Great start to a new series. Has a Clancy feel to it. Really liked the two main characters. Villain could have been developed further but I am sure that will happen in the sequel that I look forward to listening too. Ray Porter never disappoints on audio!

A great thriller that had me hooked from the first moments - it sets a scene that you never lose sight of! Great writing and the wonderful dark threatening atmosphere.

You can't get more authentic than this! Unknown Rider is a debut military thriller by Jack Stewart, a former Naval aviator and TOP GUN instructor pilot.

On the US carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, off the Southern California coast, the F-35C Lightning II is catapulted into the night. Lieutenant Colt “Mother” Bancroft is testing the Navy's brand new stealth strike fighter. In the sky, he sees strange glowing orbs but soon Colt loses control of the jet.

Wow! Unknown Rider is relentless and action-packed. It'll hook you from the first chapter to the ending and leave you wanting more. I sigh with relief but also can't wait for the next book because of how it ended. 4.5⭐

Love this terrific audiobook with Ray Porter's narration who also performed Project Hail Mary and The Terminal List series.

Thank you Severn River Publishing and Netgalley for the ALC.

This book is fantastic. This is vintage Clancy only better. Unlike Clancy’s work that often included long stretches that could read like ‘technical manuals’ that would pull me out of the story from time to time, author Jack Stewart keeps the story/action rolling nonstop. The story centers around international espionage and kicks off when Colt Bancroft, a Top Gun pilot, loses control of his aircraft and nearly crashes into an escort ship. Told from multiple points of view, both the heroes and villains, Stewart kept me on the edge of my seat, dying to know what happened next. I started listening yesterday evening, stayed up until nearly 4 in the morning when I just couldn’t stay awake any longer, but then immediately slipped my headphone on when I woke to finish the story. The characters are fully realized and the story excellent while also being disturbingly believable, so much so that I wonder if Stewart pulled any of the story from his previous career as a TOP GUN instructor pilot. This is a fantastic start to a new thriller series. He’s set the bar high…sky high, and I can’t wait for the next one. The book is narrated by Ray Porter, who is one the best narrators out there and as always he does a spectacular job. I can easily recommend this one to anyone who even remotely enjoys military thrillers. I’d like to thank Dreamscape Select, Severn River Publishing, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advanced audio copy of Jack Stewart’s stellar debut: Unknown Rider.

https://www.amazon.com/review/RH1DXBYB90BIC/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

A fantastic debut of a political thriller that involves the military, espionage, and raw patriotism. There is a well developed plot with ample detail verging slightly towards too much complexity for the average reader, but solidifies the authors own experience to bring this story to life. The uniqueness in this thriller is that all of the action takes place so close to home. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this read. The real steal on this one is getting Ray Porter - audio reader extraordinaire- to be the audio voice for this debut.

This story pulled me in from the start and only let me go once I finished it. I was reading/listening as fast as I could because everything was happening fast and I wanted to enjoy even more with the suspense and twists and turns that waited for me on every corner of the story. I can't wait to read the next one. The narrator did a marvelous job and I enjoyed listening. Looking forward to the next book.

I really enjoyed the story, the detailed writing, and the pacing. The writer is obviously well-versed in aviation and military protocol, which shows in the technical details throughout the story. If you enjoy a good Military story, then you will enjoy "Unknown Rider."

Listening to the audiobook version had pluses and minuses. The narrator does good job, but lost me on some character voices, particularly female voices and the Chinese accents. I would say read the paperback version to really enjoy the story.

Overall, it was too detailed for my taste. I simply prefer a story that focuses on the characters rather than the details. So will drop a few stars for not connecting me to the characters. They felt a little too two-dimensional.

Dang this was a good one! I love me a good military mystery and this did not disappoint. I can't wait for the next installment and I hope that Colt & Punky are going to team up again! This was my 1st book by Jack Stewart but will not be my last, I am adding all his books to my TBR!

#UnknownRider
#NetGalley

This is a good spy Thriller it was well written and kept me interested during the whole book although I normally would not read this type of a book I found this one quite interesting and would recommend it to friends it does have some language but basically it's very good book

I was prepared for this to be a testosterone only book so I enjoyed how women, both good and bad, were included in the story! I understand that the author used to be a pilot so I’ll give this a pass for the sheer amount of planes & parts & flying lingo. Solid first book in a new series. I’ll listen to the second when it comes out. Or maybe read it— I usually love Ray Porter’s narrations but I felt he dialed this one in compared to other books I’ve heard him narrate.

Phenomenal debut for this author!

Kept me on the edge of my seat, and practically biting my nails...and, happy that my heart rate is back down to normal now!! It is an action packed, fast paced, thrill a minute, thriller!

We meet Colt, Punky, Uncle Rick and Jug. All are somehow involved with the Navy.
We open up with Colt, a Top Gun Trainer, flying a stealth aircraft on a trial run, when he loses control of the aircraft and all but Flies Right Into a Huge Navy Ship in the ocean. It would have destroyed both vehicles, and killed many people.

BUT...Colt has no idea what happened. One minute he was flying, the next minute he lost all control of the craft. When he tried to explain to his superiors, they called to have his wings taken from him! Thought he was pulling some kind of prank.

He doesn't understand it, and tries to figure it out...

Then we have Punky and Uncle Rick, who are on a mission. They are under the impression that there is foul play going on, and are trying to figure it out...and they somehow cross paths with Colt.

Then we have Jug, another Navy Pilot...who takes Colt's place after he is removed...and guess what?? Problems there too!

On top of all of this, we have a conspiracy theory involving the Chinese...

It definitely will keep you on the edge of your seat, and trying to catch your breath!

Kudos to #JackStewart on this terrific debut novel #UnknownRider, which releases today.

Thanks to #NetGalley, #DreamscapeSelect and #SevernRiverPublishing for an ARC of the audiobook. Also, terrific narration by #RayPorter.

4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 for me, rounded up to 5.

Follow me on Instagram @ #BookReviews_with_emsr or on Facebook @ #BookReviewswithElaine for all my upcoming thoughts!

Thanks so much for reading! 📖📚

Unknown Rider by Jack Stewart
Narrated by Ray Porter

This story is fantastic. There is non stop action starting with TOP GUN instructor Colt Bancroft losing control of his F-35C Joint Strike Fighter and being helpless to do anything as it hurdles toward the USS Abraham Lincoln. Then Colt has control again and disaster is averted but this mishap is being blamed on him and he's at risk of losing everything he loves and worked for when it comes to his career.

Colt is determined to clear his name and find out what happened to his fighter. At the same time there are others who realize there is a traitor aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln and someone wants Colt dead because of information that he has in his possession. There is not a minute to lose and bodies start piling up.

We get the POVs of a lot of characters but the audiobook is so well done that I never got confused with the big character cast. Each chapter title very clearly tells us where we are in detail and the narration is very clear and in language I could understand. I could follow what all the vehicles were doing and that made this story even better for me.

Ray Porter narrates and he does a great job. There are three important women in this story and he is able to narrate them so that they sound like women, something I appreciate. Of course the men are narrated very well, too, and I hope he narrates future books in this series. I'm very happy with the way the book wrapped up but it's clear that things aren't over. I hope we get to see Colt, Punky, and Jug again, soon.

Thank you to Dreamscape Select, Severn River Publishing, and NetGalley for this ARC.