Publishers Weekly
11/14/2022
The extraction of Ahmad Khan, an Afghan government official trying to flee Kabul before the Taliban takes control in August 2021, kicks off bestseller Taylor’s overbusy 17th Pike Logan novel (after 2021’s End of Days). This rescue mission draws special operative Pike of Taskforce into the search for the Bactrian Treasure, a priceless trunk of valuables that Khan managed to steal before his escape. Meanwhile, a hacker dubbed Dark Star breaks into the most secret layers of U.S. government computer operations and demands a ransom. Logan’s boss orders Taskforce to take down Dark Star’s point man, computer genius Dylan Hobbes, a former NSA coder who appears to be operating out of Croatia. No sooner does Logan close in on Dark Star than Hobbes ups the ante by hacking into NASA’s computer system and programming a space tourism rocket that just blasted off, with several influential Americans aboard, to crash into the International Space Station. Taylor’s fans have become used to the series’ peripatetic lines of action, but even diehards may be pressed to follow a plot that often fails to digest one story development before the next one is off and running. Taylor has done better. Agent: John Talbot, Talbot Fortune Agency. (Jan.)
From the Publisher
Not since Vince Flynn has an author been able to combine headline-beating plots with such visceral, explosive action year in and year out…one of the true masters of the genre today…Smartly plotted and brilliantly executed, Brad Taylor continues to dominate the military thriller genre with The Devil’s Ransom.” — TheRealBookSpy.com
“Logan is a fun hero to follow, given that he only slaughters bad guys and has a degree of self-awareness…Thriller fans will love the ticking-clock action.” — Kirkus Reviews on The Devil's Ransom
"A blisteringly fast-paced, ferociously intense and violent thriller, The Devil’s Ransom is Pike Logan at his absolute world-saving best. Brad Taylor has gifted readers a classic Pike mission within a timely and modern storyline that will leave readers sweaty and trying to catch their breath." — TheBestThrillerBooks.com
“Taylor has fashioned a wondrously structured tale that’s complex without being confounding. Once deemed the heir apparent to W.E.B. Griffin, Taylor is now laying claim to being the American John le Carre, and his End of Days is a stunning triumph.” — Providence Journal
“A whirlwind of high adventure, and edge-of-your-seat plot twists… End of Days is an incredible tapestry of real world implications mixed with stellar story telling. Brad Taylor still has the touch.” — Mystery & Suspense Magazine on End of Days
“Pike Logan returns with a thundering force… Taylor’s own military experience and insights bleed onto the page, but in an honest and informative way that makes his story seem a little too real for comfort… Taylor [is] one of today’s finest storytellers.” — TheRealBookSpy.com on End of Days
"American Traitor is frighteningly realistic and will cause a lot of sleepless nights in Washington. Brad Taylor is the best action writer in the business today, and Pike Logan is the right hero for our time." — William H. McRaven, Adm, U.S. Navy (Ret.) and author of Make Your Bed on American Traitor
“Taylor, a retired Special Forces lieutenant colonel, has a good grasp of the geopolitical backdrop of his stories, and this knowledge gives his books a solid layer of plausibility. The high-energy writing also helps sell the story and characters. This is a series that has earned its popularity.” — Booklist on American Traitor
“It is [Taylor’s] remarkable character work with a robust and memorable cast that is the true strength of the novel. The camaraderie of the battle-hardened operators…, their staunch loyalty... and their stalwart sense of shared duty ultimately make for a big-hearted novel, even amid its many pulse-pounding moments.” — Charleston Post & Courier on American Traitor
“[A] page-turning thriller...Taylor is one of today’s premiere authors writing about the world of special ops.” — Associated Press on American Traitor
“Taut . . . a memorable cast, powerful action scenes, and authentic tradecraft . . . Series fans will appreciate the continuing evolution of the characters and the customary attention to tactical detail. Taylor reinforces his place as a major player in the military action genre.” — Publishers Weekly on American Traitor
“Brad Taylor knows his stuff. His new Pike Logan novel, Hunter Killer, has the gun metal ring of authenticity and the crisp writing of a military communique… It makes you pause and think while you’re being thoroughly and rapidly entertained. It’s an excellent read, and I greatly enjoyed it.” — Nelson DeMille
“Taylor continues to tell flawless stories with his stellar cast of characters... It’s amazing that after so many novels Taylor can still maintain the high-level quality and breathless action readers expect, while also getting better with each tale.” — Booklist (starred review) on Hunter Killer
"Taylor brings an unquestionable level of authenticity to his Pike Logan series... Throw in some former Israeli Mossad agents and the cast of elite operators along with the level of bone-crushing violence is almost overflowing. A surefire hit for those who like contemporary foreign affairs spiced heavily with page-turning action." — Kirkus Reviews on Hunter Killer
Booklist (starred review) on Hunter Killer
Taylor continues to tell flawless stories with his stellar cast of characters... It’s amazing that after so many novels Taylor can still maintain the high-level quality and breathless action readers expect, while also getting better with each tale.
Charleston Post & Courier on American Traitor
It is [Taylor’s] remarkable character work with a robust and memorable cast that is the true strength of the novel. The camaraderie of the battle-hardened operators…, their staunch loyalty... and their stalwart sense of shared duty ultimately make for a big-hearted novel, even amid its many pulse-pounding moments.
TheRealBookSpy.com on End of Days
Pike Logan returns with a thundering force… Taylor’s own military experience and insights bleed onto the page, but in an honest and informative way that makes his story seem a little too real for comfort… Taylor [is] one of today’s finest storytellers.
Associated Press on American Traitor
[A] page-turning thriller...Taylor is one of today’s premiere authors writing about the world of special ops.
Mystery & Suspense Magazine
“A whirlwind of high adventure, and edge-of-your-seat plot twists… End of Days is an incredible tapestry of real world implications mixed with stellar story telling. Brad Taylor still has the touch.
Booklist on American Traitor
Taylor, a retired Special Forces lieutenant colonel, has a good grasp of the geopolitical backdrop of his stories, and this knowledge gives his books a solid layer of plausibility. The high-energy writing also helps sell the story and characters. This is a series that has earned its popularity.
William H. McRaven
"American Traitor is frighteningly realistic and will cause a lot of sleepless nights in Washington. Brad Taylor is the best action writer in the business today, and Pike Logan is the right hero for our time."
Providence Journal
Taylor has fashioned a wondrously structured tale that’s complex without being confounding. Once deemed the heir apparent to W.E.B. Griffin, Taylor is now laying claim to being the American John le Carre, and his End of Days is a stunning triumph.”
Nelson DeMille
Brad Taylor knows his stuff. His new Pike Logan novel, Hunter Killer, has the gun metal ring of authenticity and the crisp writing of a military communique… It makes you pause and think while you’re being thoroughly and rapidly entertained. It’s an excellent read, and I greatly enjoyed it.
Library Journal
08/01/2022
Bad news: Pike Logan's Taskforce has been hit by a ransomware attack that seems to have originated with the Taliban. Worse news: it's just a trial run, and the real attack is coming from a traitor who once served as a National Security Agency specialist in the U.S. government. Next in a long-running series after End of Days.
Kirkus Reviews
2022-10-18
Pike Logan and his extra-Constitutional Taskforce save the day in their 17th book-length outing.
It’s 2021, and Afghanistan is falling. The Taliban wants to capture mortal enemy Jahn Azimi before he escapes their clutches, which he does with help from Logan and his crew. Aside from having killed many Taliban, Jahn has the Bactrian Treasure (yes, this is a real thing, a pile of ancient gold coins said to be worth billions of dollars). The Taliban want both the man and the gold “really bad.” Blood flows, of course. Meanwhile, bad guys test “zero-click” ransomware on a Washington, D.C., consulting company that happens to have ties to the U.S. intelligence community, but that’s just a dry run for a much bigger show. A private enterprise plans to send some rich dilettantes into space to dock with the International Space Station. Criminals plan to spoil that flight in spectacular and deadly fashion unless the American government tells them where the treasure is. “This attack is going to make worldwide news,” a conspirator says. “It's going to cause America to go nuts.” Which is why President Hannister takes decisive action: “I want Pike Logan operational right now.” Much of the action takes place in Croatia, where Logan accurately says, “I'm probably going to go kinetic here.” The administration’s confidence is well placed: “I know it sounds strange,” an official says, “but that guy is never wrong.” Logan is a fun hero to follow, given that he only slaughters bad guys and has a degree of self-awareness. Every time he kills someone, he says, “it’s like a chip in the armor of your soul.” Whether modestly or carelessly, Pike Logan doesn’t mention his full name for well over 100 pages, never mind that he’s the main character. His fans already know who he is, but it wouldn’t kill the author to weave Chip’s—er, Pike’s—name into his first scene.
Thriller fans will love the ticking-clock action.
