Into the Fire

Tuesday Tunes

   

One of the great songs from Phil Collins. 

 

Father, only you. Thank you for all of your musicians and singers, music makers. May they each one know from whom their talents come. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

Getting hit with the . . . Splashback and Making quick . . . Splits and Decisions

                                       

Book 2 Splashback follows Failure Drill in the John Phault Series by James Tarr and is filled with gunfire, explosives, profanity, and friends helping friends in life and death circumstances.

Private Investigator John Phault gets a call from his young friend Ron with a cryptic "We have a situation here" alert. When John arrives at his house, the yard and driveway are littered with cop cars and law enforcement officers. It seems Ron's dad George has been kidnapped. Nobody, including Ron and his mom, knows exactly what George does other than where he works, but in a private inquiry from John to Ron, Ron reveals his dad could be a spook (CIA employee). As if that's not shocking enough, neither Ron nor his mom reveal this to the FBI who takes over the investigation.

Needless to say, the hunt is on for George when it's discovered there's an encrypted file on a USB drive. Joined by Jerry, Steve, and Bob, now a decorated Green Beret home on leave and surprisingly engaged, John fails to break through the encryption so Bob suggests his mom might have enough skills due to her job to get it decoded. None of these young men have yet to reach 23 years of age and yet they, along with John, won a gun battle with Mafia types in Failure Drill to rescue Jerry. During that bizarre search and rescue of Jerry, they bonded and became a "family" of sorts. So now they're determined to find George and all-in even when they realize they're probably up against the CIA. 

Between the five them, they have an arsenal, but before they get to where they need to go to rescue George even though they can't confirm for sure where he is, all kinds of tragedy strikes. John is forced to send his very pregnant wife into hiding and his friend of 20 years in the sheriff's department helps her escape. Bob does something incredible to deal with his pain, and the danger amps up quickly as they plan their attack. 

If you're a "John Wick" fan either in books or films, picture that kind of action and destruction, language and pursuit, wounds and injuries. 

And the twist at the end is a perfect conclusion, but the sorrow and heartache doesn't end there.

                                     

Splits and Transitions, Book 3 in the John Phault Series picks up in the aftermath of Splashback. 

Private Investigator John Phault is going through the agony of divorce because of the horror that occurred in Splashback. Bob is almost recovered from his extensive injuries, having died more than once, but he can't lift weights yet which has him frustrated. He's heading back to base soon after months of rehab. Jerry is doing some surveillance for John and drawing a paycheck while he waits for the US Marshal Service to contact him, Steve is moving faster into law enforcement, and Ron is completing his final year at college. George, Ron's dad, has a gathering for all of them before he heads out to who knows where so they can regroup after the turmoil of rescuing George from his captors. 

John has a new client but questions the surprising death of the object of surveillance of another client. The new client is being stalked but can't prove it, and John figures out the surprising former client might not be who he thought she was. This particular problem he passes along to a police detective along with all of his notes. Both of these inevitably lead to gunfire and death as John survives still more near-fatal encounters. 

As I noted in my review of Failure Drill, this trilogy contains stories which are typically for men who love guns, action, cussing, and sarcasm. Not a lot of interaction with females unless it's bodily awareness, if you get my drift, although this novel puts a female veterinarian directly in John's path. Because James Tarr is an expert on firearms and writes for first rate gun magazines, the repertoire of guns in these stories is impressive and massive. 

The title to this one is especially poignant in multiple ways. I'm not sure if this is the end of the John Phault Series, but it did end rather abruptly on a hopeful note. Very entertaining but a lot of profanity. 

 

Lord, only you know hearts and only you save souls. Please continue to bless James and all of his various writing endeavors. May he know the One who's given him his many talents. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

                                                                   

Sunday's Offerings

 

     Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

 

Colossians 4:2 (NIV) 

Mitch Rapp Ambassador

                               

There are always new covers if a series or a novel sticks around long enough. And Vince Flynn's books will continue to be around for a long, long time. Kyle Mills has taken up the huge mantle to carry on the Mitch Rapp saga, the character who, in my opinion transcends them all in the thriller/espionage genre. 

                               

Pictured above is the "revised" or current cover of the older novel (Book 8) in the series, still my favorite of them all. Why is that? Well, for me it's because the thing that separates Mitch Rapp from every other wonderful thriller character is his succinct and unwavering, although often underlying or buried, moral fiber and distinct definition of good and evil. When he kills, it's because he sees only evil in the target, a danger that is like a cancer that will spread without elimination. In Consent to Kill you see Rapp's humanity in its rawest form, bare bones of a ravaged man - not just the primo operative using every one of his skills to locate a special killer, but a broken man who has laid aside all that hinders him from seeking to kill the monster who has devastated Rapp's life. However, one thing changes that raw rage for Mitch when he reaches his goal, and that single action makes Mitch Rapp the greatest character ever created in this genre.

The Last Man is featured here because of the clever title to depict Rapp's words and the condition of meeting up with him when you least expect it. Another great story in this series.

I recommend you read them all. From prequels to Book 20 Enemy at the Gates, Vince's continued legacy written by Kyle Mills. You won't be disappointed. 

 

Father, you know the love you have for humanity in spite of our horrible sins. I pray each one gifted with your talents and gifts would know the Way, the Truth, and the Life that is your Son Jesus Christ and turn to Him. Bless your writers/authors, Lord, and turn their hearts to you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.  

 

 

Ambassador's Throwback Thursday

To catch you up to the new release coming on September 14th, this is the story that precedes Enemy at the Gates. 

Consumed with . . . Total Power (published 09/20/20)

Total Power, a Mitch Rapp novel by Kyle Mills, tells a terrifying tale that is even more terrifying because of the Author's Note at the beginning of the story. 

A smug condescending genius (John Alton) who works as a consultant, goes by the handle "Power Station", has made bundles of money at his job, put in five years of excruciatingly detailed study to set up his attack on America's power grid, and since the government hearing he attends doesn't take the ridiculously unstable condition of the country's electrical power facilities seriously enough, he's decided to peddle his abilities to totally put the United States of America in the dark . . . forever . . . to its enemies, aka the highest bidder. Or at least for long enough to exterminate its existence. And not so much for any monetary reward. John Alton wants total power and is capable of making it happen. 

A Russian sleeper agent is called up by her government from whom she hasn't heard in eons to meet with Alton in a remote location to assess whether or not what he claims he can do can be done. She is then reluctantly transported back to Russia to give her report. The Russian leadership chooses to ignore his claims and her report of his incredible abilities much like the USA had done in their assessments. 

Much as Alton wants nothing to do with any ISIS goons, he soon realizes they seem to be his only choice. Clever as he is, he senses a trap that results in an involuntary death and two suicides plus overall mayhem at a diner. This leaves him with the second in command of the ISIS contingent sent to participate in the downfall of America and three of his associates. It's definitely an unlikely match, but it's all any of them have to make this happen. 

Mitch and Coleman's team are dispatched to discover who's threatening what, but the resulting mayhem doesn't go well. And following that, the real abilities of this genius are discovered.

What's terrifying in this novel is the apparently fragile thread that is deeply frayed and unraveling within our country's power grid. Rapp and his group along with the retiring president and every alphabet department of the USA including Irene Kennedy and the CIA are facing the huge failings of neglecting the power grid for so long. There do not seem to be any immediate answers, and people are dying or killing each other just to grab whatever they can to survive.

When a discovery of Alton's whereabouts becomes a possibility, Rapp finds out quickly how little is available to help him do what he has to do. The remaining government is in chaos and provisions are limited. 

Total Power is a harrowing adventure against a despicable antagonist with a brilliant brain, but his brain capacity is all wrapped up in his super powers and he fails to note the old adage of "pride comes before the fall".

My two favorite parts of this novel are the scene where Mitch confronts a senator who insists on entering a compound that he doesn't have credentials to enter and Mitch makes it abundantly clear to the senator that he won't be entering, and another scene where Mitch explains to Irene why he's not cut out for a particular approach to a place where Alton might be. What he says to her is priceless. 

In this story Mitch is recognizing once again that his age and occupation have incurred the ever present fate of all kinds of body pain and aches and perhaps the hints of slowing down. His live-in girlfriend and her daughter have become increasingly important to him and that scares him. He's experiencing those life-defining moments more frequently, and they continue to make him uncomfortable. It seems the only emotional place where he can fully be himself is wherever his singular job that's he's done since he was just out of college takes him. It's who he is, and he "owns it". And there are ample opportunities for him to do his job in this story, none more satisfying than his final assignment.

(Plenty of profanity in this one.) 

 

Father, thank you for this incredible series, for the late great Vince Flynn, and for the talented efforts of Kyle Mills to continue this legacy. May you continue to bless Kyle as he writes and creates, providing all that he needs to tell the stories you have just for him to tell. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

Ambassador Duties

         

A TV Trailer for Enemy at the Gates, the latest Mitch Rapp thriller. 

"Mitch Rapp has worked for a number of presidents over his career, but Anthony Cook is unlike any he’s encountered before. Cunning and autocratic, he feels no loyalty to America’s institutions and is distrustful of the influence Rapp and CIA director Irene Kennedy have in Washington."

Pre-Order yours today! 

 

Father, you know our hearts and you're the only One who saves souls. Please bless readers and authors with the knowledge of your Son. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.