The Taskforce has stopped countless terrorist threats across the globe, operating outside of US law to prevent the death of innocents. But now, along the fault lines of the old Iron Curtain, the danger is far greater than a single attack. With Russia expanding its influence from Syria to the Baltic States, the Taskforce is placed on stand-down because of the actions of one rogue operator.
Meanwhile, Pike Logan and Jennifer Cahill travel to Poland, hired to verify artifacts hidden for decades in a fabled Nazi gold train, only to find themselves caught amid growing tensions between East and West. A Russian incursion into Belarus under the facade of self-defense is trumped by a horrific attack against the United States, driving NATO to mobilize even as it tries to determine who is behind the strike.
On the brink of war, Pike and Jennifer discover that there is a separate agenda in play, one determined to force a showdown between NATO and Russia. With time running out, and America demanding vengeance, Pike and Jennifer race to unravel the mystery before a point of no return is reached. Unbeknownst to them, there is another attack on the way.
One that will guarantee World War III. -- Dutton
Booking Pap Pap is back! I am so glad that he's helping me out when I'm away at SIBA in Savannah. His latest read was GHOSTS OF WAR by Brad Taylor. Here are his thoughts:
GHOSTS OF WAR is author Brad Taylor’s tenth novel in the Pike Logan series. This is the first book of the series that moves away from the threat of terrorism as the main theme.
The novel opens with Pike Logan’s counterterrorism unit called the Taskforce having been ordered to stand-down due to the actions of a rogue agent. While waiting for new orders, Pike and team member, Jennifer, are contacted by Israeli agents, Aaron and Shoshana, to assist them in verifying some artifacts found in Poland from the fabled World War II German “Ghost Train”. The Israeli agents first appeared in Taylor’s novel, THE INSIDE THREAT, which I previously reviewed and suggested that these two characters might appear in future Pike Logan novels. It seems that the Israelis are not the only ones interested in the artifacts and Pike and Jennifer are soon involved in an international crisis precipitated by a Russian incursion into Belarus under the guise of self-defense. To complicate things even further, the head of a major Russian crime syndicate is trying to destabilize U.S.-Russian relationships in order to increase his power. At the same time there is a brazen attack against the United States that puts Russia, United States and NATO on high alert. Pike Logan must unravel this mystery before the standoff results in World War III.
Author Brad Taylor shows a very good understanding of world affairs and meshes fact and fiction nicely in his novel. It’s apparent that much research has been done as you read his detailed narrative of the various locations in the novel from Russia to Poland to Belarus. Taylor’s prior experience as a Special Forces Operator gives him a unique ability to get into the technical aspects of both the strategic and tactical detail of warfare. If I have one criticism it is that I found it easy to get bogged down in some of the technical detail.
Taylor also does a good job of mixing real and fictional characters in this novel with Vladimir Putin playing a significant role. Putin is not presented in the best light and his desire to reunite states of the former Soviet Union is front and center. The most interesting character development is in the relationship between the Israeli agents. Although GHOSTS OF WAR stands on its own as a suspense thriller, this is one time I think it is beneficial to read THE INSIDE THREAT to fully understand the developing relationship between Aaron and Shoshana.
GHOSTS OF WAR is a good mixture of military action, history and technology in a fast-paced suspense thriller with plenty of twists and turns that should interest readers of this genre.
Thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy of this novel and to Booking Pap Pap for his review.
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