Hell and Gone

by Henry Brown

This rag-tag gang of has-beens has never worked together before, but Dwight "Rocco" Cavarra has less than a week to train them and lead them on the hairiest operation of their lives. It's not bad enough that they have to plow through an African civil war, infiltrate a fortified terrorist encampment and steal a black market tactical nuke from a mob of fanatic sociopaths - there are Israeli wild cards in play: two death-dealing Mossad agents who don't necessarily share Cavarra's agenda. When the mission is compromised before it has even started, Rocco and his Retreads are caught between bloodthirsty local warlords and the genocidal government in a fight to the death. And this battle might be just the first in the next world war.

Genres: Adventure

260 pages, Paperback

First published February 8, 2010

About the author

I prefer a big ol' greasy hamburger to a caviar dish, and my taste in books growing up was very similar. I read tons of non-fiction (mostly history), and fiction in most genres. I didn't read most of the classics and am still fairly lacking in that regard.

BTW, Goodreads is NOT idiot-proof. I'm still trying to figure it all out.

Anyhoo, so far everything I've published is adventure of one flavor or another.

If you want me to let you know in advance when my next book is coming out, click here!

Reviews

[Jack Silkstone · Rating 4 out of 5]

read Hell and Gone over three days on my Iphone. Every opportunity I had I read it, on the train, at the barbers, waiting for physio, sitting in the park whilst my do burned off energy even waiting for a meal in an expensive restaurant (oh my girl loved me for that).

I couldn't put this action thriller down. Why? Because it grabbed me in the first few pages and didn't let go till the very end. It has it all, it's contemporary, it's well developed, the plot is solid, the weapons and tactics are spot on and the writing style is easy to read and doesn't bog down in to much detail.

There is a lot of independent crap on Amazon but this ain't some of it. This is an exceptionally well produced piece of action writing that any major publishing house would be proud of. Not that I think that all of their work is worth being proud of.

So why only four stars? Well I think that there was a few to many characters in the team. At times I found myself confused as to who was who and what background they had. I think the book would actually read better if the number of good guys was halved.

All in all a great read that I recommend to any man who likes real action.

Well done Henry!!

Jack Silkstone
Author of the PRIMAL Series
PRIMAL Unleashed

[Winston Crutchfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the tradition of “The Expendables” and “The Dirty Dozen”, Hank Brown delivers rock solid military action with just a hint of techno-thriller. Brown paints “Rocco’s Retreads” with a sold brush that emphasizes gritty, realistic action instead of a troop of invincible soldiers. The fighting is brutal and intense; the characters are recognizable and empathetic. The language of the book is noticeably less crude than one might expect from this type of military fiction, which makes the book that much more enjoyable. The plot is straightforward, and complications derive from perfectly natural mission-creep rather than complexly contrived circumstance. Brown stays on target and develops his characters and story without resorting to vulgarity, graphic violence, or gratuitous sex. This is a book about experienced soldiers on a dirty covert op; the writing is well-rounded and professional. I enjoyed reading this story, and immediately went looking for the author’s blog (do a quick search for “two-fisted blogger”). Henry “Hank” Brown is definitely an author to watch.

[Linda B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hell and Gone by Henry Brown is a top-notch military thriller. The author takes great care to create characters that are believable and unique. Normally I can get lost in a book with many characters, but the characters in Hell and Gone were introduced in such a way that it was easy to follow.

This is a realistic story about a teenager recruited by a terrorist training camp for an attack, and a group of elite ex-military men sent to prevent the use of a nuclear suitcase bomb strike upon Israel. Great writing creates scenes so well crafted that I felt like I was in a strange land in the middle of the action.

One of the parts of the story I found most interesing was the the author's descriptions of the physical effects on the men following a firefight. I think this author's work can compare with any of the more famous thriller authors today. I am very pleased to recommend this book to anyone that enjoys thrillers.

[Raymond White · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like books with lots of action, but enjoy seeing good character development as well. Hell and Gone fills the bill on every account, but especially the action scenes. Vivid, realistic, put-you-in-the-middle-of-it sequences that were fun to read. I've already ordered the next book in the series. Oh, and best of all, since a lot of series DON'T do this, is this is a complete, stand alone, book. I love it when writers who do series give you a complete book in each one. I always feel cheated when they don't--unless they made it clear before I bought the book that it wouldn't be. Henry Brown delivered.

[Nate Granzow · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are certain books I've read—few and far between, admittedly—that rekindle and re-energize my reading habits. They're the kind where I forego all life's little distractions, such as eating or sleeping, in order to get to that next page where, "I promise, hon, I'll put it down." Hell and Gone is one of these.
And how could it not be? Brown has this natural knack for pacing and characterization, pulling the reader along at a relentless speed, painting vivid imagery without drowning the reader in tiresome background. It's really artwork. I say this as a professional writer: I ascribe to be half as good at writing men's adventure as Henry Brown. Pick up a copy today and add a new favorite author to your list.

-Nate Granzow
www.nategranzow.com

[Jim Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Look at these reviews. Have you ever seen reviews this long? Readers care about this book, and the reviewers have deconstructed it. So I will stipulate what they have said, that it is well-written, well-plotted, and has excellent characterization, which is hard to do when you have a military unit worth of characters to delineate.
The first fifty pages introduce the main characters and the mission, and they are interesting in themselves. After that reading this book is pretty much like being strapped to a rocket for about three hours. This is high praise for an adventure novel. The sucker moves and carries the reader with it, fast and smooth.

[Vanitha Sankaran · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘Hell and Gone’ is the thrilling story of a 15-year-old jihadist planning to detonate a nuclear bomb in Tel Aviv and the 13 Spec Ops men sent on a mission literally from hell to stop him. This book grabbed me in from the very start, with characters that compelled and details that informed without burdening the story. The novel is well-paced, eminently believable, and draws you into a climax that does not disappoint. I don’t normally read military thrillers but I recommend this one whole-heartedly.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can read my full review of the Retreads series here:
http://wp.me/p5COur-qw

[Jim and Kathy Schutt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written fair character development

Needs better plot needs fewer character better strategic over. Would be good airplane book. 3 hour read not a lot of thinking

[Tad Pierson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written!

Good story, well written. It tracks well, without the fantasy elements or weirdness in some other war stories. It is very plausible and well done.

[Jill Barger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read like a James Bond wannabe.