Joshua Hood

Burn Out (Aug 13, 2024)

The “master of action” returns with a unique take on emergencies to highlight the US Forest Service’s special operations capability in the smokejumpers.

Taken from Amazon:

When fighting a wildfire gets Slade involved in a string of murders deep in the mountains of California’s notorious Emerald Triangle, Slade finds himself caught between a disgraced DEA agent trying to solve his final case and the ruthless cartel hit man determined to kill them both.

If you haven’t check out Hood yet, this is a great place to start. A former parchuter with the 82nd Airborne, and a SWAT Team Sniper, Hood knows action like the back of his hand.

Check out BURN OUT, then get your hands on others like THE GUARDIAN for more action-packed thrills.

Watch Josh on COURSE OF ACTION on YouTube

T.J. Newman

Worst Case Scenario (Aug 13, 2024)

First, TJ gave us a story about a plane “falling” from the sky. It was great. Then, she gave us a story about “drowning”, which gave me nightmares (I’m a little claustrophobic and fear drowning…). Again, excellent.

So, how do you top that? A worst-case scenario depicts an airline pilot having a heart attack and crashing a plane full of passengers into a nuclear power plant.

On a scale of disasters, there have been two level 7 nuclear events in history: Fukushima and Chernobyl. There’s never been a level 8, until now.

Full Coverage on The Real Book Spy

tom clancy

by MP Woodward

Shadow State (Aug 20, 2024)

Book 12 in the Jack Ryan Jr. series brings in author M.P. Woodward who penned THE HANDLER and DEAD DROP, to follow after Don Bentley’s four Clancy offerings and take the series even further down the rabbit hole of espionage and global conflicts.

I got my hands on this early, and what MP does in this one is take it back to the days of mental survival. Yes, it has good action, but what MP does best is show and tell. Jack Jr. must not only survive a helicopter crash, but do so in the heart of the Veitnamese Highlands, while the Chinese are hell-bent on keeping Jack from finding out what is being produced at the isolated factory he was sent to check out.

If you liked THE HANDLER and DEAD DROP, MP delivers more just like them both, but this time, in the infamous Clancy world with Jack Jr. It was a great change of pace and MP kept the pages turning!

Watch MP discuss SHADOW STATE on COURSE OF ACTION on YouTube

Robert swartwood

Enemy of the State (Aug 20, 2024)

USA Today Bestselling author Robert Swartwood returns with his blistering The Killing Room Series with this follow-up that is bound to have you looking over your shoulder constantly.

The world believed Daniel Burke was dead. Once part of an elite black ops team, Burke faked his death to avenge his brother. With justice served, Burke sets out to start a new life out of the country.

But life isn’t that easy. His old team had tracked him down. The CIA believes Burke is a traitor who must answer for his crimes, while others in government simply want him dead. He’s set up, and must find the real traitor before it’s too late.

Watch MP discuss SHADOW STATE on COURSE OF ACTION on YouTube

vince flynn

by Don Bentley

Capture or Kill (Sep 3, 2024)

I can’t imagine it being easy to step into the shoes of legends. No way can it be easy to pick up that mantle and try to live up to expectations.

Don Bentley is about to do it for a second time.

After penning four TOM CLANCY books, Don takes off on an adventure with the infamous Mitch Rapp, a beloved character with a massive following. CAPTURE OR KILL sees Rapp right in the middle of the Bin Laden raid while also facing an Iranian foe driven to send the Middle-East back into turmoil. Dated in 2011, this book is a throwback, and not a continuance of the timeline Kyle Mills created over a decade behind the Flynn established series.

Fans should expect action, and a much younger Mitch Rapp, both good things. Bentley delivers the punches, adds some flare to the younger storyline, and sets up Rapp to revisit old places as Don takes over the series going forward. Get yours today!

Mason coile

William (Sep 10, 2024)

I don’t read horror. In fact, I don’t read anything even remotely scary. Don’t even watch scary movies.

But when the publisher contacted me about this one, I jumped on it. I’ve been on an A.I. kick lately, as it’s a central message of my own books currently in the works. But WILLIAM meshes together A.I. with horror in a smart home gone rogue.

With twists and turns galore, this one had me up all night and unplugging every smart device in my house.

Goodbye, Alexa.

simon gervais

The Elias Network (Sep 17, 2024)

Simon knows how to write. He’s turned out story after story and doesn’t appear to be slowing down. He just announced a new deal with Ryan Steck (Here), and will be putting out THE ELIAS NETWORK in September.

If you liked the movie Mr. and Mrs. Smith, with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, this is for you. Two undercover flames whose new mission risks exposing their true identities to the world…and, worse, each other.

From Amazon:

For ten years, Caspian has worked under the code name Elias for Onyx, a black program deep within the Department of Homeland Security. His latest mission takes him to Switzerland to kill a target tied to a human trafficking ring. There, Caspian stumbles onto a web of conspiracies involving high-level political figures.

Meanwhile, Caspian’s girlfriend is starting to pull away, and he wonders whether she may have secrets of her own. The truth is, Liesel Bergmann’s a spy. But neither knows the truth about the other…yet. As their covert operations converge, trust becomes paramount. Can they work together to bring down the enemy with their lives—and hearts—still intact?

taylor moore

Cold Trail (Sep 17, 2024)

Taylor Moore brings the heat in this fourth pulse-pounding Garrett Kohl story deep from the heart of Texas.

On leave from the DEA, Garrett Kohl is ready to settle down and build a stable foundation for his family. But that’s easier said than done. In order to give his girlfriend, Lacey, and adopted son, Asadi, the life they deserve, and get out from under crippling debt, some risks have to be taken. And shocking alliances have to be formed.

Plus, I had Taylor on the podast for this release, and you have to catch his story about traveling on a Russian research vessel in the arctic. It’s mind-blowing.

Watch MP discuss SHADOW STATE on COURSE OF ACTION on YouTube

Jason Kasper

Congo Nightfall (Sep 24, 2024)

If you haven’t checked out Jason Kasper yet, you need to do so now. A former Ranger and Green Beret, Kasper knows how to deliver the action.

CONGO NIGHTFALL is the 8th book in the Shadow Strike Series that follows David Rivers and his team of killers in the heart of Africa when they are ambushed trying to assassinate a notorious terrorist warlord. Trapped in the Congo, they must survive while being hunted by everything from man to the world’s most dangerous predators.

Jack carr

Targeted: Beirut (Sep 24, 2024)

If you aren’t impressed with the slate of releases in September already, Jack Carr wants you to hold his beer and buckle up.

The #1 NY Times Bestseller just dropped RED SKY MORNING on us back in June, and now takes on nonfiction in TARGETED: BEIRUT.

From Amazon:1983: the United States Marine Corps experiences its greatest single-day loss of life since the Battle of Iwo Jima when a truck packed with explosives crashes into their headquarters and barracks in Beirut, Lebanon. This horrifying terrorist attack, which killed 241 servicemen, continues to influence US foreign policy and haunts the Marine Corps to this day.

Now, the full story is revealed as never before by Jack Carr and historian and Pulitzer Prize finalist James M. Scott. Based on comprehensive interviews with survivors, extensive military records, as well as personal letters, diaries, and photographs, this is the authoritative account of the deadly attack.

I read it early, and it’s just as action-packed as any James Reece novel. Jack did his research and really peeled back the layers to reveal some truths behind this attack. I could get used to two Jack Carr releases a year!

david mccloskey

The Seventh Floor (Oct 1, 2024)

McCloskey is back with another spy-thriller that questions how friendships in the business of espionage can stay true when they are tasked with shifting from stealing everyone else’s secrets to now stealing each others.

If you liked DAMASCUS STATION and MOSCOW X, SEVENTH FLOOR is likely to get your blood boiling with all too-true depictions of backstabbing drama amongst the CIA’s elite. 

Hailed by Edgar Award Winning Author I.S. Berry as “Absolutely everything you want in a spy novel”.

Go on. Click the link to the left already!

R.J. Patterson

Terminal Threat (Oct 8, 2024)

Remember the pirates that captured, or tried to capture cargo ships?

Remember all the prisoner exchanges the US has conducted the last few years?

Mash those two together into a plot with Yemeni pirates who capture an oil tanker only to realize they have also captured a high-value asset. So what do they do when they realize they got the upper hand on. the US?

Ask for the release of a notorious bombmaker currently in US custody.

This book sends the White House into turmoil, while protagonist Garrett Knox tries to navigate the mountains of Yemen to bring home the asset instead of the US conducting a swap.

It’s war. It’s action. It’s drama. I love it already.

Steve urszenyi

Out in the Cold (Nov 12, 2024)

His first book PERFECT SHOT was a cinematic, action-packed sniper-centric thrill ride featuring protagonist Alex Martel. Now, she’s thrown back into the chaos in order to keep certain events from kicking off World War III.

When a megayacht sailing across the Mediterranean is rocked with explosions, a team of assailants takes it hostage. On board are wealthy and political elite, including top diplomats and the INTERPOL secretary general. NATO’s newest member, Finland, is at war against an unknown foe who wants the Alliance thrown into turmoil.

With the US pulled into the turmoil, global conflict seems inevitable. Alex tries to cool the jets, but when new allies emerge and old enemies surface, she has no idea who to trust.

Jack stewart

Bogey Spades (Nov 12, 2024)

Stewart has solidified himself in the genre as a mainstay right next to the likes of Andrews & Wilson, Simon Gervais, Ryan Steck, and others. His Battle Born Series thus far has dropped UNKNOWN RIDER and OUTLAW, two thrilling jet-fueled rides of espionage, war, and special operations.

I’d say Stewart has this thing figured out. He should be on your annual list of authors to pre-order.

Now, BOGEY SPADES, the third Battle born book, sees main character Colt Bandcroft returning home a hero, only to be called on to resurrect a Vietnam-era light attack squadron. Once soaring high, he finds himself on the dark side of special operations in a conflict he never saw coming. At its front lines, NCIS Special Agent Emmy Punky King is confronted with the timeless question—is the enemy of her enemy her friend?

Follow Jack. He’s got even more high-octane thrillers on the way, and get caught up on all things Battle Born, today!

Tom clancy

by Brian Andrews and Jeff Wilson

Defense Protocol (Dec 3, 2024)

I don’t know how Briand and Jeff top ACT OF DEFIANCE, as it was one of the best post-Clancy books I’ve read. But they did.

Now they take on the Taiwan/China relationship in Jack Ryan number 25.

From Amazon:

For decades, Taiwan has been a thorn in the side of the Chinese government. An independent nation to the rest of the world, it is considered a rogue province by the PRC. Previous governments have tried to conquer the island using economic force and diplomatic pressure, but new Chinese President Li Jian Jun is done fooling around. He’s devised a secret military operation to take the island. Only one man knows how to stop Li’s mad and bloody plan for reunification and that’s Minister of Defense Qin Haiyu. Fearing for his life and the safety of his family, Qin covertly makes contact with the CIA in Beijing and signals his desire to defect to the West.

Jeff is an author, podcaster, veteran, and works as a veteran advocate through volunteer work and promotions on his podcast, COURSE OF ACTION. Jeff has a growing community on Instagram, Twitter/X, and Facebook. His debut book, Hear These Truths, was hailed as “one of the best leadership books since SEALs taught us about ownership”. To interact, follow the blog and give Jeff a shout at: hello@jeffclarkofficial.com