SAMs, trains, kings, presidents, ayatollahs, sacrifice, betrayal, bootleg stills, patterned lattes, tea and cookies. Yemen, Qatar, Baharain Syria, Turkey, Russia, USA. Ingenious climax, desirable resolution. Movie worthy.
Very effective author. Quickly covers a lot of ground in character and story building. Tense intrigue and riveting action with a lot of battle tech and tactical scenarios. All types of current aircraft, tanks and ordinance are compared in combat, in battle numbers and mixes. Nukes, spies, drones, subs, SAMs, trains, kings, presidents, ayatollahs, sacrifice, betrayal, bootleg stills, patterned lattes, tea and cookies. Yemen, Qatar, Baharain Syria, Turkey, Russia, USA. Ingenious climax, desirable resolution. Movie worthy.
January 11, 2022
Fiction or real
Interesting setting. Stories within stories. Characters believable in present day. Facts of real information woven into the plots. Master manipulation of characters.
Interesting setting. Stories within stories. Characters believable in present day. Facts of real information woven into the plots. Master manipulation of characters.
November 11, 2021
I’m going to start with what may well be seen as hyperbole. Ted Halstead may well be the next Tom Clancy… and I mean the Tom Clancy of Red Storm Rising and Hunt for Red October, not what the man became in later years.
He writes fast-paced, action-filled sequences. The cast of characters are varied and believable and he doesn’t demand his heroes do every damned thing. (I get well and truly pissed when, for example, an author’s main guy, a cop, is put in the middle of a dynamic entry carried out by the FBI HRT simply because the writer wants him to be there.) He’s even willing to kill off a major character. (Let’s face it; that happens in real life all too often.)
While the books take place in the near future, the vast majority of the devices and weaponry really exist now and are accurately described.
This accuracy is one of the most attractive features of the writing. In this, I’m reminded of another of my favorite authors, Tim Dorsey. (Did you know that a complete and functional Patriot missile was found in an Orlando scrap yard? That Al Capone had a nightclub in the middle of the Everglades? ) Halstead has the same habit of dropping shocking and confirmable [mostly] trivia in his pages.
I’m a bit of a hard-ass about information. After all, my MOS was 0203. I’ve been known to drop a book when I read someone was shooting a .12 gauge shotgun or resided in County Dublin in Ireland. A writer like Halstead is a dream come true.
Like another of my favorite authors, Keith Laumer, Halstead is a former Foreign Service Officer, with the US State Department and like Laumer seems to hold the Striped Pants Brigade in the same level of esteem as do my fellow Marines. This, and the fact he is a National War College graduate, probably explains the credibility of his writing.
Read him now. If the past is any indication, his books are going to become a lot more expensive.
He writes fast-paced, action-filled sequences. The cast of characters are varied and believable and he doesn’t demand his heroes do every damned thing. (I get well and truly pissed when, for example, an author’s main guy, a cop, is put in the middle of a dynamic entry carried out by the FBI HRT simply because the writer wants him to be there.) He’s even willing to kill off a major character. (Let’s face it; that happens in real life all too often.)
While the books take place in the near future, the vast majority of the devices and weaponry really exist now and are accurately described.
This accuracy is one of the most attractive features of the writing. In this, I’m reminded of another of my favorite authors, Tim Dorsey. (Did you know that a complete and functional Patriot missile was found in an Orlando scrap yard? That Al Capone had a nightclub in the middle of the Everglades? ) Halstead has the same habit of dropping shocking and confirmable [mostly] trivia in his pages.
I’m a bit of a hard-ass about information. After all, my MOS was 0203. I’ve been known to drop a book when I read someone was shooting a .12 gauge shotgun or resided in County Dublin in Ireland. A writer like Halstead is a dream come true.
Like another of my favorite authors, Keith Laumer, Halstead is a former Foreign Service Officer, with the US State Department and like Laumer seems to hold the Striped Pants Brigade in the same level of esteem as do my fellow Marines. This, and the fact he is a National War College graduate, probably explains the credibility of his writing.
Read him now. If the past is any indication, his books are going to become a lot more expensive.
February 14, 2021
Great book. Much more detail than the first of this series, and truer to detail. Much enjoyed
July 6, 2022
Ha!stead wis again.
Dynamite story telling. Consistent characters and similar storylines make for a successful series. War is grim but the author makes entertaining.
Dynamite story telling. Consistent characters and similar storylines make for a successful series. War is grim but the author makes entertaining.
April 11, 2025
I thought about rating The Saudi-Iranian War as three stars just because the story was so busy and hard to follow. First, most of the story dealt with characters from Saudi Arabia, Iran and other middle east countries whose names were hard to follow. The author populates the story with middle east history and geography lessons and goes in to great detail describing the arms used by the combatants. While details sometimes make a story more enjoyable, I would have preferred a little less detail than what was given. I enjoyed the small parts involving the Russian agents who were great in the first book in this series. I ultimately gave The Saudi-Iranian War four stars because three stars would make it appear that this story was bad. It wasn't bad. I did basically enjoy it but wanted it to be over.
April 14, 2019
Not your classic technothriller. The storyline is well thought out and plausible, although a bit convoluted. As a result, more than two thirds of the prose is dedicated to setting up the politics and intrigue with less than the later third focused on the armed conflict -- predominantly armored engagements.
That said, the descriptions of the engagements were very good, with excellent detail on the disposition, equipment, and tactics of tank-on-tank and air-on-tank warfare. The author clearly has great expertise in the area of tank warfare but, in truth, I felt the detailed and repetitive discussions about tank rounds distracted from what action was included in the story.
Others may enjoy this book -- it was well written and quite believable -- but for me it was just OK.
That said, the descriptions of the engagements were very good, with excellent detail on the disposition, equipment, and tactics of tank-on-tank and air-on-tank warfare. The author clearly has great expertise in the area of tank warfare but, in truth, I felt the detailed and repetitive discussions about tank rounds distracted from what action was included in the story.
Others may enjoy this book -- it was well written and quite believable -- but for me it was just OK.
April 16, 2019
Technical but thorough
Ted's writing is exciting and thought provoking. He is obviously knowledgeable about tanks. Both his books have been crammed with information about them. I liked it it made it realistic. His featured characters travel to various countries and meet many foreign named people. It takes some concentration to keep track. I longed for some Smith's and Jones to make life a little easier. I thoroughly recommend the two books and look forward to more.
Ted's writing is exciting and thought provoking. He is obviously knowledgeable about tanks. Both his books have been crammed with information about them. I liked it it made it realistic. His featured characters travel to various countries and meet many foreign named people. It takes some concentration to keep track. I longed for some Smith's and Jones to make life a little easier. I thoroughly recommend the two books and look forward to more.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews