This review was originally published on NetGalley.com. I was given an ebook freely by NetGalley and the book’s publisher in return for a voluntary and honest review.

Coming Down
Book #2 in the Devin Gray series.

By Steven Konkoly

Steven Konkoly served eight years in the military and traveled the world. He specializes in writing thrillers. He has several series available dealing with espionage, military and science fiction/ dystopian flavors. This is my first time reading Konkoly.

Coming Down is the second book in a techno espionage thriller. We have a son, Devin Gray carrying his mother’s torch of paranoia. The Russians are here. Yes we found some of the sleeper cells from the 80’s but we missed others. These sleeper agents want to destroy America and Devin takes on the job of stopping them. Of course Devin doesn’t have to do this all by himself but has a multi-agency team to help him.

I didn’t read book 1 so I did feel slightly handicapped by their shared experiences from book 1 but not enough to hamper my enjoyment. It had a slow start to ramp up the story but once it started it became a true page turner.

I enjoyed Coming Down very much and I plan on buying the first book. Here’s to hoping book 3 is around the corner. If you enjoy action, espionage and globe trotting adventures give this a try.

I received an ARC through "NetGalley" and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

This story begins with David, Marnie and the rest of his team in a safe location after their last outing in Pennsylvania. They are trying to follow-up with the information that David received from his mother. Her career ended and as a result, David and his group were wanted.

David made arrangements to work with the help of an old friend with the aim of finding Russian Sleeper Agents. At the same time this was happening, other members of David's organization were in Russia following another investigation.

Read to discover what David's team had to do as well as find out what the Russian investigation uncovered. The action will keep your attention and it is a definite book that you will want to read.

If you enjoy reading spy stories, full of action, explosions, fights, and how to find leads hidden deep in places this is a book you must read. I enjoyed it but found the descriptions of battles, and armaments, a little over the top. The plot, however, is good, and the main characters are solid. Good entertainment!

As always with Steven Konkoly, the book was intense, fast paced and action packed. It's well written and the characters are interesting. I can really recommend this book.

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

I was very keen to read this after enjoying the first book in the series - Deep Sleep (which you really need to read first to have hope of following this story). Even so it took me while to catch on but it was certainly a very exciting story!

A company called DEVTEK is developing state of the art missile defence software but there are concerns that one or more of the Russian sleeper agents may be sabotaging it. It is of particular concern to Estonia as the Russians seem to be interested in taking it over. One Russian oligarch, Pichugin, is being watched by the CIA (among others) as it is suspected he may be running a zero day software “factory” to exploit weaknesses in other countries cyber defences. A zero day attack being one that occurs before you even know it is even happening.

The old gang from book 1 is assembled again and this time the stakes are even higher. This story brings together FBI, CIA and private security firms and even Mossad gets involved.

The action never lets up as the scope of the task becomes ridiculously complex. There is no margin for error. This was another action packed, very exciting, edge of your seat, nerve shredding story that was thoroughly entertaining. This book was all about the action but the characters we met in book 1 were further developed in this story.

I don’t know if there will be a book 3 but, if so, I will be very keen to get my hands on it. Many thanks to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.

I'm not a huge fan of spy thrillers. But there are some things about Steven Konkoly's books that keep bringing me back to them. He has several series, most centered around the never ending job of keeping our country and her secrets safe. His books remind me of Tom Clancy's series, both have dedicated main characters who must constantly be alert to the challenges presented by our enemies. Konkoly's books are fast paced, full of action and complex enough to keep you looking for the next threat. He uses his military background to insure the accuracy of the scenes and interactions and adds just enough fictional license to keep the pace moving.

This is the 2nd book in the Devin Gray series. It can be read as a stand alone but you'd miss alot of action and many of the reasons Devin does the job his way. There is an overarcing story line involving Devin's mother that explains his driven attitude. I'm just saying, if you are going to read a great spy thriller, why not read 2?

Book Review: Coming Dawn (Devin Gray #2) by Steven Konkoly
Published by Thomas & Mercer, October 25, 2022

★★★☆☆ (3.25 Stars)

// Flashback to Steven Konkoly's Devin Gray Book 1 "Deep Sleep" (Feb. 1, 2022), which sets the tone. //

Enemies from within!

It opens with the promise of a sensational Russian "sleeper" spy program reminiscent of those classic cold war themes a la John le Carré /Richard Condon, decades in development, deeply concealed with training camps in the Ozarks.

Sleeper agents, hundreds upon hundreds over three generations infiltrating into the highest levels of government (the US Senate), the US Defense Industry, and academia.

This was a story, I thought, that had legs, quite relevant and could go far.

However...

// Devin Gray Book 2 "Coming Dawn" (October 25, 2022). //

Gone is the theme of deep Russian sleeper agent infiltrations.

Instead, what is served in three-quarters of the book is a humdrum protracted skirmish of attrition (nobody wins) between negligible forces, irrelevant in the greater scheme of things.

We are treated to spy-by-committee discussions with indecisive peons - on both sides (what to eat for dinner comes in several times, for God's sake), and learn that the main protagonist, Devin Gray himself, is a teeny blot in the landscape imperiled with jail time with the female Marine helicopter pilot teetered to his belt as an accessory love interest.

// Who is writing this stuff? //

The prose certainly doesn't feel like a Konkoly adrenalin-pumped military thriller.

We even see the insertion of women's reproductive healthcare rights, sheltering at risk women, the gender-pay-disparity, workplace discrimination. Plus a segue to an obscure country in the Black Sea, certainly in today's headlines with a beleaguered senile excuse for an American C-I-C, the least said of which, the better.

It's as though Steven Konkoly has suddenly decided to pander to a certain readership market alien to his military thriller readers.

Quite a disappointment.

Review based on an advanced reading copy courtesy of Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley.

This was the second book in the Devin Gray series, Continuing where the first book ended, this book was just as good. Great characters, and great pacing/story. Can't wait for more about Devin Gray. #ComingDawn #NetGalley

I've read many books by Steven Konkoly and have enjoyed them all. This one was no different. Fast paced, and easy to follow along with characters I've come to know and love. His books grab you and keep you wanting to read more. I highly recommend this book.

I started this year by reading a brand new series about this character Devin Gray and it was a really great surprise. Now it's time for the story to continue in Coming Dawn by Steven Konkoly. If you never heard of him or tried some of his books I say shame on you, he writes some great stories. I saw this series a few years ago on tv called The Americans, it was all about sleeper agents in the USA. This is also about sleepers and one womans struggle to convince the government that they exist. Sadly they wouldn't listen. Devin Gray is her son and he inherits her research and confronts the problem. This is in my mind one of the best series this year and soon you get to read book two in this amazing series. You have some great thrills and even greater action scenes combined with some nefarious plans that feels far to close to the truth these days. I have to thank Netgalley, Amazon publishing and Thomas & Mercer for letting me read and enjoy this great book and Steven Konkoly for his fantastic writing.

This was a great book. I loved every paragraph, every sentence and every word of this masterpiece! I read it in 12 hours, which is a lot for me to do! It had everything and more laid out in the novel! I sure hope she writes more! I am totally hooked!

Coming dawn
By Steven Konkoly

3 stars

Slow start and even slower to build tension.

The storyline is well developed, along with character profiles. The story becomes overly complicated in the middle, where the reader needs to concentrate to follow the threads.

This title has been reviewed by www.books-reviewed.weebly.com

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

#ComingDawn #NetGalley

Coming Dawn brings a satisfying close to the Helen Gray life-long pursuit of a far reaching, multi-generational sleeper network on the eve of their attack in support of Putin and Co. re-expansion into western Europe. The story bears uncanny resemblance to Russian Federation designs on Ukraine over the last few months. Followers of the Gray series will not be disappointed as this chapter of the saga closes, we get better acquainted with the characters, and, possibly, the stage is set for the next evolution of Devin Gray's ad hoc special activities team. Or maybe he and Marnie will head off into the sunset along with several other unlikely characters that may or may not couple up? Committed readers will be standing by to see where Konkoly takes us next.

I love this series, and this last book was amazing. Highly recommend reading in order, will make much more sense.
Lots of action, all the great characters we know and love, and root for. And best of all is the ending for Devin's mother. Could not have been a better book.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Gripping, fast paced story as though happening today, it seemed real.
The plot and characters fitted well in there role
Devine and Marnie their growing romance, the time was not now.
Treason, conspiracy and one who is funding it.
Definitely one to read, well done,,and I enjoyed.
Given ARC by Net Galley and Thomas and Mercer
for my voluntary review and my honest opinion

I have found that I really like this author. He has several series out and I have to admit to feeling quite stupid because it took me longer than I am proud of to realize that they ALL are set in the same world. After the first book in this new series, I realized that this was set in the same world as the Ryan Decker series, but it never even dawned on me that this series is also a spinoff of the original Blacked Flag series. Having read ALL of those books as well - I am embarrassed that it took me so long to put everything together. Crazy, right?

About this book. This book is an immediate continuation of the first book and the story arc that started when Devin Gray's mother (an ex CIA agent) is killed and they find out that even though everyone (her family included) thought she was crazy and had gone off the rails with some paranoid delusion regarding a government conspiracy - she was actually right. 100% right and the truth she uncovered was scary. VERY scary.

She had spent her entire life collecting the proof needed and made the arrangements for Devin to get all of the evidence if something should happen to her. She did this even though the consequences cost her her family and her reputation. In the first book, we see the members of the new team being approached and a team being formed. They are just beginning to put the pieces together and are realizing that there are hundreds and hundreds of Russian sleeper agents embedded in very high positions in the US government and at high levels of important companies - i.e. defense companies, airplane companies, weapon companies, infrastructure companies, etc.

With this book, the action takes off from the very beginning. We see a relationship developing between Devin and Marnie and even though the timing is off, it is nice to see the feelings that are developing between the two. There are also several characters on the team that are secondary characters, but we have come to like and respect them for not only their talents, but their strength of character. The depth of the characters is impressive.

This book is a page turner. Once things get started, there is non stop action and drama. There are the requisite "bad guys" and they are pretty bad. There is the over arching plot that is something that takes most of the book for our good guys to nail down and figure out what the main target or goal is. Once things get down to the wire, I was on the edge of my seat.

So, another winner from Mr. Konkoly. I enjoyed this book and am eager to continue on with whichever series comes out with a new book next.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. The opinions above are mine and mine alone.

Fast-paced, gripping story.

That’s how I would review and title this novel.

With a very mixed group of characters, some very odd ones, but intriguing, the story kept my attention from start to finish.

I have read none of the author’s books or even the first one in the series, but I had no problem in connection with the main ones. It builds up slowly, with sparks of suspense sprinkled after each chapter, and it holds the final twist and conclusion at the highest level.

I will recommend this story to anyone that enjoys a pulse racing trip.

Very grateful to the publisher for my review copy