What do you think?
Rate this book
Devin Gray #3
Wide Awake
A conspiracy to incite an American civil war. The desperate chase to stop it is on in a propulsive thriller by Steven Konkoly, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Deep Sleep.
After taking out a sleeper network, Devin Gray and Marnie Young are picking up the pieces of their disrupted lives. But the gravity of the conspiracy they helped to cripple is sucking them right back into the black hole of violence and subterfuge that nearly consumed them. Another sleeper network is awake.
A progressive congresswoman dies in a car explosion, vaporized by an American kamikaze drone—the beginning of the mayhem to come. What Devin dismantled is being rebuilt. The ignite a civil war in the United States and burn America to the ground.
Seeds of unrest are planted. Threats are escalating. The clock is ticking as Devin, Marnie, and an unconventional team of allies play a cat-and-mouse game across the country to stop a domestic nightmare from coming true.
After taking out a sleeper network, Devin Gray and Marnie Young are picking up the pieces of their disrupted lives. But the gravity of the conspiracy they helped to cripple is sucking them right back into the black hole of violence and subterfuge that nearly consumed them. Another sleeper network is awake.
A progressive congresswoman dies in a car explosion, vaporized by an American kamikaze drone—the beginning of the mayhem to come. What Devin dismantled is being rebuilt. The ignite a civil war in the United States and burn America to the ground.
Seeds of unrest are planted. Threats are escalating. The clock is ticking as Devin, Marnie, and an unconventional team of allies play a cat-and-mouse game across the country to stop a domestic nightmare from coming true.
353 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 15, 2023
841 people are currently reading
2282 people want to read
About the author
Steven Konkoly
71 books1,229 followersSteven graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1993, receiving a bachelor of science in English literature. He served the next eight years on active duty, traveling the world as a naval officer assigned to various Navy and Marine Corps units. His extensive journey spanned the globe, including a two-year tour of duty in Japan and travel to more than twenty countries throughout Asia and the Middle East.
From enforcing United Nations sanctions against Iraq as a maritime boarding officer in the Arabian Gulf, to directing aircraft bombing runs and naval gunfire strikes as a Forward Air Controller (FAC) assigned to a specialized Marine Corps unit, Steven's "in-house" experience with a wide range of regular and elite military units brings a unique authenticity to his thrillers.
He still wakes up at "zero dark thirty" to write for most of the day. When "off duty," he spends as much time as possible outdoors or travelling with his family--and dog.
Steven is the bestselling author of ten novels and several novellas, including a commissioned trilogy of novellas based on the popular Wayward Pines series. His canon of work includes the popular Black Flagged Series, a gritty, no-holds barred covert operations and espionage saga; The Perseid Collapse series, a post-apocalyptic thriller epic chronicling the events surrounding an inconceivable attack on the United States; and The Fractured State series, a near future, dystopian thriller trilogy set in the drought ravaged southwest
You can contact Steven directly by email (stevekonkoly@striblingmedia.com) or through his blog (www.stevenkonkoly.com).
From enforcing United Nations sanctions against Iraq as a maritime boarding officer in the Arabian Gulf, to directing aircraft bombing runs and naval gunfire strikes as a Forward Air Controller (FAC) assigned to a specialized Marine Corps unit, Steven's "in-house" experience with a wide range of regular and elite military units brings a unique authenticity to his thrillers.
He still wakes up at "zero dark thirty" to write for most of the day. When "off duty," he spends as much time as possible outdoors or travelling with his family--and dog.
Steven is the bestselling author of ten novels and several novellas, including a commissioned trilogy of novellas based on the popular Wayward Pines series. His canon of work includes the popular Black Flagged Series, a gritty, no-holds barred covert operations and espionage saga; The Perseid Collapse series, a post-apocalyptic thriller epic chronicling the events surrounding an inconceivable attack on the United States; and The Fractured State series, a near future, dystopian thriller trilogy set in the drought ravaged southwest
You can contact Steven directly by email (stevekonkoly@striblingmedia.com) or through his blog (www.stevenkonkoly.com).
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 120 reviews
August 5, 2023
Steven Konkoly brings together diverse characters and an alarming scenario like few authors can. His third book in the Devin Gray series,
Wide Awake
, kept me reading late into the night. Devin Gray and Marnie Young are trying to return to a normal life after taking out a sleeper network. However, violence and a potential for another sleeper network has them back at work. A plan to start a civil war in the United States is underway. Threats and violence escalate. Who is behind it and can it be stopped?
As always, this author brings characters to life, especially Devin and Marnie. They’re intelligent, patriotic, self-confident, strong, and bold. However, they also have some shortcomings that readers find as the story progresses and their natures and backstories become known to readers. It was also great to visit with old friends from the Black Flagged series.
The initial chapters introduce the various characters and situations from a border patrol incident to the protagonists to various antagonists and supporting characters. However, it took a while to determine how everyone fits into the story, which takes readers from Washington DC to multiple US states to a foreign country. This novel kept me captivated from the first page to its astonishing conclusion.
Konkoly is an outstanding storyteller who kept me on the edge of my seat with gripping scenes, action, a superb plot, and fantastic writing. His military background brings an authenticity to his thrillers. He does a great job of balancing the shocking action scenes against the intrigue of the conspiracy plot and the planning of countermeasures. The dynamic plot came alive and felt all too possible with real-world issues incorporated into the story highlighting the societal and political differences between individuals and countries.
Plenty of suspense, a constant sense of urgency, a state of disquietude, and lots of action combined with great characters and a well-written plot make this novel a must read for those who enjoy thrillers. Themes include conspiracy, violence, differing political and social ideologies, duty, leadership, organization, and coordination.
Overall, this was a gripping, gritty, and chilling story with complex characters. It’s intense and dramatic and kept this reader turning the pages. It’s also my favorite of the series. I would recommend it to those who enjoy political and military thrillers. This book works well as a standalone novel. However, the background and relationship dynamics are best fully understood by reading earlier novels in the series.
Thomas and Mercer and Steven Konkoly provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date is currently set for August 15, 2023. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.
----------------------------------------
My 4.52 rounded to 5 stars review is coming soon.
As always, this author brings characters to life, especially Devin and Marnie. They’re intelligent, patriotic, self-confident, strong, and bold. However, they also have some shortcomings that readers find as the story progresses and their natures and backstories become known to readers. It was also great to visit with old friends from the Black Flagged series.
The initial chapters introduce the various characters and situations from a border patrol incident to the protagonists to various antagonists and supporting characters. However, it took a while to determine how everyone fits into the story, which takes readers from Washington DC to multiple US states to a foreign country. This novel kept me captivated from the first page to its astonishing conclusion.
Konkoly is an outstanding storyteller who kept me on the edge of my seat with gripping scenes, action, a superb plot, and fantastic writing. His military background brings an authenticity to his thrillers. He does a great job of balancing the shocking action scenes against the intrigue of the conspiracy plot and the planning of countermeasures. The dynamic plot came alive and felt all too possible with real-world issues incorporated into the story highlighting the societal and political differences between individuals and countries.
Plenty of suspense, a constant sense of urgency, a state of disquietude, and lots of action combined with great characters and a well-written plot make this novel a must read for those who enjoy thrillers. Themes include conspiracy, violence, differing political and social ideologies, duty, leadership, organization, and coordination.
Overall, this was a gripping, gritty, and chilling story with complex characters. It’s intense and dramatic and kept this reader turning the pages. It’s also my favorite of the series. I would recommend it to those who enjoy political and military thrillers. This book works well as a standalone novel. However, the background and relationship dynamics are best fully understood by reading earlier novels in the series.
Thomas and Mercer and Steven Konkoly provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date is currently set for August 15, 2023. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.
----------------------------------------
My 4.52 rounded to 5 stars review is coming soon.
April 16, 2023
Posted my review via NetGalley
August 19, 2023
A bit of a strange novel for this sub-genre.
In what might be the final book in the series, at least for a while, Devin and his fiance are thinking about getting married, when their sailboat is attacked by Russian mercs. It's all part of a vast conspiracy by the Russians to cause a Civil War, as if we need their help.
After some pretty good action, we get to the weird part, where the characters deride conspiracy theorists, even though they're actively trying to unravel a conspiracy, one that would have been called crazy and McCarthy-ist just a few years ago. Even stranger, some call thinking that maybe we should have an Inspector General for all the money we've been giving Ukraine is a conspiracy theory, and hey, the big threat of the book are American drones Russia diverted from the Ukraine. It all becomes a bit odd.
Still, the action makes the books
In what might be the final book in the series, at least for a while, Devin and his fiance are thinking about getting married, when their sailboat is attacked by Russian mercs. It's all part of a vast conspiracy by the Russians to cause a Civil War, as if we need their help.
After some pretty good action, we get to the weird part, where the characters deride conspiracy theorists, even though they're actively trying to unravel a conspiracy, one that would have been called crazy and McCarthy-ist just a few years ago. Even stranger, some call thinking that maybe we should have an Inspector General for all the money we've been giving Ukraine is a conspiracy theory, and hey, the big threat of the book are American drones Russia diverted from the Ukraine. It all becomes a bit odd.
Still, the action makes the books
March 26, 2023
An edge-of-your-seat thriller for these troubled times! Konkoly's vast military knowledge and deft writing style weave together an all-too-plausible tale of international intrigue and terrorism that may tempt you to unplug your computer and toss your phone. Really well done! (Now, I have to go back and read books 1 & 2!)
October 13, 2023
that was a marathon…
Ok…maybe I wasn’t the target audience, but this book just didn’t work for me. There were a variety of characters introduced quickly and given no character development whatsoever (this is the 6 in the series, so maybe the characters were better earlier on). Instead the characters all felt flat and one-dimensional as though they were a necessary evil that had to be utilized to get to the more interesting parts. Unfortunately, the plot could never really maintain anytime type of pacing and would go from a wild-action packed chapter with whip-lash inducing changes of viewpoint to slogging through a bunch tech mumbo-jumbo around a conference table that was the antitheses of “show don’t tell.” I know some exposition and explanations are necessary, but it was not done well.
**I received this in a Goodreads Giveaway. All opinions are my own.”
Ok…maybe I wasn’t the target audience, but this book just didn’t work for me. There were a variety of characters introduced quickly and given no character development whatsoever (this is the 6 in the series, so maybe the characters were better earlier on). Instead the characters all felt flat and one-dimensional as though they were a necessary evil that had to be utilized to get to the more interesting parts. Unfortunately, the plot could never really maintain anytime type of pacing and would go from a wild-action packed chapter with whip-lash inducing changes of viewpoint to slogging through a bunch tech mumbo-jumbo around a conference table that was the antitheses of “show don’t tell.” I know some exposition and explanations are necessary, but it was not done well.
**I received this in a Goodreads Giveaway. All opinions are my own.”
March 24, 2023
Having just concluded my read of Steven Konkoly's "Wide Awake" in the form of an ARC provided to me by the publisher, Thomas and Mercer, I feel compelled to begin my brief review with a mea culpa of sorts. I have long been aware of this author's work rather on the periphery of my reading, but, because spycraft per se tends to put me off, I have not previously read any of his work. This was a classic case of letting my personal preconceptions keep me away from an enormously talented author's work. In short, this work, focusing on a Russian plot to instigate a civil war in the United States using carefully infiltrated special forces mercenary units and high tech drones of our own manufacture is impossible to put down. The characters are interesting and well developed, and the action is non-stop. If you like the action/adventure genre with a heavy dose of technofiction served up on the side, this is a book (and a series) that you will want to get ahold of. There are several earlier books in the series, but I have not read any of them, and that did not interfere with my delight with this work (although there are references to other books in the series throughout the text, one can enjoy this book on its own terms). This is complex but not needlessly so and altogether too plausible. In the modern world, increasingly dangerous as it is, resembling Europe just before the Second World War, the events related here require far too little of "the willing suspension of disbelief." It is the kind of story that lends itself to an almost cinematic experience, and I would be surprised if no studio picks this up. Again, it is not for everyone; the violence, while not gratuitous, is omnipresent. The topic, however, rises above the action and provides a lot of food for thought.
August 2, 2023
Steven Konkoly Wide Awake
Steven Konkoly writes great books. In Wide Awake, Devin Gray and his team are fighting sleeper cells which intend to instigate a second American civil war. Great characters, spy craft, and action. Read this book!
#StevenKonkoly #NetGalley #WideAwake
Steven Konkoly writes great books. In Wide Awake, Devin Gray and his team are fighting sleeper cells which intend to instigate a second American civil war. Great characters, spy craft, and action. Read this book!
#StevenKonkoly #NetGalley #WideAwake
October 1, 2023
Plenty of action. All the alphabet soup of the US police and intelligence agencies, and several Russians of questionable reputation along with mercenary groups, mostly of no morals except the quest for money. Some politics, but I wonder about the assumptions underlying both the American and Russian philosophies, as well as their methods, even if seemingly successful for one side of that conflict.
December 13, 2023
Well this book was not short of action I can say that. I read this entire trilogy, like binging multiple seasons of "24" it can feel repetitive. It kind of felt like a series of battles with a bit of plot in there to give an excuse for the battle.
The entire concept of the trilogy and especially the last novel of an impending civil war in the USA was intriguing, and not even far-fetched, just the execution was a bit lacking. If good reads allowed half stars I would call it 2.5 stars, it was not bad, I never felt like it was a chore to finish just was not great either. I felt like an action movie and I write this knowing I am far from a book snob, I mean I love Jack Reacher.
All in all a light recommend as a hang over audio book, or a read or audio listen for a longish plane ride. I am not going to refuse to read this author again, but I would not trip over myself to get one of his books either.
The entire concept of the trilogy and especially the last novel of an impending civil war in the USA was intriguing, and not even far-fetched, just the execution was a bit lacking. If good reads allowed half stars I would call it 2.5 stars, it was not bad, I never felt like it was a chore to finish just was not great either. I felt like an action movie and I write this knowing I am far from a book snob, I mean I love Jack Reacher.
All in all a light recommend as a hang over audio book, or a read or audio listen for a longish plane ride. I am not going to refuse to read this author again, but I would not trip over myself to get one of his books either.
December 4, 2025
Figured I try this series again and still not a fan. Devin is really not the main character in the series- it's more of a team collaboration against the Russians again. They have big plans to disrupt the US. Some of their old enemies from previous books are back.
There is much fighting in a number of locations that include American made attack drones and each encounter seems similar to the last with a casualty or two on the good guy team. It felt repeptative
There is much fighting in a number of locations that include American made attack drones and each encounter seems similar to the last with a casualty or two on the good guy team. It felt repeptative
January 1, 2025
Boring and repetitive
This should have been a story filled with tension but, quite frankly, was boring and repetitive. A real disappointment, having enjoyed the previous two stories.
This should have been a story filled with tension but, quite frankly, was boring and repetitive. A real disappointment, having enjoyed the previous two stories.
December 12, 2023
Don't bother
I would not recommend this book to anyone. The premise is fine but the writing is not. Highly repetitive and boring throughout.
I would not recommend this book to anyone. The premise is fine but the writing is not. Highly repetitive and boring throughout.
April 20, 2024
Sadly this put me to sleep. I feel like I missed something. Like the first two but this one not so much.
September 28, 2024
Great read.
Another excellent book by my new found author. This series w was non stop action and very hard to put down. I look forward anxiously to his other books.
Another excellent book by my new found author. This series w was non stop action and very hard to put down. I look forward anxiously to his other books.
July 8, 2023
As others have mentioned in their reviews, WIDE AWAKE, the third and final entry in Steven Konkoly's Devin Gray Military Thriller series, starts off with a literal bang. Well, after a couple of chapters setting things up, but the action doesn't let up for very long once things get started, with a 10 chapter running gun battle as the book's first set piece. Hit squads from around the world, under Russian direction, sow terror throughout in an attempt to spark a civil war between left and right.
Gray and former helicopter hot shot Marnie Young return as the key figures, along with veteran spooks Karl Berg and Audra Bauer, while Richard Farrington, protege of General Terrence Sanderson's out-of-country mercenary organization, once again puts his crack outfit to work as the primary operators on Gray's Deep Sleep Task Force.
Russian hit squad leader Yuri Pichugin, who barely survived an Israeli attack in the previous entry of the series, is sprung from a hidden US prison where his master Vladimir Putin has had him on ice for a year, with one last chance to please the Russian leader. In turn he offers hitman Felix Orlov *his* last chance to take out Gray and his fellow Deep Sleep TF members who have been dogging Russian sleeper agents for the last two books. Putin and Pichugin want them gone before they can foil their latest attempt to do major damage in the US, as hit teams target good guys on both coasts and start killing anyone they can who opposes the Russian's operations here, both militarily and politically, on their way to fomenting America's next civil conflict.
While reading the previous entry in the series I was tweeting that Konkoly's thrillers offered up a John Wick on steroids level of action, and WIDE AWAKE does not disappoint on that count. As also noted by other reviewers, you can thoroughly enjoy WIDE AWAKE by itself, but it is best read as the final entry of the Devin Gray trilogy, or even as part of several interconnected series listed below.
The Devin Gray series and several others have crossovers with characters from Konkoly's best known series, Black Flagged, with a 25 year timeline from the 6 volume Black Flagged through Ryan Decker's four books, the Devin Gray trilogy and final trio The Zulu Virus Chronicles. These 16 and some shorts join his 6 book Alex Fletcher series as some of the best action-oriented military thrillers in the business under the banner of The Wider Black Flagged World. If any of the names above are unfamiliar -aside from Russian president Putin - reading these series in order will not only entertain thriller fans immensely but familiarize you with the entire bunch and more. They are all well worth getting to know.
My thanks go out to NetGalley and publisher Thomas and Mercer for an Advance Review Copy of WIDE AWAKE. My rating of 5 stars reflects my honest opinion of this exciting read, and I can't wait to see what Konkoly's got lined up to follow it. Reading WIDE AWAKE prompted me to finally read my last two entries from Konkoly's backlist, FRACTURED STATE and ROGUE STATE, to tide me over for, well, at least a few days. I read WIDE AWAKE IN two!
Gray and former helicopter hot shot Marnie Young return as the key figures, along with veteran spooks Karl Berg and Audra Bauer, while Richard Farrington, protege of General Terrence Sanderson's out-of-country mercenary organization, once again puts his crack outfit to work as the primary operators on Gray's Deep Sleep Task Force.
Russian hit squad leader Yuri Pichugin, who barely survived an Israeli attack in the previous entry of the series, is sprung from a hidden US prison where his master Vladimir Putin has had him on ice for a year, with one last chance to please the Russian leader. In turn he offers hitman Felix Orlov *his* last chance to take out Gray and his fellow Deep Sleep TF members who have been dogging Russian sleeper agents for the last two books. Putin and Pichugin want them gone before they can foil their latest attempt to do major damage in the US, as hit teams target good guys on both coasts and start killing anyone they can who opposes the Russian's operations here, both militarily and politically, on their way to fomenting America's next civil conflict.
While reading the previous entry in the series I was tweeting that Konkoly's thrillers offered up a John Wick on steroids level of action, and WIDE AWAKE does not disappoint on that count. As also noted by other reviewers, you can thoroughly enjoy WIDE AWAKE by itself, but it is best read as the final entry of the Devin Gray trilogy, or even as part of several interconnected series listed below.
The Devin Gray series and several others have crossovers with characters from Konkoly's best known series, Black Flagged, with a 25 year timeline from the 6 volume Black Flagged through Ryan Decker's four books, the Devin Gray trilogy and final trio The Zulu Virus Chronicles. These 16 and some shorts join his 6 book Alex Fletcher series as some of the best action-oriented military thrillers in the business under the banner of The Wider Black Flagged World. If any of the names above are unfamiliar -aside from Russian president Putin - reading these series in order will not only entertain thriller fans immensely but familiarize you with the entire bunch and more. They are all well worth getting to know.
My thanks go out to NetGalley and publisher Thomas and Mercer for an Advance Review Copy of WIDE AWAKE. My rating of 5 stars reflects my honest opinion of this exciting read, and I can't wait to see what Konkoly's got lined up to follow it. Reading WIDE AWAKE prompted me to finally read my last two entries from Konkoly's backlist, FRACTURED STATE and ROGUE STATE, to tide me over for, well, at least a few days. I read WIDE AWAKE IN two!
June 18, 2023
I received this book apparently some time ago (as Netgalley had a reminder on my login page to post a review and rating) from the author, the publishing company, and the fine folks at Netgalley.
I might have had the opportunity to read a book or two from this author's writings, but apparently not from this series. This book is a definite edge-of-your-seat thriller for these troubled times! Konkoly's vast military knowledge and deft writing style weave together an all-too-plausible tale of international intrigue and terrorism that may tempt you to unplug your computer and toss your phone. Really well done! (Now, I have to go back and read books 1 & 2!)
This was a classic case of letting my personal preconceptions keep me away from an enormously talented author's work. In short, this work, focusing on a Russian plot to instigate a civil war in the United States using carefully infiltrated special forces mercenary units and high-tech drones of our own manufacture is impossible to put down. The characters are interesting and well-developed, and the action is non-stop. If you like the action/adventure genre with a heavy dose of techno fiction served up on the side, this is a book (and a series) that you will want to get ahold of. There are several earlier books in the series, but I have not read any of them, and that did not interfere with my delight with this work (although there are references to other books in the series throughout the text, one can enjoy this book on its own terms). The story is complex but not needlessly so and (unfortunately) altogether too plausible.
In the modern world, increasingly dangerous, resembling Europe just before the Second World War, the events related here require far too little of "the willing suspension of disbelief." It is the kind of story that lends itself to an almost cinematic experience, and I would not be surprised if a studio doesn't soon pick this up.
That said, as far as a rating goes, I enjoyed the action and the dramatic build-up of the story (while this story can be a stand-alone, it would definitely be beneficial to know a bit of the story behind the antagonist) and would be a definite favorite for the action junkie type of reader and would easily garner a solid four and a half stars out of five (which in terms of Goodreads would round to five). Again, it is not for everyone; the violence, while not gratuitous, is omnipresent. The topic, however, rises above the action and provides much food for thought.
As with all of my literary ramblings, these are just my five cents worth. #wideawake #netgalley
I might have had the opportunity to read a book or two from this author's writings, but apparently not from this series. This book is a definite edge-of-your-seat thriller for these troubled times! Konkoly's vast military knowledge and deft writing style weave together an all-too-plausible tale of international intrigue and terrorism that may tempt you to unplug your computer and toss your phone. Really well done! (Now, I have to go back and read books 1 & 2!)
This was a classic case of letting my personal preconceptions keep me away from an enormously talented author's work. In short, this work, focusing on a Russian plot to instigate a civil war in the United States using carefully infiltrated special forces mercenary units and high-tech drones of our own manufacture is impossible to put down. The characters are interesting and well-developed, and the action is non-stop. If you like the action/adventure genre with a heavy dose of techno fiction served up on the side, this is a book (and a series) that you will want to get ahold of. There are several earlier books in the series, but I have not read any of them, and that did not interfere with my delight with this work (although there are references to other books in the series throughout the text, one can enjoy this book on its own terms). The story is complex but not needlessly so and (unfortunately) altogether too plausible.
In the modern world, increasingly dangerous, resembling Europe just before the Second World War, the events related here require far too little of "the willing suspension of disbelief." It is the kind of story that lends itself to an almost cinematic experience, and I would not be surprised if a studio doesn't soon pick this up.
That said, as far as a rating goes, I enjoyed the action and the dramatic build-up of the story (while this story can be a stand-alone, it would definitely be beneficial to know a bit of the story behind the antagonist) and would be a definite favorite for the action junkie type of reader and would easily garner a solid four and a half stars out of five (which in terms of Goodreads would round to five). Again, it is not for everyone; the violence, while not gratuitous, is omnipresent. The topic, however, rises above the action and provides much food for thought.
As with all of my literary ramblings, these are just my five cents worth. #wideawake #netgalley
August 9, 2023
I received an ARC through "NetGalley" and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
This story begins with the Border Patrol coming under fire by people crossing from Mexico. Later, this is followed up with the arrival of a mercenary leader as well as the death of a Congresswoman by a drone. Thede events brought the DEEP SLEEP task force to attention. After discovering that the drone was made by an American firm, Devin and Brian made arrangements to meet with the company that made them. In the meeting Devin requested information pertaining whether any of the drones went missing.
Devin and Brian were planning to go sailing and Brian asked whether the cruise was still own. The next day, Devin along with Marnie and Brian with his wife, were sailing when Devin became suspicious of a boat. His thought was right as he was attacked by this boat as well as two others. Devin was now in a fight for their lives. AS it turned out, this was not the only attack on members of the DEEP SLEEP team. In the end Devin as well as the other members of the task force were taken to a safe house for safety. Once they arrived, they began trying to figure out what was going on. They determined that something major was in the works. Even in this location they came under attack.
To discover who was responsible for these attacks as well as what major event was in the works and what steps the task force took to stop it, then you need to read this book. The action will definitely keep your interest.
This story begins with the Border Patrol coming under fire by people crossing from Mexico. Later, this is followed up with the arrival of a mercenary leader as well as the death of a Congresswoman by a drone. Thede events brought the DEEP SLEEP task force to attention. After discovering that the drone was made by an American firm, Devin and Brian made arrangements to meet with the company that made them. In the meeting Devin requested information pertaining whether any of the drones went missing.
Devin and Brian were planning to go sailing and Brian asked whether the cruise was still own. The next day, Devin along with Marnie and Brian with his wife, were sailing when Devin became suspicious of a boat. His thought was right as he was attacked by this boat as well as two others. Devin was now in a fight for their lives. AS it turned out, this was not the only attack on members of the DEEP SLEEP team. In the end Devin as well as the other members of the task force were taken to a safe house for safety. Once they arrived, they began trying to figure out what was going on. They determined that something major was in the works. Even in this location they came under attack.
To discover who was responsible for these attacks as well as what major event was in the works and what steps the task force took to stop it, then you need to read this book. The action will definitely keep your interest.
September 6, 2023
A country divided
The US is a country deeply divided by caustic political vehemence spouted from too many mouths. Politics is no longer casually discussed, but violently spouted with no apparent middle ground. The fictional part of this story doesn't need to make up any wild conspiracy theories, they're all out there. This story is about Russian sleeper agents in possession of 400 stolen American made Razorblade kamikaze drones. They intend to stir up political anger ending with a devastating drone attack on a Freedom rally on the Capital grounds, blaming it on the political left. The result was for another Civil War. All that stands before the downfall of the country is Devin Gray and a handful of Special Operators.
Amazing story, politically a little close to current affairs - scary close, truth be known. The storyline is one long battle raging from the sea to the Capital, action packed relentlessly! Non-stop, the adrenalin pumping, heartbeat racing - and that's just me! The characters, as great as they are, had their own issues to contend with! Outrageously good! Impossible to put down! This is a fantastic and frightening read!
The US is a country deeply divided by caustic political vehemence spouted from too many mouths. Politics is no longer casually discussed, but violently spouted with no apparent middle ground. The fictional part of this story doesn't need to make up any wild conspiracy theories, they're all out there. This story is about Russian sleeper agents in possession of 400 stolen American made Razorblade kamikaze drones. They intend to stir up political anger ending with a devastating drone attack on a Freedom rally on the Capital grounds, blaming it on the political left. The result was for another Civil War. All that stands before the downfall of the country is Devin Gray and a handful of Special Operators.
Amazing story, politically a little close to current affairs - scary close, truth be known. The storyline is one long battle raging from the sea to the Capital, action packed relentlessly! Non-stop, the adrenalin pumping, heartbeat racing - and that's just me! The characters, as great as they are, had their own issues to contend with! Outrageously good! Impossible to put down! This is a fantastic and frightening read!
September 9, 2023
A conspiracy to incite an American civil war. The desperate chase to stop it is on in a propulsive thriller by Steven Konkoly, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Deep Sleep . After taking out a sleeper network, Devin Gray and Marnie Young are picking up the pieces of their disrupted lives. But the gravity of the conspiracy they helped to cripple is sucking them right back into the black hole of violence and subterfuge that nearly consumed them. Another sleeper network is awake. A progressive congresswoman dies in a car explosion, vaporized by an American kamikaze drone—the beginning of the mayhem to come. What Devin dismantled is being rebuilt. The ignite a civil war in the United States and burn America to the ground. Seeds of unrest are planted. Threats are escalating. The clock is ticking as Devin, Marnie, and an unconventional team of allies play a cat-and-mouse game across the country to stop a domestic nightmare from coming true.
I really feel like that this book is factual instead of fiction. I really enjoyed the story. I couldn't put it down until I was finished. My first and certainly not last read by Steven Konkoly.
I really feel like that this book is factual instead of fiction. I really enjoyed the story. I couldn't put it down until I was finished. My first and certainly not last read by Steven Konkoly.
April 27, 2023
Devin Gray and Marnie Young are back in action in Wide Awake, the 3rd book in the series, and this one is literally off to an explosive start. A new cell of Russian sleeper agents have been activated, and a US Congresswoman is assassinated, which is only the start of a new attack using drones. Devin and his team race the clock to prevent more attacks in another action-packed mission in this suspenseful and fast paced thriller. Once again the story picks up where the last book ended, wasting no time in getting right to the storyline. The battle scenes are fierce but not overly technical, keeping the reader engaged and on edge throughout, and no characters are exempt from danger. This is really a must-read series in this genre if you haven’t already started, and Devin Gray fans will not be disappointed in this latest installment, as this is another 5 star book. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
August 16, 2023
Once again a triumph
Whew! I could not put it from the moment I started it. Konkoly's world is a brutal one; people die. Lots of military action. If you've never read him, many of his characters have their origins in books that to back a long time. They continue to appear - but without any back story or cut and paste character descriptions. So this, the third Devin Gray book, is not only dealing with a.past of two books, but a history going even further back.
It makes it difficult to know if one should recommend this to a new-to-Monopoly reader. Go find Black Flagged and get introduced to his view of CIA, FBI, covert actions and politics. See how he has Russia play a big part in his worldview. If you dig that, then find the first Devin Gray and binge through to the end of Wide Awake. Can promise that you, like me, will not only anxiously await Devin Gray 4, but you'll set yourself for.all the rest of his books!
Whew! I could not put it from the moment I started it. Konkoly's world is a brutal one; people die. Lots of military action. If you've never read him, many of his characters have their origins in books that to back a long time. They continue to appear - but without any back story or cut and paste character descriptions. So this, the third Devin Gray book, is not only dealing with a.past of two books, but a history going even further back.
It makes it difficult to know if one should recommend this to a new-to-Monopoly reader. Go find Black Flagged and get introduced to his view of CIA, FBI, covert actions and politics. See how he has Russia play a big part in his worldview. If you dig that, then find the first Devin Gray and binge through to the end of Wide Awake. Can promise that you, like me, will not only anxiously await Devin Gray 4, but you'll set yourself for.all the rest of his books!
May 22, 2023
Following on from the events of the previous books in the series, Devin Gray thinks the conspiracy he stopped in Deep Sleep and Coming Dawn shattered the. sleeper network that had been hiding and plotting in plain sight for years. But it's only just the beginning. There are more enemy agents on US soil and they have a new plan to upend democracy in the USA. If they can take Devin and his colleagues out at the same time, all the better. What ensues is a high-octane cinematic thriller that barrels along at a breathtaking pace with numerous and expansive action scenes.
But it is the sense of authenticity that hits hardest. The story is chilling in its realism as Steven Konkoly uses a backdrop of the real divides that have polarized the country. Could something like this actually take place?
This is a five-star thriller from an author who knows how to ratchet up the tension.
But it is the sense of authenticity that hits hardest. The story is chilling in its realism as Steven Konkoly uses a backdrop of the real divides that have polarized the country. Could something like this actually take place?
This is a five-star thriller from an author who knows how to ratchet up the tension.
May 2, 2023
Wide Awake is the third adventure with Devin Gray and it's connected with the two previous books but can be read as a standalone if you like. Steven Konkoly is one of my favorite authors although I haven't read everything by him. Devin is still trying to dig up all the remaining sleeper agents his mother discovered when they get a new threat and it's almost non stop thrilling action with a lot of drones. I do like the character Konkoly has created in this series and the dialogu going on. It's is not the usual conspiracy secret agent stuff going on and now I wonder what will happen in the next book. A big thanks to Thomas & Mercer, Amazon Publishing and Netgalley for letting me read this advance copy.
July 16, 2023
This is the third and final book in this series.
Opening fire on border patrol agents, of migrants wanting to cross
The gun power they had suggest it maybe ones posing as, to get into the US
Hendricks had nothing against the US, it was the money he got from Russia and the challenges they offered him.
The author has vast knowledge of the military and brings us a story of
conspiracy and terrorism of ones wanting to cause a war,
The action is nonstop, you get to know the character along the way. It has some humor. to lighten the demanding and serious job they have to do.
I always enjoy his books and this was another great series.
Given arc for my voluntary review and my honest opinion..
Releases. August. 15
Opening fire on border patrol agents, of migrants wanting to cross
The gun power they had suggest it maybe ones posing as, to get into the US
Hendricks had nothing against the US, it was the money he got from Russia and the challenges they offered him.
The author has vast knowledge of the military and brings us a story of
conspiracy and terrorism of ones wanting to cause a war,
The action is nonstop, you get to know the character along the way. It has some humor. to lighten the demanding and serious job they have to do.
I always enjoy his books and this was another great series.
Given arc for my voluntary review and my honest opinion..
Releases. August. 15
July 19, 2023
A highly-select group of individuals have been tasked with looking further into long-term sleeper cells. When new information comes to light, the team realizes that US citizens are about to be pulled into a second civil war. However, it won't be an ordinary war. This war will involve technology that is extremely deadly.
When reading this book, expect intense action, moments of sheer terror, as well as light-hearted banter. All of which are well-paced by the author.
I'm grateful for the opportunity to read the third book in the Devin Gray series courtesy of NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer Publishing. I will definitely be adding the eBook version to my reading tablet when it becomes available on August 15. 2023.
When reading this book, expect intense action, moments of sheer terror, as well as light-hearted banter. All of which are well-paced by the author.
I'm grateful for the opportunity to read the third book in the Devin Gray series courtesy of NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer Publishing. I will definitely be adding the eBook version to my reading tablet when it becomes available on August 15. 2023.
March 11, 2023
The next story in the story in there in Grey and Marnie Young series is just as good and thrilling as the previous.
They, and their fellow deep cover US operatives, are tasked with taking out a Russian group being run by the Russian oligarch who managed to somehow escape alive from their last encounter , and is now targeting the US with a series of planned drone attacks using American drones stolen from our own shipments being sent overseas. It all comes to a head when a Congresswoman's car is drone attacked and she is killed.
The action is nonstop, descriptions detailed and easily relatable.
Just the right mix of personal Devin and Maggie time with professional.
Next, pkease??
They, and their fellow deep cover US operatives, are tasked with taking out a Russian group being run by the Russian oligarch who managed to somehow escape alive from their last encounter , and is now targeting the US with a series of planned drone attacks using American drones stolen from our own shipments being sent overseas. It all comes to a head when a Congresswoman's car is drone attacked and she is killed.
The action is nonstop, descriptions detailed and easily relatable.
Just the right mix of personal Devin and Maggie time with professional.
Next, pkease??
March 14, 2023
The next story in the story in there in Grey and Marnie Young series is just as good and thrilling as the previous.
They, and their fellow deep cover US operatives, are tasked with taking out a Russian group being run by the Russian oligarch who managed to somehow escape alive from their last encounter , and is now targeting the US with a series of planned drone attacks using American drones stolen from our own shipments being sent overseas. It all comes to a head when a Congresswoman's car is drone attacked and she is killed.
The action is nonstop, descriptions detailed and easily relatable.
Just the right mix of personal Devin and Maggie time with professional.
Next, please??
They, and their fellow deep cover US operatives, are tasked with taking out a Russian group being run by the Russian oligarch who managed to somehow escape alive from their last encounter , and is now targeting the US with a series of planned drone attacks using American drones stolen from our own shipments being sent overseas. It all comes to a head when a Congresswoman's car is drone attacked and she is killed.
The action is nonstop, descriptions detailed and easily relatable.
Just the right mix of personal Devin and Maggie time with professional.
Next, please??
August 21, 2023
Spoiler alert: Major faux pas!!
BEEHIVE was the drone launch site and control center situated about five miles away in a forest clearing. A fancy description for two white panel vans driven into the middle of nowhere, one custom rigged with six desk stations containing a Razorblade tablet controller—all connected to the drone-control and communications system. The other van contained the drones and their tubular launchers.
The author left out the logical and common sense game changer: DHS Tactical Support Team track the 6 ATVs back to the BEEHIVE site.
The tablets are there! Major faux pas!!!
BEEHIVE was the drone launch site and control center situated about five miles away in a forest clearing. A fancy description for two white panel vans driven into the middle of nowhere, one custom rigged with six desk stations containing a Razorblade tablet controller—all connected to the drone-control and communications system. The other van contained the drones and their tubular launchers.
The author left out the logical and common sense game changer: DHS Tactical Support Team track the 6 ATVs back to the BEEHIVE site.
The tablets are there! Major faux pas!!!
October 27, 2023
Rival task force action - Russia vs. USA. Fight to die.
Spoiler s - first 30% of story involves international gun fight on sail and speed boats on the Potomac River on a weekend... totally brutal and strange.
Then comes drone attack of most sophisticated kind on a remote safe house. Good and bad guys die.
Then comes a planned drone attack on crowded protesters at the National Mall. This last part includes issues related to public safety, freedom to speak, calling up the National Guard, and methods of propaganda and media influence.
Note to all authors: I am sick and tired of the " f...." word. Time to become more creative.
Spoiler s - first 30% of story involves international gun fight on sail and speed boats on the Potomac River on a weekend... totally brutal and strange.
Then comes drone attack of most sophisticated kind on a remote safe house. Good and bad guys die.
Then comes a planned drone attack on crowded protesters at the National Mall. This last part includes issues related to public safety, freedom to speak, calling up the National Guard, and methods of propaganda and media influence.
Note to all authors: I am sick and tired of the " f...." word. Time to become more creative.
August 6, 2024
#3 of three in this particular story line. I had the luck to read the first two in the set, but one could read this as a stand-alone or out of the order. It helps to have a better understanding of the characters, but S.K. does a great job of introducing the various individuals in the story line.
That said, I found it hard to put this one down. The plot and continued story picked up at a pace that kept the reader engaged and wondering what would happen next.
It's a great read and like many of his other novels worth the read.
That said, I found it hard to put this one down. The plot and continued story picked up at a pace that kept the reader engaged and wondering what would happen next.
It's a great read and like many of his other novels worth the read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 120 reviews