Hard Fire

Jon Reznick is forced from his semi retirement by the murder of his father's friend. Jon vows to take down the person responsible.

But all is not as it seems. Meeting opposition every step of the way, he soon finds out he may be out of his depth, as powerful forces align to stop him.

Another well executed Jon Reznick novel from a skilful writer. Plenty of derring do for the action fan.

Jon Reznick is back, and that’s great news for all of his fans. The bad news is that his friend/mentor and former sheriff has been killed.. Jon takes matter into his own hands, but he finds that help against not only the Aryan Brotherhood and the Mafia, but also his “friends” in the FBI and CIA who are protecting the big boss. Lots of action and lots of tension.

JB Turner is back again And you won’t be disappointed. I loved the plot and somehow the magic was back in this book too. Thank you for an advance copy of this book in exchange for a review

Great pace, excellent characters, good plot and well written story make this an entertaining book to read.

MAGIC!!

I received this book free from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The FBI has magical capabilities.

Jon Reznick is a Delta Force veteran who lives in Maine. His daughter is an FBI agent. His late father’s best friend, Bill Eastland, is the former police chief in Rockland, the town where Reznick currently lives. The man and his wife are brutally murdered in their home and Reznick sees the masked men who committed the murders as they pass his vehicle on his way back home from a camping trip. He knows right away that their intentions are nefarious because the four occupants are all wearing masks. Why? We have no idea. After committing their crime, you would think that they would remove the masks so they would not look suspicious. After all, the only people who could have seen their faces are both dead. As a matter of fact, if they intended to leave nobody alive at the house, why would they bother wearing masks at all? These guys are dumber than stumps.

Reznick decides to give chase, and the bad guys’ vehicle eventually turns off its lights, stops and one man exits to shoot up Jon’s truck with an AK-47 semiautomatic rifle. Why only one of the gunmen gets out of the vehicle is a mystery, but Reznick is able to access his Nosler Long Range Carbon Rifle from the back of his pickup. No self-respecting hunter would carry his rifle in the back of a pickup truck rather than the cab but, oh well. Jon shoots the gunman, wounding him severely. He then shoots out both of the man’s kneecaps with a handgun in order to get him to talk about his associates and the reason why they were in Maine. It turns out that the men are former convicts who are members of the Aryan Brotherhood (AB). They are paid hit men and three of them have gotten away.

After the murders of his friends, Jon decides to go after the men who committed the murders, and to find out why they committed the murders. His quest takes him to Mississippi, and then to West Texas. To avoid detection, Reznick buys a probably stolen motorcycle and helmet from an associate. Wearing the motorcycle helmet, he is able to avoid detection and track down the other AB gunmen. In Texas, he exacts retribution. He knows that the FBI will be trying to find him, so he hitches a ride with a long-haul trucker back to New York City to find the man who had ordered the hits on his friends. Somehow, as if by magic, the FBI is immediately aware of his presence in New York. He is arrested and thrown in jail by the FBI, but they later cut a deal with him to remain in Rockland and behave. He is then released.

There is corruption within the FBI and it has infected the highest levels of the Bureau. The Mafia Mob Boss who ordered the hit has agreed to become a Confidential Informant for the FBI in exchange for a new home in Arizona and protection by the federal Witness Protection Program. In the meantime, he continues to order hits on his enemies and those he considers to be threats. Jon is determined to kill him, and so he makes an elaborate plan to penetrate the Mob boss’ highly secure compound in Connecticut. It involves a motorcycle, of course.

Now for more magic. One of Jon’s friends builds a Harley Davidson motorcycle out of spare parts from other types of bikes. It even has a Triumph engine. As if by magic, all of these dissimilar parts work together flawlessly. Never mind that Triumph motorcycle engines were considered by many to be unique, and a lot of them were single-cylinder models that would have been quite unsuitable for installation into a heavy Harley Davidson bike frame. In addition, the bike was able to maintain its speed even when the rider’s throttle hand (the right) was off the throttle and gripping a weapon. Did this slapped together motorcycle have cruise control. We are not told.

I have not read the previous novels in this series, but I did not find Jon Reznick to be a very likeable character. He drinks a lot of scotch, and he seems to be addicted to Dexedrine, an amphetamine. He is excessively violent — prone to kill whenever it suits his purpose. He isn’t smart enough to successfully cover his tracks, or to elude the police and the FBI. His actions will seriously impact the career of his FBI-agent daughter, but his thirst for revenge rules his judgment. To me, he comes across as a phony, made-up character. I did not like him.

I award only three of the available five stars for this novel. The author’s research on big-game hunting rifles and motorcycles seems careless, but probably believable to the uninformed. The action is fast-paced, and the book is an easy read. If you like this kind of story and character, then by all means read it, but I will read no more of this series (the “Hard” series).

Good book. Has Jon had just gotten back from vacation when he discover a suspicious vehicle and then finds out that the men riding in it are masked. He calls and reports it but isn't quite happy with what he hears. And the book begins full speed ahead.

Someone has hurt someone Jon cares about and he has to find out more. But he gets himself into trouble. Read the book to find out what happens and if he can even get himself out of trouble.

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Jon is returning home from a much needed vacation. The former sheriff' and his wife are murdered and Jon makes it his personal mission to find the culprit. Thus book grabbed my attention from the first page.

Fans of Jon Reznick will be happy to read this newest book. Jon is not to be crossed, especially when a close friend and his wife is brutally murdered. With the help of hacker friend Trevelle, Jon tracks the killers across country. Will he be successful or will the FBI hinder his search? Lots of action, some believable, some not.

Reznick a man who is always on the alert, needs complete silence from his work, had been on vacation. A midnight drive back to the city, when a van pulls up beside with two masked men. Calls into dispatch, told not to follow, but he does. Finding it involved a couple he knows, now dead in their home
FBI Agent Martha a call informing her of the incident and Reznick involvement.
Put him on a tight leash, till they can find out what happened.
Being questioned, he knew they were armed was he looking for a fight, action after a vacation. Not following dispatch orders.
The author’s story is one readers will enjoy. He maybe a rouge, a loose cannon as far as FBI thinks, he wants Justice for his friends. Given ARC by Net Galley and Amazon UK for my voluntary review and my honest opinion

I received this book from NetGalley for my unbiased review.

Mr. Turner's hero is Jon Reznick. He is a hard man. He is also a man who has a defined moral compass. It may be a bit askew, but it is used for the right reasons. At least I think so. I am sure the character can be a bit off-putting for some.

In this story he has a goal. When he gets his mind set on something, it doesn't seem like much will dissuade him. He has to overcome a number of obstacles. He with the help of some loyal friends strive to fulfill his goal.

A good read and it does keep your attention. I am hoping to read more.

Another amazing book by J. B. Turner, who is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.
Jon Reznick's lifelong friend and his wife are brutally killed one night, and Jon just happened to stumble across the killers. Contrary to what his FBI "friends" believe, Jon cannot let this murder go without revenge. With the help of some associates, Jon discovers a whole lot more than just a killer, this goes deep into the Mafia and Gang world.
A great plot, lots of action, intrigue, and suspense. Could not put it down.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: Hard Fire (Jon Reznick Thriller #10) by J.B. Turner
Published by Amazon Publishing UK and Thomas & Mercer, December 13, 2022

★★★★☆ (4.25 Stars)
Positive!

From Spain to Maine.
Author J. B. Turner takes his high-octane military thriller back stateside from the Iberian Peninsula.
_______________

// Flashback:
Palma de Mallorca, Spain (Jon Reznick, Book 9) (2021)
FBI Assistant Director Martha Meyerstein is on leave, lounging on the sundeck of a luxury yacht belonging to Ann C., her closest friend in college. Ann teases her about her love life. Martha makes a call; she knows she's being a little bit fresh, but she just needs to talk to Jon Reznick.

Moments later, a fierce explosion blows the yacht out of the water... //

It was in Spain, off the Mediterranean Sea that Jon Reznick had a close encounter with evil personified.

It will be back home, as he heals from his wounds and searches his soul, that he will be tested in his resolve once again - as he gets up close and personal with the devil himself...
_______________

// Hard Fire (Jon Reznick #10) by J.B. Turner (2022) //

Present day, Allagash Lake, Maine.
Former black-ops operator Jon Reznick takes a respite. Still traumatized from events in Spain, he's found his place of true solitude in the North Maine Woods. The great outdoors. Hiking, fishing, swimming in the freezing waters.

He's on his way home back to Rockland, his hometown off Penobscot Bay, when he accidentally comes upon gunmen.

Someone had ordered the killing of Rockland's retired police chief, a benevolent pillar of the community, the bosom buddy of Jon's deceased father, both Vietnam Vets. And Jon's own close friend and mentor.

He sets off to seek justice for his friend and runs against a coverup and far-reaching conspiracy involving the CIA, the New York mob, the Witness Protection Program, the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas, and even the very organization he works for on selected classified investigations under the aegis of Assistant Director Martha Meyerstein. The Federal Bureau of Investigation.

It is when they directly threaten the life, career and well-being of his daughter, newbie FBI Special Agent Lucy Reznick fresh off college, that he steps up his game.

Jon Reznick goes into full beast mode...!

_______________

This is my 5th "Jon Reznick" book, J. B. Turner's rough and ragged commando protagonist, who's never been a guy for flowery language nor does he seem to have much use for rules which he often flouts.

He's a bit rough around the edges with no gray areas in his beliefs, flawed, foolhardy, gets hurt and bleeds, and occasionally goofs up - traits which make him compelling to readers.

J. B. Turner sticks him in no-nonsense, high-energy stories with the action flowing seamlessly from one scene to the next, nary a dull moment. None of that tired assiduity to political correctness. Just pure, unadulterated military thriller literature.

Fast-paced, action-packed pure entertainment!

Review based on an advanced reading copy courtesy of Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley.

I was a bit reluctant about this, even after a few chapters. Reznick is written to be the exact opposite of Reacher, splashing the cash, prone to terrible decisions and swears like a US soldier.

I persevered and I'm really glad I did. The book was action packed, kept me genuinely intrigued and was really well written. I will be going back over the full series now and will be following this author.

on Resnick is returning from a vacation in northern Maine late at night. A car passes him and he sees the men in it are wearing masks. He calls 911 and reports it, and then follows the car. Suddenly, he finds the car has stopped, and a man beside it begins shooting at him. He manages to get out of the car and shoot the man shooting at him. The car takes off, leaving the man outside. Jon goes to talk to him, and after some rather heavy persuasion, admits that they had been hired to beat up Bill Eastman, the retired Rockland police chief and Jon's friend. Jon goes to the Eastman house to find Eastman's wife on the kitchen floor and she dies in his arms. Then he finds Eastman dead upstairs. He calls the police, but Jon is determined to find who is responsible.

In the rest of the book, Jon is getting involved in things the police and the FBI don't want him involved in. However, Jon takes off to the south to find the perpetrators, and punish them severely.
He then goes to New York where the mob folks may have initiated the killing. A very bad mobster has just agreed to be an informer for the FBI, and they don't want Jon to get near him. Meanwhile, Jon's friend Trevelle can get lots of information to feed to Jon, who is not about to give up punishing whomever ordered the killing, whether the FBI is upset or not!

This is a very exciting book, even though I'm not sure some of the actions are even possible!

Hard Fire is the tenth book in the Jon Reznick action thriller series, about a former Delta operative who professes to want a quiet life but just can’t seem to stay out of trouble. I’ve read all of these in order, and while normally I would say they all work as stand-alones, this one doesn’t - you at least need to have read the previous book for the key relationship here to make sense. Previously Reznick was an honourable tough guy who might not follow the rules, but at least considers the consequences, whereas this one has him going full psychopath, much like the new version of Jack Reacher, and I don’t like it.

Reznick is returning from a trip away when he intercepts a group of masked men, but discovers he is too late to save his longtime friend Bill Eastland. Vowing to avenge Bill’s death, despite the pleas of his new girlfriend, Deputy FBI Director Martha, he sets off on a one-man maiming and killing spree to find the perpetrators and exact vengeance on those who ordered the hit.

I’ll admit I’m hard to please. I complain when a hero spends most of a book downtrodden and on the back foot. This time, however, our hero has everything fall into place far too easily. His cyber-support has wizard-like hacking skills that can overcome every obstacle, every villain is exactly where he expects them to be and conveniently points him up the chain, and when he needs extra help with transport or weaponry, he has a loyal friend ready to supply him immediately without hesitation or difficulty. Then there’s Martha and Lauren, who Reznick is supposed to care deeply about, but despite supposedly being willing to die for them, he completely ignores their feelings or the risk to their careers. The rest of the plot also stretched credulity to breaking point, particularly as concerns the FBI. Even the main baddie’s motivation felt ridiculous and unbelievable.

I’ve enjoyed this series to date, so am not going to let one lazy instalment put me off, but hope that Reznick has learned some lessons here and will be back on the path of righteousness by the next book.
Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon UK for the ARC. I am posting this honest review voluntarily. Hard Fire is published on December 13th.

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

This story begins with Jon returning from a trip to his cabin when he spots a vehicle with masked individuals. Jon calls 911 to report it and starts following the van. After a while Jon comes upon the van and discovers a person outside with a gun shooting at him. Jon takes steps to defend himself and wounds the individual. Jon learns that these individuals had been sent to kill his friend Bill. Jon quickly drives to Bill's house where he finds Bill and his wife beaten and killed. Jon calls it in and when the sheriff's officers arrive, they take his statement and then lock him up. At the hearing Jon is given bail.

Once Jon has been released, he begins his search for the men who killed his friend. He eventually catches up with them and learns more information about who was responsible. Using information that Jon got from a sleazy club owner, he heads to N.Y.C. to find who in the mafia authorized the hit.

Follow Jon as he follows the clues which lead him to the person responsible. Jon later learns this individual has become a CI for the FBI and the FBI takes steps to prevent Jon from harming the CI. Read what steps the FBI took, what Jon was forced to sign and what eventually was the camel that broke Jon's back was. The ending will clear everything up.

This is a great book and continues the excellence that you discover when you read books in this series.

Tenth book in the series and one that left me on the edge.
Jon Reznik is an ex delta operative and of course, while retired, trouble founds him at every corner.
The story was much more different than the previous ones. I enjoyed it more to be honest. It’s more suspenseful and the unexpected and unpredictable twists and actions made it a roller coaster ride.
It ties up nicely with the previous book and some characters make appearances.
Jon went on a hunt for revenge after witnessing his best friend’s murder. While he’s not in active duty anymore, and while he was always cautious about the consequences of his actions, in here he has no remorse in seeking that revenge.

Full of unexpected twists, the story take a big turn and kept me on the edge throughout. I can’t wait to see where the author will get us next.

Very grateful to the publisher for my review copy through NetGalley

If you want to read a series with non-stop action, where justice is always served the hard way, then this is the series for you. Jon Reznick, former Delta Force and CIA, is trying to quietly live his life in Maine. After leaving the military, he has served the government in “off the books” missions and is trying to stay out of trouble. When he learns that his good friend, former police chief Bill Eastland, has been murdered, along with his wife, he is enraged. He won’t stop until he finds not only the killers but who initiated the hit. His good friend, Martha Meyerstein, FBI Assistant Director, asks him to let the FBI handle the investigation, but that is something that he just can’t do; Bill was his friend. Now he not only has law enforcement after him, but also the men responsible for killing Bill. When he learns that they have targeted his daughter, they soon realize they are up against an unstoppable force as Jon goes across the country serving his own brand of justice. Whenever I find a new Jon Reznick book, I know it will be a thrill ride! I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (paytonpuppy)

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read the latest JB Turner offering. This writer always writes with just enough blood and guts and gore for me. Glad to see yet again that good triumphs over evil in the end !!

Jon Reznick is out for revenge when a close associate is killed. Readers of the series know that Resnick is not a man to be messed with. In Hard Fire, author J.B. Turner shows us how its done. Turner has written ten Jon Resnick novels so far. I can't say that this is the best of the lot, but it is sure worth the read.
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

I received this book for an honest review.

Reznick is at it again, this time though he is not making any friends and will probably lose someone close to him. When he finds out that a long-time friend of his family is killed along with his wife in his hometown, Jon wants to know what happened. People in the town know that Jon is close or was close to the deceased sheriff. First, he is the one that the local police look at since he was the one that followed a van that should not have been in their town. After following it there was a shot out and though there were more of them than him he was able to take out one. It is when that person dies that the local police begin to look at him, which always gets me when they know that there were other shooters.
When Jon is released he begins his own investigation and discovers information about his dead friend that does not make him happy, but still does not justify killing his wife either. The more Jon searches the more he is upsetting the higher-ups in Washington which then puts him and Martha at odds. This really comes to a head when he finds the person behind it and the deal the government made with the crime lord head of a crime family which gives him immunity on everything. This an interesting take on what the government does in the real world when they go after so-called big fish but can’t get evidence to seal the deal. This is a really good book and fast-paced with good characters.