Overall, a decent, decently entertaining read. Not quite as desired or expected for this specific reader, but plenty of thrills for others, likely. Dyatlov Pass remains a mystery. Thanks Netgalley.

Time is running out for Ryan Drake. With his enemies moving against him and his allies no longer able to support him, his world is turned upside down by a personal tragedy that forces him to return to the UK. Russia, 1959. Nine members of a Soviet mountaineering team on an ambitious expedition into the Ural Mountains are found dead, victims of massive and bizarre injuries. The Dyatlov Pass incident, as this grisly event came to be known, remains unexplained to this day. Decent enough, but as others mentioned, not much Dyatlov lore was really wrapped in the story. Also, given the last 2 years and various governmental responses to COVID, bold of the author to imagine a world where a deadly virus could be tamped out in little to no time. It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” The plot is a paint by numbers, formulaic hero-saves-the-world story. The Dyatlov Pass mention is just used to mascarade a bland story we all have seen before hundres of times.Following his trail of destruction, the team must fight to save Drake not only from a list of ruthless enemies, but even more urgently, from himself. There, he finds himself presented with an unexpected offer – travel to Libya, kidnap a high-ranking officer in Gaddafi’s much feared intelligence service, and return him to the UK. In exchange, Drake will be given everything his needs to destroy the career of the CIA’s corrupt leader, Marcus Cain. As for how long the series has left, that's tough to say! I'm contracted for at least 3 more books by my UK publisher, and there are certainly a few more scrapes for Drake to get into along the way. Obviously every story to end eventually, but as for Drake himself... well, there are a lot of places I plan to take his character development first. That's what I enjoy most about this series - watching Drake and his companions change and develop with each book. For fans of World War Z, a chilling mystery, an ancient threat, and a race against time to save humanity—inspired by the true events of the Dyatlov Pass incident

Tech specialist Keira Frost has just graduated to the big leagues. But despite numerous commendations for outstanding achievement and a tour of duty under her belt, it’s a reputation for insubordination that precedes her with Agency fFor fans of World War Z , a chilling mystery, an ancient threat, and a race against time to save humanity--inspired by the true events of the Dyatlov Pass incident Russia, 1959. Nine members of a Soviet mountaineering team on an ambitious expedition into the Ural Mountains are found dead, victims of massive and bizarre injuries. The Dyatlov Pass incident, as this grisly event came to be known, remains unexplained to this day. The thing that was most important for Cain (and I suppose, any antagonist in my books) was to give him a logical goal that the reader can identify with. Cain's not out to topple governments or kill innocent civilians for the sake of being evil - he's pursuing a bigger objective that will gradually become clear as the story unfolds. It's just his methods, and how far he's willing to go, that set him apart from the more heroic characters. My intention is to give the reader something to think about when considering if he's truly a monster. After graduating high school he moved on to university, gaining an Honors Degree in Information Technology. To support himself during his degree he worked a number of part time jobs, one of which was as an extra in television and feature films. Cast as a World War Two soldier, he was put through military boot camp in preparation for the role. The prologue is the retelling of The Dyatlov Pass event from 1959 on Ural Mountain where A Russian team of nine were found dead with immense and inexplicable injuries. The Dyatlov Pass continues to be unsolved.

Will Jordan Great question! Yes, Cain is very much the Big Bad of this series, and there were three aspects of his character that were important to me:This is a solid action adventure with heroes you care about. It has a sci-fi feel to it and what I enjoy most is the author's imagination weaving the Dyatlov Pass event into the story. I hope that this is the beginning of new series! Russia, 1959. Nine members of a Soviet mountaineering team on an ambitious expedition into the Ural Mountains are found dead, victims of massive and bizarre injuries. The Dyatlov Pass, as this grisly event came to be known, remains unexplained to this day. But this is the second novel of his (the first being "Redemption: Ryan Drake”) that wasn’t exactly a disappointment, but wasn’t memorable, and so I probably won’t want to reread it (which is the criterion I look for when awarding 5 stars).

Will has always been drawn to books whose characters inspire him in his own life; stories of people rising above their circumstances, refusing to be beaten down and pushing themselves to do things they shouldn’t be able to do; an element which he has tried to bring across in his own work. The book is more original that its title at least, though. Do you know how many books share that title? So many. With the fate of the War on Terror hanging in the balance, loyalties are tested and scores settled, as Drake embarks on the fight of his life. Only one side will survive… For fans of World War Z , a chilling mystery, an ancient threat, and a race against time to save humanity—inspired by the true events of the Dyatlov Pass incident

During one particular film shoot he was required to undertake military boot camp training, as he was to play the part of a World War Two soldier, and it was this training that led to his keen interest in military history and the many conflicts that have occurred. It was this interest that led him to research historical conflicts and, with his love of writing having already been ingrained from an early age, he then went onto write his first novel that was to see the introduction of Ryan Drake as a lead character. Other research included visiting Eastern Europe and America, spending time on the weapon ranges there, a journey which also took him to Washington D.C. No, we don't get dudes mowing down hordes of the undead, but what action here is clinical and well thought out. One section had me almost thinking this was going to turn all Resident Evil. The writting could have used heavy editing as several phrases repeat themselves very often. "skill set" being one of them. Wow! Thanks for such kind words, Sam. Very much appreciated, and great to hear from people who really get what I'm working towards with this series. Not at all my thing, although objectively speaking this book was pretty well done for the sort of book it was. Solid on all accounts with nothing egregiously stupid or gratuitously violent getting in the way of telling a story. If action is your thing (especially, high-stakes apocalyptic-flavored action), you’ll probably love this novel. It has a very cinematic sort of style to its high-octane narrative that works well and makes it a dynamic read. The sense of place, be it snowy mountains or sandy deserts is done very well too.