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Brannigan's Blackhearts #1
Fury in the Gulf
Seven men who aren’t ready to hang up their rifles…
…A desperate mission far from home.
Will any of them survive?
Terrorists have seized a tiny island kingdom in the Persian Gulf, and taken Americans hostage. But the Saudis are leaning on the Americans to prevent an overt response. Meanwhile, the clock is ticking for the hostages.
Enter the mercenaries.
John Brannigan retired from the Marine Corps, and isn’t all that happy about it. Now, with American lives in the balance, he’ll come back to the action, recruiting a small crew of men ready to stare death in the face.
They’re alone, outnumbered, and outgunned.
There’s no backup coming.
Have they signed up for a mission, or a suicide run?
…A desperate mission far from home.
Will any of them survive?
Terrorists have seized a tiny island kingdom in the Persian Gulf, and taken Americans hostage. But the Saudis are leaning on the Americans to prevent an overt response. Meanwhile, the clock is ticking for the hostages.
Enter the mercenaries.
John Brannigan retired from the Marine Corps, and isn’t all that happy about it. Now, with American lives in the balance, he’ll come back to the action, recruiting a small crew of men ready to stare death in the face.
They’re alone, outnumbered, and outgunned.
There’s no backup coming.
Have they signed up for a mission, or a suicide run?
268 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 1, 2020
About the author
Peter Nealen
64 books110 followersPeter Nealen is a former Recon Marine, a veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, and something of an aspiring renaissance man (emphasis on aspiring). He has long been a reader of history, philosophy, folklore, science fiction, and fantasy, and is the author of the American Praetorians series of paramilitary thrillers as well as the Jed Horn series of supernatural thrillers.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
December 20, 2017
Ahhh, this brings back memories. Back in the '80s, I used to buy and read a series of books published by Gold Eagle press. They were released monthly for the most part, and one of the series was the SOB's. It was about a Viet Vet who recruits a group of men to be mercenaries for a hostage rescue.
This book by Peter Nealen is his modern take on the genre, with a similar plot. Brannigan is an ex-Marine Colonel, who gets "asked" to leave the Corp after a successful mission to rescue hostages in Africa is against orders. This time, he is asked to rescue a group of American hostages for terrorists on the island of Khandark, situated in the Straits of Hormuz.
The island has been captured by Iranians who seek to use missiles to attack Saudi Arabia. It turns out that the missiles were originally placed there by the Saudis, in order to attack Iran in the proxy war the two states have been waging for years.
Colonel Brannigan recruits 8 men to go with him to rescue the hostages. Along the way, they have to fight gun smugglers who try to sell the Americans to Al Queda, Russian smugglers who may or not be trustworthy to extract them after the rescue, and the Iranian terrorists themselves. After several battles, with ever-increasing explosions, they free the hostages, and make their escape, only to find the Russians didn't turn up. Out of fuel, they go back to the island, have a final battle for a boat with the Iranians, extract the Oil Tanker that the Americans had originally been part of the crew on, and get away from the Al Queda supported Rebels that are left on the Island.
All in all, there were a couple of minor errors, but nothing that spoiled the story enough for me to care, and I enjoyed the book. I look forward to reading the next book in the series "Burmese Crossfire" which releases in Jan 2018.
This book by Peter Nealen is his modern take on the genre, with a similar plot. Brannigan is an ex-Marine Colonel, who gets "asked" to leave the Corp after a successful mission to rescue hostages in Africa is against orders. This time, he is asked to rescue a group of American hostages for terrorists on the island of Khandark, situated in the Straits of Hormuz.
The island has been captured by Iranians who seek to use missiles to attack Saudi Arabia. It turns out that the missiles were originally placed there by the Saudis, in order to attack Iran in the proxy war the two states have been waging for years.
Colonel Brannigan recruits 8 men to go with him to rescue the hostages. Along the way, they have to fight gun smugglers who try to sell the Americans to Al Queda, Russian smugglers who may or not be trustworthy to extract them after the rescue, and the Iranian terrorists themselves. After several battles, with ever-increasing explosions, they free the hostages, and make their escape, only to find the Russians didn't turn up. Out of fuel, they go back to the island, have a final battle for a boat with the Iranians, extract the Oil Tanker that the Americans had originally been part of the crew on, and get away from the Al Queda supported Rebels that are left on the Island.
All in all, there were a couple of minor errors, but nothing that spoiled the story enough for me to care, and I enjoyed the book. I look forward to reading the next book in the series "Burmese Crossfire" which releases in Jan 2018.
January 19, 2019
This is an immensely entertaining start to a new series that is basically a contemporary version of the old action series like The Executioner, Stony Man, and SOBs.
Following a group of mercenaries on a hostage rescue mission and with a small cast of characters, the story at first seems like it will be fairly simple and straightforward, but numerous complications and hurdles are thrown at the mercenaries. The narrative follows the mission every step of the way, with lots of detail when it comes to weapons and action scenes, giving the book a very cinematic feel, like watching a realistic version of an Expendables movie play out. Character development is limited, but there is still just enough to set everyone apart, and the frequent banter and exchanges between Brannigan's mercenaries are believable and often amusing. Actions scenes are incredibly well written. The plot moves along at a very fast pace, and this is simply one of the most purely entertaining novels I've read in a long time.
After you read this, you'll almost certainly want to jump right into the next book, Burmese Crossfire
Following a group of mercenaries on a hostage rescue mission and with a small cast of characters, the story at first seems like it will be fairly simple and straightforward, but numerous complications and hurdles are thrown at the mercenaries. The narrative follows the mission every step of the way, with lots of detail when it comes to weapons and action scenes, giving the book a very cinematic feel, like watching a realistic version of an Expendables movie play out. Character development is limited, but there is still just enough to set everyone apart, and the frequent banter and exchanges between Brannigan's mercenaries are believable and often amusing. Actions scenes are incredibly well written. The plot moves along at a very fast pace, and this is simply one of the most purely entertaining novels I've read in a long time.
After you read this, you'll almost certainly want to jump right into the next book, Burmese Crossfire
December 22, 2019
Former Reconnaissance Marine Peter Nealen has been a hell of a prolific writer since leaving the Corps. In addition to his extrapolated dystopian mercenary series American Praetorians, he's also written the Jeb Horn supernatural action series and the stand-alone mercenary action novel Kill Yuan.
Many would rest their laurels on having penned so many quality works in so little time, but not Nealen. Not only is he dedicated to bringing back the men's adventure and mercenary pulp genres made popular in the 1980s with such series as Sons of Barabbas and Stony Man, he is attempting to match the Gold Eagle speed of a new novel every few months with his new series, Brannigan's Blackhearts.
The first entry in this series, Fury in the Gulf, takes place largely in the fictional island nation of Khadarkh, situated in the Persian Gulf between Saudi Arabia and Iran. An Iranian proxy force storms the royal citadel, takes Americans hostage, and threatens to murder hostages if a rescue attempt is made by the US Navy. Not wanting to wait for government inertia to end, a commercial party reaches out to forcibly retired Marine Colonel John Brannigan, a hermit and a widower living in Oregon. They are willing to pay him a handsome reward to accept the legally opaque mission of infiltrating Khadarkh and rescuing the hostages.
Eager to get back into soldiering, Brannigan recruits a motley crew of old reliables from his previous unit--as well as an interpreter who was a former Army infantryman--and sets about on the impossible mission of recovering the hostages against overwhelming odds.
Despite the chosen genre being known for action bordering on Hollywood stylistic, Nealen manages to translate his penchant for gritty and realistic action into the pages of Fury in the Gulf. The plotting also shows an understanding of the politics of the region that many of the predecessors in the original men's action genre did not display. This understanding does not come at the reader like doctorate level work, however. It's just enough for the reader to understand but not enough to bog down the plot in geopolitical discussions.
The strongest point in Fury in the Gulf is the abundance of character moments, something with which Nealen initially struggled while writing American Praetorians. Brannigan is the tall, lean, thinking warrior that commands loyalty. Santelli is the loyal bulldog of a sergeant major who speaks with a wicked Bawston accent. Hancock is a grizzled former platoon sergeant. Childress is the problem child having difficulty transitioning to civilian life. Flanagan is the taciturn outdoorsman and straight man to the exuberant ladies man that is Curtis. Aziz is the blue falcon, self-hating Arab translator only brought on because their initial pick was unavailable. Their interactions prove promising and hint at being the start of a development from archetypes to fully living and breathing characters.
It's not perfect, but coming from a guy who was used to writing fully immersing and detailed action epics, the transition is less rough than one would expect. Nealen clearly has his feet underneath him with Fury in the Gulf; I have no doubt that he will find his stride in short order.
I was pleasantly entertained by Fury in the Gulf and definitely call myself a fan of Brannigan's Blackhearts. I am eagerly looking forward to the next installment, and would recommend the first installment to anybody looking for balls to the wall action in a compact package.
Many would rest their laurels on having penned so many quality works in so little time, but not Nealen. Not only is he dedicated to bringing back the men's adventure and mercenary pulp genres made popular in the 1980s with such series as Sons of Barabbas and Stony Man, he is attempting to match the Gold Eagle speed of a new novel every few months with his new series, Brannigan's Blackhearts.
The first entry in this series, Fury in the Gulf, takes place largely in the fictional island nation of Khadarkh, situated in the Persian Gulf between Saudi Arabia and Iran. An Iranian proxy force storms the royal citadel, takes Americans hostage, and threatens to murder hostages if a rescue attempt is made by the US Navy. Not wanting to wait for government inertia to end, a commercial party reaches out to forcibly retired Marine Colonel John Brannigan, a hermit and a widower living in Oregon. They are willing to pay him a handsome reward to accept the legally opaque mission of infiltrating Khadarkh and rescuing the hostages.
Eager to get back into soldiering, Brannigan recruits a motley crew of old reliables from his previous unit--as well as an interpreter who was a former Army infantryman--and sets about on the impossible mission of recovering the hostages against overwhelming odds.
Despite the chosen genre being known for action bordering on Hollywood stylistic, Nealen manages to translate his penchant for gritty and realistic action into the pages of Fury in the Gulf. The plotting also shows an understanding of the politics of the region that many of the predecessors in the original men's action genre did not display. This understanding does not come at the reader like doctorate level work, however. It's just enough for the reader to understand but not enough to bog down the plot in geopolitical discussions.
The strongest point in Fury in the Gulf is the abundance of character moments, something with which Nealen initially struggled while writing American Praetorians. Brannigan is the tall, lean, thinking warrior that commands loyalty. Santelli is the loyal bulldog of a sergeant major who speaks with a wicked Bawston accent. Hancock is a grizzled former platoon sergeant. Childress is the problem child having difficulty transitioning to civilian life. Flanagan is the taciturn outdoorsman and straight man to the exuberant ladies man that is Curtis. Aziz is the blue falcon, self-hating Arab translator only brought on because their initial pick was unavailable. Their interactions prove promising and hint at being the start of a development from archetypes to fully living and breathing characters.
It's not perfect, but coming from a guy who was used to writing fully immersing and detailed action epics, the transition is less rough than one would expect. Nealen clearly has his feet underneath him with Fury in the Gulf; I have no doubt that he will find his stride in short order.
I was pleasantly entertained by Fury in the Gulf and definitely call myself a fan of Brannigan's Blackhearts. I am eagerly looking forward to the next installment, and would recommend the first installment to anybody looking for balls to the wall action in a compact package.
July 24, 2022
This is my first book by this author.
The book starts with John Brannigan (of the yet to be named Brannigan's Blackhearts) who is struggling with retirement from the Marine Corp. A friend comes over with a job, and that kicks off the team building sequence. There's some training but not nearly enough because time is short.
A fictional island in the Persian Gulf has been taken over by the Iranian QODS. No one knows why, but they're serious. A company is offering a serious amount of money to resolve the situation, and that's what this team does.
Things do not go to plan.
I enjoyed this, but I prefer my military fiction to have a sci-fi element to it. This is good, no question about it, but it didn't hit my sweet spot. The story moves along at a quick pace as the team encounters one problem after another, and the tension builds in a satisfying way.
It's all good. It's just not in space. 4/5*
The book starts with John Brannigan (of the yet to be named Brannigan's Blackhearts) who is struggling with retirement from the Marine Corp. A friend comes over with a job, and that kicks off the team building sequence. There's some training but not nearly enough because time is short.
A fictional island in the Persian Gulf has been taken over by the Iranian QODS. No one knows why, but they're serious. A company is offering a serious amount of money to resolve the situation, and that's what this team does.
Things do not go to plan.
I enjoyed this, but I prefer my military fiction to have a sci-fi element to it. This is good, no question about it, but it didn't hit my sweet spot. The story moves along at a quick pace as the team encounters one problem after another, and the tension builds in a satisfying way.
It's all good. It's just not in space. 4/5*
October 17, 2021
Another great series from Peter Nealen!
I've just finished all of Peter Nealen's books so far in Maelstrom Rising series and was very pleased to find that Brannigan's Blackhearts is more of the same great action packed entertaining novels I've become to look forward too. I love the way he writes his books, the characters feel real and there's never a dull moment. I highly recommend reading Mr Nealen's 📚 if you're a Tom Clancy fan. So far every book has been topnotch and I'd bet money the rest are the same. On to my next one.
I've just finished all of Peter Nealen's books so far in Maelstrom Rising series and was very pleased to find that Brannigan's Blackhearts is more of the same great action packed entertaining novels I've become to look forward too. I love the way he writes his books, the characters feel real and there's never a dull moment. I highly recommend reading Mr Nealen's 📚 if you're a Tom Clancy fan. So far every book has been topnotch and I'd bet money the rest are the same. On to my next one.
January 3, 2022
The birth of a brand new mercenary group--Brannigan's Blackhearts. Their first effort is directed at the rescue of a group of hostages held by a radical Islamic group in the Mediterranean. There are several groups, representing different aspects of Islamic terrorism, operating on the island, each with their own agenda. Brannigan and his crew are forced to make several "on-the-fly" adjustments in their effort to rescue the hostages without starting an all-out war in the Middle East. This one has a lot of action, an astronomical body count, and a few unexpected twists and turns.
January 4, 2023
Action packed and short, with the action parts written clearly and concisely. Unfortunately, only a quarter into the book, you'll know exactly how it will end. The bad guys and obstacles that the team comes across seem much bigger/interesting at first than they turn out to be. Can be a fun read if you're in the mood for something movie-esque, but it just feels like it plays it too safe, an A-Team type of adventure with a bit more gore.
Read
February 4, 2022I liked not But...
The first part of the book where they were preparing for the mission, I enjoyed. Not so much thereafter. Too much military lingo, and repetitive graphic description of violence. Pages just describing them trying to get up a wall or through a door. Was exhausting.
The first part of the book where they were preparing for the mission, I enjoyed. Not so much thereafter. Too much military lingo, and repetitive graphic description of violence. Pages just describing them trying to get up a wall or through a door. Was exhausting.
November 1, 2020
A little bit over the top
It was one that kept your interest, even if being slightly unbelievable. The possibilities of a force that small accomplishing those results, without receiving any casualties, pretty well beyond belief.
It was one that kept your interest, even if being slightly unbelievable. The possibilities of a force that small accomplishing those results, without receiving any casualties, pretty well beyond belief.
March 4, 2021
Terrific Romp for action fans
I just finished this book. While I felt it got off to a bit of a slow start, once it got going, I couldn't put it down. A handful of nerds on a rescue mission against overwhelming odds to fight their way through an incredible adventure.
I just finished this book. While I felt it got off to a bit of a slow start, once it got going, I couldn't put it down. A handful of nerds on a rescue mission against overwhelming odds to fight their way through an incredible adventure.
August 16, 2022
A bad military version of Blackhawk down
I thought after reading the Malestorm Rising series this would’ve been good but it just came off too gun-oo in a bad way has everyone going into the dark with trigger fingers has I never felt real military discipline.
I thought after reading the Malestorm Rising series this would’ve been good but it just came off too gun-oo in a bad way has everyone going into the dark with trigger fingers has I never felt real military discipline.
October 3, 2022
Another amazing thriller
I started this series with the author's last book And found this 1st book in the series to be just as good ! It's quite an adventure, Full Of great action And great Americans.
I started this series with the author's last book And found this 1st book in the series to be just as good ! It's quite an adventure, Full Of great action And great Americans.
December 1, 2022
A good book!
Well all i got to say is i read one of Blackhearts books and I was hooked so I started reading at the first one and now on to the second one and till I get all of them read thanks to zPeter Nealen a great series!
Well all i got to say is i read one of Blackhearts books and I was hooked so I started reading at the first one and now on to the second one and till I get all of them read thanks to zPeter Nealen a great series!
November 19, 2017
Good story
Another great story. Keep it up Peter. Thank you! It says I need eleven more words to complete this survey. There you go, thanks again.
Another great story. Keep it up Peter. Thank you! It says I need eleven more words to complete this survey. There you go, thanks again.
June 21, 2018
A wild ride in a setting too real for comfort.
December 31, 2020
An author who knows his business
Good read great characters. Reminded me of Dogs of War and J C Pollocks Mission MIA as it developed. Pete's real world experience shines thru
Good read great characters. Reminded me of Dogs of War and J C Pollocks Mission MIA as it developed. Pete's real world experience shines thru
March 17, 2021
Good
This is a Good Book. It was a little slow to get into, but at about 1/3 way in it picked up for me and then it was hard to put down.
This is a Good Book. It was a little slow to get into, but at about 1/3 way in it picked up for me and then it was hard to put down.
Read
January 28, 2022What a Rush
From start to finish a great book to read for enjoyment. A straight action adventure that will hold you spell bound start to finish
From start to finish a great book to read for enjoyment. A straight action adventure that will hold you spell bound start to finish
May 12, 2022
Midwestern Insanity
This tale is crammed with action . The good guys have a goal which is altered by circumstances. The bad guys have save goal which was blown to pieces.
This tale is crammed with action . The good guys have a goal which is altered by circumstances. The bad guys have save goal which was blown to pieces.
May 13, 2026
Enjoyed it. A pretty fun, no nonsense read that doesn't try too hard to be smart or sophisticated. Gets straight to the plot, sticks to it and ends quickly.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews