I can always count on a Steven Konkoly book to provide lots of action in a well developed good vs bad plot line. This time, the scene of the battle will be DC, where APEX will stop at nothing to continue their climb to the top of the criminal elite. This is book #4 in the Ryan Decker series. Each could be read as a stand alone but they really are great action/ thriller books that would make an excellent binge read.

Skystorm is a book that once you start reading it's very difficult to put down. It's action-packed, fast-paced, and makes me think about what's presently happening in Ukraine. Very entertaining, and a pleasure to read!
I downloaded a free copy of this book through NetGalley and this is my unbiased opinion.

Fabulous story that I could not put down. Would highly recommend to fans of this genre. Great writing, and I will look for more from this author.

this was a great mystery novel, it had a good plot with interesting characters. I enjoyed trying to solve the mystery and thought it was well written.

My first book in this series and I really enjoyed it. It's action packed, well written and have a lot of great characters. The book was difficult to put down and now I have to read the other books in the series. I highly recommend this book.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for this copy.

Nonstop action, high intrigue and interesting characters made this a good story. I like that the book starts with action and just never stops. Not sure I ever trusted the senator. There are so many places in the book that things could have gone a different direction. I found myself staying up way to late to see how this story would end. Excellent book.

I've read several books by this author and have always enjoyed everything I've read, so I was looking forward to reading this book. I must say it didn't disappoint. This book was easy to read and fast paced and kept me wanting to read more. I highly recommend this book. I can't wait for the next book in this series!

Book Review: Skystorm (Ryan Decker #4) by Steven Konkoly
(Published by Thomas & Mercer, May 11, 2021)

3.75 Stars rounded up.

From the US southern border (Book 2), to Northern California's Netflix-featured "Murder Mountain" in lush and verdant Humboldt County (Book 3), and now to the streets of L.A. and the serenity of Chesapeake Bay as the author segues the Ryan Decker show into "Hatfield-McCoy Part II", the no-holds-barred variety.

Book 4. Bitter, perennial antagonist Apex Institute, vaguely a billion-dollar cabal of D.C. bigshots with paramilitary support, decides that the annihilation of a sitting US senator and the Decker led-counterstrike force team and all their relations is in the best interest of God, country and the almighty dollar.

And the protagonist do dutifully respond in kind.

So, gun battle galore and, from the first to the last page, utter, wanton death and destruction.

Bullets fly, grenades explode, and protracted segments of dialogue under fire flourish chock-a-block with bravado and repartee, a tad cringeworthy after the nth iteration.

Non-stop action in a quasi-military shoot-'em-up, with the "Skystorm" threat barely elaborated bar a few mentions in vague asides, as the author uses his talent to push and pull the levers on that roller-coaster ride.

A fun speedread into the realm of pulp fiction, which frankly falls short of its compelling prequels.

Review based on an ARC from Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley.

Skystorm is the fourth instalment in the Ryan Decker series and it's a stellar addition to the bestselling action-adventure franchise. Former CIA operative turned private mercenary for hire turned undercover investigator Ryan Decker is enjoying some much-needed downtime with his family at the Decker home. His mother, Audrey, has gone out leaving Ryan and his father, Steven, to talk and engage in a little bit of playful banter whilst Ryan’s girlfriend and partner in crime, private investigator Harlow Mackenzie, ponders and converses about domestic problems and Riley, Ryan’s teenage daughter, sets off to school accompanied by her ex-Israeli soldier bodyguard, Brooklyn, who is currently studying for her PI’s license, a less dangerous career choice. Everything seems to be coming up roses and for a time they settle into family life and have some semblance of normality, but not for long as Ryan is called back out to continue a mission he started in the past. He had been hired by influential US Senator Margaret Steele, to carry out a black-ops mission against the Apex Institute, a criminal enterprise “quasi-intelligence agency and paramilitary power broker,” masquerading as an innocuous think tank, and despite believing the organisation has either been eradicated or is lying low, there is no such luck. They are back to their nefarious ways with a new undertaking, a project code-named Skystorm, which is merely an insolent attempt at circumventing international arms-trafficking laws.

Besides this, Apex operatives are also on the warpath and will take any opportunity to destroy Steele and Ryan. The whole of Decker’s team is being hunted with increasing desperation after their futile attempts to bug head of Apex, Ezra Dalton’s home in Washington, D.C. Apex sends their security forces after the team, their families and FBI colleagues with links to the sabotage as they desperately try to cut the head off the snake and kill the group once and for all. They eventually manage to carefully extract themselves to a remote mountain region in California where they enjoy some respite for a while. Can they destroy the monster before it's too late and keep everyone safe in the process? This is a compulsive, enthralling and action-packed thriller full of exciting, nail-biting events and heart-thumping drama. The cat and mouse game has high stakes for both sides and the plot is based upon betrayal, revenge and conspiracy with both sides having one goal in mind: to decimate the opposers. Konkoly succeeds once again at crafting an exceptionally plotted, complex and explosive tale with plenty of near misses for the protagonists as the rapid-fire pace propels the narrative forward. As was expected, some of the characterisation is lacking as the author places his focus on the plot, as with many series in this genre, but if you're looking for a riveting, all-action thriller and one that'll thoroughly entertain then look no further; it has everything required to keep you gripped and engrossed throughout.

I have read Skystorm by Steven Konkoly, It's the latest installment in the series about Ryan Decker. It starts with action and then it goes on with even more action. Decker and his friends is targeted by Apex again. This time they aim to wipe them all out in one go. I had some real problems with this book! I had to put it down to eat and sleep. Besides that I think this was one of the best books I have read in a while and I'm almost up to a hundred read this year. I will not spoil the book for you out there who follow Konkoly and those that haven't started with his work, you better get on board. I have to thank @netgalley and #ThomasAndMercer for giving me this advane copy and @author_steven_konkoly for writing it. Please keep up the good work.

Wow. First time reading Steven Konkoly, and what a ride. Non-stop action, and great characters. Will need to track down the rest of the series. #Skystorm #NetGalley

We can only hope that the dastardly dealings of a supposedly DC think tank is nothiing more than the fantastic creaative idea of Steven Konkoly. Ryan Decker and Harlow MacKenzie find themselves, their families, and their friends in a fight for their lives when APEX takes on a no holds bared attaci to kill anyone standing in their way as they proceed with their arms traffiking with awful consequences. If you want fast, thirlling, action packed reading along with a whole lot of weaponry ( I need a weapons lesson) then be sure you don't miss the 4th installment of the Ryan Decker series.

I'm very glad to see an author improving, as this is definitely the best book in the series. Packed full of action and with great characters, well written and with a fast pace. The plot is, of course, a little over the top, but this is entertaining fiction.

Steve Konkoly hits it out of the park once again. Skystorm is the perfect novel to tie up the Ryan Decker series. The plot is engrossing and the storyline is such that you can't put the book down. I ended up reading it all in one evening. Read the entire series if you haven't already done so. You won't regret it and like me you'll hope Steve will let us visit with this great cast of characters again in the future.

This 4th book in the Ryan Decker series did not disappoint. Recommend reading the books in order, will make the story and characters easier to follow.
Senator Steele needs help again, and the person she trusts most is Ryan Decker and his crew. APEX is still working and now the stakes are higher. Their target is Senator Steel and Ryan's crew and family. APEX wants them dead so they can carry on with their equitable illegal activity. But APEX underestimated the power the senator has and the skill set of Decker and crew, including his daughter! Great plot, love the characters. Story is filled with fast paced action.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I received this book through NetGalley's Read Now program.

This is the 4th book that I have read in this series and I haven't been disappointed with any of them. This story begins with Decker and Pierce stealthily boarding a container cargo ship to prevent it from sailing. They have both made it onboard and are climbing the stairs to the bridge. After Decker cleared the 4th stage and told Pierce that it was clear, Pierce started climbing when a hatch opened with an armed mercenary coming out. Then it ended the chapter that way.

The next chapter started with the activity which began 3 months earlier. In that time-frame, a group working with Sen. Steele had their plane shot down. At the same time, Decker's team as well as another team aiding Sen. Steele were attacked by the company known as "Apex". As a result of this attack, all of the team members and their families in addition to 2 FBI families went into hiding. Apex had been quite for the last couple of years. Sen. Steeles' current operation ended that.

The team all met at a secret location and planned how they were going to end the feud. The only way that they would be free would be if they were able to destroy Apex. Their plan called for them to disrupt the Skystorm Project. This was a two phase action. The 1st one being the stoppage of the container ship sailing and the 2nd would be the destruction of the Thrush plane. Both of these stages would be handled by Decker's team with assistance from Bernie's air support.

At the same time, the other team working with Sen. Steele would draw out the Apex mercenary force in D.C. and destroy them. In addition both teams would work together to disrupt the information stream that Apex had at their headquarters.

To discover how this all happened, then you must read this story. You won't be disappointed. If you read this and haven't read any of the other books in the series, you will likely want to start.

I received access to Skystorm through NetGalley. Unbeknownst to me, it was book 4 of a series featuring Ryan Decker. That may have been the overriding problem for me with the book. I felt as if I was dropped into the middle of a story having no idea who the characters were, including who was good and who the villains were, nor did I have any history or understanding of what was going on. As the body count rose, and did it ever, I had no clue what it was really all about. There was so little story to intrigue or engage me. It just seemed to go from one firefight to another. I’ve read many series and, generally, the author lays some groundwork history that helps a new reader. Regrettably, this is lacking in Skystorm.

Skystorm by Steven Konkoly is shocking, suspenseful, alarming and pulse-activating. It has aspects of both political and military thrillers as well as an action-adventure thriller and is the fourth book in the Ryan Decker series.

Ryan Decker is a former CIA operative turned mercenary turned covert investigator that also takes shadow ‘off the books’ missions for Senator Margaret Steele. In this case, Senator Steele knows that Apex Industries, the criminal enterprise that masquerades as a think tank, is once again up to no good. When a surveillance plane meets disaster after Steele uncovers an APEX operation code-named Skystorm, it is only the beginning. APEX goes after everyone. Will Senator Steele, Decker, his team and their families survive this onslaught?

This book is once again largely set in California and Washington D.C. but also takes the reader to Nicaragua, Texas, Oklahoma, and Nevada. It is exactly what you would expect from a well-written action thriller with lots of concern over how to protect one’s family as well as some information on weapons, drones, and covert gear.

There was a lot more character development in this book for Ryan. I got sense of what he is like in the down time between missions and what his hopes are for the future. I also got to know Harlow, Ryan’s significant other, a lot better in this novel. Due to the large number of characters in the book, it helps to read this series in order. That way, a reader is not learning all of the secondary characters at once, but gradually over time.

There are several twists to the story, although a lot of the action and deductions are over-the-top. It was so full of action and excitement that it kept me turning the pages to find out what was going to happen next. I was kept fully invested in the mission becoming a success. But is that what happens?

Overall, this book was suspenseful, riveting, fast-paced, action-oriented, and entertaining. If you enjoy action thrillers that have both strong male and female characters, then this may be the series for you.

This is the fourth book that I have read by this author and the third in this series. I own five other books by Konkoly that I plan to read. He continues to bring great characters, entertaining story lines, and lots of action together in exhilarating novels. Steven Konkoly has become one of my favorite authors and I look forward to reading more from him. Will there be more in this series? I can’t wait to find out what is next, whether it is another series or this one.

Thomas & Mercer and Steven Konkoly provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. This is my honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. Publication date is currently set for May 11, 2021. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.

Some of the best action scenes I’ve ever read. However, too much IT for my taste. Good development of subject matter and characters. I will continue to look forward to this writer‘s additional books.

I have to admit I picked this book because I thought it was about planes. As soon I started reading the first chapter I realized it wasn't but it was so well written and exciting that I got hooked. Well soon followed an air plane scene and an air crash so thumbs up my expectations were satisfied.
I haven't read the previous stories in this series but you can easily understand the background and dive in the story. The book is full of action, suspense, conspiracy.
A criminal enterprise is developing an armed civilian airplane that is against international laws. Senator Steele has to rely on old allays like Ryan Decker and new hires to stop this project and destroy APEX. Mission after mission they face gun fights, bombings, drones that are so well written that you feel like in the middle of the action waiting for enemies next move.