Days
Of Rage by
Brad Taylor superbly blends historical facts with a fictional
storyline. He writes a very complicated and intriguing plot
with intense characters. The new cast of characters brings
the focus of the book on events the reader can truly imagine.
The plot takes off from the beginning where the US, Russia,
and Israel are competing for the retrieval of a thumb drive
that includes relevant information about the 1972 massacre
at the Munich Olympics and a diabolical Russian plan. Eventually
some Israeli Mossad agents join forces with Pike Logan and
Jennifer Cahill to thwart the Russians. This sinister plan
is to draw the US into another war that will have detrimental
financial consequences while attempting another massacre of
Israelis. A secret Russian unit is plotting to use a Nigerian
terrorist organization to accomplish their goals. By providing
Boko Haram, part of a Nigerian extreme Islamic sect, with
a nuclear device, the former Soviet zealots can watch as America
and Israel are drawn into another disastrous situation. The
plot has a lot of action as Logan’s unauthorized team
chase around the globe to stop the ruthless Russian former
KGB agents.
Some of the true-life events include the 1972 Munich massacre.
A quote in the book rings true today as Israel is fighting
not only the terrorists but a public relations battle, “The
world received the news in horror and shock but managed to
recover soon enough, not even stopping the Olympic games.”
Taylor noted,“Munich had a profound affect on Israel.
I researched this period of time when Israel was going back
to Germany, the land of the Holocaust. The world seems to
have forgotten who are the true bad guys. Travesty as a whole
does not seem to affect people. Unless you are directly affected
there is a short attention span. I pointed out this attitude
in my second book with the quote, ‘if they would quit
I would too, but if I quit they would still kill.’”
There is also the authentic characterization of the Russian
Special Forces. Taylor states about the FSB officers, “Even
the aliases used by my Russian characters are real. I try
to blend history and fiction in all of my books.”
In addition he also explained why he chose the true terrorist
organization of Boko Haram instead of Afghan or Middle Eastern
Islamic Jihadists. “I also wanted to pull away from
the ‘usual suspects’ of Al-Qaida. When I started
writing there was this unknown group that intelligence has
been following but hadn’t yet made it to the world public
stage. Now, of course, they’re on the nightly news from
their heinous capturing of schoolgirls.”
The high tech gadgetry utilized in the book is also very realistic.
Taylor found out that DARA did a study showing how a car can
be hacked. Using a Ford Escape they showed that any car with
a computer able to control the steering wheel, brakes, and
accelerator could be manipulated. “If there is a computer
system in a device it is hackable and can be attacked. Barnaby
Jack in my story was not a fictional character. He died a
few days before a conference where he was going to warn how
pacemakers and insulin pumps cannot be protected from outside
interference.”
Also very convincing are the characters themselves. Through
their dialogue and banter readers see them as “normal”
people, not superheroes. Jennifer saves Logan, a successful
ex-Delta, Army special force’s operator, as seen in
the book’s quote, “She pulled me out of the pit.
You asked why she’s with me, but you don’t understand
the relationship. I’m with her.” It is obvious
that this is a book about redemption with Jennifer being the
focal point since she helped to restore Pike’s moral
compass.
All the characters complement each other. The Israeli Mossad
agent, Shoshana, is the female equivalent to Pike while the
other Mossad agent, Aaron, is her moral compass. The interaction
between these four characters is at times humorous, sarcastic,
and their chemistry is electric.
Although the Israeli characters will not be in the next book,
Taylor is considering them for future stories. The next novel,
No Fortunate Son, due out December 30th, also has a terrorist
theme where the plot has a powerful political figure’s
son kidnapped by Jihadists while fighting for the US military.
Taylor explores the question, is one life worth a counter-terrorism
mission that might cost many lives?
Days Of Rage is a reminder there are real security
threats to America and its allies. Taylor’s background
in Special Forces allows for distinctively realistic scenarios
and characters. This is a fast-action, suspenseful thriller.
Reviews of other titles in this series
Day
of Rage #6
No
Fortunate Son #7
The
Insider Threat #8
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