The Exfiltrator

by Garner Simmons

Thirty-two-thousand years ago: High in the Pyrenees Mountains in what is present day Spain, a young Neanderthal is pursued and mortally wounded by a Cro-Magnon hunting party. Attempting to escape his attackers, he seeks refuge in a cave.

Today: In the holy city of Najaf, a powerful Iraqi cleric has been critically wounded in an ISIS terror attack. If he dies, peace and stability in the region die with him. The only hope rests with his son, Tariq, who has currently gone missing somewhere in the Basque mountains north of Madrid. With time running out, the CIA turns to - Michael Corbett.

American by birth and Oxford-trained, Corbett is a world-class archeologist. But to the CIA, he is an “exfiltrator”, a freelance operative who specializes in locating and extracting high value targets under extreme duress. Having been hired by the University of Salamanca to lead an archeological team into the Pyrenees to explore a newly discovered cave that may be the last redoubt of the Neanderthals, he accepts the CIA’s assignment. But there are complications....

At Oxford, he and Tariq were friends. Today, Tariq is believed to be living with a woman, a doctor named Amaia, who runs a free clinic in a remote Basque village. She was also once Corbett’s lover. At the same time an ISIS terror cell begins tracking Corbett, believing he will lead them to Tariq. Religious fanatics, they are obsessed and will stop at nothing from carrying out the “Will of God”. Racing against time and the terrorists, Corbett must find Tariq and exfiltrate him...before ISIS takes his head!

281 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 11, 2021

Reviews

[edward w dietrich · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Exfiltrator: My favorite authors include Wilbur Smith, Lee Child, Tom Clancy, Clive Cussler and others in this genre. Garner Simmons has joined this special group with his first novel. The twists and turns together with a solid detailed story line, interesting characters and their history together over time, pulls you into this thrilling story and forces you to maintain your focus. The seeming lack of emotion of the hero, fits his role but covers the human he really is and the close relationships he feels with the other characters. The joining of Spain 30,000 years ago and today, and the conflicts then and now deepen the mood and reality. This is a must read.

[Everett Egginton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well researched in terms of context, whether Simmons is referring to 32,000 BCE, contemporary northern (Basque) Spain, Jihadi extremism, or most any other geographical or sociological reference. As a mystery, however, I feel the context is too contrived, unrealistic beyond imagination--at least my imagination.