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CERTAIN JEOPARDY
Six American men live behind a protective façade, their real work hidden from neighbors and friends. Different in countless ways, they are intimately the same in at any moment their lives can be altered with a phone call, and their actions may change the world.
They are Special Ops. And one team’s mission is about to hit certain jeopardy status when the discovery of an Al Qaeda base in Venezuela becomes secondary to thwarting the transport of a nuclear weapons expert from that training camp to Iran.
Informed by the true combat experience of Captain Jeff Struecker and finessed by award-winning novelist Alton Gansky, Certain Jeopardy is an immersing and pulsating fictional account of what really happens at every level of a stealth the physical enemy encounter, the spiritual war fought within a soldier, and the emotional battles in families back at home.
They are Special Ops. And one team’s mission is about to hit certain jeopardy status when the discovery of an Al Qaeda base in Venezuela becomes secondary to thwarting the transport of a nuclear weapons expert from that training camp to Iran.
Informed by the true combat experience of Captain Jeff Struecker and finessed by award-winning novelist Alton Gansky, Certain Jeopardy is an immersing and pulsating fictional account of what really happens at every level of a stealth the physical enemy encounter, the spiritual war fought within a soldier, and the emotional battles in families back at home.
385 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 7, 2022
8 people are currently reading
8 people want to read
About the author
Jeff Struecker
12 books30 followersChaplain (Major) Jeff Struecker was born in Fort Dodge, Iowa. He entered the Army as an enlisted soldier in September 1987 and remained on active duty until April 2000 when he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the US Army Reserve as a Chaplain Candidate. He confessed Christ as Savior as a teenager and was called to the ministry while serving with the 75th Ranger Regiment in Ft. Benning, Georgia.
He served for ten years in the 75th Ranger Regiment in positions from Ranger Reconnaissance Specialist to Platoon Sergeant. While serving in the 75th Ranger Regiment, Chaplain Struecker competed in the David L. Grange Best Ranger Competition for three consecutive years. His efforts culminated with a first place finish in 1996. He also served as an Assistant Instructor of Military Science at the University of Louisville and was recognized in 1998 as the US Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) Noncommissioned Officer of the year.
Throughout his career Chaplain Struecker has attended numerous professional military schools and has received many awards and commendations. Some of his awards include the Ranger Tab, Combat Infantryman's Badge, Pathfinder Badge, Master Parachutists Wings, Military Freefall Master Parachutist Wings, British Parachutist Wings, Thai Parachutist Wings, German Parachutist Wings, and German Sports Efficiency Badge. He has been awarded other commendations and decorations for successful completion of professional military schools throughout his military career.
His combat experience includes participation in Operation Just Cause in Panama, Operation Iris Gold in Kuwait, Operation Gothic Serpent, in Mogadishu, Somalia, and multiple tours in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, and Operation Iraqi Freedom. His awards for actions in these imminent danger zones include the Southwest Asia Service Medal (1 Service Star), Kuwaiti Liberation Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (2d award), National Defense Service Medal and the Bronze Star Medal (with "V" Device for valor, 3rd award). He has received other medals as recognition for his service in the United States Army.
Chaplain Struecker holds a Master of Divinity Degree from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, a Bachelor of Science Degree and Associate of Science Degree from Troy University in Alabama.
Chaplain Struecker and his wife, Dawn, have five children: Aaron, Jacob, Joseph, Abigail and Lydia.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 14, 2025
Whew! That was . . . I’m not even sure how to describe the book. It was tense, complex, hard, good, heavy, exciting, tough, encouraging.
At first it was hard to figure out who was who because there were so many characters and the book moves from one person to another giving you glimpses of the members of the team, spouses, bad guy, and more. In some ways it was like a complex puzzle all coming together. But the farther I got into it, the less confusing it was.
It was very interesting learning about the Army Rangers and more things military. I have a greater respect and appreciation for them and their families.
There is a scene where a wounded man is tortured by a bad guy. It’s not graphic, but it was more than I enjoyed since I have a vivid imagination and, while I didn’t have a nightmare about it, it was hard to sleep after I read that part and not think about that scene. (Why it's a 3 star and not 4 star for me.) The other mentions of blood and wounds didn’t bother me at all.
I do like that this book is clean, and a couple of characters are Christians and pray.
If you are a sensitive reader, I wouldn’t recommend this book except with caution.
At first it was hard to figure out who was who because there were so many characters and the book moves from one person to another giving you glimpses of the members of the team, spouses, bad guy, and more. In some ways it was like a complex puzzle all coming together. But the farther I got into it, the less confusing it was.
It was very interesting learning about the Army Rangers and more things military. I have a greater respect and appreciation for them and their families.
There is a scene where a wounded man is tortured by a bad guy. It’s not graphic, but it was more than I enjoyed since I have a vivid imagination and, while I didn’t have a nightmare about it, it was hard to sleep after I read that part and not think about that scene. (Why it's a 3 star and not 4 star for me.) The other mentions of blood and wounds didn’t bother me at all.
I do like that this book is clean, and a couple of characters are Christians and pray.
If you are a sensitive reader, I wouldn’t recommend this book except with caution.
July 2, 2025
Al Quaeda, Iran, and Venezuela all team up to kidnap a nuclear physicist and ship him off to Iran. Unfortunately for them, there's a special ops team that just happened to be in Caracas on an intel gathering mission that finds themself the only thing standing in the way.
The book has early Tom Clancy vibes just updated for the next generation. I am not saying Jeff Struecker is as good a writer as TC, just that it is clear where he gets his inspiration. There are also strong Christian undertones to the book although it never quite crosses the line into the "now you are getting too preachy" category some other Christian authors do. Even someone who isn't a Christian would still be able to enjoy this book cover to cover.
It is engaging. It is gripping. In reading this you might find yourself turning "just one more page" way beyond your scheduled reading time. But it is also not earth shattering. I'd rank it somewhere a bet better than the middle of what I have read this year and wouldn't be surprised if six months from now I couldn't tell you a thing I remembered about it. But sometimes, books like that are just what we need.
The book has early Tom Clancy vibes just updated for the next generation. I am not saying Jeff Struecker is as good a writer as TC, just that it is clear where he gets his inspiration. There are also strong Christian undertones to the book although it never quite crosses the line into the "now you are getting too preachy" category some other Christian authors do. Even someone who isn't a Christian would still be able to enjoy this book cover to cover.
It is engaging. It is gripping. In reading this you might find yourself turning "just one more page" way beyond your scheduled reading time. But it is also not earth shattering. I'd rank it somewhere a bet better than the middle of what I have read this year and wouldn't be surprised if six months from now I couldn't tell you a thing I remembered about it. But sometimes, books like that are just what we need.
April 20, 2022
Wow! Such a great book with a strong cast of characters. He shows a real understanding of the military, the wives left behind to pick up the pieces at home from the soldier's sudden assignments. The often strained relationships that comes from fathers in the military. I originally picked this one up because I am a new fan of Alton Gansky. Alton had done a series with Frank Peretti and others. Anyhow, Jeff is new to me but once I started reading, I was hooked. I tend to love military stories, history etc. While this was fiction, it all seemed within reason or possibility in terms of what happens in Special Ops. Because it was so believable and interesting, I just kept reading.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews