Book picks similar to
Baptism of Fire by Todd McLeod


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Matador


Stewart Matthews - 2018
     Experience the gripping first entry in the action-packed Barrett Mason Thriller series! Barrett Mason’s mission was simple: help an Iranian biochemist defect. Extract him to the States then learn the darkest secrets of the Ayatollah’s weapons programs. Iran's deadliest spies would try to kill them along the way, but Barrett never shied away from a fight. Everything was going fine until Barrett was caught in a spy’s worst nightmare: his own side tried to kill him. Trapped between two sides full of expertly trained, cold-blooded killers means standing his ground is suicide. And running will only get him so far. But Barrett Mason never lays down. Not when failure means unleashing the deadliest weapons known to man. He'll fight to get his revenge, or he’ll die trying. Fans of Clancy's Jack Ryan, Child's Jack Reacher, Ludlum's Jason Bourne, and LT Ryan's Jack Noble will be hooked by the heart-pounding, life-or-death adventures of Barrett Mason. Other books in the Barrett Mason Thriller series Book 0: The Lost Son Book 1: Matador Book 2: Tyrant

Mission Critical


Jamie Fredric - 2010
    Commander Grant Stevens, intelligence officer and Navy SEAL, is assigned to the black ops division of the Naval Investigative Service. His present mission: prevent the USS Bronson, the newest, most sophisticated destroyer in America's arsenal from being hijacked. Stevens and his friend, Senior Chief Joe Adler, will take on Russian commandos and an old KGB nemesis, as they hunt for and try to flush out a Russian mole, who could be buried deep in the heart of the U.S. Navy itself.

Skills To Kill: The Steve Dane Thrillers


Brian Drake - 2012
    They travel the world in search of adventure, righting wrongs wherever they find them, acting as champions for those who have none. Skills to Kill: An arms dealer known only as The Duchess is selling nuclear weapons to jihadists. Dane and Nina race around the world to track her down and stop her. Another Way to Kill: The Russians want an American laser weapon, and they’re willing to start a war to get it. Live to Kill: Dane confronts the mystery of his father’s death, and discovers a deep-seated conspiracy in the heart of US intelligence. Mine to Avenge: Nina’s dark past catches up with her, requiring decisions she may not be able to make, such as killing the man closest to her to stop a human-trafficking ring that crosses the globe.

Hard Trauma


Franklin Horton - 2020
    Ty is thrust back into civilian life, stuck working as a security guard at a truck stop. To make matters worse, he struggles every day with the demons that followed him home from the war.His new job is routine, even boring, until a young girl is abducted while he’s on duty. Ty can’t let the case go, even when law enforcement insists he leave the investigation to the professionals.Ty doesn’t listen.He cannot listen.His gut tells him that the investigators are going down the wrong road and with every minute they waste, the girl slips farther away. Unable to accept that outcome, Ty risks it all for this new mission. He knows that somehow their fates are inextricably bound. If he can save her, then somehow he might just be able to save himself.

The Shadow Enforcer


N.M. Thorn - 2021
    But when he starts on his way to Phoenix, he wants nothing more than to hide who he truly is and find a place where he doesn't have to deal with monsters... at least for a short while. So, when a local business owner offers him a construction job in a small town in Arizona, he takes it.Little does he know, however, that this small town has big, terrifying secrets.Before long, Damian finds himself drawn into a blood-curdling world of mysteries, lies and intrigues. With the lives of people he cares about on the line, he struggles to identify the unknown, powerful evil that lurks in the shadows. And when he finally learns the truth, it comes with a shocking revelation that his chances of winning this deadly cat-and-mouse game are next to nothing.Faced with this horrifying reality, he must make a choice that will change his life forever, shaking his entire world to the core. But what is his future in comparison to the destruction of the entire town... and possibly the world?If you like fast-paced, action-packed Urban Fantasy novels with dynamic characters, intense action, and breathtaking suspense, then you'll love this edge-of-your-seat series, with a touch of Slavic mythology. Get your copy now!

Clay Legionary


J. Clifton Slater - 2017
    A prodigy is a talented youth. Put them together and people die. Welcome to the world of 271 B.C. Going further than historical fiction, the Clay Warrior Stories are adventure books that make you want to grab a gladius and join the fight. Set in the years before the First Punic War, they follow the exploits of a young, hot-headed swordsman. From a lad on his father’s farm, to a Legion training camp, to the Capital of the Republic, Alerio Sisera learns that sharp steel and quick reflexes aren’t always a Legionary’s best assets. Clay Legionary is the 1st book in the Clay Warrior Stories series Other books by author J. Clifton Slater Clay Warrior Stories series: Clay Legionary Spilled Blood Bloody Water Reluctant Siege Brutal Diplomacy Fortune Reigns Fatal Obligation Call Sign Warlock series: Op File Revenge Op File Treason Op File Sanction Galactic Council Realm series: On Station On Duty On Guard On Point Short Story: Serpent Circles

Legions of the Forest


Mark L. Richards - 2014
    Varus, a lawyer and former governor of Syria, has frighteningly little experience as a military leader. He is resolved to prove himself as one, nevertheless. He believes the Germanic people to be conquered. He is wrong.His ranks are filled with seasoned veterans and novices alike, the latter of which includes Lucius, a young man whose conscription into the Roman imperial legions represents only the first step in his epic, and terrifying, destiny.Valerius Maximus, a young Roman tribune, enters the legions of the Rhine as well—only to find that the danger he anticipated from abroad actually lies within his own ranks. The vicious politics of the officer corps prove to be more treacherous.Meanwhile, German nobleman Arminius lies in wait, preparing for the inevitable appearance of the Roman legions and growing in his determination to liberate his people from Rome’s rule at any cost.The fates of these men soon converge in a bloody battle that will decide the course of their countries…and their lives. The Germanic foes spring a monstrous ambush in a driving rain storm. The future of Western civilization turns in the blink of an eye.

Downdraft


Marcus Richardson - 2021
    A man separated from his family. A deadly race against time to reunite - before it’s too late.Tired of the usual post-apocalyptic story? Welcome to your new addiction.A massive dust storm sweeps across the continental United States, dwarfing the storms from the 30’s and wreaking havoc on everything in its path.As multiple states deal with catastrophic power outages, more storms roll across the country, killing millions and leaving vast swaths of the country virtually unlivable.In the midst of the chaos, Derek Stagg must journey to reunite with his family on the opposite side of the country, hunted by a mysterious assassin and threatened by truly world-ending storms.From the #1 best-selling post-apocalyptic author Mike Kraus, writing with best-seller Marcus Richardson, comes a terrifying post-apocalyptic survival thriller tale that's guaranteed to keep you up at night.Lost Sanctuary is a 6-book post-apocalyptic survival thriller series from the authors of books like Broken Tide, Final Dawn, Surviving the Fall and Storm’s Fury. With a deep emphasis on characters and real-world science, this post-apoc tale will keep you reading well into the night.

Assassin


Bryan Murray - 2014
    While Jake is on a dangerous mission to terminate the patriarch of a large family oil company in Dubai, who refuses to work on illegal arms deals with rogue government agents, Jake's bosses, his wife overhears those same agents and her boss discussing their treacherous plans, after which she and her friend are terminated, just to keep them quiet. Jake is angry and devastated and with help from Sarah, a friendly Federal Agent, he goes in search of the people responsible, determined to kill them, not realising that the vengeance-seeking Arab sons and lethal bodyguards of the man he terminated in Dubai, have been sent to kill him by his treacherous agency colleagues.

Storm Rising


Steven Becker - 2016
    The trail for redemption leads Storm to the British Virgin Islands and an uncomfortable alliance with a man from his past. When they discover an old nemesis – a beautiful Chinese woman is involved, a terrifying plot to rebuild the blood thirsty Persian empire begins to unfold. Only one thing stands between the empire and a new world order – American agent Mako Storm.

Templar Steel


K.M. Ashman - 2018
    Reports of Saracen patrols devastating towns and villages cause panic throughout the Outremer, and Baldwin, the teenage king beset with leprosy, tries desperately to counter the threat. But nobody knows where the enemy forces are and the Christian forces are stretched thinly.With the king’s army campaigning in the north and the feared Templar knights defending the border far to the south, only one man has even the slightest chance of finding out Saladin’s true intentions, a Templar Sergeant named Thomas Cronin. With time running out and the odds stacked heavily against him, Cronin needs to find the Saracen army and relay the information back to the leper king in time to prevent the fall of Jerusalem, and indeed, the Holy Land itself!

After the EMP


E.E. Isherwood - 2021
    New car. New retirement.Stolen by the EMP.It gets worse. Frank’s neighbors failed to prepare at all, so it falls on him to keep them alive.He starts easy: stockpile food, water, and guns. Disaster lessons he'd picked up reading books about the end of the world.But after the EMP, keeping people safe gets complicated. He has to rally the neighborhood before the streets turn to chaos.And they will. He’s read enough to know the power might come on tomorrow……or never.

Cartel


Matt Rogers - 2017
    ENTER THE FILES. June, 2007. Black Force — a new division of the U.S. military that officially does not exist — has its first operative. Jason King, a young prodigy who accelerated up through the ranks at an unprecedented rate, is tasked with proving his worth as a solo warrior. In Mexico, Joaquín Ramos has made a name for himself out of the blood of his enemies. The twenty-eight-year-old cartel leader hacked a path through anyone who dared to interfere with his newfound monopoly on the billion-dollar online drug trade, capitalising on the archaic nature of the existing empire in Tijuana. He’s new school. So is King. With doubts swirling amongst those who know of Black Force’s existence, King heads into the city’s decrepit underworld alone, intent on tearing the cartel apart from the inside. Still largely inexperienced, it doesn’t take long for his plans to fall to pieces… 
Outnumbered. Outgunned. Just the way he likes it. CARTEL is the explosive first entry in the prequel series, "The Jason King Files." Read "The Jason King Series" for more relentless thrills, exclusively on Amazon.

Scar Tissue


Ollie Ollerton - 2020
    Scraping a living as a gun for hire and estranged from his family, Abbott is haunted by ghosts of the past, drinking to dull the pain. Life's tough, but there is one upside - at least he's not in Baghdad.That's about to change.When a job goes badly wrong, Abbott's in hot water. Next he learns that his military son, Nathan, is missing in Iraq. Knowing something is wrong, needing to find his son and desperate for redemption, Abbott has no choice but to go back.Returning to Baghdad, Abbott renews old acquaintances and begins his search for Nathan. The body count rises as old wounds open and he struggles to confront his demons, self-medicating the only way he knows how. But when one of his old crew turns up dead in mysterious circumstances and the link with Nathan is clear, Abbott begins to suspect a trap.But who is the hunter? And who is the hunted?

Whatever It Takes


Andy McNab - 2019
    It shattered everyone, leaving him with a burning need to right the wrongs they suffered. He will stop at nothing to recoup what they are owed. It’s not theft, it’s payback.Until his solo crusade falls foul of the very people he seeks to rob - the 1 percenters, the people who own the bulk of the world’s wealth. Soon he is putting together a crew to carry out one last robbery, to undertake one last job. Success will restore his family’s fortunes, but failure will destroy them forever.Packed with relentless action and the sort of riveting authenticity only Andy McNab can provide, Whatever It Takes tells the story of one man’s extraordinary pursuit of justice against devastating odds, a story as hard and real and controversial as any of today’s headlines, which will show the world as it really is.