Bogey Spades

Jack Stewart writes books in at least mach 1, maybe mach 2. I don't know if everything he does goes fast but as a former fighter pilot I think he is used to high speed. Don't worry, this does not reflect on his writing, he has come up with some marvelous characters in his Battle Born series and I can't decide if I like Colt or Punky best. Bogey Spades is the third book about this duo and I think the books only gets better and better. Although I think that Punky soon can give Joe Pickett some competition when it comes to cars. I will not spoil anything but I can tell you that the end in this one came as a total surprise, not only for me. I strongly recommend that you try this author and I thank Severn River Publishing and Netgalley for supplying me with an advance copy.

Lots of action in this sequel. The protagonists battle powers foreign and domestic, and they’re not really sure who is trustworthy. Good blend of old school and high tech tools being used to track down and neutralize the bad guys..

The Battle Born series is a fine series of military thrillers. Maybe a little over the top on detail — too much authenticity can be as distracting as too little — but good reads, nevertheless.

That said, I do have one major reservation. I've read all of the books in the series so far, and it's become obvious that Battle Born isn't really a series at all. When you think of a traditional series of thrillers or mysteries, you think of books that share common characters and settings. The Battle Born series, however, actually shares a single narrative line broken into chunks, It's really a serial, like the old time serials we used to see at the Saturday morning movies when we were kids, and the major point of each episode is to get you to show up for the next one.. The BOGEY SPADES episode of this serial, for example, ends with an absolutely great cliffhanger than I never saw coming. The major problem with it is that it resolves nothing about the narrative you've just read in BOGEY SPADES. It's pure setup to get you to read the next episode in the serial.

Is a serial structure for an ongoing series of novels a good thing or a bad thing? It's certainly a good thing from the standpoint of the publisher. If a serial hits, it's a license to print money. But how about from the reader's point of view? I honestly feel a bit manipulated to be forced to read title after title just to follow a narrative toward a reasonable resolution.

I guess the truth is I'm not sure how I feel about being pulled into a serial without being forewarned about what it is. It will be interesting to see how a larger body of readers ends up responding to that.

Colt Bancroft is back. While attending the now infamous Tailhook convention he is quietly approached to resurrect the Black Ponies Squadron by his old Master Chief. Soon he is entangled in another espionage thriller with his pal, NCIS Agent Punky King trying to locate a hijacked weapon that could tip the balance of military power away from the USA and possibly cost the VP his life as well.
Meanwhile Punky is trying to find KMART, the traitor in US uniform and is offered a chance to bring down the Ministry of State Security operations on the west coast.
Punky and Colt will have to once again join forces to head these lethal enemies off at the pass.

Top Gun Colt Bancroft and NCIS agent Emmy King are thrown together again in an
attempt to find and stop an international espionage traitor whose actions threaten the
Vice President
Book 3 of Stewart's Battle Born series s every bit as thrilling and riveting a read
as his first 2 were.
Great characters, with strong story lines.
A terrific read.

Stewart does it again; this latest installment in his page-turning action-packed technothriller series will leave you on the catapult, ready to launch into the next story.