Suspenseful, intriguing... all wrapped up in one edge-of-your-seat mystery that will leave you wanting more.

The Presence of Evil is about Drake Woolf. An agent whose expertise sometimes gets in the way. To steer him toward the "right" targets, Task Force Orange sends him on a mission that has global implications.

In his deadly crosshairs are a Venezuelan terrorist, hordes of elite Iranian assassins, and a beautiful and wily FBI counterintelligence agent. Drake’s aim is flawless but his judgments are all over the place. If he doesn’t get it right this time, it will be Hell on Earth.

JT Patten is a great author, this ride is another great story with hardened and complex character Drake Woolf. The series itself builds on the life of Drake, like i said, he's complex but a very fun character. You'll enjoy it.

This book had my heart racing from the get go! My life was put on hold as I HAD to find out what happened to Drake.
I loved this book because Patten did not hold back punches as he showed us this Shadow World. We delve deeper in book 2 about who Drake is, and how has his past made him who he is. I love Drake because he is not our classic “good guy” hero. He’s flawed and broken. Sometimes his flaws makes him veer into this almost “bad guy” persona. We come to find out what brings Drake back, and what makes him human. I finished this book heartbroken for Drake, and questioning what prevents us from succumbing to our pasts.

This is a great follow up to Buried in Black, and the second in the Taskforce Orange series. Great thrill ride of a read with a main character who is vulnerable, flawed but one pretty badass dude. Drake Woolf is not only fighting America’s enemies, but also fighting his internal demons; which makes him all the more human, and likable.

No spoilers, but if you want to read a story that moves at lightning speed, with great action, gadgets and a pulse pounding plot, do yourself a favor and pick up, not only this one, but also its predecessor, Buried in Black. You will not be disappointed.

I thought this was a really good novel, but to me, it wasn't as good as the debut of the series. Still, considering the genre and how talented it is, this was still a very solid novel. I'd still recommend it, but the first of the series was phenomenal. It will be tough to surpass, but I really think JT Patten can do it.

Presence of Evil is a fast-paced and dark espionage thriller. It shines a spotlight on the intelligence gathering apparatus involved in locating and eliminating terrorist threats. What really sets Presence of Evil apart from other thrillers in the genre, is its extremely vulnerable and weathered down protagonist. Drake Woolf is a great character study of a complex and broken-down protagonist.
Presence of Evil is the sequel to Buried in Black, and it picks up with Task Force Orange locating and eliminating threats to US from foreign actors. When things go horribly awry, Task Force Orange takes casualties and Drake Woolf has to lead the charge to stop a time bound threat against innocents. The narrative becomes a race against time for Drake Woolf and his teammates. With this backdrop, the narrative becomes fast-paced, and due to JT Patton’s gripping writing, is packed with exciting thrills and twists that will leave readers realizing nothing is what it seems.
I enjoyed the focus on technological aspects relating to location tracking through signal intelligence, working and sifting through cellular signals of targets of interest with mind blowing technology within the intelligence community to track and connect the web of conspiracy of bad guys. Rather than questioning the bad guys, the narrative weaves through the plot using analysis and signals tracking to get the information pertaining to the threat and the enemy actors in play.
The focus on signals intelligence gathering plays off extremely well as Drake Woolf is a techie, utilizing and trusting electronic signals over the words of human beings. Drake’s playground is the vast world of electronics and he is excellent at manipulating technological devices to track the bad guys. There is one particular technical exploitation by Woolf that involves saving the day by taking control of a passenger jet, a sequence one won’t forget.
What makes Drake an extremely effective operator is not just his expertise in technology, but also in firearms and combat. There is no shortage of excellent shootouts and combat sequences that display Drake as a force to be reckoned with. Accurate descriptions of weapon systems in shootouts elevate the authentic vibe of the thriller by an author who has lived the shadowy world of espionage.
Drake is a complex character. With a violent childhood and an even more violent life in the shadows as an operative, Drake is a somewhat unstable protagonist. The voices in his head cause a raging storm in his head that he can not always control. As a man weathered down without an anchor to keep him to the ground, his actions sometimes give pause to the reader, wondering if Drake crossed a line a protagonist isn’t supposed to. This is a debate I have with myself, and it makes Drake all the more a compelling character to read. Thrown in the mix of his unstable state, is his confrontation with a brother seemingly at the heart of the terrorist attack. Nothing is what it seems to be. A brilliant plot indeed.
Each character in the book, whether helping Drake or against him, is given a personality and foundation that will make readers invest their feelings into the characters. All in all, I highly recommend this fantastic espionage thriller, with some mind-blowing twists and a protagonist that is the best of both worlds as a techie as well as an assassin. I was blown away by how superb this book is.

This isn’t my typical genre. This is also a new to me author. The book did not disappoint. It held my interest from the beginning to the end. The story flowed and I would recommend.

Great story, really good plot. I look forward to reading more by JT Patten. Great new author I have found.

The Presence of Evil is the second book in the A Task Force Orange series and improves on the first. Drake's character is developed further as well as some new characters added. The plot is laid out well, with some surprises along the way. The book is a very good read for someone who wants to try something while waiting on books by Ben Coes, Brad Taylor, A.J. Tata, Gregg Hurwitz, amongst others.

Helpful

I have read all of the books the author has produced and they just keep getting better and better. I can't wait for the next one.

Drake Woolfe is probably the darkest 'hero' in modern action thrillers. He's haunted by voices in his head who want him to kill everyone. After the wars he was in overseas he now is the last denfense on homeground against devastating terror attacks. A still very entertaining read.

This is a white-knuckle thriller that jumps from the starting line and never loses pace. I read it in an afternoon--once I started reading, I couldn't put it down. Readers of the preceding book, "Buried In Black," already know what to expect from this series: intrigue, jaw-dropping set pieces and scenes, remarkable character moments, and the heart-stopping knowledge that the sinister events described on any page could be written in tomorrow's headlines.
The character of Drake Woolf is unique in that it encompasses many of the standard conflicts in fiction: man vs. nature, man vs. man, man vs. himself, etc. but the reader is given remarkable insight into his fractured psyche, grounding every one of those standard conflicts in a fierce struggle between his delusions and reality, the dividing line often blurring as his external world is shaken to its foundations time and again.
Readers of the author's past work are in for a treat, as the author has a solid grip on his craft and manages to hone it ever more finely with each book. Readers of suspense and thrillers would do well to keep an eye on their blood pressure as they read through the opening pages. Buckle in and brace yourself.
You're in for a hell of a ride.

Once again Drake Woolf has to fight evil. I must say that I'm very glad that J.T. Patten asked me to read his first book in this series. Now I find myself somewhat addicted to his work. Great books, I strongly recommend them to everyone. I must also thank #Kensington and #Netgalley for letting me try more exciting work.

If you are an action and thriller junkie like I am you are going to love this author and his books!

I enjoyed this book, not quite as much as the last one because it left me hanging on something I considered important while it gave a ton of details on things that I didn't consider quite as important.

I enjoyed the pace of this book and the way it kept me hooked and holding out on my opinion about Dexter. I would love to know more about his family and what that darn message said. So it was absolutely great about the building of the terror attack and how the team was trying to stop it while it was a bit light on the closure of some of the things I wanted to know about Drake and his brother.

I am definitely a new reader for Mr. Patten and plan to go back and read many more of his books, while I will continue to read new releases.

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.