"Without Fear" eBook was published in 2018 and was written by Colonel David Hunt and R. J. Pineiro (http://www.rjpineiro.com). Mr. Hunt has published five books and Mr. Pineiro nearly 20 novels. This is the second of their joint "Hunter Stark" series. 

I categorize this novel as ‘R’ because it contains scenes of Violence and Mature Langauge. The story is set in the Middle East of 2005. As the Russians were pulling out of Afganistan, a fighter transporting a nuclear weapon is shot down and the bomb lost. 

Decades later in 2005, the bomb is rediscovered by the Taliban. Wanting the bomb activated to use against the west, they reach out to al Qaeda for help. The US, Israeli, Russian and Pakistani intelligence agencies all pick up on the discovery. All of the nations send in operatives to find the bomb. 

For the US, the tip of the spear in the bomb chase is Hunter Stark and his team of CIA contractors. They run into one dangerous encounter after another as they close in on the bomb. Compounding their difficulties is the NATO command structure that often causes confusion.

There are also five significant women characters in the novel.  US Air Force Captain Laura Vaccaro, an A-10 pilot, plays an important role in providing critical air support. Senior GRU officer Kira Tupolev leads the Russian Spetsnaz team pursuing the bomb. She is driven not only by the desire to reclaim what is Russia's but also by the fact that her father was the pilot of the ill-fated fighter that was shot down while carrying the bomb in the first place.

Then there is FBI agent Monica Cruz who is filling in with the CIA as a field officer. She finds herself drawn into the pursuit of the bomb and into action with the Taliban. Pakistani ISI officer Maryam Gadai is also in pursuit of the bomb. Lastly, there is Zahra Hassani, the personal aid and assassin for Saudi Prince Mani al Saud. The Prince is being well paid to help the Taliban get the bomb working. Hassani will do anything to please the Prince. 

Stark and his team must overcome one life-threatening situation after another. They have offers of assistance from many quarters, but can these allies be trusted? Will they be able to work with the NATO command team? 

I thoroughly enjoyed the 13 hours I spent reading this 528-page thriller. I enjoyed the plot and the characters developed for the story. I liked that the story did not just focus on Stark and his team, but brought in many other characters. I think that the cover art is well chosen. I give this novel a 4.4 (rounded down to a 4) out of 5.

Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/. 

My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).

Good story, with a good plot. Would highly recommend to others. Really well written, and I am pleased I read it.

In the book Without Fear, authors Col. David Hunt and R. J. Pineiro take us on a journey to stop the Taliban and al Qaeda from using an old soviet nuke from a plane that was shot down years before. CIA and Mossad operatives are racing to stop the terrorist from using the nuke.
This was a great story line. But it is a very long book and so much detail. There were a lot of main characters and the authors had to give pages of background on each character. I would cautiously recommend this book. I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I need to get back to the first book in this series. I did like "Without Fear" as we have long wondered what happened to the Russian nukes and why they were never used in the country where "empires go to die". With that said, the Taliban recovering a nuclear bomb lost by Russia, and trying to use it against the West has a strong ring of possibility.to it. Lots of pieces and people in this book and this may be a series worth investing in. 6 STARS!!

I really enjoyed this book quite a bit. A wide ranging plot involving the Taliban recovering a nuclear bomb lost during their war with Russia, are intent to bring the bomb back to life to strike the West. I highly recommend this book as it has all the trademarks of a Clancy novel with the large amount of characters and multiple story lines that all connect at the end. A long read but worth the effort.
Thank you Macmillan Tor Forge and Netgalley for the ARC for my honest review.

This is a very readable and exciting military adventure. Terrorists have a chance at obtaining a nuclear weapon and groups in power have to determine how to react to this unprecedented threat. Who will succeed first.? There are a few major problems with the military writing that the authors and editors should have known better to include. The major military force used in this story are the Marines. All writers should be aware that Marines are never referred to as soldiers, they are Marines, first, last and always. Also, the A-10 Warthog is a wonderful ground attack aircraft, but it flies low and slow. It does not have an after-burner. These two issues can grate on the sensibilities of any reader who knows better. I wonder what other mistakes are made by the writers?