THE FORGOTTEN SOLDIER

A counterterrorism operator must bring in a teammate who's gone rogue.

Taylor, who spent more than 20 years in the U.S. Army infantry and Special Forces, delivers the latest addition to his growing body of convincing plots. As in his previous thrillers (The Insider Threat, 2015, etc.), he spins a tale that could easily have been lifted from our current sociopolitical reality. The story begins with Guy George, a member of the highly classified and off-the-books counterterrorist unit known as the Taskforce, receiving a Federal Express box filled with the belongings of his recently deceased brother, who had been serving with the Special Forces in Afghanistan. In his brother’s uniform, George finds a clue to who may have been responsible for his death. George’s need for revenge pushes him to strike out on his own and hunt down the killers. However, his rogue mission could expose the secretive Taskforce and its governing body, the Oversight Council (whose members include the president and vice president). To complicate matters, one of the men in George’s cross hairs is associated with the Qatar Investment Authority, an organization the secretary of state is relying on to save the dropping Euro by infusing Greece with a significant amount of cash. The Oversight Council makes the morally questionable decision that America’s economic future takes precedence over retribution for the life of a U.S. soldier. The Taskforce calls on Nephilim “Pike” Logan (Taylor’s serial character) to bring George home—by any means necessary. In a journey infused with action and filled with ethical complications, Logan will stop at nothing to bring George back into the fold of paramilitary secrecy.

A realistic page-turner that fills a need for thrills while questioning the complicated process of statecraft.