As a big fan of Jason Kasper I was drawn in by the similarities of the covers, styles, subject matter etc. I love this type of book.

This book is an easy read as the pace is kept up throughout and doesn't really have any lulls which is always a bonus in my eyes.

Due to the large ensemble of characters within the book you spend less time with the main character, Mark Pierce, than I would have liked. So far he seems a little one dimensional but hopefully as the series progresses and Aiden settles into this character that will start to flow and grow a bit more. Sometimes the key to good characters is the dialogue and some of this feels very forced or unnatural. I have seen a few series start out this way though and as time goes on the author gets more comfortable with the "banter" side of things with their characters so hopefully this improves a bit in book.

I think he missed a trick with Awa though...

Overall this is a really good read but the dialogue means it drops a star for me

This is the beginning of a new series and absolutely worth taking the time to check out, I’ll be having a looksee at his other books.

I've been savoring reading this novel, I'm a sucker for a hero with a complex and mysterious back story, and this series has all that and so much more. I appreciate that we're thrown into the midst of Pierce's story, and much like him, we have to decide for ourselves who to trust or determine who is telling the truth. Pierce is a man made hard by life, circumstances which we hopefully will discover more about as we progress. In the harsh environment of the desert, does Mark trust his new boss or his trusted handler, the nomads he's fought beside or the kidnapper with no hands? This is an intricate web that's being weaved by Bailey. He dishes out a glimpse of the past as Pierce fights here and now. I'm hoping to read much more about what made Pierce the man he is today and how he deals with the people he sets himself against. This book should rest proudly alongside others in this genre, Bailey is a skilled author who has taken great pains to create a memorable and vibrant antagonist, just tough enough to save the world but not superhuman, bruised and bleeding but with a steel spine. This is definitely one book you should not miss.

Mark Pierce is an enigma. He "officially" joined the CIA as an operative three years ago but he has a vast array of skills no newbie should have. He has orders to assassinate Victor Vautrin, an arms dealer, who is deeply entrenched in the terrorist and political organizations in Africa. But even as a sanctioned assassin Mark has a set of rules he does not break and everything about this job has his spidey senses tingling.

Pierce has to avoid Vautrin, the Ansar Dine, Al Qaeda links and possibly his new boss! He is then asked to find a group of western tourists and a large ransom that has been taken. Eleven million dollars would be a huge boon to these terrorists.

There are plenty of twists and turns and there are several layers of storyline that interact. I really enjoyed getting to meet the colleagues that Mark calls on along the way. Learning their backstory certainly helped to flesh out Mark as a character too.

Strong story, well researched and great characters. There was a bit of a cliff-hanger but I'm definitely on the hook waiting for the next book.

Review: This was an awesome ride. Non-stop action coupled with good character development.

Minor dowsides were the constant use of weapons being categorized as ASSAULT. That is a political spin on weapons to demonize them. AR means "Armalite Rifle" Company.

I will be following this series.

Rating: 4.2/5

Overall, this was a fun, fast-paced read. I found some of the macho stuff a little silly--"the men shook hands, then hugged in a manly embrace." Hugged in a manly embrace? This is just this side of "no homo," but whatever. It made me smile more than cringe.

Also, the character development could use a bit more work, since it's hard to get as into this as one might when there's not much depth to these people. Granted, Pierce is one of the superman-type, special operations killing machines very common in this genre, so depth isn't always expected there, but it would make the plot more gripping if we had more development of these people.

Still, for this type of espionage/anti-terrorist type of book, this was pretty good. From the ending, it's clear there will be a sequel (or sequels), and I'm likely to keep reading, since this is a fun, page-turner and that's the point. For deeper thought, I pick up some quality non-fiction, so this will do for the fun of it.

WOW! This book was one wild ride. Lots of action, mystery, and espionage made this an awesome read. Trigger Man and his handler, Mackenzie, find themselves in the middle of the dessert, trying to put the pieces together of why they are actually there, who killed all the operates previously sent, and where is the US's missing 11 million dollars. The answers come to them in pieces, but may be too late to save them. A must read for those looking for a thriller. Can't wait for the next book.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I received this book from the author, the publisher Inkubator Books and NetGalley in return for an honest review.

The story is about a CIA/SAC operative, by the name of Mark Pierce, who is on a mission to assassinate a French national (Victor Vautrin) who is supplying advanced weapons to both terrorist and national organizations across Africa (and in particular Mali) to start a civil war in Western Africa (with the end goal of increasing their profits). Pierce serves as a paradox in morality - in that he a trained killer with a strict moral code (only targeting those who truly deserve to die).

Pierce is on a mission in West Africa, taking on an insurgent group operating in Mali, called Ansar Dine with Al Qaeda links. His mission to attempt to track down and apprehend Vautrin is further complicated when he is further tasked with other ancillary missions including attempting to rescue a group of western tourists that had been kidnapped by a faction of the terrorist group, Ansar Dine. and he is also tasked with a mission to rescue a small group of paramilitary operatives when they are tragically killed and the eleven million dollars that they are carrying with them to rescue

Both CIA and French DGSE officials began to muddle the puddle with their own agendas which complicate the Pierce’s mission further. Whether Pierce completed his mission or not forms the crux of the story.

A casual glimpse at this book may provide the reader with the idea that the story is unoriginal and stereotypical as it appears to be a two dimensional good guy committing unadulterated acts of violence. It is upon closer inspection that the more serious reader will draw comparsions with authors such as Jason Kasper, Mark Greaney and Vince Flynn..

This story is a brillant read and definitely keeps one turning the pages and would definitely enjoyed by action fans. As such I would give this story a solid four stars out of five and definitely ends in quite the cliffhanger as the antagonists are in the position to skew the world view of the protgonist..

As with most of my literary ramblings, this is just my five cents worth.

I just reviewed The Trigger Man by Aiden Bailey. #TheTriggerMan #NetGalley

Wow! What an amazing story. It’s not every day that a book can grab your attention and not let go until the last page, and this is certainly one of those. Aiden Bailey has put together a story with a wonderful group of characters and a storyline that I really enjoyed. Mark Pierce is a man not to be messed with. As an operative for the CIA, he has some incredible skills, and he clearly likes to work alone. He’s not someone you can control, and there’s no way he is going to stop. Incredible.
Do yourself a favour and read this wonderful story, you won’t be disappointed. 5/5 Star Rating.

This is a brand new series about Mark Pierce aka Trigger Man by Aiden Bailey. I was a little hesitant at first but I saw some recommendations and finally Aiden sent me a copy of this book. I also got a copy from Netgalley. It is a great book and it's actually the first fiction I read that is set in Mali. That in itself should be enought reason to read it. It's a well written story and the characters are great. I think the ending was a little to familiar with many other books but Bailey still has created something different from many others. I will look forward to the next book to see where it all will go and I hope it's as good as this one. I can really recommend this book and I thank all involved in getting me a copy. I find that Inkubator Books is now supplying a large amount of the books I read.

I rarely give 5 stars. The novel has to be exceptional and this one earns every single one of them.
The writing style, incredible depth of research that must have gone into it and the clever, well thought out plot make this an outstanding book.
Now, admittedly this is probably my favourite genre and there are several accounts of a highly trained, somewhat maverick heros that have already been covered. However, in some ways, that must make me even more choosy.
I fell a little in love with the main character and found myself thoroughly behind him all the way.
Loved it and can't wait for more.
Thank you to Mr Bailey for filling my Christmas break with something other than chocolate and turkey leftovers that also turned out to be far more satisfying.
Superb.

If this is the first in a series, some work will need to be done to develop the characters. The story seems very stereotypical, with two dimensional good guys and bad guys and a few duplicitous characters thrown in for good measure. Promising, but promis unfulfilled.