After the pandemic and did or didn't the virus escape form a Chinese lab I've bene super curious to read more Chinese based thrillers. American Traitor blew my mind. I haven't read any others in the series so this was my first introduction to The Taskforce team led by ex-Special Forces Operator Pike Logan. Pike and his girlfriend, fellow Taskforce member Jennifer head to Australia for a holiday and for a social meet up with Clifford Delmonty, ex member of the team. Clifford is working at an Australian base on F 35s. He sees something he shouldn't have seen and comes under attack by Chinese agents. At his home Pike and Jennifer take out two of the agents and the action takes off from there. We go back and forth between Australia, Taiwan, China and Washington as those in power in pull the strings of those on the ground trying to eliminate Clifford while getting the F35 mole to cause chaos with the secrets he has stolen. This novel took my breath away - clever, smart and a slightly terrifying read. LOVED IT.

A well written action thriller that grips you from the start til the end amazing story characters and action scenes that will blow you away.

Brilliant!
This fast-paced political thriller has all the elements to make a great movie!
You can see Brad Taylor is an expert in the field and sometimes it got a bit technical for me but you can see it was a well-researched story and I liked the detail he gave in his author's notes about the research that went into writing this book.
The action leaves you out of breath at times and I also want a nail with a blade attached! I can just imagine how much fun I will have! No corkscrew...... Wait let me open that bottle for you hehe.
I like Pike Taylor. He is fiercely loyal to his country and the people he cares for so you don't want to cross swords with him because he WILL take you down. I also like the fact that he looks to his partner Jennifer for advice at times. Let hope we see a wedding in the next book!

Thank you to Netgalley, Aria &Aries and Head of Zeus for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

American Traitor is the fifteenth instalment in the Nephilim ’Pike’ Logan series. Logan, head of the Taskforce counterterrorism unit, and new wife Jennifer Cahill are enjoying a sunny vacation in Sydney, Australia and looking forward to exploring the Great Barrier Reef when they get disturbing news: their friend and colleague Clifford 'Dunkin' Delmonty, who they were due to stay with while on holiday, is in serious trouble. Dunkin recently exposed the schemes of his coworker Jake Shu, a Chinese-American artificial-intelligence specialist, working for Gollum Solutions at an airbase in Misawa, Japan, who sabotaged the software of the new US F-35 Lightning II fighter jet and stole the code for the early-warning system protecting Taiwan from Chinese invasion. The recovery of the aircraft would take four months, the body of the pilot itself not found until a month after that, with the United States concerned that the Chinese would attempt to find the top-secret information lying on the ocean floor. With the help of Jennifer, the Taskforce team, and a brave Taiwanese intelligence agent, Pike must race against the clock to prevent a catastrophic conflict from consuming a whole region of the world.

This is a scintillating, enthralling and rapid-fire espionage thriller from one of the best in the game at creating a high-stakes cat and mouse game with dire consequences should Pike, Jennifer and the Taskforce fail to stop the ball rolling. Right from the opening pages you are immersed in the story and begin to really care about the characters as they fight to stop an all-out war. It has a high-octane, ripped from the headlines plot with plenty of drama, danger, twists and expert use of misdirection. Pike is a fearless spy who works well with others to ensure the desired outcome of a mission is achieved for the good of the US and her allies. With China becoming ever more powerful, this is a story that very much reflects real-world fears and uses them to craft a rollicking thriller that just about stays on the right side of uncomfortable in how prophetic it could be. Ex-US Special Forces Colonel Brad Taylor knows exactly what he's talking about and brings an air of realism and authenticity to proceedings using his knowledge to pen a believable and compulsively readable tale. Action-packed, expertly plotted and entertaining from the very beginning, this is an adrenaline-pumping, plausible and gritty thrill ride I highly recommend to those who enjoy intelligent, exhilarating and exciting stories rich in advanced spycraft.

This was a story of non stop action and intrigue based around some true events involving China. Compelling storyline with a lot of tension and some great characters. Very atmospheric story which I thoroughly enjoyed.

This is a fabulous story from start to finish. Brad Taylor certainly knows how to write an exciting and tense Action Thriller. Pike Logan is a great character, he’s incredibly tough and you know he’s going to cause damage to anyone that crosses him. I like Logan’s girlfriend Jennifer, she’s also not someone you want to get on the wrong side of. This is book 15 in the series but it could easily be read as a standalone story.
Clifford ‘Dunkin’ Delmonty was sure Jake Shu was up to something, and being in a classified job that could cause a problem. Especially since there was now a major problem the F35 fighter jets, after one of them unexpectedly crashed. Dunkin wasn’t someone that could let something go, especially after previously working with Pike Logan. Logan and Jennifer were really looking forward to some time off in Australia, even though the main reason for taking the holiday was to get Amena settled into her new school. Amena wasn’t too thrilled about not being invited on their trip, and she took a bit of convincing that the ‘Bad Man’ shouldn’t be anywhere near Logan this trip. Although it was his job to hunt the bad men, they seemed to be constantly coming into contact with him. This Author certainly has a talent for writing, and I would thoroughly recommend his books. 5/5 Star Rating

American Traitor
by Brad Taylor
4 Stars

A gripping military thriller from ex-Special Forces Commander Brad Taylor

This is a great read with plenty of action.

The fast flowing military action adventure story moves quickly, with the action focused around central characters – Pike Logan.

Led by ex-Special Forces Operator Pike Logan, Taskforce are a formidable unit. Prepared for anything. Whilst aiding an ex-Taskforce member on the run from Chinese agents, Logan uncovers a plan to bait Taiwan into all-out war by destabilizing their government and manipulating their artificial intelligence controlled defence system.


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This title was provided by Netgalley and the publisher in return for an open and honest review.

#AmericanTraitorUK #NetGalley

I have decided to give this book 4 stars because I have friends and family who will love this series and I will be recommending it to them. I thought that the story got a bit bogged down in the detail. That is my personal opinion but I know the people I am recommending this to will really like the amount of information and detail given.

Thank you to NetGalley for my copy.

This author obviously knows his stuff and manages to get it over to the reader in a fairly uncomplicated way.
It has an exciting plot with a lot of detail but to be honest I found this one hard going I'm afraid.
Not the author's fault, mine for picking it, expecting an easy read.

As this series has gone on, the characters have evolved and developed and the author feels far more comfortable with them and his plot crafting.
Logan Pike has always been similar to Vince Flynn’s Mitch Rapp but has now surpassed him in terms of simmering violence. And Brad Taylor is now edging on the skirts of the traditional Tom Clancy as this is a proper techno-thriller.
Lots of clever ideas here and some interesting thoughts on the “silent expansion” of China. In this China has a team working within Taiwan to use AI targeting systems to “start” a war with China that they can react to and end Taiwan for ever. By the way, worth a brief read up on the history of China and Taiwan, not only interesting but it will help bring this more to life.
Anyway, Pike Logan and “partner” Jennifer are taking a break from The Taskforce to catch up with a friend in Sydney, Australia. When his friend is attacked the pair react with all their considerable skills and soon Sydney is covered in bodies. Eventually Logan’s team fly over to join him and do battle with Chinese operatives while trying to understand exactly what is going on.
Lots of action, great settings (I suspect author Brad Taylor loved his research in Australia) and an intelligent plot. What is so engaging about this is that action within the US “oversight committee” is just as engaging as gunfights in Sydney.
A very well written thriller and my thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy.

A brilliant book, so compulsive that I just could not put it down, I stayed up until the early hours until I had finished it. Excellent page turner, I must read more by this author.