A thrilling amalgam of Clancy’s Jack Ryan and London’s White Fang set in the chaos of South Asia.
Wilson continues the adventures of former Delta Force soldier-turned-mercenary Jackson “Jax” Wade and his giant Kuchi dog partner in this sequel to Dogs Bark and People Die(2020).
Fresh off a successful mission in Afghanistan with former Delta Force brother in arms Jesse Morris (they neutralized marauders attempting to disrupt a natural gas pipeline running through Afghanistan to India), Jackson Wade is contacted by his former employer, Damocles Security Services, at his home in Thailand with an urgent request. As American troops begin their withdrawal from Afghanistan, and as the Taliban rushes in to take over the country, the U.S. president’s niece, a human rights activist, is trapped in Taliban territory with two of her would-be rescuers, both female CIA operatives. With a potential political disaster looming, Wade (along with canine partner Dog) and Morris are tasked with the virtually impossible mission to extract the “package” and the two CIA agents from enemy territory that’s swarming with Taliban and Taliban sympathizers. As the body count rises, the mercenaries travel through a wasteland of inhuman horror and brutality. And as they inch closer to their destination, Morris asks a profound question that is very much a theme of the work: “Is Dog becoming more like us, or are we becoming more like Dog?”
There are numerous narrative elements that make this novel—and this series—simply unputdownable. The character development is exceptional; while the vast majority of military thrillers feature emotionally stunted, two-dimensional stereotypes, Wilson digs deep into not only Wade’s psyche, but also those of supporting female characters, including former U.S. Army captain Gretchen Sachs, the executive assistant to the head of Damocles; Carol Rossa, deputy CIA station chief in Kabul; and Sharon Beck, an analyst on the counterinsurgency desk in the CIA section of the American embassy in Kabul. The multilayered characterizations are complemented by adrenaline-fueled pacing and nonstop action that will keep readers breathlessly turning pages. Short chapters and frequent shifts of POV also help to maintain the fast and furious narrative momentum. Military fiction afficionados will appreciate the attention to detail when it comes to weaponry and tactical equipment: “Oakley Tombstone shooting glasses with gray-brown lenses covered their eyes, and each wore tan tactical shooting gloves. HK 416C carbines were near at hand, with 10.4-inch barrels, vertical foregrips, retractable stocks, Aimpoint CompM4 reflex sights, and inserted twenty rounds of .300 AAC Blackout cartridges.” Wilson’s frequent references to pop culture add an additional layer of interest and subtle humor—name-checks of Jean-Claude Van Damme, the Game of Thrones series, Mad Max, and Stephen King’s Cujo will have readers smiling to themselves. But the principal element that makes this series such a wildly unique military-thriller saga is the psychic connection between Wade and Dog. Their ability to “mind-talk” is fascinating in and of itself, but the way Wilson subtly ties it to arcane Afghani folklore—“some Kuchi dogs are magical”—makes the connection even more intriguing. One minor caveat: The story’s romance elements around Wade and Morris and their respective love interests come across as forced, inauthentic, and, frankly, unnecessary.
A thrilling amalgam of Clancy’s Jack Ryan and London’s White Fang set in the chaos of South Asia.Pub Date: April 2, 2024
ISBN: 9798876727947
Page Count: 376
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A standout in the series.
The sixth adventure of Harvard symbology professor Robert Langdon explores the mysteries of human consciousness, the demonic projects of the CIA, and the city of Prague.
“Ladies and gentlemen...we are about to experience a sea change in our understanding of how the brain works, the nature of consciousness, and in fact…the very nature of reality itself.” But first—Langdon’s in love! Brown’s devoted readers first met brilliant noetic scientist Katherine Solomon in The Lost Symbol (2009); she’s back as a serious girlfriend, engaging the committed bachelor in a way not seen before. The book opens with the pair in a luxurious suite at the Four Seasons in Prague. It’s the night after Katherine has delivered the lecture quoted above, setting the theme for the novel, which features a plethora of real-life cases and anomalies that seem to support the notion that human consciousness is not localized inside the human skull. Brown’s talent for assembling research is also evident in this novel’s alter ego as a guidebook to Prague, whose history and attractions are described in great and glowing detail. Whether you appreciate or skim past the innumerable info dumps on these and other topics (Jewish folklore fans—the Golem is in the house!), it goes without saying that concision is not a goal in the Dan Brown editing process. Speaking of editing, the nearly 700-page book is dedicated to Brown’s editor, who seems to appear as a character—to put it in the italicized form used for Brownian insight, Jason Kaufman must be Jonas Faukman! A major subplot involves the theft of Katherine’s manuscript from the secure servers of Penguin Random House; the delightful Faukman continues to spout witty wisecracks even when blindfolded and hogtied. There’s no shortage of action, derring-do, explosions, high-tech torture machines, attempted and successful murders, and opportunities for split-second, last-minute escapes; good thing Langdon, this aging symbology wonk, never misses swimming his morning laps. Readers who are not already dyed-in-the-wool Langdonites may find themselves echoing the prof’s own conclusion regarding the credibility of all this paranormal hoo-ha: At some point, skepticism itself becomes irrational.
A standout in the series.Pub Date: Sept. 9, 2025
ISBN: 9780385546898
Page Count: 688
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2025
Maybe not the most thrilling thriller, but the role of AI in coping with grief gives this novel pathos and interest.
A widowed and disgraced plastic surgeon is drawn into a Russian oligarch’s evil schemes.
Witherspoon’s adult fiction debut, co-authored with thrillermeister Coben, opens as heart surgery performed by Dr. Marc Adams in a North African refugee camp is interrupted by the explosive invasion of armed militants. It's the last we will see of Marc in this dimension. The next chapter jumps ahead one year to a ceremony at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore where his widow, Maggie McCabe, is supposed to be presenting an award in honor of her mother. Miserable and anxious about appearing in public after having lost her medical license, she consults with her late husband on her phone—not via supernatural means, but using a "griefbot," an amazingly lifelike and functional AI app created by her genius sister, Sharon. Once the griefbot coaxes her to brave the sneering masses, she learns she’s been replaced on the podium anyway. But she runs into a former professor, a celebrity plastic surgeon, who requests a meeting with her at his office in New York and won’t take no for an answer. Next thing she knows, there’s $10 million in her bank account and she’s on a private plane heading to a palace outside Moscow where she’s been engaged to perform off-the-record surgery on billionaire Oleg Ragoravich (new face) and his girlfriend, Nadia (new boobs). And…we’re off. A whirl of surgeries, chases, and escapes ensues as Maggie gradually comes to understand who these people are and what they have in mind for her, and how it connects to Marc and their missing friend and business partner, Trace Packer. She is aided by her delightful father-in-law, Porkchop, owner of a biker bar in New York City and a very handy guy to have on your team if you've run afoul of an international criminal organization. From the palace in Rublevka the action moves to Dubai and then Bordeaux, climaxing in a high-stakes illegal heart transplant. But wait—is Marc really dead? What happened to Trace? Who is Nadia really? Though these smoldering questions don’t quite catch fire, it's a good first try for Witherspoon.
Maybe not the most thrilling thriller, but the role of AI in coping with grief gives this novel pathos and interest.Pub Date: Oct. 14, 2025
ISBN: 9781538774700
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Review Posted Online: Oct. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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