Book picks similar to
Baptism of Fire by Todd McLeod


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Designated Survivor


John H. Matthews - 2016
    The contingency is one cabinet member who is kept at a secure location in case of such a tragic event. This is the Designated Survivor.Elite NSA operator Grace is called in to run the mission to attempt to recover the leadership and to track down the people responsible.  Designated Survivor is a fast paced thriller through the streets of Washington DC.

Rope on Fire


Mark Parragh - 2016
    He’s all dressed up with nowhere to spy. Josh Sulenski is an Internet prodigy with some serious James Bond fantasies and more money than 37 countries. Together, they’re out to save the world…in style. John Crane bursts onto the espionage scene in Rope on Fire. On only his second mission for the top secret Hurricane Group, the U.S. Government suddenly shuts Hurricane down, leaving Crane an agent without an agency. Adrift in Key West, he's approached by Internet billionaire Josh Sulenski, who asks him to find out why one of his charitable projects is under attack deep in Puerto Rico's rain forest. Crane finds himself battling corrupt police officers and drug smugglers with no authority and no backup. For the first time, he's on his own. Branislav Skala is an aging gangster whose ruthlessness and ambition helped him claw his way up from the gutters of communist Czechslovakia to rule a criminal empire. Skala thinks he’s reached the top of the heap and is ready to retire to his palatial country estate—until he discovers a whole new game of transnational power blocs, capital networks, and vicious battles among competing factions. Skala wants a seat at this new table, and he has a plan to get one. It’s a plan that puts him squarely in John Crane’s sights. When their destinies collide, Branislav Skala will learn that this new game doesn’t follow the same rules he’s used to. And John Crane will find a broken laptop with the power to change his life forever. So join John Crane for freewheeling adventure in a world of glamour, intrigue, and action. Because spy stories are supposed to be fun!

The Templar Vault


Scott Chapman - 2013
    As their world is torn apart by the jealous fury of kings, their only duty is to a sacred oath of allegiance to the Order and to each other. Step-by-step they eradicate their footsteps, knowing that only their own obliteration will guarantee that their duty will be fulfilled. Eight hundred years later and an international expert in disaster management sets out to prove that the Templars had a last ditch Doomsday plan. Peter Sparke aims at nothing less than to uncover the last refuge of the Order and the secrets they took to their graves.

Night Road


Brendan DuBois - 2016
    When a Homeland Security agent asks him for his help in return for an honorable discharge and his full pension, Zach agrees. All he has to do is go back to his hometown and get information on an old classmate. That old classmate is now a highly successful smuggler of booze, cigarettes, and pot who's branching out for a bigger score—a shipping container that Homeland Security thinks is a weapon of mass destruction. An action-packed novel of lies, secrets, and double crosses, Night Road will have you racing to the end to find out where allegiances really fall.

The Watchman


Adrian Magson - 2014
    A watcher who provides protection in potentially hostile situations. He works in the background, stays off the record. Often the people he's guarding have no idea he's there. Some people know him as Portman.When two British intelligence agents are despatched to negotiate the release of a group of western hostages in Somalia, veteran MI6 operator Tom Vane realizes that something about this operation doesn't stack up. Unwilling to see two promising officers sacrificed in what he believes to be a suicide mission, he covertly hires deep cover specialist Marc Portman to protect them.Heading for the wild, lawless land on the Kenyan/Somali border, Portman soon realizes that the British Intelligence Services have been double-crossed. Can he survive long enough to keep his charges alive and prevent a catastrophe?

Operative 66


Andy McDermott - 2020
    But now Reeve is in the firing line. Framed as a traitor, Reeve is forced to flee as C6 agents are instructed to eliminate the 'rogue asset' at any cost. Reeve must survive, alone and under the radar, with the full power of the state arrayed against him.He doesn't know why he's a target. Or who betrayed him. But if one man has the skills necessary to uncover the truth...it is Operative 66.From the international bestseller comes an explosive and action-packed new thriller - the perfect pulse-racing read for fans of LEE CHILD, DAVID BALDACCI, ROBERT LUDLUM and GREGG HUWITZ.

One Step Back


Luana Ehrlich - 2018
    When he unexpectedly meets Amir Madani, one of Iran's premier nuclear scientist, he can't resist the opportunity to pursue him as a CIA asset.Although Chaman, a beautiful Iranian socialite, warns Titus to stay away from Madani, he ignores her advice and befriends the nuclear scientist. The consequences prove disastrous for Titus, and, as the secret police close in on him, he's forced to find shelter with a group of Iranian Christians, who risk their own lives to save his.One Step Back, a Titus Ray Thriller novella, is the prequel to One Night in Tehran, Book I in the Titus Ray Thriller Series.

Dark Water


Evan Graver - 2018
    He’s settled down to work for his father’s construction firm in Wilmington, N.C. But it’s not so easy. When the grandfather of his former lieutenant, Greg Olsen, shows up at his work site, Ryan is pulled back in. His practical knowledge of sailing and skills as a former Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal technician make him the ideal candidate to track down the pirates. His first step is to consult with insurance investigator Emily Hunt. Ryan learns the pirates have sunken some of the sailboats off the Florida Keys. He and Emily don their scuba gear to investigate the wrecks. Their discoveries point them toward a smuggling ring and lead them to several people who have lived to tell their tales of being attacked by the pirates. Mango and Jennifer Hulsey survived because Mango was no stranger to war. He joins forces with Ryan to sail Ryan’s own boat into harm’s way, to bait the pirates into attacking them. On the journey from North Carolina to Mexico, Jennifer plays matchmaker with Ryan and Emily. Their romantic weekend in the Florida Keys is interrupted by hitmen. Undeterred, Ryan and Mango sail for Mexico to lure out the pirates. Can they survive the deadly forces arrayed against them to stop a madman bent on war with the United States? From the Book: The boat rocked again. His eyes snapped back open. He held his breath and listened intently. He heard silence and the ringing of his tinnitus. Very slowly, he slipped from the bed and stood. He kept his weight centered in the hull, so he wouldn’t give away his movements by causing the boat to rock as the person above had just done. Outside, he could hear someone moving. Eventually, they would come through the cabin door. Ryan moved to the navigation table and gently lifted its top. He grabbed the Walther pistol and eased the table top back down. He took three quick steps to the kitchen and tucked himself behind the cabin wall, so he was out of the line of sight for whomever entered the cabin. A man dropped down the ladder holding a pump-action shotgun. He moved down the narrow passageway, placing himself between Ryan and Emily. Ryan feared his bullet would go through the man and hit Emily. A shot in the wrong place could also sink his boat. He looked down at the filet knife he’d left by the sink after washing dishes last night. He slipped his gun into the waist band of his shorts and picked up the knife. Metal scraped on metal as he lifted the blade from the stainless-steel sink basin. The sound drew the man’s attention. He spun, leveling the muzzle of the scattergun. Reviews: Dark Water is Graver's debut novel. It kicks off with a bang and he keeps it moving in this taut, fast-paced, action thriller. He writes with authority and passion. The settings are vivid and well researched. He writes in the same vein as Mark Greaney's Grey Man series, Wayne Stinnett's Jessie McDermitt Caribbean Adventure Series, and Mark Dawson's John Milton. ⸻ Third Reef Publishing

Trawler Trash: Confessions of a Boat Bum


Ed Robinson - 2014
    Meade Breeze lives on the far outskirts of society with no visible means of support. He survives on his wits and a meager income derived from selling home-grown dope to suburban housewives and home-brewed rum to bums in the park. He’s also on the run from his past misdeeds. He fears it will all catch up with him someday, so he stays on the move aboard his classic trawler. Explore the Gulf Coast Islands, Florida Keys, and the Bahamas with Breeze, but keep one eye over your shoulder. His mission to return his dead wife’s ashes to their special place seems hopeless. He’s going nowhere fast until a chance encounter with a lover from his past changes his luck . . . or does it?

Searching for Shelter


Stephanie Mylchreest - 2021
    No shelter. No way out but through.A calamitous pair of storms.Two women on the run from their past caught in the whirlwind.They'll either stand and fight - or be consumed in the aftermath.***Twin hurricanes obliterate the eastern coast of the United States, bringing with them a blight that devastated America's breadbasket.As the nation's food supply withers on the vine, the population turns upon itself and millions die from starvation, infighting and disease within days of the storms' passing.In the midst of the devastation left by the storms, two women in the Gulf Coast must fight against the dangers from their past to survive the aftermath of the storms and find a new order in a broken nation.

A Family Reunion


Rod Pennington - 2011
    The ensuing scandal created a firestorm in Washington which required a high profile scapegoat. To protect his team, Charon cut a deal. Instead of embarrassing The Company by pointing fingers or naming names, he fell on his own sword. After a seven-year self-imposed exile, when he traveled throughout the Far East, Charon resurfaced in Washington. With unexplained but seemingly unlimited funding, he set up an ultra-high-end boutique security firm. With a knack for getting results in impossible situations and a history of keeping his mouth shut, the services of Sariel International were soon much in demand by the rich and the powerful of the world.Charon’s life is turned upside down when a beautiful but mysterious young woman appears unannounced at his office. He soon learns that members of his old Water Works team have come out of retirement and for unknown reasons are killing each other.When he follows the trail, he discovers the identity of the person who had leaked the story years earlier and the startling reason why.

Assault by Fire: An Action-Packed Military Thriller


Hunter Ripley Rawlings - 2020
    Col. Hunter Ripley “Rip” Rawlings IV takes all-American patriotism to an explosive new level . . .   ASSAULT BY SEA U.S. Marine Tyce Asher knew his fighting days were over when he lost his leg in Iraq. He thought he’d never see action again—certainly not on American soil—until the Russians attacked us by sea . . .   ASSAULT BY LAND With so many troops stationed in the Middle East, the U.S. government is counting on Tyce and other reserve fighters to step up and defend their country—when Russian boots hit the ground . . .   ASSAULT BY FIRE This is much more than a surprise attack. It is a full-fledged invasion orchestrated by a military mastermind hellbent on destruction. As the Russians move inland, killing and maiming, Tyce has to enlist every patriot he can find—seasoned vets, armchair warriors, backwoods buckshooters, even mountain moonshiners—to unleash their 2nd Amendment rights . . . on America’s #1 enemy.   RAVES FOR RED METAL BY MARK GREANEY AND H. RIPLEY RAWLINGS IV   “Red Metal is red hot . . . If you enjoy finely crafted military thrillers, you will love Red Metal.”—Brad Thor, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Backlash   “Hits you like a thunderbolt and truly lives up to the phrase ‘can’t put it down.’”—New York Journal of Books    “This is the modern-day equivalent of Red Storm Rising and not to be missed.”—Providence Journal

The Eternal Mercenary


Barry Sadler - 1979
    That he didn’t was only the first surprise. The second, bigger one, was that Casey had been fighting for two thousand years, ever since that day on Golgotha when he put his lance into the side of the Man on the Cross. “Soldier, you are content with what you are. Then that you shall remain until we meet again.” So does Casca’s journey begin, a man who cannot die, does not age, and knows no skill but those of battle. He becomes The Eternal Mercenary.

Field of Fire


James O. Born - 2007
    Born was hailed as "the real thing" by Elmore Leonard; Shock Wave was called "a constant blitz of action" (The Miami Herald); and with Escape Clause, Born was celebrated as "the best thing to happen to Florida crime writing since Elmore Leonard hit the Sunshine State" (Chicago Sun-Times). Now Born takes it to the next level with a remarkable novel of corruption, fraud, and the messy business of murder by explosives. Since returning from Bosnia, ATF agent Alex "Rocket" Duarte has been slowly reacclimating to life in South Florida. But when a gunrunner's car explodes, Duarte's life kicks into high gear in a high-profile hunt for what appears to be a serial bomber. Teamed up with a lawyer from the Department of Justice who herself is looking into possibly related bombings in Virginia and Seattle, Duarte crisscrosses the country, following the bomber and hoping to anticipate his next move, but as he peels away the layers of deception, the lines between friends and enemies begin to blur-and the results are explosive.

Fire Hawk


Geoffrey Archer - 1998
    But none more dangerous than this one. A whispered secret in a Baghdad hotel lobby leads to his kidnapping, torture and expected execution. His paymasters have given him up for dead. Only the intervention of his ex-lover, Chrissie, and a hostage swap get him released. But days later Chrissie is murdered. Perhaps she knew too much, knew of the secret that Sam had uncovered - that a biological terror weapon codenamed Fire Hawk had been smuggled from Iraq for use against an unknown target in the West. Personal motives of revenge clash with priorities of State Security as Sam follows the weapon's and his dead lover's murky past through the Middle East, Cyprus and the Ukraine. At each step the mystery of the ultimate target deepens and the fanatics who control it become ever more elusive.