High Treason

Tom Locke #3

by Sean McFate

“McFate just might be the next Tom Clancy, only I think he’s even better... The action is non-stop and shuttles back and forth between scary-believable and rollicking good fun. I read High Treason during a six-hour plane ride and the trip went by like the snap of my fingers.” —James Patterson



In this pulse-pounding third action thriller for fans of Brad Thor and David Baldacci, hero Tom Locke, introduced in Shadow War and Deep Black, must stop traitors and ruthless mercenaries working together to overthrow the president.

En route to the National Prayer Breakfast, the U.S. vice president’s motorcade is hit in a vicious, expertly planned attack that throws Washington, D.C. into chaos. Everyone assumes it’s ISIS—everyone but young FBI agent Jennifer Lin. She is certain that Russia is behind the strike. 

Half a world away, military contractor Tom Locke has his own doubts about what happened—and who did it. He suspects his former employer, Apollo Outcomes, might be involved. But why would the global security firm orchestrate an attack on US soil?

Returning to D.C., Locke discovers that a civil war has fractured Apollo. A division has splintered off, a rogue unit led by an ambitious, unprincipled former colleague who may have planned the attack himself. But Apollo couldn’t have pulled this off without help from inside the government. The official’s itinerary and route were confidential—which means there must be a traitor high up in either the White House or the NSA who is leaking information to Apollo. 

But why? And who could be pulling the strings? Islamic fundamentalist terrorists? Or is this a new ploy by Putin to discredit the U.S. government and divide it from its democratic allies? Only Locke can get to the bottom of the conspiracy that traverses the globe and blow it apart with one strategic strike before it’s too late.

“High Treason has brutal assassinations, shocking betrayals, even heated gun battles in the shadow of the White House. It had me breathless—from the sheer audacity of its storytelling to its breakneck pacing. It’s not to be missed!” —James Rollins, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Last Odyssey

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Espionage, Mystery, Adventure, Action, Suspense

384 pages, Hardcover

First published June 9, 2020

About the author

I have been a paratrooper in the US Army’s 82nd Airborne Division. A para-military contractor. An operative in the private intelligence world (think: Wall Street meets CIA). I’ve dealt with African warlords, raised armies for U.S. interest, rode with armed groups in the Sahara, conducted strategic reconnaissance for oil companies, transacted arms deals in Eastern Europe, and helped prevent an impending genocide in the Rwanda region. In between this, I earned degrees from Brown, Harvard, and a PhD from the London School of Economics.

Now I’m an author, my favorite job by far. I write about the world as I’ve witnessed it. Unlike most, I write both serious non-fiction and fiction. What I can’t discuss in my non-fiction ends up in my novels, which are like Tom Clancy for the 2020s.

You can learn more about me here http://www.seanmcfate.com and you can follow me on twitter or Instagram @seanmcfate. I appreciate your support, and answer emails from readers.

Reviews

[PamG · Rating 4 out of 5]

HIGH TREASON by Sean McFate is the third book in the Tom Locke military action thriller series, but it is the first one that I have read. It worked as a standalone, but I believe reading the series in order would provide additional background and character depth. When the U.S. President is sick, the vice-president and his wife head to the National Prayer Breakfast. Unfortunately, their motorcade is hit in a terrorist attack and chaos ensues. Meanwhile, Tom Locke is in Israel when he sees news footage of the event and thinks he knows who is involved and FBI agent Jennifer Lin believes someone else is the culprit. Who is right? Who can be trusted? What really happened? Who is pulling the strings? Why did this occur?

The main characters of Tom and Jen are compelling and definitely someone you can root for. Their characters were distinct and each had their own flaws and virtues. The internal and external conflicts arose out of characterization and circumstance and did not feel contrived or forced. This action thriller had nail-biting scenes that kept me turning the pages until its completion. The plot was engrossing, suspenseful, action-packed, and thought-provoking. The ending was dramatic and riveting but the epilogue wrapped up a couple items without saying how. That caused me to reduce my rating by one star.

Overall, this was an intriguing, heart-pounding action thriller. I am looking forward to the next book in the series as well as going back and reading books one and two. If you like exciting, and gripping military action thrillers, then this may be the next series for you.

Many thanks to HarperCollins Publishers – William Morrow and Sean McFate for a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley and the opportunity to provide an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.

[Mike Reinking · Rating 2 out of 5]

Blurbs promised “...better than Tom Clancy!”. It is a paint by number action thriller with cliched bad guys and indestructible heroes. Some of the tech was inventive, but the story wasn’t that intriguing.

[Oliver Klozov · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very disappointing after the first two novels. I'm almost halfway through the book and really struggling to finish. There's way too much focus on characters watching news broadcasts, or maybe it's that the broadcasts seem to just keep relaying the same information over and over in the story so far. Either way whenever a character starts watching news pundits rattle on about terrorism I start to lose focus and interest.

Agent Lin is wholly unlikable and unbelievable as an FBI Agent. The entire portrayal of the FBI is actually kind of annoying. I can get behind them thinking the wrong group is responsible but something about Lins co worker comes off as way too childish for someone who has made it into the FBI.

Locke feels really under used in the first half of the book. I remember liking the action in the first two books, but so far I've had a hard time getting into it in this one. A point of the first mission Locke goes on in the book is that they don't tell him *anything*. I guess I get what they were going for but it didn't work for me, when you don't explain the who, what, where and why until they literally show up I just don't have any stakes and then I just start to lose focus and interest. On top of that the future tech combat suits complete with Iron Main AI assistant felt like a weird choice after the more grounded and gritty combat of the last two novels.

Like I said, I've gotten around halfway through the book and I'm struggling to continue. It's just not hooking me at all. If/When I finish I will update but right now I'm just really disappointed.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

High Treason was suspense-filled from beginning to end. In the spirit of Tom Clancy, this novel boasts military themes and technothriller action that kept me turning page after page late into the night. While this is the first book I have read following the author’s repeat character named Tom Locke, this novel concludes a running storyline for the character and serves as a stepstone into the next novel. The battle of wits of Locke versus his former employer, Apollo Outcomes, throws the reader into a state of wonder about who Locke can really trust with his former associates.
The only issues I have with the storyline comes from a lack of knowledge of prior novels and the protagonist. It seemed at times that the knowledge and capabilities Locke exhibits in the action sequences, do not coincide with the aptitude that I feel the character would have had going into this storyline based on his background described in the novel. It doesn’t seem to me to be that he should have been treated as a “rookie” with his newfound team. But other than that, I have few criticisms of the novel and look forward to reading the next chapter in Tom Locke’s thrilling exploits.
I would recommend this to anyone who likes technothrillers and suspense.

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I liked the fast paced suspense and the two key characters, this techno action thriller had too much technological warfare for me. I couldn’t follow the “battles” and found myself retreading them to understand what was actually happening. In addition, it was the third book in the series and I hate not reading a series in order. That said, my husband enjoyed it. I am not going to read more of this author.

[Brian's Book Blog · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Really Enjoyable Action Thriller

I jumped right into this book and didn’t even glance at what the first two books were about. The cover drew me in and the synopsis sold it for me. I knew I had to know what was going to happen in this one. That, coupled with a dual narration with Jeffrey Kafer and Peter Berkrot, yes please.

High Treason has a ton of action in it. The last few hours of it felt like it never stopped. The spaces between that action were filled with great character building and a story that was completely believable. Scary believable if I’m being honest. McFate was able to write a story that, even in these trying times, felt like it was ripped from the headlines (hello something crazy happening every month in 2020 so far).

As I mentioned above, this was my first Tom Locke book. I think that McFate did a good job writing who and why he was the way he was. Locke is one of those characters that every good action thriller needs. And he was exactly what this story needed. The way that McFate went deep into his psyche and even changed him a bit by the end of it was a fun arc to follow.

I particularly liked that the story seemed to be focused a lot on revenge (from both points of view) and vengeance. I know a lot of these stories have that, but this one felt raw and visceral. It really added to the grunge and overall feeling of this story.

Overall, a really enjoyable action thriller that didn’t disappoint. One that at times felt predictable but more than that it was enjoyable.

[Chris Osborne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book brings to mind the "Bourne" series by Robert Ludlum, interspersed with a bit of James Bond.
The President's National Security Advisor had conspired with rogue elements of Apollo Outcomes, a private military corporation, to assassinate the President and blackmail the United States government with three nuclear weapons stolen from Pakistan and stashed in three large U.S. cities.
By pure chance, instead of killing the President, they end up killing the Vice President, his wife, and hundreds of civilians. FBI agent, Jennifer Lin, teams with Tom Locke and other good guys from Apollo Outcomes in an effort to identify the culprits and foil the plot.
It is a good read, and held my interest, though the technical jargon and the use of futuristic and exotic weapons, was way above my head.
Though the plot and the battle scenes are somewhat unrealistic, if you enjoyed reading Ludlum and Ian Fleming, you will enjoy this.

[Sara Best · Rating 3 out of 5]

As I was returning this book to the library today, I was thinking about why I won't bother to read another book by this author, so here goes an updated review with why. Note, there are spoilers ahead, so stop reading now if you want to avoid them.
Basically, the main characters Locke and Lin contribute nothing to finding or apprehending the bad guy. As the story begins, the reader moves chapter by chapter through the perspectives of different characters - though only the chapters about Locke are written in the first person. Lin is actively investigating the terrorist attack. Locke isn't much of an investigator - he just has strong opinions about Winters and is used by others for fighting and shooting. We all know Locke and Lin will eventually connect - and I was rooting for them to meet, put their information together to find Winters, and bring him to justice. Even though I figured there would be unnecessarily detailed sex scenes and fight scenes, I figured there would also be some great ah-ah moments as together they bring Winters to justice. Sadly, once Locke and Lin meet- it is only sex and fighting and they get used by others simply as extra bodies for the big take-down of Winters. They contributed nothing to finding and apprehending Winters. Meanwhile, all the investigative work Lin had done resulted in no new intel. She dramatically captures a laptop from the Russians and leaves it for her friend to hack, but we never hear anything again about meaningful intel from the laptop. What was the point of the laptop?
Another disturbing inconsistency is the ultimate lapse in Lin's judgement which is totally out of character. She was established as a champion of the truth, even if it goes against what the FBI was telling her. She stood for what is right based on hard evidence, not hearsay. So when she first meets Locke, she tries to arrest him. That fits her character because based on the information she has at that point, he is a suspected terrorist. I expected he would need to convince her he was framed, and because she loves the truth and is willing to look beyond the assumptions of others, she would see how his story fits into the evidence she had and believe him. Then they would work together, aided by information gleaned from the Russian laptop, contact Lava for back-up, and have a dramatic take-down which brings Winters to justice. Instead, Locke resists arrest, they fight, and are so evenly matched they quit fighting and in exhaustion curl up together and sleep the rest of the night, then go to a cheap hotel and have lots of sex. Lava and Tye find them and off they go to be just two more bodies in the take-down which had been orchestrated by Lava with no help from Locke or Lin. And to add insult to injury, Lin is welcomed into Apollo's ranks because she is a sexy woman who can fight and shoot. Apparently her steely determination and brilliant investigative skills aren't important.
The fight and chase scenes are dramatically written. There is intrigue and mystery as we wonder who in the government can be trusted and who really is Winter's client. But in terms of being a well constructed plot with characters we want to root for, the book is sadly lacking.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solidly entertaining military thriller that you can read and enjoy while on the beach ... or on an airplane.

Sean McFate has "walked the walk and talked the talk". He is an expert on strategy and international relations. A professor at the National Defense University, Syracuse University, and Georgetown University. A Senior Fellow at Atlantic Council, a think tank. He is one of the world's leading experts on mercenaries and the future of war. He advises the Pentagon, CIA, Hollywood, and gaming industry, and has appeared on all major news networks. Earlier in his career, he was a paratrooper & officer in the US Army's 82nd Airborne. From there, Sean transitioned into a global private military contractor with experience in Africa.

With McFate's fiction and nonfiction books praised by James Patterson ("Might be the next Tom Clancy"), Mark Greaney, James Rollins. Ted Bell, US Admirals, Generals, a former Director of the UK's MI6, and plenty of others you know that you're in for adventure.

This series outing takes place mostly in the USA... and it is raucous. I believe that he may have written the third Tom Locke novel without his co-author of the previous two, Bret Witter and the tone, voice, or rhythm of this particular novel is just a bit different from "Shadow War" or "Deep Black"... just a little "heads up" from me. Your still going to enjoy it if you liked the previous two.

I am going to close out this review with a line from the author himself which I found on LinkedIn:
"My favorite novel of the trilogy. It started as a memoir and ended as fiction. Tom Locke, the hero, is a likable mercenary stuck in-between some sticky geopolitics."

[Phoebe S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to William Morrow for my ARC.

The plot in this book was incredibly intricate, conspiracy entwining around conspiracy. There are reveals up until almost the last page. I saw some of them coming, sure, but many were surprising and took the story in a thrilling new direction.

The characters were alright- honestly, this book seems more plot-driven than character driven. There were, however, a few notable exceptions. Jennifer Lin, an FBI agent with unorthodox methods, has a good deal of personality, and the National Security Advisor in this book was pretty good, too. However, most were just OK.

The romance, too, feels a little odd. It leans into some of my least favorite tropes and the timing doesn't seem realistic. Also, the first couple pages feel a little stilted, and McFate sometimes seems to define a word right out rather than allowing the reader to get an impression of what he means, which can interrupt the flow a bit.

That being said, the vast majority of this is great action, stunning plot twists, and snappy dialogue. There are even a few observations on the way mercenaries and companies have gained prominence in world politics today- they weren't very prominent, but I'd still like to see McFate's input in terms of the plausibility of certain scenarios here. Some seemed completely fictional, but I think that his experience and study may inform his plot lines as well.

All in all, this is a very serviceable thriller that made for a gripping, enjoyable read.

[Kathleen Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fans of the global conspiracy political action thriller should give this a try. The opening- the attack on the Vice President's motorcade- will pull you in. What will keep you reading are the alternating viewpoints of our hero Tom Locke and FBI SA Jennifer Lin. They both think they know who is behind this and other events but it's not that easy. Apollo Outcomes, which Tom used to work for, is the culprit but it's not the only one. No spoilers but this has some twists. Don't worry if you haven't read the earlier books (I did read the first one), this is fine as a standalone because McFate gives the right amount of back story. This isn't deep and if the writing is a little clunky at times, it's still a page turner. Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC. This would, indeed, be a good plane novel if we were going that but it's also a good one for the couch.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

High Treason was my introduction to character Tom Locke and author Sean McFate. This book starts out with the murder of the vice president of the united States and his wife. As their motorcade crosses a bridge, it explodes. Now the question is who is responsible. Jennifer Lin, an FBI agent, thinks Russia did it. Tom Locke believes it was Apollo Outcomes, a covert world power. The primary customer of Apollo is the United States government. Tom thinks they blew up the bridge and made it look like the work of terrorists. Apollo believes that Tom is dead. He knows that Apollo could only have pulled off the hit with help from inside the government. There is a traitor leaking information. This book is action packed. There are surprises and narrow escapes. It is an entertaining read.

[Sheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won a copy of this novel, but this is an honest review.

This is not one of the genres I usually read but it sounded very interesting. I'm glad I expanded my reading horizons. I will admit that since I'm not the most tech savvy person some of the detailed descriptions went well over my head, but was still able to get into the story. I bet those parts are super interesting to others though.

The end of this novel sets up the reader so that you are led right into the set up for Sean McFate's next novel. I think I'll need to try other novels by this author to see if I have discovered a new genre I like after all. I think recommend people give this book a chance especially if you enjoy thrillers or political intrigue.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

The opening scene is taut and thrilling, no question about it. For some reason, author Sean McFate loses me with his dialog. He is so good with his fast moving, compelling scenes and military expertise and his dialog is clunky and awkward, at best. I have tried reading all of the previous books in this series and the dialog just hasn’t improved and it really interferes with my enjoyment of this series. HIGH TREASON continues the general theme set out in the earlier books of our hero for hire against all odds. He aims to save the day and the epilogue, like many James Bond movies, suggests there will be future adventures. I received my copy from the publisher through Edelweiss.

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thought it sounded promising but the high tech helicopter drone fight above the National Mall kind of changed my mind. Tom Locke is wanted for treason and espionage and his former employer who set him up, is now plotting a horrendous attack on the US: domestic terrorism, front and center. He returns to the US clandestinely, from his refuge abroad, to find and capture his nemesis.
He pairs up with an equally renegade FBI lady and, for me, it really goes blah from there.
Too many villians in the highest echelon of government to believe and a helicopter battle over the Washington monument is just a little above and beyond.
No high reason for me to really like it.

[Bobby · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fun action, modern day, international, private army, political conspiracy thriller.

And then the love story happens. You take two characters willing to sacrifice everything for their country due to their unshakable sense of duty who somehow get distracted .... by the allure of getting some action under the sheets. It ends up cheapening everything we’ve been told about these two.

The action scenes are well told, if not a touch overlong and indulgent. The dialogue though...hoo boy is it weapons-grade cringe. High Treason is decent high concept palate cleanser, but some of the execution is a touch ham-fisted.

I’d go 2.5 if I could, but for now I’m going to round down.

[Alexis]

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book via Goodreads giveaway.

I will not provide a rating of this book. I read about 100 pages, and I won't be finishing. The descriptions of the battles (if that's what they're called) really bogged me down. Reading about fighting isn't interesting to me. The other parts of the book were okay. I think this book would be better suited for people who like descriptions of battles and/or wars.

I wish the synopsis of the book provided more context as to the type of book this is. If I would have realized, I wouldn't have requested an ARC.

[James Winchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was not disappointed one bit with this book. First time reading Sean McFate and I have to say I’m a fan. The pace and action keep me coming back and wanting to read more each day. Can definitely see the comparison to Tom Clancy. The cliffhanger has me patiently waiting to see if Tom Locke #4 is coming out and when. Again a strong book. I would recommend it to anyone who reads Tom Clancy, Mark Greaney, Brad Taylor and Andrews and Wilson.

[Gray C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Non stop suspense. The character development is top tier. It's one of those books I didn't want to put down. I purposefully read it slow so that I didn't finish too fast to let the suspense build up. It's interesting that a lot of the political topics are pertinent to today's climate which made it even more interesting to read. If I come across more McFate books, they're an automatic read. This books an absolute banger

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first by Sean Mcfate and it won’t be my last! Great book for fans of Brad Thor, Vince Flynn, etc. Fun, fast-paced book. Tom Locke is in hiding after being double crossed by his mentor and company. But when the Vice President is assassinated, he knows who is behind it and comes home to try to catch the conspirators. Great, quick read!

[Alan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This guy can really write. His novel is action from beginning to end.I rated it five stars but this is one novel that I could have given more If they were available.Good character development, and excellent storyline. I will look forward to his next book.My highest praise is that I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.

[Donna Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

What if this isn't just a story? What would happen if the white house had traitors inside? What special ops teams are out their that have better technology, elite training, and think they are doing the right thing? This book makes you wonder...

is it just a story or is there truth hidden in these pages? I wonder...

will you?

[David Steele · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great fast read. Just a good old fashioned good guys versus bad guys shoot them up. A high tech western if you will. I also appreciated that the story was not full of the usual right wing BS that so many of these action thrillers thrive on. I will keep my eyes open for the next Locke book.

[Charles Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

First Time Sean McFate read

My first time reading Sean McFate and it was a good story, good characters and spent a good time building the characters. Some elements were a little bit of a stretch but it was still entertaining and the finish set up the next chapter of the Tom, Jen and Lava adventure...I look forward to it and will certainly will read it!

[Jean AbiNader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great thrill ride through the halls of contemporary warfare

Character development, tapestry of action sequences, and factual portraits make this a top notch read. Just jump in and go for the wild ride.

[Larry Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Author doesn't seem to understand military terminology.
One or two gaffes is okay, but he surpassed his quota in this book.
He apparently doesn't understand the difference between 'instances' and 'incidents'.
In general the dialogue is just a little too elaborate and breathless for my taste.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Good airport reading! Really liked Tom and Jennifer. Some of the technology employed by the special forces guys was a bit far fetched. Overall the plot kept moving. I will keep an eye out for the next one and read it as well.

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story! Who doesn’t love a good fight full of guessing who is on which side and how will they win??!?? If you like spy novels that keep you twisting then you will really enjoy this book and say Hey when is the next one coming? Enjoy - and be safe. (Wink)

[Joseph H. Sorrentino · Rating 5 out of 5]

fantastic read

This was a new author to me that was recommend from an author I read a lot. It did not let me down Sean is now on my list of authors to read. I highly recommend checking this out

[Bob Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

When a Russian mercenary group joins with an American mercenary group plans to overthrow the US government, starting with a presidential assassination attempt. Plenty of action, so much that it takes pages from the characters. Can't say I really enjoyed it as much as other action yarns.