The Insider Threat

April 27, 2015
Pike Logan and the members of the secret American antiterrorist unit Taskforce go up against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Taylor’s solid, though sometimes confusing, eighth installment in this bestselling series (after 2014’s No Fortunate Son). Pike and his love interest, Jennifer Cahill, travel to Kenya with the rest of the team to deal with a wealthy Saudi businessman, Ali Salim al-Naggar, who’s channeling funds to the Islamic State. Later, Pike and the team are ordered to Jordan to prevent an attack on a meeting of a new international anti-terror organization, which puts him on the trail of the Lost Boys, a group of four men directed by ISIS commander Omar al-Khatami. Because several terror groups are running simultaneous operations, some readers may find it difficult to keep all the bad guys and their missions straight. Never mind; Pike has his usual steady hand on the stick, and in the end he’s the one left standing with his enemies strewn about his feet. Agent: John Talbot, Talbot Fortune Agency.

Starred review from May 15, 2015
Taylor's eighth thriller to feature Pike Logan and his Taskforcethe special-forces unit sent in when all other options are exhaustedcouldn't be timelier as the team goes after ISIS. An arm of ISIS, operating off the radar of Western intelligence, is planning an audacious terrorist attack so well designed and so well concealed that Logan finds himself tracking an operation that is merely a diversion to the real threat. It begins when an American is beheaded on video, apparently by a U.S. operative. The blowback to the president and his administration could be catastrophic, of course, prompting a straightforward plan to grab the man responsible, but as Logan digs in, he realizes the extent of the hidden agendas and the real catastrophe to come if the ISIS endgame is not stopped. Logan and the Taskforce members are exceptional characters, especially in the world of high-action thrillers; they display true camaraderie, as well as incredible skill, and readers will be drawn to both. Taylor is one of the best in the Vince Flynn line of military thrillers featuring covert operations, and he has the eerie ability to predict real-world headlines. And, somehow, he just keeps getting better and better.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)

August 1, 2015

Taylor's eighth Pike Logan thriller (after No Fortunate Son) takes on the extremist group ISIS. Logan's group known as the Taskforce and staffed by his usual team, including Knuckles, Retro, and Jennifer Cahill, is joined by former Mossad agents Aaron and Shoshana to catch the "Lost Boys," a squad of male orphans who were raised in a hellish Christian institution. Terrified and dehumanized by their experience, the Lost Boys escaped and were taken in and trained by an ISIS subgroup to become a U.S.-based terrorist cell. Their assignment is to assassinate an important figure whose murder will demoralize the entire Western world. Logan and crew must identify the target in order to stop this monstrous crime. VERDICT Strongly recommended for the many fans of the "Logan" series and those who enjoy a breakneck pace. Though the final pages include a moment of implausibility, Delta Force veteran Taylor gives hope for a positive resolution to today's hostilities. [See Prepub Alert, 1/12/15.]

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2015

What should the extralegal counterterrorist unit known as the Taskforce take on next? An attack from ISIS, of course, with this one coming off the battlefield. Eighth in the New York Times best-selling series; with a five-city tour.

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.