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Jason Trapp #4
Depth Charge
The clock is ticking.In the North Pacific, the crew of a deep-sea recovery ship, the MV Challenger, are mercilessly gunned to death. Only one man survives, adrift in the ocean, and hundreds of miles from land.In the deserts of Iraq, a clandestine meeting between one of the world's foremost assassins and his ruthless benefactor sets in train a cascade of horrific events that will shape the world for good.And in America, with two weeks to go before a NATO summit that President Charles Nash hopes will finally bring peace to the long-simmering cold war between Iran and the United States, a network of sleeper agents prepares to bring America to her knees.They are well armed, trained and funded ... and they're prepared to die.But Jason Trapp is watching. And he's not done yet.______________________________________________________Depth Charge is the fourth book in the gripping Jason Trapp thriller series, described by Amazon readers as "the most explosive, well developed debut by an author I've ever read!"
422 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 29, 2020
2907 people are currently reading
424 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 154 reviews
March 5, 2020
A Thrilling adventure with Jason Trapp,as unknown to most Americans, our Country is being tabled for a deadly attack! Another chilling episode as Jason is tasked in a group trying to find 12 nuclear missiles the Iranians have managed to raise from the ocean depths. A leader, long thought dead, is a psychopath who needs to kill just to breathe and does so with no worries of being caught. Hasan Zargari has no fear and believes himself invincible, carrying out horrific attacks on others,and is determined to finish his nuclear plan for America. Can anyone, even Jason, get in his way to stop him?!
Fast-paced action, amazing sites and intriguing characters have you glued to the pages from start to finish. The most horrific thought is the actual possibility of such an action happening today! Do we Really Know what other countries are planning, what they may have hidden from all eyes?
A 5 STAR story in a thrilling series by an author who knows what he is writing about!
Fast-paced action, amazing sites and intriguing characters have you glued to the pages from start to finish. The most horrific thought is the actual possibility of such an action happening today! Do we Really Know what other countries are planning, what they may have hidden from all eyes?
A 5 STAR story in a thrilling series by an author who knows what he is writing about!
May 15, 2020
Trapp’s greatest challenge to date
Jason Trapp and Jack Slater return in top form, delivering the best entry of the entire series so far! Nonstop action and a plot which will make your heart pound as it could be literally ripped from today’s headlines. Well done, sir!
Jason Trapp and Jack Slater return in top form, delivering the best entry of the entire series so far! Nonstop action and a plot which will make your heart pound as it could be literally ripped from today’s headlines. Well done, sir!
March 8, 2020
This is one of those books that makes me happy I am a reader. Jason Trapp is a likeable hero, and he has just enough bitterness to make him convincing. In this story the Terrorists recover 12 warheads from a sunken Chinese submarine. Eleven are being sent to the Iranian Guard for recovery and use of the warheads for their uranium. The terrorist plan to use a missile fired from a container ship to target a meeting of world leaders, including the Iranian President they despise. Many black agencies from several countries het involved in the search for the missing warheads. It takes Jason's experience, knowledge and intuition to make them successful. The writing is clear and easy to read, and the violence doesn't get too gory. I sat down and read this in one sitting because I had to keep going with the story.
February 12, 2021
Jason Trapp is only in about one third of this book. The plot has many moving parts featuring several main characters. For some reason I just never got into this installment of author Jack Slater's Jason Trapp book. I'll probably read next book in series in order to get this one off my mind.
May 24, 2025
These thrillers never disappoint especially on 9 hour flights lol
March 16, 2025
unmemorial
Following a multitude of great skirmishes, followed by extremely stupid editing, misinformation and rhetoric, this novel is best burned than read.
Following a multitude of great skirmishes, followed by extremely stupid editing, misinformation and rhetoric, this novel is best burned than read.
August 18, 2020
Depth Charge (2020) is the fourth in Jack Slater's series starring Jason Trapp. Trapp is a former Army Ranger and current CIA agent who is President Nash's go-to for those difficult geopolitical-military missions that keep America both safe and unaware that a problem even existed.
Slater's books always have lots of moving parts that interact in complex ways before their meaning becomes clear. Almost every page shouts, "Read On!" This is perfect summer reading, especially in the age of Coronavirus when reading is the only risk-free activity—unless you're driving.
Background
The three geopolitical legs of the book's stool are the U. S., Iran, and Saudi Arabia. As we know, Iran's Islamist government hates both the U. S. and the Saudis—the Saudis because they are Sunni and direct contenders for Mid-East power, the U. S. because it is the world's poster child for infidelism, because it meddles in Mid-Eastern affairs, because it has the temerity to have military forces in the middle East, and because Saudi Arabia is protected by U. S. power.
Saudi Arabia and the U. S. are allies with sibling rivalries—they don't trust each other, but they are in the same family and if push comes to shove, they will be allies against Iran. Iran's goal is to trick the U. S. and Saudi-Arabia into destroying each other. That's the line-up as the book starts. And so . . .
. . . a state-of-the-art Chinese missile submarine, the Tianjin has sunk in the North Pacific about 500 miles north of Wake Island. It's location is unknown except to the Iranian who led the operation to sink it. While the Chinese, the Americans, and everyone else is looking for the sub, an Iranian recovery vessel flying a German flag, the MV Challenger, is perched over the sub's resting place ready to extract the twelve one-megaton missiles aboard the Tianjin. In one swoop the Iranians will have nuclear warheads, thus bypassing the restrictions on nuclear fuel imposed by western nations.
The only person who knows Tianjin's location is an Iranian Major named Amir Nazeri: he knows because he is the one who caused the sub's sinking. At the moment Major Nazeri is on the MV Challenger hovering over the Tianjin. Major Nazeri is a member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), the very capable inner army of Iran's Islamic government. Hoisting lines have been attached to the Tianjin and in a few hours, when the eyes of American satellites are out of the region, the recovery will begin.
Also on board MV Challenger is an Israeli MOSSAD agent named Effrayin Levshin, ostensibly an engineer but whose job is to observe and report the ship's activities to Tehran. When Levshin sees the missile submarine rise to the surface, he knows the devastation it represents. Then a second ship—a freighter named MV North Star joins the MV Challenger. Levshin realizes that it is the ship that will take the missiles, and that the MV Challenger and its crew will be left to sink. Levshin debarks from the ill-fated ship in a life raft with survival gear and a radio beacon.; there is little ship traffic and no civilization within many hundreds of miles.
Levshin's radio beacon will be heard and, near death from exposure, he will be picked up by a U. S. Navy ship and transported to a naval hospital in Hawaii. He will remain in a coma for quite a while and when he wakes up he reports that Iran has twelve nuclear missiles on the MV North Star. A full scale effort to find the ship begins.
Far away, in a desert gully in Iraq about twenty miles from Ramadi, our hero, Jason Trapp, codenamed "Hangman," is in a hide on a dark night. His closest comrades are a company of Rangers fifty miles away. Trapp is there in support of a behind-the-scenes effort by President Nash and the moderate Iranian President, Ashkan Khorosani, to break the hold of Islamist leaders on Iran's politics. This means reducing the power of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the military arm of the Islamic government, and unseating the Ayatollahs.
Jason's mission in the desert is to observe a meeting of a high-level member of the IRGC with a group of local Iraqi militia leaders; his goal is to identify the IRGC man. Jason is about 200 yards from the meeting site with two weapons, a long-range camera and a sniper rifle: the first is for information, the second for protection. To Trapp's amazement, the high-level IRGC member is the second most powerful figure in Iran—General Quassam Suleiman, head of IRGC. Something very big is afoot! [Suleiman, you'll remember, is the bad guy taken out by American drones at the Tehran airport in early 2020.]
Once back from his desert gully, Trapp joins Hamza Hussein, an old friend from previous books. Hussein is a Saudi intelligence agent working for the good guys, and Trapp trusts him; he is also a member of Saudi intelligence and a prince in a land with more princes than grains of sand. Together they fly to Riyadh, the Saudi capital, to interrogate another prince, Prince Waleed. Waleed is the head of the Saudi oil franchise and a man very interested in raising the price of oil. He is suspected of complicity in the destruction of the Port Arthur refinery.
Back in the U S of A
Back in the U. S., a Saudi-American Air Force Lieutenant is a copiloting a large refueling tanker carrying 200,000 tons of jet fuel to the Houston area. On the way he kills the pilot, takes full command of the plane, and guides it into the major oil refinery at Port Arthur. Mission accomplished!
The destruction of the Port Arthur refinery is followed by several coordinated attacks on U. S. oil supplies: three smaller refineries are damaged, mortars are used to destroy a pipeline from Canada through North Dakota, and nine trans-U. S. pipelines are broken. This is traced by U. S. intelligence to Saudi nationals so U. S. intelligence puts this down to a Saudi program to raise oil prices (hence the interest in Prince Waleed).
But who within the vast and internally contentious Saudi royal family is really responsible? President Nash meets with the Saudi Ambassador and tells him that the "who" question is irrelevant: we know that the Saudis were involved and unless the Saudis give the U. S. certain information, Nash will order the destruction of Saudi Arabia's water desalinization plants. Tit for Tat!
Meanwhile seven Iranian intelligence operatives are meeting at a warehouse in New York City. among them is Major Amnir Nazeri, the man who lead the operation on MV Challenger. The meeting is called by IRGC General Hasan Zargari, dubbed The Ghost. Zargari, then a Colonel, was once Nazeri's commander; Nazeri was slavishly loyal to him but saw him killed in a previous action. Nazeri vividly remembers seeing Zargari killed in an operation. Nazeri is upset that Zargari hadn't trusted him enough to tell him that his death was a ruse, but his loyalty snaps back into place and he signs on to a mission that, the Ghost says, will be a "final" blow against the Great Satan.
Once Zargari's got the rapt attention of the other six, he executes them—the meeting was just to "wrap up loose ends." Though Zargari is badly injured in the melee, he leaves the warehouse under his own steam and heads for Canada. On the way he kills a pharmacist to get medical supplies.
The FBI has been watching a number of Saudis in the U. S. One, Youssef Attar, is a twenty-one year old NYU engineering student who lives in a $6,000 per month condo—he's either a scion of the Saudi elite or a bad guy. Trapp joins with FBI agent Nicholas Price in watching Attar's condo. They wait for him to leave and when he does—carrying a big backpack—he is followed by FBI agents while Trapp and Price search his condo. There they find bomb-making equipment for high-grade plastic explosives, detonators and so on. But there are no explosives. Their suspicion is that when Attar left his condo his backpack contained a ready-to-use suicide vest. They go to his destination—a New York mosque holding Friday services—and arrest him; a fully-armed suicide vest is in the backpack.
President Nash meets with Ashkan Khorosani, the Iranian President, at the White House. He wants to bring Khorosani into a briefing of the state of affairs between the U. S. and Iran by including him in a situation room meeting viewing a U. S. attack by Navy SEALS on the MV Triumph, the Iranian freighter that is now carrying Iran's newly-acquired nuclear warheads. The attack is a messy success with one alarming surprise: there are only eleven warheads aboard MV Triumph was heading after leaving one missile MV North Star for more immediate use.
But there's a bonus: on board MV Triumph is an Iranian nuclear physicist who had been kidnapped by the IRGC for this mission. He's happy to talk and reports that he thinks the IRGC plans to use the North Star as a launch platform. He also reports seeing a large cache of winter weather gear when he was aboard the North Star. So it looks like a nuclear attack of a major city will be launched from a cold region of the planet; the 700km range of the missile suggests the launch site is the North Atlantic and the target is likely to be New York City.
President's Nash and Khorosani are both horrified by the potential for mass destruction of a major U. S. city and by Iran's plan to put the blame on Saudi Arabia. We wonder where that attack will occur. Read on to find out! But if you're still alive when you read this, you know it's not your city. tull, turn on CNN.
Slater's books always have lots of moving parts that interact in complex ways before their meaning becomes clear. Almost every page shouts, "Read On!" This is perfect summer reading, especially in the age of Coronavirus when reading is the only risk-free activity—unless you're driving.
Background
The three geopolitical legs of the book's stool are the U. S., Iran, and Saudi Arabia. As we know, Iran's Islamist government hates both the U. S. and the Saudis—the Saudis because they are Sunni and direct contenders for Mid-East power, the U. S. because it is the world's poster child for infidelism, because it meddles in Mid-Eastern affairs, because it has the temerity to have military forces in the middle East, and because Saudi Arabia is protected by U. S. power.
Saudi Arabia and the U. S. are allies with sibling rivalries—they don't trust each other, but they are in the same family and if push comes to shove, they will be allies against Iran. Iran's goal is to trick the U. S. and Saudi-Arabia into destroying each other. That's the line-up as the book starts. And so . . .
. . . a state-of-the-art Chinese missile submarine, the Tianjin has sunk in the North Pacific about 500 miles north of Wake Island. It's location is unknown except to the Iranian who led the operation to sink it. While the Chinese, the Americans, and everyone else is looking for the sub, an Iranian recovery vessel flying a German flag, the MV Challenger, is perched over the sub's resting place ready to extract the twelve one-megaton missiles aboard the Tianjin. In one swoop the Iranians will have nuclear warheads, thus bypassing the restrictions on nuclear fuel imposed by western nations.
The only person who knows Tianjin's location is an Iranian Major named Amir Nazeri: he knows because he is the one who caused the sub's sinking. At the moment Major Nazeri is on the MV Challenger hovering over the Tianjin. Major Nazeri is a member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), the very capable inner army of Iran's Islamic government. Hoisting lines have been attached to the Tianjin and in a few hours, when the eyes of American satellites are out of the region, the recovery will begin.
Also on board MV Challenger is an Israeli MOSSAD agent named Effrayin Levshin, ostensibly an engineer but whose job is to observe and report the ship's activities to Tehran. When Levshin sees the missile submarine rise to the surface, he knows the devastation it represents. Then a second ship—a freighter named MV North Star joins the MV Challenger. Levshin realizes that it is the ship that will take the missiles, and that the MV Challenger and its crew will be left to sink. Levshin debarks from the ill-fated ship in a life raft with survival gear and a radio beacon.; there is little ship traffic and no civilization within many hundreds of miles.
Levshin's radio beacon will be heard and, near death from exposure, he will be picked up by a U. S. Navy ship and transported to a naval hospital in Hawaii. He will remain in a coma for quite a while and when he wakes up he reports that Iran has twelve nuclear missiles on the MV North Star. A full scale effort to find the ship begins.
Far away, in a desert gully in Iraq about twenty miles from Ramadi, our hero, Jason Trapp, codenamed "Hangman," is in a hide on a dark night. His closest comrades are a company of Rangers fifty miles away. Trapp is there in support of a behind-the-scenes effort by President Nash and the moderate Iranian President, Ashkan Khorosani, to break the hold of Islamist leaders on Iran's politics. This means reducing the power of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the military arm of the Islamic government, and unseating the Ayatollahs.
Jason's mission in the desert is to observe a meeting of a high-level member of the IRGC with a group of local Iraqi militia leaders; his goal is to identify the IRGC man. Jason is about 200 yards from the meeting site with two weapons, a long-range camera and a sniper rifle: the first is for information, the second for protection. To Trapp's amazement, the high-level IRGC member is the second most powerful figure in Iran—General Quassam Suleiman, head of IRGC. Something very big is afoot! [Suleiman, you'll remember, is the bad guy taken out by American drones at the Tehran airport in early 2020.]
Once back from his desert gully, Trapp joins Hamza Hussein, an old friend from previous books. Hussein is a Saudi intelligence agent working for the good guys, and Trapp trusts him; he is also a member of Saudi intelligence and a prince in a land with more princes than grains of sand. Together they fly to Riyadh, the Saudi capital, to interrogate another prince, Prince Waleed. Waleed is the head of the Saudi oil franchise and a man very interested in raising the price of oil. He is suspected of complicity in the destruction of the Port Arthur refinery.
Back in the U S of A
Back in the U. S., a Saudi-American Air Force Lieutenant is a copiloting a large refueling tanker carrying 200,000 tons of jet fuel to the Houston area. On the way he kills the pilot, takes full command of the plane, and guides it into the major oil refinery at Port Arthur. Mission accomplished!
The destruction of the Port Arthur refinery is followed by several coordinated attacks on U. S. oil supplies: three smaller refineries are damaged, mortars are used to destroy a pipeline from Canada through North Dakota, and nine trans-U. S. pipelines are broken. This is traced by U. S. intelligence to Saudi nationals so U. S. intelligence puts this down to a Saudi program to raise oil prices (hence the interest in Prince Waleed).
But who within the vast and internally contentious Saudi royal family is really responsible? President Nash meets with the Saudi Ambassador and tells him that the "who" question is irrelevant: we know that the Saudis were involved and unless the Saudis give the U. S. certain information, Nash will order the destruction of Saudi Arabia's water desalinization plants. Tit for Tat!
Meanwhile seven Iranian intelligence operatives are meeting at a warehouse in New York City. among them is Major Amnir Nazeri, the man who lead the operation on MV Challenger. The meeting is called by IRGC General Hasan Zargari, dubbed The Ghost. Zargari, then a Colonel, was once Nazeri's commander; Nazeri was slavishly loyal to him but saw him killed in a previous action. Nazeri vividly remembers seeing Zargari killed in an operation. Nazeri is upset that Zargari hadn't trusted him enough to tell him that his death was a ruse, but his loyalty snaps back into place and he signs on to a mission that, the Ghost says, will be a "final" blow against the Great Satan.
Once Zargari's got the rapt attention of the other six, he executes them—the meeting was just to "wrap up loose ends." Though Zargari is badly injured in the melee, he leaves the warehouse under his own steam and heads for Canada. On the way he kills a pharmacist to get medical supplies.
The FBI has been watching a number of Saudis in the U. S. One, Youssef Attar, is a twenty-one year old NYU engineering student who lives in a $6,000 per month condo—he's either a scion of the Saudi elite or a bad guy. Trapp joins with FBI agent Nicholas Price in watching Attar's condo. They wait for him to leave and when he does—carrying a big backpack—he is followed by FBI agents while Trapp and Price search his condo. There they find bomb-making equipment for high-grade plastic explosives, detonators and so on. But there are no explosives. Their suspicion is that when Attar left his condo his backpack contained a ready-to-use suicide vest. They go to his destination—a New York mosque holding Friday services—and arrest him; a fully-armed suicide vest is in the backpack.
President Nash meets with Ashkan Khorosani, the Iranian President, at the White House. He wants to bring Khorosani into a briefing of the state of affairs between the U. S. and Iran by including him in a situation room meeting viewing a U. S. attack by Navy SEALS on the MV Triumph, the Iranian freighter that is now carrying Iran's newly-acquired nuclear warheads. The attack is a messy success with one alarming surprise: there are only eleven warheads aboard MV Triumph was heading after leaving one missile MV North Star for more immediate use.
But there's a bonus: on board MV Triumph is an Iranian nuclear physicist who had been kidnapped by the IRGC for this mission. He's happy to talk and reports that he thinks the IRGC plans to use the North Star as a launch platform. He also reports seeing a large cache of winter weather gear when he was aboard the North Star. So it looks like a nuclear attack of a major city will be launched from a cold region of the planet; the 700km range of the missile suggests the launch site is the North Atlantic and the target is likely to be New York City.
President's Nash and Khorosani are both horrified by the potential for mass destruction of a major U. S. city and by Iran's plan to put the blame on Saudi Arabia. We wonder where that attack will occur. Read on to find out! But if you're still alive when you read this, you know it's not your city. tull, turn on CNN.
June 16, 2021
I'm pleased with Slater’s writing style, even tho I do tire of his repeated “getting into Trapp’s brain” as if that would help us readers understand Trapp any better. Especially when it’s been repeated several times in the series and in the current book.
How about a change? Here’s an idea: Jason, a stone cold killer, finds a bad guy or girl (better), kicks their butt hard, kills them dead, and goes on vacation with his girl, Ikeda, for the remainder of the book. Of course while vacationing, they can run into someone more nasty, but it’ll be the two of them that bring the evil down…whimpering, of course!
In the meantime, Book 4 was fun, believable up to a point (the idiots handling the nuke were totally stupid idiots!).
How about a change? Here’s an idea: Jason, a stone cold killer, finds a bad guy or girl (better), kicks their butt hard, kills them dead, and goes on vacation with his girl, Ikeda, for the remainder of the book. Of course while vacationing, they can run into someone more nasty, but it’ll be the two of them that bring the evil down…whimpering, of course!
In the meantime, Book 4 was fun, believable up to a point (the idiots handling the nuke were totally stupid idiots!).
June 4, 2024
In the fourth installment of the Jason Trapp saga, Depth Charge fires on all cylinders with the right intensity, suspense and intrigue. What's different about this novel compared to the previous novels that is is more story driven than the action packed thrillers we are used to with Trapp and there are so many enemies involved that Trapp could not take on in this case alone. I liked that there was more character development with President Nash and Trapp's work with the FBI particular Special Agent Ross in this case.
This was an edge of your seat, race against time thriller to find a nuclear weapon long submerged in a Chinese military vessel that was sunk years ago, but recently rediscovered in a classified location and raised to be used by domestic terrorists. This is the kind of threat that could not only endanger thousands of American lives, but could also bring about World War III unless the President is able to make the right call and send Trapp out stop it before the end of everything occurs. Trapp is built for this kind of thing so when he's on the job, America and world are in good hands. I particularly enjoyed the epilogue and the ending. This book is highly recommended.
This was an edge of your seat, race against time thriller to find a nuclear weapon long submerged in a Chinese military vessel that was sunk years ago, but recently rediscovered in a classified location and raised to be used by domestic terrorists. This is the kind of threat that could not only endanger thousands of American lives, but could also bring about World War III unless the President is able to make the right call and send Trapp out stop it before the end of everything occurs. Trapp is built for this kind of thing so when he's on the job, America and world are in good hands. I particularly enjoyed the epilogue and the ending. This book is highly recommended.
February 11, 2021
Again, Slater didn't disappoint!!
Suspenseful book from beginning to end.
I did miss Ikeda along Trapp's side in this book, but really enjoyed his new founded "bro." The opportunities for future books involving Trapp, Pope, hopefully Ikeda and Trapp's Navy SEAL Team on board, paves a golden road of endless possibilities of action packed suspense and drama.
I enjoy how Slater gives his readers plausible glimpses of the "alphabet soup" operations and their collaborated efforts to keep our country safe.
The book starts out with locating and recovering a long ago Chinese sunken submarine which carried nuclear warheads.
Bad actors from Iran managed to recover the warheads for their own agenda.
**Not to spoil**
As a deterrent, Hassan (the epitome of evil) formed a group of radical Iranians whose mission was to wreak havoc on the American oil supply. Unbeknownst to the Iranian extremist, this was orchestrated by Hasan as a "red herring" to deter attention away from his ultimate agenda of decimating America.
You'll have to read the book for the rest of the plot. This book will not disappoint the readers who enjoy military, spies, contractors & operatives all enthroned on the common mission to protect & serve.
Get ready and buckle up! You're 1 page away from embarking on a nuclear roller coaster of a ride 😉
Suspenseful book from beginning to end.
I did miss Ikeda along Trapp's side in this book, but really enjoyed his new founded "bro." The opportunities for future books involving Trapp, Pope, hopefully Ikeda and Trapp's Navy SEAL Team on board, paves a golden road of endless possibilities of action packed suspense and drama.
I enjoy how Slater gives his readers plausible glimpses of the "alphabet soup" operations and their collaborated efforts to keep our country safe.
The book starts out with locating and recovering a long ago Chinese sunken submarine which carried nuclear warheads.
Bad actors from Iran managed to recover the warheads for their own agenda.
**Not to spoil**
As a deterrent, Hassan (the epitome of evil) formed a group of radical Iranians whose mission was to wreak havoc on the American oil supply. Unbeknownst to the Iranian extremist, this was orchestrated by Hasan as a "red herring" to deter attention away from his ultimate agenda of decimating America.
You'll have to read the book for the rest of the plot. This book will not disappoint the readers who enjoy military, spies, contractors & operatives all enthroned on the common mission to protect & serve.
Get ready and buckle up! You're 1 page away from embarking on a nuclear roller coaster of a ride 😉
October 11, 2020
I started to read this third book about the protagonist, Jason Trapp after finishing the first Jason Trapp novel, Deep State to see if it is any better.
I had some serious dislikes about Jack Slater's (the author) writing style, which I wrote about in the review of the first novel. It is fatiguing, irritating and distracting to read about the protagonist's thought process, introspection and mind exposition all the time, and not only that, it goes on and on. Every other page seems to be full of this, not only of the hero's but also of other characters, even minor ones. The protagonist might be in a fast action sequence yet we get to read about his thought processes that go sometimes off-tangent. Who wants to be mind reader all the time?
I did not finish this book. And I will not read another Jason Trapp. Sorry.
I had some serious dislikes about Jack Slater's (the author) writing style, which I wrote about in the review of the first novel. It is fatiguing, irritating and distracting to read about the protagonist's thought process, introspection and mind exposition all the time, and not only that, it goes on and on. Every other page seems to be full of this, not only of the hero's but also of other characters, even minor ones. The protagonist might be in a fast action sequence yet we get to read about his thought processes that go sometimes off-tangent. Who wants to be mind reader all the time?
I did not finish this book. And I will not read another Jason Trapp. Sorry.
November 26, 2020
Good, Tho Not As Well Written as Book #1
This book had good action in it, similar to Book #1 (Deep State) — but, truthfully, this book kind of dragged on and on and on ... it was difficult to keep the interest level up.
Jason’s girlfriend was mentioned several times in this Book #4, but I thought it a plus that she was not a character in the story — and, though I know she’s coming back in a future book, I don’t feel the need for her to make a re-appearance.
AND, The Author alludes to a novella/prequel [I guess chronologically taking place between Hangman and Deep State?] ... I also don’t see the need for this, but maybe it will be better than Hangman and better describe Jason’s character. (Tho, I’m doubtful.)
This book had good action in it, similar to Book #1 (Deep State) — but, truthfully, this book kind of dragged on and on and on ... it was difficult to keep the interest level up.
Jason’s girlfriend was mentioned several times in this Book #4, but I thought it a plus that she was not a character in the story — and, though I know she’s coming back in a future book, I don’t feel the need for her to make a re-appearance.
AND, The Author alludes to a novella/prequel [I guess chronologically taking place between Hangman and Deep State?] ... I also don’t see the need for this, but maybe it will be better than Hangman and better describe Jason’s character. (Tho, I’m doubtful.)
Read
July 18, 2025As someone who has eagerly followed Jason Trapp's journey through the first three books, Depth Charge is a thrilling continuation that doesn't disappoint. Jack Slater masterfully weaves together high-stakes action, intricate geopolitics, and deep character development, making this installment a standout in the series.
From the harrowing opening aboard the MV Challenger to the tense confrontations in Iraq and the looming threat on American soil, the story keeps you on the edge of your seat. The plot's relevance to real-world issues add depth, while Trapp's unwavering determination and resilience shine through. I can't wait to dive into the next installment and see where Trapp's journey takes him next.
From the harrowing opening aboard the MV Challenger to the tense confrontations in Iraq and the looming threat on American soil, the story keeps you on the edge of your seat. The plot's relevance to real-world issues add depth, while Trapp's unwavering determination and resilience shine through. I can't wait to dive into the next installment and see where Trapp's journey takes him next.
March 2, 2020
If this is your first Jason Trapp book, welcome to the fan club. If you are a seasoned member, this book will give you all you are expecting for a Jack Slater book. Suppose there is a sunken ship that contains several megaton warheads. Suppose you know exactly where it is, and had the means to retrieve all of them. If you are one of the good guys, this is great. Crisis avoided. But then the CIA wouldn't need Jason to save the day. In this case, it is the General that knows exactly where it is and actually does retrieve the missiles. The General is a very, very bad guy, indeed. A sworn enemy of The Great Satan. Probably Trapp's biggest challenge yet.
April 1, 2020
Depth Charge was my 4th Jason Trapp book. As I try to think which was my favorite, I'm stuck. While their storylines were different, they were all excellent books and all held my interest. I think Jason Trapp is a good character and his 'take charge' attitude makes for a book that holds you to the edge of your seat. Adding a new character, Pope, was a nice touch and his character complemented Jason's style. The story draws you in right from page one. I felt myself 'in' the story all the way through. I appreciate the notes at the end where author Jack Slater describes the writing of the book and developing the plotline. It completes the story.
September 18, 2020
What’s great series!
Jack you have done great work and made Jason a new favorite of mine. Wanted this series to go on for about 15 books.
We all know, in order for the series to keep going and our hero a hero, the bad dude has to catch it in the end. With this book m, the meandering path that got us to that great end, along with the characters and their jobs involved, left many heroes and fun characters and a “how do you dream this stuff up” question while keeping me awake reading.
But you keep on writing. I will keep on reading and hope others read this and decide to give you a try.
Jack you have done great work and made Jason a new favorite of mine. Wanted this series to go on for about 15 books.
We all know, in order for the series to keep going and our hero a hero, the bad dude has to catch it in the end. With this book m, the meandering path that got us to that great end, along with the characters and their jobs involved, left many heroes and fun characters and a “how do you dream this stuff up” question while keeping me awake reading.
But you keep on writing. I will keep on reading and hope others read this and decide to give you a try.
March 4, 2020
Great storyline
Exciting, sit on the edge of your seat story. Nuclear warhead in the hands of Iranians is scary as hell. Jason picks up clues to a plot to send nuclear bomb to an important NATO conference being held in NY. Can he stop this evil plot?
There are a lot of pieces on a chessboard and Jason is only one. Jason will have to rely one others to complete his task.
Following Jason Trapp in his adventures has been a real pleasure. Exciting and entertaining. I look forward to the next one and the character Pope is not forgotten.
Exciting, sit on the edge of your seat story. Nuclear warhead in the hands of Iranians is scary as hell. Jason picks up clues to a plot to send nuclear bomb to an important NATO conference being held in NY. Can he stop this evil plot?
There are a lot of pieces on a chessboard and Jason is only one. Jason will have to rely one others to complete his task.
Following Jason Trapp in his adventures has been a real pleasure. Exciting and entertaining. I look forward to the next one and the character Pope is not forgotten.
July 14, 2020
Ok
This book sacrificed individual character and heroism
for inscrutable realism. Bravo on the realism, but Jason
Trapp is not a small piece of the puzzle, he is the puzzle.I
We read for entertainment and seeing your favorite characters
do the impossible is very entertaining. But I love the realism. It's
a fine line for authors but that's why they get the big bucks. Also,
after we accept our lonely hero's girlfriend don't leave her out of the
very next book. That's just unrealistic! Great series!!
This book sacrificed individual character and heroism
for inscrutable realism. Bravo on the realism, but Jason
Trapp is not a small piece of the puzzle, he is the puzzle.I
We read for entertainment and seeing your favorite characters
do the impossible is very entertaining. But I love the realism. It's
a fine line for authors but that's why they get the big bucks. Also,
after we accept our lonely hero's girlfriend don't leave her out of the
very next book. That's just unrealistic! Great series!!
February 19, 2023
If you like espionage/thrillers, Slater's "Jason Trapp" series should keep you glued to your seat. Some think the author can get lost in the weeds, but I think he adds just enough soup to build the characters that I don't feel like I'm reading a comic book.
I'm stingy with 5-stars using Vince Flynn and Brad Thor as benchmarks for this type of fiction. But there's so much junk distracting from up-and-comings, I feel this 4th book of the series deserves a rounded-off 5! Looking forward to starting book 5.
I'm stingy with 5-stars using Vince Flynn and Brad Thor as benchmarks for this type of fiction. But there's so much junk distracting from up-and-comings, I feel this 4th book of the series deserves a rounded-off 5! Looking forward to starting book 5.
March 2, 2020
Depth Charge. Jack Slater
Jason Trapp ex Delta Operative, now CIA operative is trying to locate 12 nuclear missiles the Iranians have removed from a Chinese vessel they sunk years ago. They plan to detonate one in New York city while the Iranian president is there. The hardliners view him as weak and not worthy of his posiition as their leader. Non stop action from the first to last page. An excellent read!!
Jason Trapp ex Delta Operative, now CIA operative is trying to locate 12 nuclear missiles the Iranians have removed from a Chinese vessel they sunk years ago. They plan to detonate one in New York city while the Iranian president is there. The hardliners view him as weak and not worthy of his posiition as their leader. Non stop action from the first to last page. An excellent read!!
March 17, 2020
This is the 4th book in the Jason Trapp series, and Jack Slater did not disappoint. This book had me biting my nails, holding my breath, and it was an effort for me to put the book down when I needed to be taking care of my responsibilities.
In this novel Jason helps to uncover a plot that has many different players and settings and he has to move quickly in order to save the lives. He is fighting a battle of wits and time all of the way to the end. I am looking forward to book 5.
In this novel Jason helps to uncover a plot that has many different players and settings and he has to move quickly in order to save the lives. He is fighting a battle of wits and time all of the way to the end. I am looking forward to book 5.
June 28, 2020
What a thriller!
I've never read Jack's books before this one & boy it kept me up till wee hours of the night! I never knew what it to to be a Navy Seal/ Marine & reminded me of a friend who shall remain nameless but was part of Seal Team 6 of Bin Laden's day! This book was so thrilling I'm sure I'll re read it plus his others! If you like thrillers, take-your-breath away you won't be disappointed!
I've never read Jack's books before this one & boy it kept me up till wee hours of the night! I never knew what it to to be a Navy Seal/ Marine & reminded me of a friend who shall remain nameless but was part of Seal Team 6 of Bin Laden's day! This book was so thrilling I'm sure I'll re read it plus his others! If you like thrillers, take-your-breath away you won't be disappointed!
June 29, 2020
Interesting book
I liked the book. Interesting plot and characters.
I like the author’s comments at the end of the books.
I do wish the author would clean up the language and references to male body parts.
I know that spec ops and other military, police, paramedics and firefighters tend to use coarse humor and foul language to deal with the horrors of the job but I would prefer not to see God’s name taken in vain or the F%^* word on every page.
I liked the book. Interesting plot and characters.
I like the author’s comments at the end of the books.
I do wish the author would clean up the language and references to male body parts.
I know that spec ops and other military, police, paramedics and firefighters tend to use coarse humor and foul language to deal with the horrors of the job but I would prefer not to see God’s name taken in vain or the F%^* word on every page.
November 16, 2020
Like an adrenaline pump
This book has kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. I could not put it down. I tried to read a little when I went to bed, telling myself I would only read for a few minutes. When I looked at the time it was 04:30. I needed to be up at 07:00. I am seventy-eight and remember being a driven young man such as the character in these novels. Powerfully written.
This book has kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. I could not put it down. I tried to read a little when I went to bed, telling myself I would only read for a few minutes. When I looked at the time it was 04:30. I needed to be up at 07:00. I am seventy-eight and remember being a driven young man such as the character in these novels. Powerfully written.
January 24, 2021
Fast paced realism...some of it from the headlines
I have enjoyed all of the Jason Trapp novels, and this installation did not disappoint. I appreciate the attention to character development and psycho-emotional motivations for the author’s primary characters.
Excellent premise for a good yarn with mostly plausible plot twists that make me consider daily headlines from a different perspective.
I have enjoyed all of the Jason Trapp novels, and this installation did not disappoint. I appreciate the attention to character development and psycho-emotional motivations for the author’s primary characters.
Excellent premise for a good yarn with mostly plausible plot twists that make me consider daily headlines from a different perspective.
December 15, 2022
Jason is never a let down
Whether he's tracking the terrorist, catching young men before it's too late, checking out crime scenes or hunting down a psychopath who gets a thrill from murdering friend, foe or just because Trapp is always trying to catch his target. Lots of action trying to get his man that seemed to be always one to two steps ahead. Pope is good but his girl is better. Great job. Btw love the author notes. Thank you.
Whether he's tracking the terrorist, catching young men before it's too late, checking out crime scenes or hunting down a psychopath who gets a thrill from murdering friend, foe or just because Trapp is always trying to catch his target. Lots of action trying to get his man that seemed to be always one to two steps ahead. Pope is good but his girl is better. Great job. Btw love the author notes. Thank you.
September 28, 2025
Depth Charge had the makings of a great Jason Trapp story, but it ended up feeling overstuffed. The plot takes so many sharp turns that continuity gets lost, and the details never quite ground the action the way they should. At times it seemed like the author wasn’t sure which direction to take, so he included everything. Still, the pacing and premise kept it entertaining enough — just not as sharp or focused as it could’ve been.
March 4, 2020
Depth Charge
Another excellent Jason Trapp book. I thoroughly enjoyed the story line and the non stop action. I enjoyed Nick Pope and his interaction with Jason. I do miss Jason's girlfriend. As usual, I can't wait for the next book. The idea of a prequel will be interesting to see how Jason progresses in life.
Another excellent Jason Trapp book. I thoroughly enjoyed the story line and the non stop action. I enjoyed Nick Pope and his interaction with Jason. I do miss Jason's girlfriend. As usual, I can't wait for the next book. The idea of a prequel will be interesting to see how Jason progresses in life.
March 5, 2020
A somewhat long, but entertaining book that includes CIA operative Jason Trapp and a supporting cast of FBI, Navy Seals and other armed forces. And that's just on the U.S. side. It also answers the burning question: what would the Iranian Revolutionary Guard do with recovered Chinese nuclear missiles if given the opportunity?
April 3, 2020
Just ok
I’ve loved all the previous books, but something was missing in this one. The plot jumped a bit too much without clear reasoning. One minute the Trapp was here, then he was somewhere else without too much info. Overall not a bad book but seemed like it was either written too fast or condensed too much. Looking forward to #5 though
I’ve loved all the previous books, but something was missing in this one. The plot jumped a bit too much without clear reasoning. One minute the Trapp was here, then he was somewhere else without too much info. Overall not a bad book but seemed like it was either written too fast or condensed too much. Looking forward to #5 though
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