Hunt the Falcon

October 21, 2013
A wave of attacks that leaves Americans dead across the planet is only a prelude to a far more ambitious campaign of terror in Mann and Pezzullo’s rousing third Thomas Crocker thriller (after Hunt the Scorpion). More than patriotic fervor motivates SEAL Team Six leader Crocker and his subordinates; the mastermind behind the scheme is none other than established antagonist Farhed Alizadeh, aka “the Falcon.” An Iranian plot, abetted by an alliance of America’s enemies, takes Crocker and his team across the globe and finally into the darkest realms of Iran itself. The authors eschew making their heroes invincible; the series of injuries suffered by SEAL Team Six and their allies is a profound argument in favor of comprehensive medical insurance for international men of action. In the end, they deliver exactly what their fans want: a comfortingly simplistic tale about the ability of a few well-armed and ruthless warriors to provide security within a hostile world. Agent: Heather Mitchell, Gelfman Schneider Literary.

December 15, 2013
Bang. A shoot'em-up novel contemporaneous with world politics. Thomas Crocker is a red-blooded, patriotic warrior and leader of the fabled SEAL Team Six. His five team members cover the spectrum of American society, and all are tough, battle-hardened and ready for action at a moment's notice. That notice begins in Bangkok as a young autistic boy is left an orphan when a bomb is attached to his parents' car by a passing motorcycle rider. The attack is duplicated toward American targets in other foreign cities, and we are off on a global chase for the very bad guys. Mann and Pezzullo (Seal Team Six: Hunt the Scorpion, 2013, etc.) bring it on fast and heavy. They put the reader in the center of the action--the smells, sounds, savagery of war. (Note that author Mann is a former SEAL.) This war against terrorism targets an Iranian government-sanctioned cadre called Unit 5000 that intends to do serious damage on American soil. To stop them, Crocker and his SEALs work with the CIA and move quickly from Afghanistan to Thailand to Venezuela, ending in Ahvaz, Iran, running through the bad guys' offices. The SEALs are efficient and deadly, scarred physically and mentally from their work. And it is work, plain and simple, for the warriors they are trained to be, leaving their families to fend for themselves within the secrecy each man must maintain. Mann and Pezzullo can write action and place, politics and patriotism, but the novel feels like it is stitched together, a travelogue of violence. The characters are not fully formed but remain snapshots of what we envision a Navy SEAL to be in the flesh. Retribution drives Crocker as much as duty and patriotic zeal, and when the good guys win, they end with a sentimental moment with the autistic orphan the book began with. Like a good SEAL mission, the circle is completed. Action is the purpose here, and Mann and Pezzullo deliver. Those looking for something more could be dissatisfied.

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December 1, 2013
Mann and Pezzullo's latest novel featuring SEAL Chief Warrant Officer Thomas Crocker and his team has them facing both a terrorist and problems at home. Crocker's wife was kidnapped and rescued, but she's having trouble coping. Her husband's assignments take him across the globe, and he can't tell her what he's doing. Imprisonment and torture almost kill Crocker, but determination and a bit of luck keep him alive. Then he learns that the man responsible for kidnapping his wife has been seen. Talk about the perfect opportunity for a guy to rid the world of a terrible human being and bring his own family peace! The military side of the story is spot-on, and the focus on how the world of special ops affects the family left behind makes this novel distinctive. Previous knowledge of the series is not essential to enjoy the tale, the best in the series. Make sure to hunt down this falcon.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)