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Titus Black #3
Rogue Commander
Titus Black doesn’t like playing games, especially when it comes to terrorists.
When three U.S. emissaries are murdered in broad daylight in Jordan by an assassin known as The Ghost, black ops specialist Titus Black teams up with Christina Shields to track down the killer in a mission that grows more dangerous with each new clue. As they navigate the shadowy world of the Middle East in an effort to finish their operation, they learn of a secret that puts them on a collision course with a madman bent on bringing America to its knees.
With nothing left to lose, Titus Black must face his new nemesis with no margin for error.
328 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 24, 2020
977 people are currently reading
105 people want to read
About the author
R.J. Patterson
191 books205 followers*** Signup for my newsletter and receive a free copy of The Warren Omissions, the first book in my James Flynn thriller series, by visiting http://eepurl.com/bZwpdf ***
THE FIRST SIGNS that I might like writing -- and that I might be slightly competitive -- appeared when my year two (or first grade) teacher, Mrs. Holland, asked my class to write and illustrate our day. Mine read like this: “The Red team beat the Blue team, 1 to nil. And I won.” The next 47 entries covered my exploits on the soccer pitch while growing up in Ipswich, England.
In South Carolina as a teenager, my dad told me that I could get paid to watch sports provided I could write about it. Sounded easy enough and by the time I was 16, I landed a job at my town’s daily newspaper and had a column on Major League Baseball players from our area. I also covered my first riot there at a sporting event -- and it’s safe to say I was smitten with journalism.
After graduating from one of the best journalism schools in the country, I took a job as a sports editor in South Georgia and learned firsthand about the passion of high school sports in rural America. I thought I knew before, but I didn’t. This was another world.
I also had the opportunity to cover major sporting events like the Olympic Games, the World Series, the Super Bowl, and the Final Four. It was a thrill!
But nothing was as thrilling to me as uncovering the truth in investigative assignments. I once broke a story about a prominent southern football team’s NCAA violation -- and found out the violating coach had committed suicide only a few months earlier. The story won a national writing award and stoked my desire to write about these issues. It made me realize that the sports world was just another fantastic backdrop for drama.
After writing non-fiction books with athletes, for athletes, and ghost writing for many others, I decided to enter the world of fiction writing. It had been something I wanted to do but never found the time. So, I made the time--and had a blast in the process.
I’m not out to become the next Faulkner or Hemingway -- I’m just out to tell a good story. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy writing them!
THE FIRST SIGNS that I might like writing -- and that I might be slightly competitive -- appeared when my year two (or first grade) teacher, Mrs. Holland, asked my class to write and illustrate our day. Mine read like this: “The Red team beat the Blue team, 1 to nil. And I won.” The next 47 entries covered my exploits on the soccer pitch while growing up in Ipswich, England.
In South Carolina as a teenager, my dad told me that I could get paid to watch sports provided I could write about it. Sounded easy enough and by the time I was 16, I landed a job at my town’s daily newspaper and had a column on Major League Baseball players from our area. I also covered my first riot there at a sporting event -- and it’s safe to say I was smitten with journalism.
After graduating from one of the best journalism schools in the country, I took a job as a sports editor in South Georgia and learned firsthand about the passion of high school sports in rural America. I thought I knew before, but I didn’t. This was another world.
I also had the opportunity to cover major sporting events like the Olympic Games, the World Series, the Super Bowl, and the Final Four. It was a thrill!
But nothing was as thrilling to me as uncovering the truth in investigative assignments. I once broke a story about a prominent southern football team’s NCAA violation -- and found out the violating coach had committed suicide only a few months earlier. The story won a national writing award and stoked my desire to write about these issues. It made me realize that the sports world was just another fantastic backdrop for drama.
After writing non-fiction books with athletes, for athletes, and ghost writing for many others, I decided to enter the world of fiction writing. It had been something I wanted to do but never found the time. So, I made the time--and had a blast in the process.
I’m not out to become the next Faulkner or Hemingway -- I’m just out to tell a good story. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy writing them!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
April 11, 2024
Book Review - Picked up R.J. Patterson’s “Rogue Commander” while at a doctor’s appointment and was pleasantly surprised and pleased. A quick paperback read (I prefer hardcover books) that had an interesting plot line and some formidable characters. When three US diplomatic representatives are murdered in broad daylight in Jordan (the Middle East) by an assassin known as ‘The Ghost,’ Black Ops specialist Titus Black is called in to track down the killer in a mission that became more dangerous with each new clue. As Titus Black and his colleagues navigate the shadowy world of the Middle East in an effort to find the killer, they learn of a secret that puts them on a collision course with another madman bent on bringing America to its knees. Suddenly, Titus Black must face another nemesis with no margin for error. Dual storylines that were increasingly intense with a number of unexpected twists and turns that made it even more suspenseful and intriguing. Plenty of action as an espionage thriller and very tantalizing characters - both good and bad - that kept me interested and entertained. The overall story moved at a good pace and Patterson tied everything together and wrapped it up nicely at the end. A quick and enjoyable read that I will read some more stories in the series.
January 25, 2021
Titus Black, Shields and Blunt take on a team of assassins and the person who pulls their strings. While I have enjoyed all the Titus Black stories, I read prior to Rogue Commander, this one really grabbed my interest an attention. Along with the action-packed story line, there is an alternate story/investigation line that runs parallel to the main storyline/investigation. Rogue Commander has whetted my appetite for more Titus Black.
February 13, 2020
Another great suspense. Titus teams up with Cristina to solve a murder. As always he will get the job done. Intriguing to the end. Loved it.
January 31, 2022
Part three of the Titus Black saga digs a little deeper into the black ops duties of Titus Black that reminds me a little of Jack Bauer of the former hit TV series 24. He commonly works alone and his partner on the Firestorm team (by the name of Christine Shields) is a tech savvy operative who provides intel and surveillance for Titus Black when he is out in the field (similar to Chloe O'Brian of the aforementioned TV series).
In this series, I liked the mystery surrounding the ex-Army Rangers as well as the Firestorm team's pursuit of a mysterious and elusive assassin known only as "The Ghost" that no one in the FBI, CIA or black ops groups have been able to get a bead on regarding some high profile assassinations. It had good suspense leading up to conclusion that was textbook in execution. As always, the author's books are a quick and easy read.
What I am looking for as I move further into the saga is more character development regarding Titus Black's past. The author is touching on it little by little, but I am used to reading about it early on by the time I get to the third novel of most thrillers I read. I'd also would like to know more about Christine Shields and her past. A little more detail about the Firestorm team and how they operate would be ideal (such as who is on this team especially since there was another operative identified in this story who does not work with Black and Shields). Do they commonly work alone on missions than as a team? While the focus is on Black, it would be good to see if he and Shields team up with other Firestorm operatives and to what degree? How did he get into the Firestorm team and why? The mysteries surrounding his dad's death while on active duty in Afghanistan is also something I am looking forward to reading more about as well.
I'd like to know what drives Titus Black to do what he does and why he goes on these dangerous missions that most would not touch. It takes a very special operative to do what he does knowing each new mission he goes into could potentially be his last. Overall, it is a good series. For it to be a GREAT series, I would like to see most of my questions answered during the course of this saga. If the author covers that, his works will receive higher marks from me.
In this series, I liked the mystery surrounding the ex-Army Rangers as well as the Firestorm team's pursuit of a mysterious and elusive assassin known only as "The Ghost" that no one in the FBI, CIA or black ops groups have been able to get a bead on regarding some high profile assassinations. It had good suspense leading up to conclusion that was textbook in execution. As always, the author's books are a quick and easy read.
What I am looking for as I move further into the saga is more character development regarding Titus Black's past. The author is touching on it little by little, but I am used to reading about it early on by the time I get to the third novel of most thrillers I read. I'd also would like to know more about Christine Shields and her past. A little more detail about the Firestorm team and how they operate would be ideal (such as who is on this team especially since there was another operative identified in this story who does not work with Black and Shields). Do they commonly work alone on missions than as a team? While the focus is on Black, it would be good to see if he and Shields team up with other Firestorm operatives and to what degree? How did he get into the Firestorm team and why? The mysteries surrounding his dad's death while on active duty in Afghanistan is also something I am looking forward to reading more about as well.
I'd like to know what drives Titus Black to do what he does and why he goes on these dangerous missions that most would not touch. It takes a very special operative to do what he does knowing each new mission he goes into could potentially be his last. Overall, it is a good series. For it to be a GREAT series, I would like to see most of my questions answered during the course of this saga. If the author covers that, his works will receive higher marks from me.
February 8, 2020
Titus Black and partner Christina Shields are assigned an op to catch The Ghost, an assassin who has already killed three U.S. emissaries in broad daylight in Jordan. Then have intel that the Ghost’s handler is at a special hotel and they go to his room as employees of the hotel. He gives Shields the wrong combination for his brief case and after the second try smoke comes out the case. The handler runs out of the room while Black is checking Shields out. She tells him she is OK and to go after the handler. The handler makes it to his car and Boom. Black heads back to Shields and she is breathing very shallow.
While this is going on Blunt is asked by a friend to look into the murders of several Rangers.
With the team looking for the Ghost and Blunt looking into the dead Rangers the team is stretched thin. But at least Black the Shields got a back book from the handler that might help them find the Ghost..There is LOTS of action and twists and turns in this book. You really get involved in it and can not put it down. I do believe this is one of the best books in the series so far. Really looking forward to the next one.
While this is going on Blunt is asked by a friend to look into the murders of several Rangers.
With the team looking for the Ghost and Blunt looking into the dead Rangers the team is stretched thin. But at least Black the Shields got a back book from the handler that might help them find the Ghost..There is LOTS of action and twists and turns in this book. You really get involved in it and can not put it down. I do believe this is one of the best books in the series so far. Really looking forward to the next one.
January 31, 2020
Firestorm agents carry out operations to protect the safety of Americans and their country. Following indiscriminate murders of several Army Rangers, CIA consultants, Titus Black and Christina Shields, are trying to track down a ghostly assassin; analysing a pattern among other apparent victims. How are the killings happening, who will be targeted next and who can they trust? .......Things escalate with the two agents becoming frustrated by the increasing number of victims whom they’d already identified. Chaos reigns!
Another great read. Good to catch up with some of the Firestorm agents again. As I picked up on the occasional hint, I felt even more compelled to read into the night. ....There are so many moving parts; cracking security systems and ciphers, poison, tattoos, treason, rogue operators - they’re all included!
Another great read. Good to catch up with some of the Firestorm agents again. As I picked up on the occasional hint, I felt even more compelled to read into the night. ....There are so many moving parts; cracking security systems and ciphers, poison, tattoos, treason, rogue operators - they’re all included!
January 29, 2020
Titus Black and Christina Shields are on the hunt for an elusive assassin called The Ghost who is systematically executing high profile targets. Meanwhile Firestorm leader J. D. Blunt has come across a very disturbing situation involving several dead Army Rangers, all with the same mysterious tattoos. As they compare stories they are beginning to wonder if the two are connected in some way. Their search throws them into one dangerous situation after another including a looming disaster they must stop. This is such a great book! I love the characters and I can’t wait to see what comes next for all three of them. I easily give this book 5+ stars.
July 30, 2020
The target Black and Shields were hunting was the man who supposedly served as the handler for The Ghost and several other known assassins. Months and months of intelligence reports fingered Yuri Lebedev as the sole link between anyone attempting to hire The Ghost. But Lebedev had proven to be slippery, almost as difficult to pin down as The Ghost himself. However, someone tipped off Firestorm Director J.D. Blunt of Lebedev’s whereabouts. “I hope that’s him,” Shields said. “I mean, we’re not even supposed to be here, breaking Yemen’s laws as well as going against the wishes of the CIA.”
When the armed political movement seized control of the city, the U.S. State Department ordered all personnel to vacate their offices, including the CIA operatives stationed there. Al-Hudaydah was the most hostile territory Black had conducted a mission in—and he and Shields were all alone. No back up. No extractions. No assistance if the situation went south. And he wasn’t supposed to be here. When the phone call informing Blunt that his longtime friend from the U.S. Senate, Daniel Rosenblatt, was dead, Black had been in Blunt’s office. The press reported Rosenblatt had died in an automobile accident in Jordan along with two other U.S. emissaries. But the truth was far different. The three men had been killed assassination style consistent with The Ghost’s signature. One shot in the back of the head, one more in the back. The story claiming their deaths were the result of a car wreck covered up the fact that they were in an area of Amman they shouldn’t have been in. That was Blunt’s idea.
When the armed political movement seized control of the city, the U.S. State Department ordered all personnel to vacate their offices, including the CIA operatives stationed there. Al-Hudaydah was the most hostile territory Black had conducted a mission in—and he and Shields were all alone. No back up. No extractions. No assistance if the situation went south. And he wasn’t supposed to be here. When the phone call informing Blunt that his longtime friend from the U.S. Senate, Daniel Rosenblatt, was dead, Black had been in Blunt’s office. The press reported Rosenblatt had died in an automobile accident in Jordan along with two other U.S. emissaries. But the truth was far different. The three men had been killed assassination style consistent with The Ghost’s signature. One shot in the back of the head, one more in the back. The story claiming their deaths were the result of a car wreck covered up the fact that they were in an area of Amman they shouldn’t have been in. That was Blunt’s idea.
June 3, 2020
“Titus Black” Agent Extraordinaire!
“Rogue Commander” by author R. J. Patterson is the third book in a great series. While I’ve read several of RJ Patterson’s other series (“Brady Hawk”) I much prefer this one.
Why? Mainly because, even though they’re fictional, they are more believable, at least in my subjective opinion.
If you like “Brady Hawk” I believe you will highly enjoy “Titus Black”.
I highly recommend this book.
“Rogue Commander” by author R. J. Patterson is the third book in a great series. While I’ve read several of RJ Patterson’s other series (“Brady Hawk”) I much prefer this one.
Why? Mainly because, even though they’re fictional, they are more believable, at least in my subjective opinion.
If you like “Brady Hawk” I believe you will highly enjoy “Titus Black”.
I highly recommend this book.
November 16, 2020
This was my third Titus Black book and I was disappointed. There were several editing errors and some of the scenarios were just implausible. The gas from a briefcase was just like in Bond's "From Russia with Love" and how did Titus know what type of gas it was? Eddie Riley was a little to eager to help the team and they were a little too eager to take his help.
Hopefully book number 4 is better.
Hopefully book number 4 is better.
November 26, 2021
Like the characters
Overall I like the characters. They are pretty well developed. There are good twists and turns in the plot, which I like. I'm not a fan of the writing style overall. It lacks flow. The author falls in love with words (trudged, lumbered) and phrases (huffed a laugh through his nose) and uses them to the point of annoyance. I'll take a break from the series and maybe come back to it later.
Overall I like the characters. They are pretty well developed. There are good twists and turns in the plot, which I like. I'm not a fan of the writing style overall. It lacks flow. The author falls in love with words (trudged, lumbered) and phrases (huffed a laugh through his nose) and uses them to the point of annoyance. I'll take a break from the series and maybe come back to it later.
January 27, 2020
This non-stop action thriller has an excellent storyline and great realistic characters. A very well written book with plenty of suspense and lots of twists. Very hard to put this book down. The best Titus Black Thriller in this series. Highly recommended and ready for the next adventure of Black and Shields.
February 3, 2020
Rogue Commander. R. J. Patterson
Titus Black and his partner Shields have their hands full juggling assignments. An assassin called the ghost and protecting clients with very uncooperative federal agents. A extremely disgruntled ex commander is out for revenge and it's up to Black, Shields and the Ghost to stop him. Non stop action on every page. An excellent read!
Titus Black and his partner Shields have their hands full juggling assignments. An assassin called the ghost and protecting clients with very uncooperative federal agents. A extremely disgruntled ex commander is out for revenge and it's up to Black, Shields and the Ghost to stop him. Non stop action on every page. An excellent read!
October 14, 2024
A fantastic story and series
The latest mission is causing all kinds of problems, not only for the targets they're attempting to save, but for the team as well. It's another extremely complex story with many unexpected twists that will hook you from beginning to end.
I would definitely recommend this book, series, and outstanding author.
The latest mission is causing all kinds of problems, not only for the targets they're attempting to save, but for the team as well. It's another extremely complex story with many unexpected twists that will hook you from beginning to end.
I would definitely recommend this book, series, and outstanding author.
March 6, 2020
Rogue Commander
Another excellent book by R.J. Patterson. Very exciting the whole way through. I would have liked to see Brady get move involve d though. As usual, I can't wait for the next book to come out. Now that hunting season is over, R.J. May get it done in record time.
Another excellent book by R.J. Patterson. Very exciting the whole way through. I would have liked to see Brady get move involve d though. As usual, I can't wait for the next book to come out. Now that hunting season is over, R.J. May get it done in record time.
June 5, 2020
Another great read
After reading the Brady Hawke books and then following them up with the Titus Black series, I can honestly say that R.J. Patterson has become one of my favourite authors.
After reading the Brady Hawke books and then following them up with the Titus Black series, I can honestly say that R.J. Patterson has become one of my favourite authors.
December 25, 2020
Excellent Thriller
This is the first Titus Black adventure thriller that I have read. The story was increasingly intense with a number of unexpected twists and turns. Looking forward to reading Book 4.
This is the first Titus Black adventure thriller that I have read. The story was increasingly intense with a number of unexpected twists and turns. Looking forward to reading Book 4.
February 19, 2022
This is a great series
Titus Black and his partner Shields again tangle with insurmountable odds to prevent the Washington DC from becoming the object of a crazed Ranger set on revenge.
Titus Black and his partner Shields again tangle with insurmountable odds to prevent the Washington DC from becoming the object of a crazed Ranger set on revenge.
February 9, 2023
Titus Black is back
If you like a series that you can't wait to see what happens next this is one for you. This author has a character that pulls you along with him. Hope you enjoy
If you like a series that you can't wait to see what happens next this is one for you. This author has a character that pulls you along with him. Hope you enjoy
March 8, 2023
This series just keeps getting better. Black and Shields keep evolving. It would be nice to learn more about Blunt. Hopefully, the author will divulge more about him as the story progresses. Meanwhile, Black is closer to learning more about his father's death.
April 12, 2023
Revenge is sweet, but how many have to die to achieve it?
A fast paced story of vengeance, espionage aimed st the innocent. Can the world powers be so devious to allow so many to die?
A fast paced story of vengeance, espionage aimed st the innocent. Can the world powers be so devious to allow so many to die?
February 3, 2020
A really good book
I really enjoyed reading this book if you haven't read any of Titus Black books you are missing out on some great action books
I really enjoyed reading this book if you haven't read any of Titus Black books you are missing out on some great action books
October 9, 2020
Great book but a little predictable
October 23, 2020
Not a great story and the ending want great
December 27, 2020
Good read
This is a good book to spend time with. Moves along at a face pace, plenty of suspense. Good, solid 4 stars.
This is a good book to spend time with. Moves along at a face pace, plenty of suspense. Good, solid 4 stars.
February 11, 2021
Pretty good story.
Great characters lots of action and just an over all good read. Looking forward to reading more stories in the Titus Black adventures.
Great characters lots of action and just an over all good read. Looking forward to reading more stories in the Titus Black adventures.
March 10, 2021
Good book - fast-paced, likeable characters. I rate it 4.4 stars.
September 19, 2021
Titus strikes again
Titus Black is the quintessential hero. He is ruthless when punishing the evil, and he is moral and compassionate as well.
Titus Black is the quintessential hero. He is ruthless when punishing the evil, and he is moral and compassionate as well.
December 12, 2021
A entertaining and action packed book.
February 21, 2022
Not the greatest book and the story line is questionable. I did read it through, so that says something. I can’t say it was that an enjoyable read. 4
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews