From the first page to the last, High Treason is a pulse-pounding, suspense-filled ride. Fans of Tom Clancy or Brad Thor will certainly find the world that Sean McFate has created to be an exciting and familiar one.
While this is the third book to feature McFate’s former military contractor Tom Locke, it works just as well as a standalone action thriller. Any information the reader might need from the previous novels has been worked seamlessly into the text here.
A simple exchange of duties between the Unites States President and the Vice President sets in motion an expertly planned and executed terrorist attack, right in the heart of Washington DC (in more ways than one). While literally on the other side of the world, Locke sees the news coverage and knows he needs to return, despite the myriad problems he will cause just by stepping foot back on United States soil.
A young FBI agent is one of the only people (besides Locke) who seems to be able to see through all the subterfuge and misinformation. She and Locke ultimately connect with the joint goal of bringing the right parties to justice.
Scene after scene of non-stop action and constantly questioning just who can be trusted, the story is told in both a big picture, global way with terrorists, warring countries, and potential calamity on a worldwide scale. At the same time, the story is also told in a more hands-on small scale, personal way inside safe houses and SUVs. There is clearly something here for everyone.
Another bonus (to me personally, at least) is that the only recognisable real-world leader ever mentioned is Vladimir Putin. Regardless of your personal thoughts or feelings about the current American administration, these are clearly completely fictional characters. This makes it so much easier to slip into the fictional world McFate gives us. Like the escapism of a great action movie, it is both easy and exciting to get completely absorbed into the world of High Treason.
With his exceptional sense of pacing, perfect size cast of characters, and his own personal knowledge and experience, McFate is able to put an exciting tale together while still keeping something as difficult as geopolitics simple enough for any reader to grasp without ever getting lost.
While his characters are definitely not always likeable, they are sharp, intelligent, and fascinating. Best of all, this story ends by setting the next adventure in motion – and I can’t wait!
High Treason is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore!
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Synopsis | Goodreads
In this pulse-pounding third action thriller for fans of Brad Thor and David Baldacci, hero Tom Locke, introduced in Shadow War and Deep Black, must stop traitors and ruthless mercenaries working together to overthrow the president.
En route to the National Prayer Breakfast, the U.S. vice president’s motorcade is his in a vicious, expertly planned attack that throws Washington, DC into chaos. Everyone assumes it’s ISIS – everyone but young FBI agent Jennifer Lin. She is certain the Russia is behind the strike.
Half a world away, military contractor Tom Locke has his own doubts about what happened – and who did it. He suspects his former employer, Apollo Outcomes, might be involved. But why would the global security firm orchestrate an attack on U.S. soil?
Returning to D.C. Locke discovers that a civil war has fractured Apollo. A division has splintered off, a rogue unit led by an ambitious, unprincipled former colleague who may have planned the attack himself. But Apollo could not have pulled this off without help form inside the government. The official’s itinerary and route were confidential – which means there must be a traitor high up in either the White House or the NSA who is leaking information to Apollo.
But why? And who could be pulling the strings? Islamic fundamentalist terrorists? Or is this a new ploy by Putin to discredit the U.S. government and divide it from its democratic allies? Only Locke can get to the bottom of the conspiracy that traverses the globe and blow it apart with one strategic strike before it’s too late.
