Book picks similar to
The Critical Task by Bryan A. Mantz


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science-fiction
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Good Behavior


Blake Crouch - 2013
    While on the job, she overhears a man hiring a hit man to kill his wife. Letty may not be winning any morality awards, but even she has limits. Unable to go to the police, Letty sets out to derail the job, putting herself on a collision course with the killer that entangles the two of them in a dangerous, seductive relationship.Good Behavior comprises three interlinked novellas (The Pain of Others, Sunset Key, and Grab), which together form a novel-length portrait of Blake Crouch’s all-time favorite character creation, Letty Dobesh. This edition is the complete Letty Dobesh collection.

Tier One


Brian Andrews - 2016
    Meet the next generation of covert ops.John Dempsey’s life—as an elite Tier One Navy SEAL named Jack Kemper—is over. A devastating terrorist action catapults him from a world of moral certainty and decisive orders into the shadowy realm of espionage, where ambiguity is the only rule. His new mission: hunt down those responsible for the greatest tragedy in the history of the US Special Ops and bring them to justice.But how does a man torn between duty and revenge walk the line and preserve his soul?As Dempsey struggles with the games of spies, the case propels him across the globe in a desperate effort to prevent a new, horrifying attack on American soil.Once, John Dempsey followed orders blindly. Now he sees behind the curtain, and the security of the civilized world rests on one question: Can a Tier One Navy SEAL adapt and become the world’s most lethal spy?

The Fog of Dreams


Justin Bell - 2015
    He's motivated and ruthless, and an evil conglomerate has made him angry... and they won't like him when he's angry. William Strickland feels like a stranger in his own skin. Somewhere deep inside him, a beastly force tries to claw its way out. With his sharpened senses, he has no trouble spotting the men in suits who watch his every move. The human part of him can remember faint traces of a family gone missing. And in fevered nightmares, he can’t escape the half-forgotten memory of a mysterious woman frozen with fear. When one of the guards reveals the dark truth of William’s twisted DNA, he resolves to fight tooth and claw to break free from the sinister corporation holding him captive. Only then can he discover the secrets behind his missing memories and the family he hopes still lives. To stop an evil conspiracy and reunite with his loved ones, he’ll have to give himself over to the monster snarling under his skin. But once he transforms, there may be no turning back… Buy The Fog of Dreams to unleash a beastly thrill ride today! FIVE STAR REVIEWS "If you are looking for action, this book has it. A lot of it" "Well written, captivating story that I couldn't put down!! "What a fantastic book!"

Spark


John Twelve Hawks - 2014
    Jacob is not a businessman…he is a hired assassin…and his job is to neutralize problems deemed unacceptable by the corporation. Jacob is not like other employees, nor is he like other people. Suffering from Cotard's syndrome-a real condition that causes people to believe they are dead-Jacob perceives himself as nothing but a Shell with no emotion and no sense of right or wrong. Emily Buchanan is a bright young second-year associate for DBG, and she has disappeared without a trace. Suspecting she may have stolen valuable information and a fortune from the company, Miss Holquist-Jacob's handler at DBG-assigns him the task of tracking her down and neutralizing her. Jacob's condition allows him to carry out assignments with ruthless, logical precision-devoid of guilt, fear, or dishonor. But as his new assignment draws him inside a labyrinthine network of dark dealings, Jacob finds himself up against something he is completely incapable of understanding. Spark is an ingenious and chilling vision of modern-day humanity under constant, invasive surveillance and a pulse-pounding game of cat and mouse.

The Assassin's Prayer


Mark Allen - 2013
    But some sins refuse to stay buried and Kain finds himself fighting not only a ruthless nemesis from his shadowy past, but also the scars on his soul, which are torn open by the arrival of a woman from his past. With its full-auto pace, high-powered action, and raw emotion, The Assassin's Prayer is a relentless tale of redemption for those who know that bullets sometimes speak louder than words.

Watermelon Snow


William A. Liggett - 2017
    Kate Landry makes a remarkable discovery. Determined to conceal it from colleagues eager to steal her work, she must somehow distract the behavioral scientist NASA sends to study her team. From the moment he sets foot on the ice, Dr. Grant Poole finds himself in a strange world of unexpected beauty but fraught with extreme dangers he has tried his whole life to avoid. Greeted with suspicion, he soon realizes Kate is hiding something.When a mysterious illness strikes her crew and an intense storm engulfs their tiny research station, Kate can no longer shield the truth from Grant. Thrown together in a struggle to survive, they are trapped between keeping Kate's secret and protecting the lives of thousands, even millions. Time is running out. Can they find a way to save everyone and still preserve Kate's discovery?Packed with suspense and surprises, this fast-paced cli-fi novel is sure to please fans of Michael Crichton and Robin Cook.

Redemption Protocol


Mike Freeman - 2011
    The only thing left in his hollowed out world is retribution.Havoc is drawn into a top secret Contact mission – humanity's first – after an extraordinary energy source is detected at the limit of reachable space. While the crew of the AV Intrepid struggle with saboteurs and hostile ships, they fail to realize that the alien world holds dangers that threaten far more than their ship. Imprisoned on Plash is a weapon of unimaginable horror – a species eliminator.REDEMPTION PROTOCOL is a hard hitting space opera/ scifi adventure. It is the FIRST book in the Contact series. Rated [R]. Violence, sex, profanity.US English. 166,500 words.

Blank: Life or Nothing


Richard C. Hale - 2014
    My name is Lincoln Delabar. I was born without a face. Yes, you heard that right. Smooth, clear skin from my forehead to my chin.I see the world differently, yet it is still a place that holds wonder. At least most of the time. With my uniqueness comes a burden. My mind is powerful. Very powerful. And I have an obligation, a purpose, to see things in my own special way. Some of the things I see are frightening. The evil in this world is beyond anyone’s control. Or so you might think. There is a violence in me. I’m not afraid. I can control it. But should I?

Crossing in Time


D.L. Orton - 2015
    The future isn't hidden, it's a trap. If she ever wants to see him again, she'll have to take the risk. Fall into this "Funny, Romantic & Harrowing" (Publishers Weekly Starred Review) dystopian love story and prepare to encounter a finicky time machine, a mysterious seashell, and a very clever dog (some sex, some swearing, some violence, but no vampires and absolutely NO ditzes!)When offered a one-way trip to the past, Isabel sacrifices everything for a chance to change the rapidly deteriorating present--and see her murdered lover one last time. When she arrives twenty years in the past, buck naked and mortally wounded, she has 24 hours to convince a stunned but enraptured nineteen-year-old to change their future. Definitely easier said than done, as success means losing him to a brainy, smart-mouthed bombshell (her younger self), and that's a heart breaker, save the world or not.This offbeat tale is about falling madly in love when one is too cynical for such things, letting go of pessimism when it's the last life jacket on a sinking ship, and racing against the clock when one doesn't have the proper footwear. It's a coming-of-age story for old fogeys, a how-to-make-love guide for diehard celibates, and a laugh-out-loud tragedy with a hopeful twist.Alternate cover for this ASIN can be found here

Bad Monkeys


Matt Ruff - 2007
    What follows is one of the most clever and gripping novels you'll ever read.

Perilous


Tamara Hart Heiner - 2010
    . . . Weeks before, Jaci Rivera join her best friends Callie, Sara and Amanda for a night of pizza and shopping. But an evening at the mall turns into a terrifying twist of events that drives Jaci and her friends 2000 miles across the Canadian border.The girls escape the kidnapper's lair only to find that he has spies and agents working on both sides. They are being hunted, and not even the police can be trusted. . . . And Detective Hamilton is in a life and death race to find the three remaining girls before the kidnapper does.

Black Rain


Graham Brown - 2009
    . .Covert government operative Danielle Laidlaw leads an expedition into the deepest reaches of the Amazon in search of a legendary Mayan city. Assisted by a renowned university professor and protected by a mercenary named Hawker, her team journeys into the tangled rain forest—unaware that they are replacements for a group that vanished weeks before, and that the treasure they are seeking is no mere artifact but a breakthrough discovery that could transform the world. Shadowed by a ruthless billionaire, threatened by a violent indigenous tribe, and stalked by an unseen enemy that leaves battered corpses in its wake, the group desperately seeks the connection between the deadly reality of the Mayan legend, the nomadic tribe that haunts them, and the chilling secret buried beneath the ancient ruins.

Event


David L. Golemon - 2006
    Led by the valiant Major Jack Collins, they are dedicated to uncovering the hidden truths behind the myths and legends propagated throughout world history—from underground agencies and conspiracy theories to extraterrestrial life and UFOs. And now that a new, unspeakable threat has been revealed, humanity's greatest hope for survival lies with Collins and his crew.This time, the Group faces an enemy of remarkable strength and power. In order to ensure that history's errors never be repeated, the Group must team up with an unlikely ally to stop a deadly presence known only as the Destroyer of Worlds. Now, amid the desert wastelands of the American Southwest, the epic battle between two entities is about to begin….

The Strange Life of Brandon Chambers


Scott Spotson - 2016
    Army, is implicated in a tragic explosion on the army base while spearheading a top-secret weapons project. During the aftermath, both his parents are labeled as traitors, and he’s haunted by visions he can’t understand.Brandon struggles through adolescence and college, still troubled by hallucinations that are also witnessed by others, leading him to believe that someone—or something—is deliberately laying clues in his path. Doggedly pursuing one clue at a time, Brandon seeks the answers.

L.A. Secret Police. Inside the LAPD Elite Spy Network


Mike Rothmiller - 1992
    Secret Police. Inside the LAPD Elite Spy Network is a New York Times and Los Angeles Times Bestseller. This incredible non-fiction book rips the lid off the LAPD and exposes the reader to its dark underbelly of corruption during the reign of Chief Daryl Gates. L.A. cops ruined lives and reputations, inflicted mindless brutality, committed murder and engaged in massive cover-ups. In Los Angeles, police corruption was much more than unmarked envelopes stuffed with cash. It was a total corruption of power. For decades LAPD engaged in massive illegal spying and lied about it. Its spying targets included politicians, movie stars, professional athletes, news reporters and anyone wielding power or those of interest to Daryl Gates. Incredibly, the spying targets included a Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, a Secretary of Defense, a current Governor and the President of the United States. It all happened in Los Angeles. Detective Rothmiller is the modern-day Frank Serpico; he exposed the tentacles of corruption which reached to the highest levels within the LAPD and Washington D.C. It wasn’t long after that an assassin attempted to take his life. It was apparent to many that powerful forces wanted him silenced. Incredibly, in this book Detective Rothmiller names names! See why this book changed the LAPD and is required reading at many universities. As former Assistant United States Attorney Marvin Rudnick said, “Rothmiller was in a position to know. He did very sensitive work.” Every book has an ending. However, the ending of this book will shock you. Within the new epilogue is a multi-page essay written especially for this updated book by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist David Cay Johnston. In it he describes his personal experience as a target of Daryl Gates illegal intelligence operations while he served as a Los Angeles Times reporter. You’ll also read the challenge posed by detective Rothmiller to the LAPD. A challenge LAPD has refused to answer. Since releasing this updated eBook, Detective Rothmiller has been interviewed dozens of times by the national media regarding current NSA domestic spying and the 2013 murderous rampage of former LAPD cop Christopher Dorner. In late 2013 Detective Rothmiller was interviewed for a major television documentary which will expose corruption and major crimes committed at the highest levels. The documentary is scheduled for release in 2016.