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Judgment at Alcatraz: A Danya Biton Novel
" Judgement at Alcatraz is a powerhouse thriller with an undercurrent of layered social commentary." -John M. Murray, Foreword Reviews
Fans of Jon Land's Caitlin Strong series and of James Rollin's Seichan will identify with and devour the Danya Biton series.
Capitalizing on a peaceful protest for Native American rights, a small, extremist militia swiftly seizes Alcatraz Island and holds more than 200 people hostage. Their return all lands taken from Indigenous Peoples through broken treaties, or an armada of drones will render the San Francisco Bay Area a glowing ruin, uninhabitable for decades.
Former Mossad assassin Danya Biton and her friend Toby Riddle are thrown headlong into the conflict. As the authorities debate the cost of acquiescing to the demands versus the loss of civilian lives, Danya--on the run from agencies on both sides of the Atlantic--offers the only hope for rescuing the hostages and preventing an unprecedented disaster... but she may have to sacrifice herself to save the others.
PRAISE FOR DAVE EDLUND
"Edlund is right at home with his bestselling brethren, Brad Thor and Brad Taylor." -Jon Land, USA Today bestselling author of the Caitlin Strong series
"belongs on the shelf with the best military fiction out there" -James Rollins, #1 New York Times author of international thrillers
"compulsively readable" -Publishers Weekly
"action on almost every page" -Foreword Reviews
"Edlund’s lean prose and whipsmart dialogue propel readers... at a breathtaking pace." -K.J. Howe, international bestselling author of Skyjack
"required reading for any thriller aficionado" -Steve Berry, New York Times and #1 international bestselling author
"plenty of heart-racing action" - San Francisco Book Review
Fans of Jon Land's Caitlin Strong series and of James Rollin's Seichan will identify with and devour the Danya Biton series.
Capitalizing on a peaceful protest for Native American rights, a small, extremist militia swiftly seizes Alcatraz Island and holds more than 200 people hostage. Their return all lands taken from Indigenous Peoples through broken treaties, or an armada of drones will render the San Francisco Bay Area a glowing ruin, uninhabitable for decades.
Former Mossad assassin Danya Biton and her friend Toby Riddle are thrown headlong into the conflict. As the authorities debate the cost of acquiescing to the demands versus the loss of civilian lives, Danya--on the run from agencies on both sides of the Atlantic--offers the only hope for rescuing the hostages and preventing an unprecedented disaster... but she may have to sacrifice herself to save the others.
PRAISE FOR DAVE EDLUND
"Edlund is right at home with his bestselling brethren, Brad Thor and Brad Taylor." -Jon Land, USA Today bestselling author of the Caitlin Strong series
"belongs on the shelf with the best military fiction out there" -James Rollins, #1 New York Times author of international thrillers
"compulsively readable" -Publishers Weekly
"action on almost every page" -Foreword Reviews
"Edlund’s lean prose and whipsmart dialogue propel readers... at a breathtaking pace." -K.J. Howe, international bestselling author of Skyjack
"required reading for any thriller aficionado" -Steve Berry, New York Times and #1 international bestselling author
"plenty of heart-racing action" - San Francisco Book Review
- GenresFiction
282 pages, Paperback
Published April 27, 2021
About the author
Dave Edlund
16 books110 followersDave Edlund, is the USA TODAY best selling author of the high-octane, award-winning Peter Savage novels. His latest, Judgment at Alcatraz, is available April 27 from your favorite bookseller.
Advance praise for Lethal Savage
“Brimming with reality, intensity, and passion, Dave Edlund turns the ordinary into extraordinary. A rousing tale." ─ Steve Berry, New York Times and #1 International bestselling author of more than 15 novels
"Lethal Savage is a wondrously effective, ticking clock bio-thriller in the best tradition of Doug Preston and James Rollins. Dave Edlund's latest tale to feature his stalwart Peter Savage features the ultimate high-stakes plot to either destroy America or change it forever. Lethal Savage never lets up or lets us down, while making masterful use of both contemporary geopolitics and cutting-edge technology. A tour de force in all respects!" ─ Jon Land, USA TODAY bestselling author of the Murder, She Wrote series and Caitlin Strong series
“Edlund’s lean prose and whip-smart dialogue propel readers through this frighteningly realistic thriller at a breathtaking pace." ─ K. J. Howe, international bestselling author of SKYJACK
"I would follow Peter Savage into any firefight," says James Rollins, New York Times bestseller of The Demon Crown.
A member of the International Thriller Writers, Dave’s action-political thrillers are often compared to the Dirk Pitt novels by Clive Cussler, the Sigma Series novels by James Rollins, the Jack Ryan novels by Tom Clancy, and the international thrillers of Steve Berry.
When Dave isn’t cooking up the latest adventure for Peter Savage, readers can find him working as a leading expert in hydrogen energy. He is an inventor on 90 US Patents and more than 120 foreign patents. He has published in excess of 100 technical articles and presentations and has been an invited author of several technical books on alternative energy. Dave is a graduate of the University of Oregon with a doctoral degree in chemistry.
An avid outdoorsman and shooter, he’s hunted throughout North America for big game ranging from wild boar to moose to bear. Edlund is a long-time resident of Bend, Oregon, where he lives with his wife, son, and four dogs.
Read more about the Peter Savage novels.
Advance praise for Lethal Savage
“Brimming with reality, intensity, and passion, Dave Edlund turns the ordinary into extraordinary. A rousing tale." ─ Steve Berry, New York Times and #1 International bestselling author of more than 15 novels
"Lethal Savage is a wondrously effective, ticking clock bio-thriller in the best tradition of Doug Preston and James Rollins. Dave Edlund's latest tale to feature his stalwart Peter Savage features the ultimate high-stakes plot to either destroy America or change it forever. Lethal Savage never lets up or lets us down, while making masterful use of both contemporary geopolitics and cutting-edge technology. A tour de force in all respects!" ─ Jon Land, USA TODAY bestselling author of the Murder, She Wrote series and Caitlin Strong series
“Edlund’s lean prose and whip-smart dialogue propel readers through this frighteningly realistic thriller at a breathtaking pace." ─ K. J. Howe, international bestselling author of SKYJACK
"I would follow Peter Savage into any firefight," says James Rollins, New York Times bestseller of The Demon Crown.
A member of the International Thriller Writers, Dave’s action-political thrillers are often compared to the Dirk Pitt novels by Clive Cussler, the Sigma Series novels by James Rollins, the Jack Ryan novels by Tom Clancy, and the international thrillers of Steve Berry.
When Dave isn’t cooking up the latest adventure for Peter Savage, readers can find him working as a leading expert in hydrogen energy. He is an inventor on 90 US Patents and more than 120 foreign patents. He has published in excess of 100 technical articles and presentations and has been an invited author of several technical books on alternative energy. Dave is a graduate of the University of Oregon with a doctoral degree in chemistry.
An avid outdoorsman and shooter, he’s hunted throughout North America for big game ranging from wild boar to moose to bear. Edlund is a long-time resident of Bend, Oregon, where he lives with his wife, son, and four dogs.
Read more about the Peter Savage novels.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 6 reviews
June 18, 2021
Dave Edlund, author of the fabulous SAVAGE series, is launching a new series, introducing a former MOSSAD Special Forces soldier, Danya Biton, a counterpart to American SEALs and DELTAs, who is as quick on her feet and as lethal as our warriors are. She makes a living stateside by taking assignments from the dark side of the internet. Her specialty? Eliminating greedy cartel members for other drug cartel members. Not the most pleasant or glamorous of assignments, but she views it as not exactly murder, more like killing the competition and removing an evil from the Earth as a benefit to society, and it provides an adequate livelihood for her.
The author introduces us to Danya in the middle of a western desert area, supplying backup protection to a gun, explosives, armament deal that takes a turn for the worst. It is resolved by eliminating the problem with a lethal solution. The reader gets the first whiff of trouble in the paradise that is in the Native American Indian domain.
Edlund presents to us a protagonist who can deftly handle herself in any kind of situation, who is adept at handling any weapon, utilizing creative thinking and quick assessment of a problem. She has the ability to look at any situation and evaluate the possibilities. Danya is a loner, works alone, travels alone, lives alone. But she has a soft spot for the weak and defenseless, especially children. It is her Achilles heel for not walking away.
The story line opens with Danya walking into one of those quaint roadside cafe/diners that one sees on the off road areas of America, for a meal and quickly finds herself ticked off at the behavior and actions of harassment directed to a young, scared, Native American woman, her waitress. She finds herself stepping in to physically protect the girl from being roughed up by a typical redneck bully who won’t take no for an answer. The yokel and his buddy learned quickly, the hard way, no means no, and if smart, you would walk away. Both men got roughed up a bit. Never anticipated those fists. Their stupidity in this day and age.
Danya befriends the frightened young woman, escorts her home, and when given an offer to spend the night, camps out in her travel trailer, in the barn, quietly tucked away from nosy locals and to “discourage” any other “visitors.” She learns about the girl’s Indian heritage and we,the readers, get a history on the subject of our abused Indian Nations within the history of our nation. It is not America’s finest hour. Being an Israeli,having lived through similar abuse, Danya decides to take a side trip with the young woman,Toby Riddle, to San Francisco to witness an active protest demonstration on Alcatraz by Native American Indian tribes.
You’ve heard of being at the wrong place and the wrong time? Fate makes for strange bedfellows. Danya and Toby have walked into a situation where radical Indian tribalists, turned terrorist, have commandeered the island and its visitors to execute their own agenda,one of kidnapping,killing of innocents, and blackmailing the US Government for $billions to halt the launch of drone-powered, nuclear bombs to be dropped in parks, hospitals and other sites with mass population in the Bay Area. Edlund presents you with a stunning review of the availability of nuclear isotopes in medical and commercial-industrial communities, how readily available they are, and how they may be altered and weaponized.
Everyone should have contingency plans in place when a complex plan involving militants, sophisticated weaponry, armaments, and innocents goes awry. They never anticipated encountering a battle hardened veteran, much less one from Mossad operations who follows through with tracking down every terrorist involved in this plot to avenge past wrongs done to the Native Indian population.
Edlund introduces us in a detailed background look to each primary character and how their Indian heritage influenced their lives and decision making. Through this harrowing plot of revenge, he shows us through their eyes the intense hatred found in some Indian tribes for past transgressions by the U.S. government and white society. It sends our memories back to the days of Wounded Knee. The storyline also alerts us to the need to be vigilant and aware of the environment around us, especially in tourist locales.
JUDGMENT AT ALCATRAZ has created a new female protagonist for our enjoyment who dominates the action throughout the novel. A female special forces operator adept at handling any kind of weapon from sophisticated guns to even tomahawks. This is a woman who can ably defend herself with fists, knives, whatever it takes.The tomahawk fight is jaw dropping. And yes, the author was taught how to fight with one. I asked.
This is the thriller women thriller fans have been waiting for. A female protagonist, who is intelligent, able bodied, who can handle herself in any situation, wrapped up in a fast-paced action thriller. The firefight and fight scenes will have you on the edge of your seat as they are as well written as any Carr, Thor, or Mills novel. It is clear this is a woman who means business, lives by her own code, and is lethal in the deployment of any weapon - guns, knives, fists, and even tomahawks.
I thoroughly enjoyed this ARC, JUDGMENT AT ALCATRAZ, for its portrayal of the beauty found in the Pacific Northwest, for its fair assessment of the geopolitics of the native tribes, and being given a female protagonist who lives by a code and is focused on mission achievement no matter what. This is a book you won’t put down until the last page is turned. Danya Biton is a figure you can match up to any Scot Harvath, Mitch Rapp, or James Reece , who is as trained and disciplined as they are portrayed. This is a protagonist designed to inspire women to aspire to the level of achievement of a SEAL or Ranger in today’s military in reality.
Congratulations, Dave Edlund, you definitely have a winner in your new novel, JUDGMENT AT ALCATRAZ and a series creation featuring Danya Biton, as the best of the best in female protagonists. I rate it a 5* and can’t wait until the next book of the series appears!
The author introduces us to Danya in the middle of a western desert area, supplying backup protection to a gun, explosives, armament deal that takes a turn for the worst. It is resolved by eliminating the problem with a lethal solution. The reader gets the first whiff of trouble in the paradise that is in the Native American Indian domain.
Edlund presents to us a protagonist who can deftly handle herself in any kind of situation, who is adept at handling any weapon, utilizing creative thinking and quick assessment of a problem. She has the ability to look at any situation and evaluate the possibilities. Danya is a loner, works alone, travels alone, lives alone. But she has a soft spot for the weak and defenseless, especially children. It is her Achilles heel for not walking away.
The story line opens with Danya walking into one of those quaint roadside cafe/diners that one sees on the off road areas of America, for a meal and quickly finds herself ticked off at the behavior and actions of harassment directed to a young, scared, Native American woman, her waitress. She finds herself stepping in to physically protect the girl from being roughed up by a typical redneck bully who won’t take no for an answer. The yokel and his buddy learned quickly, the hard way, no means no, and if smart, you would walk away. Both men got roughed up a bit. Never anticipated those fists. Their stupidity in this day and age.
Danya befriends the frightened young woman, escorts her home, and when given an offer to spend the night, camps out in her travel trailer, in the barn, quietly tucked away from nosy locals and to “discourage” any other “visitors.” She learns about the girl’s Indian heritage and we,the readers, get a history on the subject of our abused Indian Nations within the history of our nation. It is not America’s finest hour. Being an Israeli,having lived through similar abuse, Danya decides to take a side trip with the young woman,Toby Riddle, to San Francisco to witness an active protest demonstration on Alcatraz by Native American Indian tribes.
You’ve heard of being at the wrong place and the wrong time? Fate makes for strange bedfellows. Danya and Toby have walked into a situation where radical Indian tribalists, turned terrorist, have commandeered the island and its visitors to execute their own agenda,one of kidnapping,killing of innocents, and blackmailing the US Government for $billions to halt the launch of drone-powered, nuclear bombs to be dropped in parks, hospitals and other sites with mass population in the Bay Area. Edlund presents you with a stunning review of the availability of nuclear isotopes in medical and commercial-industrial communities, how readily available they are, and how they may be altered and weaponized.
Everyone should have contingency plans in place when a complex plan involving militants, sophisticated weaponry, armaments, and innocents goes awry. They never anticipated encountering a battle hardened veteran, much less one from Mossad operations who follows through with tracking down every terrorist involved in this plot to avenge past wrongs done to the Native Indian population.
Edlund introduces us in a detailed background look to each primary character and how their Indian heritage influenced their lives and decision making. Through this harrowing plot of revenge, he shows us through their eyes the intense hatred found in some Indian tribes for past transgressions by the U.S. government and white society. It sends our memories back to the days of Wounded Knee. The storyline also alerts us to the need to be vigilant and aware of the environment around us, especially in tourist locales.
JUDGMENT AT ALCATRAZ has created a new female protagonist for our enjoyment who dominates the action throughout the novel. A female special forces operator adept at handling any kind of weapon from sophisticated guns to even tomahawks. This is a woman who can ably defend herself with fists, knives, whatever it takes.The tomahawk fight is jaw dropping. And yes, the author was taught how to fight with one. I asked.
This is the thriller women thriller fans have been waiting for. A female protagonist, who is intelligent, able bodied, who can handle herself in any situation, wrapped up in a fast-paced action thriller. The firefight and fight scenes will have you on the edge of your seat as they are as well written as any Carr, Thor, or Mills novel. It is clear this is a woman who means business, lives by her own code, and is lethal in the deployment of any weapon - guns, knives, fists, and even tomahawks.
I thoroughly enjoyed this ARC, JUDGMENT AT ALCATRAZ, for its portrayal of the beauty found in the Pacific Northwest, for its fair assessment of the geopolitics of the native tribes, and being given a female protagonist who lives by a code and is focused on mission achievement no matter what. This is a book you won’t put down until the last page is turned. Danya Biton is a figure you can match up to any Scot Harvath, Mitch Rapp, or James Reece , who is as trained and disciplined as they are portrayed. This is a protagonist designed to inspire women to aspire to the level of achievement of a SEAL or Ranger in today’s military in reality.
Congratulations, Dave Edlund, you definitely have a winner in your new novel, JUDGMENT AT ALCATRAZ and a series creation featuring Danya Biton, as the best of the best in female protagonists. I rate it a 5* and can’t wait until the next book of the series appears!
May 10, 2021
If you are a fan of Dave Edland’s writing, you will have already read his Peter Savage Series, and will have met Danya Biton, the protagonist of Edlund’s new series. Danya is in her thirties and is an ex-member of the Israeli Massad. In effect, she is a highly trained, deadly assassin. After leaving Massad under a cloud, Danya is wanted by every major nation on Earth. She remains alive by selling her services to selected clients and remaining off the radar using the skills she acquired during her former life.
As Judgment at Alcatraz commences, Danya is between jobs and is looking for a way to redeem herself in her own eyes from things she has done in the past. She falls in with Toby Riddle, a young, smart native American involved with The American Indian Movement’s (AIM) peaceful attempts to get the government’s attention. Toby invites Danya to accompany her to a peaceful demonstration on Alcatraz Island, the former federal prison in the middle of San Francisco Bay. Danya agrees to accompany Toby. Unbeknownst to either of them, the new, radical Indigenous People’s Movement (IPM) has planned to take over Alcatraz and threaten the entire Bay Area with radioactive contamination that will cause the area to be uninhabitable for 200 years. This all happens shortly after Danya and Toby arrive on Alcatraz Island. Danya takes it upon herself to take out the IPM terrorists surreptitiously before they can carry out their threats. What happens then is Dave Edlund at his best, but you will have to read the book to find out.
Edlund uses the framework of Judgment at Alcatraz to educate his readers about the plight of the American Indian tribes scattered across America. The book changed my personal perspective as I suspect it will change yours as well. A tip of the hat to Edlund for accomplishing this without impacting his exciting tale.
I am certain that another book in this series is nearing completion. I like Danya Biton a lot. I think you will too. 5-stars for another great story!
As Judgment at Alcatraz commences, Danya is between jobs and is looking for a way to redeem herself in her own eyes from things she has done in the past. She falls in with Toby Riddle, a young, smart native American involved with The American Indian Movement’s (AIM) peaceful attempts to get the government’s attention. Toby invites Danya to accompany her to a peaceful demonstration on Alcatraz Island, the former federal prison in the middle of San Francisco Bay. Danya agrees to accompany Toby. Unbeknownst to either of them, the new, radical Indigenous People’s Movement (IPM) has planned to take over Alcatraz and threaten the entire Bay Area with radioactive contamination that will cause the area to be uninhabitable for 200 years. This all happens shortly after Danya and Toby arrive on Alcatraz Island. Danya takes it upon herself to take out the IPM terrorists surreptitiously before they can carry out their threats. What happens then is Dave Edlund at his best, but you will have to read the book to find out.
Edlund uses the framework of Judgment at Alcatraz to educate his readers about the plight of the American Indian tribes scattered across America. The book changed my personal perspective as I suspect it will change yours as well. A tip of the hat to Edlund for accomplishing this without impacting his exciting tale.
I am certain that another book in this series is nearing completion. I like Danya Biton a lot. I think you will too. 5-stars for another great story!
June 24, 2021
When Danya Biton, a former Mossad assassin, and her new friend Toby Riddle attend a peaceful protest on Alcatraz Island in support of Native American rights, they have no idea what is headed their way. An extremist Native American militia group captures the island and takes the two hundred-plus visitors, including the peaceful protestors, hostage. And they don’t plan for a happy ending. They’re demanding the return of all indigenous people’s land taken when treaties were broken or they will lay waste to San Francisco Bay area.
It falls to Danya to work out how to prevent disaster, but at what cost? She’s in a pretty tough spot, hunted by adversaries but also by her own former agency. But she can’t abandon her friend or the other hostages to what could be a tragic fate.
Mr. Edlund takes the opportunity in Judgment at Alcatraz to both educate and entertain the reader. In this thriller, not everyone is willing to peacefully educate those who may not know what has happened in the past and what they want done to remedy the situation in the present. Some are willing to sacrifice whomever they need to – innocent or not – to get to their end goal.
It falls to Danya to work out how to prevent disaster, but at what cost? She’s in a pretty tough spot, hunted by adversaries but also by her own former agency. But she can’t abandon her friend or the other hostages to what could be a tragic fate.
Mr. Edlund takes the opportunity in Judgment at Alcatraz to both educate and entertain the reader. In this thriller, not everyone is willing to peacefully educate those who may not know what has happened in the past and what they want done to remedy the situation in the present. Some are willing to sacrifice whomever they need to – innocent or not – to get to their end goal.
April 25, 2021
READ MY FULL REVIEW AT Best Thriller Books
Suspenseful, brutal and enlightening. Expect to be entertained, educated, and forced to reckon with the reality of what indigenous communities face every day.
Make sure to check out the full review
Suspenseful, brutal and enlightening. Expect to be entertained, educated, and forced to reckon with the reality of what indigenous communities face every day.
Make sure to check out the full review
May 18, 2021
Read the full review on Rosepoint Publishing.
The plight and poverty of Native American’s is well documented. When the United States leaves a property that is taken from the natives, the land is to revert to them. The island of Alcatraz is one such example.
Danya is an ex-Mossad operative who now works for the highest bidder. She is well trained, very physically fit, and an expert marksman. A gun store owner and his nephew are way out of their league. The delivery goes sideways and Danya saves their lives.
Leonard White Cloud and Sacheen Crow Dog are Native Americans who have lived in poverty their whole lives. All of their ancestral lands have been taken by the whites and promises of reparations have never been fulfilled. De-commissioned military bases and other abandoned U.S. Government properties lie idle.
It is time for the indigenous people to be compensated. Occupying Alcatraz might be a good start to that recompense. However, the U.S. Park service has turned the property into a tourist destination. No longer being used as a prison it should by rights go back to the natives that it was stolen from, but getting the property returned by peaceful means seems out of the question.
Dave Edlund has developed a very engaging tale of broken promises and reasons for the poverty indigenous people live in. This entire book is a good example of governmental promises broken and population suppression. 5 stars - CE Williams
The plight and poverty of Native American’s is well documented. When the United States leaves a property that is taken from the natives, the land is to revert to them. The island of Alcatraz is one such example.
Danya is an ex-Mossad operative who now works for the highest bidder. She is well trained, very physically fit, and an expert marksman. A gun store owner and his nephew are way out of their league. The delivery goes sideways and Danya saves their lives.
Leonard White Cloud and Sacheen Crow Dog are Native Americans who have lived in poverty their whole lives. All of their ancestral lands have been taken by the whites and promises of reparations have never been fulfilled. De-commissioned military bases and other abandoned U.S. Government properties lie idle.
It is time for the indigenous people to be compensated. Occupying Alcatraz might be a good start to that recompense. However, the U.S. Park service has turned the property into a tourist destination. No longer being used as a prison it should by rights go back to the natives that it was stolen from, but getting the property returned by peaceful means seems out of the question.
Dave Edlund has developed a very engaging tale of broken promises and reasons for the poverty indigenous people live in. This entire book is a good example of governmental promises broken and population suppression. 5 stars - CE Williams
Displaying 1 - 5 of 6 reviews