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Covert Action
Weapons Grade
(originally published as Scorpion: A Covert Ops Novel)
When a high-ranking CIA officer is abducted by terrorists in Tajikistan, freelance operative Avery is tasked with securing the hostage’s release before dozens of classified operations and agents are compromised.
But a raid on a terrorist safe house yields startling clues pointing in another direction entirely. Avery and his team of paramilitary operators are soon unraveling a conspiracy involving an American traitor, double agents, and Russian criminal elements seeking to arm a Taliban warlord with weapons of mass destruction.
From the remote terrorist enclaves of Central Asia, to the nuclear facilities of the former Soviet Union, WEAPONS GRADE is a riveting debut novel, the first in a series of covert action thrillers, packed with gritty, violent action that will appeal to readers of Vince Flynn and Brad Thor.
When a high-ranking CIA officer is abducted by terrorists in Tajikistan, freelance operative Avery is tasked with securing the hostage’s release before dozens of classified operations and agents are compromised.
But a raid on a terrorist safe house yields startling clues pointing in another direction entirely. Avery and his team of paramilitary operators are soon unraveling a conspiracy involving an American traitor, double agents, and Russian criminal elements seeking to arm a Taliban warlord with weapons of mass destruction.
From the remote terrorist enclaves of Central Asia, to the nuclear facilities of the former Soviet Union, WEAPONS GRADE is a riveting debut novel, the first in a series of covert action thrillers, packed with gritty, violent action that will appeal to readers of Vince Flynn and Brad Thor.
- GenresThriller
353 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 22, 2014
383 people are currently reading
161 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
April 3, 2019
Excellent Special Forces espionage adventure fiction.
Every now and then I read a book that just grabs me and I get carried away in the story, and Scorpion by Ross Sidor is one such book. This was an excellent novel in the vein of Mitch Rapp with battlefields thick with Islamic terrorists, Russian criminals and Special Forces operatives in some very unusual locations, namely Tajikistan, Belarus and Afghanistan.
The book is told from the point of view of a former Ranger turned CIA contractor, Avery, sent on deniable missions across the globe to deal with problems requiring violent solutions while maintaining deniability by the U.S. Government. The premise is familiar to the genre, it was how the story was told that grabbed me.
Ross Sidor has an excellent understand of military operations and espionage tradecraft and really brings these aspects to life in his story. His descriptions of places in the remote, hostile locations of the world are also well researched and excellently described. There is also a nice balance between backstory and action, and I certainly learnt some facts about the CIA I wasn’t previously aware of.
With Scorpion I was reminded of Vince Flynn’s The Last Man, so if you are familiar with that book you know what you will get with this one from Ross Sidor. Will definitely read more of this author.
Every now and then I read a book that just grabs me and I get carried away in the story, and Scorpion by Ross Sidor is one such book. This was an excellent novel in the vein of Mitch Rapp with battlefields thick with Islamic terrorists, Russian criminals and Special Forces operatives in some very unusual locations, namely Tajikistan, Belarus and Afghanistan.
The book is told from the point of view of a former Ranger turned CIA contractor, Avery, sent on deniable missions across the globe to deal with problems requiring violent solutions while maintaining deniability by the U.S. Government. The premise is familiar to the genre, it was how the story was told that grabbed me.
Ross Sidor has an excellent understand of military operations and espionage tradecraft and really brings these aspects to life in his story. His descriptions of places in the remote, hostile locations of the world are also well researched and excellently described. There is also a nice balance between backstory and action, and I certainly learnt some facts about the CIA I wasn’t previously aware of.
With Scorpion I was reminded of Vince Flynn’s The Last Man, so if you are familiar with that book you know what you will get with this one from Ross Sidor. Will definitely read more of this author.
September 18, 2020
Friends had been recommending Ross Sidor's work to me for some time, and as my introduction to his writing, "Weapons Grade" did not disappoint.
Opening with the murder of a CIA intelligence officer and the disappearance of the Agency's chief of station in Tajikistan, what follows is a thrilling ride across the former Soviet republics, including, ironically enough, Belarus.
Sidor's attention to detail, though, is really what makes this book shine, presenting Agency operations with a granularity which comes across as utterly credible. Can't wait to read the rest of the books in the series, including the newly-released Rogue State!
Opening with the murder of a CIA intelligence officer and the disappearance of the Agency's chief of station in Tajikistan, what follows is a thrilling ride across the former Soviet republics, including, ironically enough, Belarus.
Sidor's attention to detail, though, is really what makes this book shine, presenting Agency operations with a granularity which comes across as utterly credible. Can't wait to read the rest of the books in the series, including the newly-released Rogue State!
June 4, 2022
An action packed story
I really enjoyed this book. I liked the lead character Avery.
This is a cross between a spy novel and a combat story. The combination worked well, I couldn’t put this book down.
I will read the rest of the series.
I really enjoyed this book. I liked the lead character Avery.
This is a cross between a spy novel and a combat story. The combination worked well, I couldn’t put this book down.
I will read the rest of the series.
June 4, 2019
A tale about modern day covert warfare does not get any more unconventional and anti-type than Scorpion. Mr. Sidor scores top points in originality and in-depth research, but could have made the narration a bit more reader-friendly.
Scorpion deals with an elite paramilitary operations contractor named Avery, who works under the Scorpion program within the GRS. You may have recognized GRS(Global Response Staff) from the 13 Hours movie which focused on the Benghazi fiasco.
Avery’s lifestyle and operational methods are quite interesting and different from most of the characters in the genre. He’s too disciplined health-wise and a mess socially. But he sure is a shrewd tactician when he manages to outsmart his smarter and more resourceful enemies though he comes out damaged physically and mentally by the end.
Despite the single-word name of the protagonist, he’s shown to be highly flawed, emotionally driven and at times, his risks almost cost him his life. The character is told to be a former Ranger and a Green Beret, but incidents from his military career are only hinted. I certainly think that a few of the character’s past events would be well served if narrated as a flashback or a memory.
The plot revolves around a traitor positioned as the station chief in Dushanbe, a FSB officer, an Eastern European Vor gang, and mix in some nuclear materials, terrorists and a get rich quick scheme.
This may seem like your everyday spy thriller but Mr. Sidor’s unique plot locations, story pacing, narration and structure along with intense realism brought about by serious research puts him apart from the mainstream pulp authors.
Sidor reads numerous tomes on the topics used in his books before he actually writes them. So, naturally, Scorpion reads more like a fun textbook on exotic geography, history, geopolitics, covert operations, diplomatic relations, military hardware and issues in different countries. This priority of loading massive amounts of research in each chapter can feel like the character development and the narration is hindered at times.
Almost every character in the book is well rounded and has a clear reason for doing what they are doing. One of the villains, Bob Crammer, has serious character development though he appears in only a few pages. Avery’s interactions with a female Russian activist/journalist are portrayed with realism when read with the context. There isn’t any cliched romance subplot in Scorpion which most authors force into their books.
The action is brutal and bloodily realistic. Avery is not shown as a one man wrecking ball but uses a well rounded team for many purposes. Avery does take a lot of damage from the bad guys. So if your mind is weak, this is not the book for you.
Another problem that I noticed was that most of the scenes involved more telling and less showing. Mr. Sidor’s narrative will connect with his readers if he shows more of the scenes and explores the characters’ voices in the narration. Instead of dumping facts, I think the readers would find his stories very emotional if he explored the thoughts and feelings of the characters while the said characters are talking or doing any action.
On the whole, Scorpion is a brilliantly plotted and researched book that could be better with some more editing. The ending is realistic enough in shades of gray, where not everything can be fixed and solving the problems that can be fixed comes at a cost. The climax feels Clancy-esque where numerous characters and players together solve what can be solved.
With locales like Tajikistan and Minsk featuring heavily, this book was a refreshing change from reading mainstream books that repeat and recycle plots. This plot continues in book three of this series with the return of one of the villains and I hope to continue binge reading Ross’s series eventually.
Mr. Sidor is surging with talent but this book will appeal mostly to hard-core fans of the military-covert warfare genre. A fine mix of old-school intelligence gathering, special operations and modern signals intelligence techniques is blended in Scorpion.
For more reviews, books-related content, self-improvement articles and other content written by me, check out www.kronosananthsimha.com
Scorpion deals with an elite paramilitary operations contractor named Avery, who works under the Scorpion program within the GRS. You may have recognized GRS(Global Response Staff) from the 13 Hours movie which focused on the Benghazi fiasco.
Avery’s lifestyle and operational methods are quite interesting and different from most of the characters in the genre. He’s too disciplined health-wise and a mess socially. But he sure is a shrewd tactician when he manages to outsmart his smarter and more resourceful enemies though he comes out damaged physically and mentally by the end.
Despite the single-word name of the protagonist, he’s shown to be highly flawed, emotionally driven and at times, his risks almost cost him his life. The character is told to be a former Ranger and a Green Beret, but incidents from his military career are only hinted. I certainly think that a few of the character’s past events would be well served if narrated as a flashback or a memory.
The plot revolves around a traitor positioned as the station chief in Dushanbe, a FSB officer, an Eastern European Vor gang, and mix in some nuclear materials, terrorists and a get rich quick scheme.
This may seem like your everyday spy thriller but Mr. Sidor’s unique plot locations, story pacing, narration and structure along with intense realism brought about by serious research puts him apart from the mainstream pulp authors.
Sidor reads numerous tomes on the topics used in his books before he actually writes them. So, naturally, Scorpion reads more like a fun textbook on exotic geography, history, geopolitics, covert operations, diplomatic relations, military hardware and issues in different countries. This priority of loading massive amounts of research in each chapter can feel like the character development and the narration is hindered at times.
Almost every character in the book is well rounded and has a clear reason for doing what they are doing. One of the villains, Bob Crammer, has serious character development though he appears in only a few pages. Avery’s interactions with a female Russian activist/journalist are portrayed with realism when read with the context. There isn’t any cliched romance subplot in Scorpion which most authors force into their books.
The action is brutal and bloodily realistic. Avery is not shown as a one man wrecking ball but uses a well rounded team for many purposes. Avery does take a lot of damage from the bad guys. So if your mind is weak, this is not the book for you.
Another problem that I noticed was that most of the scenes involved more telling and less showing. Mr. Sidor’s narrative will connect with his readers if he shows more of the scenes and explores the characters’ voices in the narration. Instead of dumping facts, I think the readers would find his stories very emotional if he explored the thoughts and feelings of the characters while the said characters are talking or doing any action.
On the whole, Scorpion is a brilliantly plotted and researched book that could be better with some more editing. The ending is realistic enough in shades of gray, where not everything can be fixed and solving the problems that can be fixed comes at a cost. The climax feels Clancy-esque where numerous characters and players together solve what can be solved.
With locales like Tajikistan and Minsk featuring heavily, this book was a refreshing change from reading mainstream books that repeat and recycle plots. This plot continues in book three of this series with the return of one of the villains and I hope to continue binge reading Ross’s series eventually.
Mr. Sidor is surging with talent but this book will appeal mostly to hard-core fans of the military-covert warfare genre. A fine mix of old-school intelligence gathering, special operations and modern signals intelligence techniques is blended in Scorpion.
For more reviews, books-related content, self-improvement articles and other content written by me, check out www.kronosananthsimha.com
January 19, 2019
Ross Sidor's freshman entry in the special ops thriller genre, SCORPION, is an excellent read and a strong initial effort.
The plot focus around Avery, a former member of the 75th Ranger Regiment and a CIA green-badger who works high-level deniable operations. He is assigned to investigate the death of a CIA asset and the disappearance of the Dushanbe Station Chief. The novel quickly escalates into a counter-terror race-against-time plot that has been done time and again by authors such as the late Vince Flynn or Brad Thor.
What sets Sidor apart from those authors is his research. Everything is kept extremely grounded. Avery is a human character, albeit emotionally damaged. Contrary to some of the more critical reviews I've read, I didn't see him depicted as a "superhero." He gets injured, convalesces, and then pushes through the pain, which is common amongst special operations types.
The action is crisp, and the plot moves quickly from one point to another, allowing just enough time for some characterization and exposition before throwing Avery right back into the fire. Sidor is even better researched with IC terms than me, and I've been researching the IC for nearly two decades. It's refreshing to find those willing to do the research. It's also refreshingly absent of political bias, something often seen in a genre notorious for clumsily and ham-fistedly promoting conservative viewpoints.
That said, the book is not without imperfections.
The largest one is Sidor's tendency to summarize dialogue in prose when he could depict the conversation. It's not a massive imperfection, but it does merit mention.
After that, the biggest constructive criticism I could have offered would have been some closure between Avery and the supporting protagonist that he meets about halfway through the novel. Some of his weapons research is **technically** accurate but not practically accurate. There are also a few grammatical mistakes here and there.
None of those criticisms alter the fact that SCORPION makes for a thrilling page-turner. I definitely recommend it to fans of the genre. The first book is often the roughest, and Sidor's "rough" is an extremely entertaining read. He's only going to get even better as he continues to hone his craft. I look forward to reading more of his work.
The plot focus around Avery, a former member of the 75th Ranger Regiment and a CIA green-badger who works high-level deniable operations. He is assigned to investigate the death of a CIA asset and the disappearance of the Dushanbe Station Chief. The novel quickly escalates into a counter-terror race-against-time plot that has been done time and again by authors such as the late Vince Flynn or Brad Thor.
What sets Sidor apart from those authors is his research. Everything is kept extremely grounded. Avery is a human character, albeit emotionally damaged. Contrary to some of the more critical reviews I've read, I didn't see him depicted as a "superhero." He gets injured, convalesces, and then pushes through the pain, which is common amongst special operations types.
The action is crisp, and the plot moves quickly from one point to another, allowing just enough time for some characterization and exposition before throwing Avery right back into the fire. Sidor is even better researched with IC terms than me, and I've been researching the IC for nearly two decades. It's refreshing to find those willing to do the research. It's also refreshingly absent of political bias, something often seen in a genre notorious for clumsily and ham-fistedly promoting conservative viewpoints.
That said, the book is not without imperfections.
The largest one is Sidor's tendency to summarize dialogue in prose when he could depict the conversation. It's not a massive imperfection, but it does merit mention.
After that, the biggest constructive criticism I could have offered would have been some closure between Avery and the supporting protagonist that he meets about halfway through the novel. Some of his weapons research is **technically** accurate but not practically accurate. There are also a few grammatical mistakes here and there.
None of those criticisms alter the fact that SCORPION makes for a thrilling page-turner. I definitely recommend it to fans of the genre. The first book is often the roughest, and Sidor's "rough" is an extremely entertaining read. He's only going to get even better as he continues to hone his craft. I look forward to reading more of his work.
July 17, 2019
Better than I thought
Sometimes you pick up a book and it is hard to get into. Doesn't matter who the author is, it just is. This was one of those books, at least for me. Once I finally got into it I was hooked. Could not put it down! I never tell what goes on in a book but this author nailed it.
Sometimes you pick up a book and it is hard to get into. Doesn't matter who the author is, it just is. This was one of those books, at least for me. Once I finally got into it I was hooked. Could not put it down! I never tell what goes on in a book but this author nailed it.
March 5, 2019
Great book. Could not put it down. Will be waiting for other books by this author.
Like this story. Kept me wanting to read the next paragraph. Very good at keeping me glued to the end.
Like this story. Kept me wanting to read the next paragraph. Very good at keeping me glued to the end.
July 31, 2019
well, heavy dose of action, new places instead of the same old syria,iran, Afghanistan makes this an enjoyable read.
August 15, 2020
A good read
Well written and a good plot. A little violent in some parts but necessary for the story. I will look out for the next book.
Well written and a good plot. A little violent in some parts but necessary for the story. I will look out for the next book.
July 31, 2020
A thrilling and fresh debut novel!
Ross Sidor made a great entrance to the thriller genre with his twisted, action-packed and frighteningly realistic debut. I cant wait to dive into Avery's next adventure. Well done, sir!
Ross Sidor made a great entrance to the thriller genre with his twisted, action-packed and frighteningly realistic debut. I cant wait to dive into Avery's next adventure. Well done, sir!
November 22, 2020
My kind of read
Typical espionage, special forces type book including terrorism, treason and plenty of action, decent sub plots, my kind of book when good triumphs against evil, albeit in the most violent of ways.
Well written and exciting.
Typical espionage, special forces type book including terrorism, treason and plenty of action, decent sub plots, my kind of book when good triumphs against evil, albeit in the most violent of ways.
Well written and exciting.
January 2, 2021
Weapons Grade is without question one of the absolute best covert operations novels I’ve ever read!
If you’re looking for a well-written, action packed novel guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat with bated breath then you can’t go wrong with Weapons Grade!
If you’re looking for a well-written, action packed novel guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat with bated breath then you can’t go wrong with Weapons Grade!
June 2, 2016
Good Book
This is a very decent military thriller with a great plot, good characters, and enough action to keep it moving. The BIGGEST problem was format-related. The X-ray feature was unavailable. Made me kinda grumpy. See, the book is rife with characters possessing names I'm not comfortably familiar with enough to trip easily off my tongue and firmly into my memory. X-ray would have been so nice.
Besides that the only other negative I'll mention is the amount of detail used. To me, it was a bit much in some places. This is one of my favorite genres, and I love the richness that all of the description provides, but it just seemed superfluous at times. Overall though, it was a good story.
This is a very decent military thriller with a great plot, good characters, and enough action to keep it moving. The BIGGEST problem was format-related. The X-ray feature was unavailable. Made me kinda grumpy. See, the book is rife with characters possessing names I'm not comfortably familiar with enough to trip easily off my tongue and firmly into my memory. X-ray would have been so nice.
Besides that the only other negative I'll mention is the amount of detail used. To me, it was a bit much in some places. This is one of my favorite genres, and I love the richness that all of the description provides, but it just seemed superfluous at times. Overall though, it was a good story.
October 14, 2015
Stop Reading This and Click the Buy Now Button, NOW!!
What a great read! I have been begging for a new author in this genre for years and oh how I've found him. For fans of Clancy, Thor, Flynn, Jack Murphy, Mark Greany, this book is for you. I'm stopping this review short so that I can immediately enter the Kindle book store to order the next book in the series. Well done sir, very, very well done!
What a great read! I have been begging for a new author in this genre for years and oh how I've found him. For fans of Clancy, Thor, Flynn, Jack Murphy, Mark Greany, this book is for you. I'm stopping this review short so that I can immediately enter the Kindle book store to order the next book in the series. Well done sir, very, very well done!
March 18, 2016
Great Read
The plot is well developed and presented. The author captured my attention quickly and held it throughout the book. Quite often descriptions of weapons and scenery are too detailed and detract from the reader's focus the balance presented in this book is excellent. I look forward to reading more of Avery's exploits.
The plot is well developed and presented. The author captured my attention quickly and held it throughout the book. Quite often descriptions of weapons and scenery are too detailed and detract from the reader's focus the balance presented in this book is excellent. I look forward to reading more of Avery's exploits.
September 13, 2021
Too may abbreviations? even when describing a beacon egg sandwich it has a abbreviation
Also to long winded description about all the groups in the book
Also to long winded description about all the groups in the book
December 9, 2023
This review was previously posted on 19 January 2019, on the previous edition of the novel.
Ross Sidor's freshman entry in the special ops thriller genre, Weapons Grade (previously titled Scorpion: A Covert Ops Novel), is an excellent read and a strong initial effort.
The plot focus around Avery, a former member of the 75th Ranger Regiment and a CIA green-badger who works high-level deniable operations. He is assigned to investigate the death of a CIA asset and the disappearance of the Dushanbe Station Chief. The novel quickly escalates into a counter-terror race-against-time plot that has been done time and again by authors such as the late Vince Flynn or Brad Thor.
What sets Sidor apart from those authors is his research. Everything is kept extremely grounded. Avery is a human character, albeit emotionally damaged. Contrary to some of the more critical reviews I've read, I didn't see him depicted as a "superhero." He gets injured, convalesces, and then pushes through the pain, which is common amongst special operations types.
The action is crisp, and the plot moves quickly from one point to another, allowing just enough time for some characterization and exposition before throwing Avery right back into the fire. Sidor is even better researched with IC terms than me, and I've been researching the IC for nearly two decades. It's refreshing to find those willing to do the research. It's also refreshingly absent of political bias, something often seen in a genre notorious for clumsily and ham-fistedly promoting conservative viewpoints.
That said, the book is not without imperfections.
The largest one is Sidor's tendency to summarize dialogue in prose when he could depict the conversation. It's not a massive imperfection, but it does merit mention.
After that, the biggest constructive criticism I could have offered would have been some closure between Avery and the supporting protagonist that he meets about halfway through the novel. Some of his weapons research is **technically** accurate but not practically accurate. There are also a few grammatical mistakes here and there.
None of those criticisms alter the fact that SCORPION makes for a thrilling page-turner. I definitely recommend it to fans of the genre. The first book is often the roughest, and Sidor's "rough" is an extremely entertaining read. He's only going to get even better as he continues to hone his craft. I look forward to reading more of his work.
Ross Sidor's freshman entry in the special ops thriller genre, Weapons Grade (previously titled Scorpion: A Covert Ops Novel), is an excellent read and a strong initial effort.
The plot focus around Avery, a former member of the 75th Ranger Regiment and a CIA green-badger who works high-level deniable operations. He is assigned to investigate the death of a CIA asset and the disappearance of the Dushanbe Station Chief. The novel quickly escalates into a counter-terror race-against-time plot that has been done time and again by authors such as the late Vince Flynn or Brad Thor.
What sets Sidor apart from those authors is his research. Everything is kept extremely grounded. Avery is a human character, albeit emotionally damaged. Contrary to some of the more critical reviews I've read, I didn't see him depicted as a "superhero." He gets injured, convalesces, and then pushes through the pain, which is common amongst special operations types.
The action is crisp, and the plot moves quickly from one point to another, allowing just enough time for some characterization and exposition before throwing Avery right back into the fire. Sidor is even better researched with IC terms than me, and I've been researching the IC for nearly two decades. It's refreshing to find those willing to do the research. It's also refreshingly absent of political bias, something often seen in a genre notorious for clumsily and ham-fistedly promoting conservative viewpoints.
That said, the book is not without imperfections.
The largest one is Sidor's tendency to summarize dialogue in prose when he could depict the conversation. It's not a massive imperfection, but it does merit mention.
After that, the biggest constructive criticism I could have offered would have been some closure between Avery and the supporting protagonist that he meets about halfway through the novel. Some of his weapons research is **technically** accurate but not practically accurate. There are also a few grammatical mistakes here and there.
None of those criticisms alter the fact that SCORPION makes for a thrilling page-turner. I definitely recommend it to fans of the genre. The first book is often the roughest, and Sidor's "rough" is an extremely entertaining read. He's only going to get even better as he continues to hone his craft. I look forward to reading more of his work.
July 12, 2024
I don’t know Ross Sidor’s background, but he writes like he’s walked the halls of the CIA’s Langley headquarters and endured the stench of the burn pits and tasted the ever-present dust swirling around our military’s far-off outposts in Southwest Asia. Weapon’s Grade is the first of six Covert Action Thrillers. Former Army Recon Ranger, Avery is a CIA contractor brought in to track down the missing CIA chief of station for Dushanbe, Tajikistan, Robert Cramer. Avery and his team of Ground Branch pipe hitters leave no stone unturned as they scour the region searching for their brother. Action abounds, as they leave a trail of bodies in their wake. He quickly determines things are not as they appear. He’s unsure who can be trusted as he uncovers complications of nuclear proportions. At great personal risk, Avery butts heads with an international arms dealer, Russian organized crime, foreign intelligence services, and his own government as he searches for Cramer and the truth. Reece, Gentry, and Harvath, you can relax. Avery’s on the job and he doesn’t let anything get in his way. Well done, Ross.
January 7, 2023
Such an awesome first novel that introduces the titular character and an engaging read to sit back and enjoy. Guys if you want an detailed review just go and read Kronos Anantsimha review because he covered most of the points I've to say. The things I like to add is When I've started this series one thing is absolutely adored is the way the author write about the tools of the trade. There is no oversaturating the technical details or totally using wrong designation for the basic details about the weapons itself. The author well researched the novel that each and every topic be the geography or the way a person react to an situation naturally and all other minute stuff which is perfect in detail.There is no extended fight scenes or gun battles still each and every build up for the action scenes are precise in nature. If you want to try an series that makes you think you're close to reality just start with this series. I'm happy that I've started my year with this great novel. Thanks Kronos Anantsimha for recommending this novel.
August 8, 2022
This isn't a bad book, but the hero is someone who seems to just be good at everything, and able to take a huge beating and yet function without any real sign of the pain he'd really be in.
Avery is an ex-Recon Ranger, who now works for the CIA as a specialist contractor. He's tasked with finding a missing CIA Chief of station in the out of the way country of Tajikistan, who has disappeared, and another agent has been killed.
Along with a small group of CIA contractors, Avery follows the clues they find to discover that the CIA chief has gone rogue, and is now helping a Russian Mafya boss smuggle weapons and nuclear material to a jihadist in Afghanistan, in exchange for heroin.
There's action aplenty, as he hand his small group of operators take on the Chechen jihadists, Russian Mafya and Afghani jihadists, before the final climactic shootout in a concrete factory come weapons lab.
Avery is an ex-Recon Ranger, who now works for the CIA as a specialist contractor. He's tasked with finding a missing CIA Chief of station in the out of the way country of Tajikistan, who has disappeared, and another agent has been killed.
Along with a small group of CIA contractors, Avery follows the clues they find to discover that the CIA chief has gone rogue, and is now helping a Russian Mafya boss smuggle weapons and nuclear material to a jihadist in Afghanistan, in exchange for heroin.
There's action aplenty, as he hand his small group of operators take on the Chechen jihadists, Russian Mafya and Afghani jihadists, before the final climactic shootout in a concrete factory come weapons lab.
August 21, 2021
I loved the plot and the premise of the book. But, it dived too deeply into details about weapons, terminology, or other things that a typical reader of this genre would not need to have explained in such detail. And that made it a little laborious for me. There were also a fair amount of grammar and spelling errors that a better proofreader should have found. One of the characters, "Poacher" was autocorrected or left as "Poached" in the Kindle version that I read. It is understandable given the similarity of the two words, but it should have been caught by the editor or proofreader. I am not sure I will venture on to the next in the series even though it has Mitch Rapp-like potential. (His character was even uttered in some of the dialog contained in the book.)
September 13, 2020
First book I'm have read from this author. Will certainly read more
Not a bad story. Well planned with some rather different characters. Would be dificu!t to think which American or Russian agency has been missed out. Rather too much "drilling " of heads and a surfeit of Gore . The locations were different ,interesting and well described .The pace seldom slackend and was generally well scripted. Not quite in the same class as a Clan more in the mould of Cussler. A pretty good read nonetheless.
Not a bad story. Well planned with some rather different characters. Would be dificu!t to think which American or Russian agency has been missed out. Rather too much "drilling " of heads and a surfeit of Gore . The locations were different ,interesting and well described .The pace seldom slackend and was generally well scripted. Not quite in the same class as a Clan more in the mould of Cussler. A pretty good read nonetheless.
January 31, 2021
Slow but steady
It's not a great book, if half stars were possible this would be 2.5*
There is nothing good, but nothing bad, it's just Meh
The main character is interesting enough, but for a covert operative he seems very blasé about keeping his identity secret and this is actually high lighted at the end of the story
The other characters seem very one dimensional, little development of them and tbh, if they died, you wouldn't/don't care
It's not a great book, if half stars were possible this would be 2.5*
There is nothing good, but nothing bad, it's just Meh
The main character is interesting enough, but for a covert operative he seems very blasé about keeping his identity secret and this is actually high lighted at the end of the story
The other characters seem very one dimensional, little development of them and tbh, if they died, you wouldn't/don't care
August 25, 2021
Authentic Weapons
Avery is a contractor, sent to find a missing CIA chief. I tracing the 'istans where enemies are in every corner. The actions use the correct people and weapons, and language to make exciting and suspenseful. The characters join in new people in addition the friends and enemies. Avery is a bit of super, but he receives as he gives. The book is very entertaining and the end is quite credible.
Avery is a contractor, sent to find a missing CIA chief. I tracing the 'istans where enemies are in every corner. The actions use the correct people and weapons, and language to make exciting and suspenseful. The characters join in new people in addition the friends and enemies. Avery is a bit of super, but he receives as he gives. The book is very entertaining and the end is quite credible.
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June 30, 2020My first Ross Sidor book and most certainly will not be my last.
This is a fantastic page turner from start to finish and I honestly can't wait to read the second book in the series. I've honestly not enjoyed an action|spy story in such a long time. Definitely worth a read. Excellent.
This is a fantastic page turner from start to finish and I honestly can't wait to read the second book in the series. I've honestly not enjoyed an action|spy story in such a long time. Definitely worth a read. Excellent.
January 19, 2019
An interesting techno warfare book.
A very good story about a tough protagonist with a sharp sense of justice. It seems like he has used all of his nine lives in this book. I wonder how the author can use him in the next book.
A very good story about a tough protagonist with a sharp sense of justice. It seems like he has used all of his nine lives in this book. I wonder how the author can use him in the next book.
November 29, 2020
Good story overall
I thought is was a good story overall. It had more slow spots than most books in this genre should. There were too many typos in the back half. It was like the editors lost interest. I my give book two a shot
I thought is was a good story overall. It had more slow spots than most books in this genre should. There were too many typos in the back half. It was like the editors lost interest. I my give book two a shot
December 12, 2020
Off to a good start with this author
Enjoyed the read. The plot held up well. Could nitpick the proof reading but it wasn't bad enough to detract that much. Looking forward to book 2.
Enjoyed the read. The plot held up well. Could nitpick the proof reading but it wasn't bad enough to detract that much. Looking forward to book 2.
August 5, 2021
It’s fiction, but totally possible in today’s world. I recommend to readers of adventure stories. The cast of characters capture your attention from the very beginning. I look forward to reading more books in this series.
August 10, 2021
Good book
I liked the lack of sex used to try to sell the book. The story was good I reread the last 22% of the book to get the people, groups, places and events straight. I down loaded Mr. S idiot's next book on South America.
I liked the lack of sex used to try to sell the book. The story was good I reread the last 22% of the book to get the people, groups, places and events straight. I down loaded Mr. S idiot's next book on South America.
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