Spoilers Ahead
Chief Warrant Officer Tom Crocker and the rest of SEAL Team
Six are back in the latest – and, so far, best – of the thrillers written by former SEAL
Don Mann and author Ralph Pezzullo. Crocker is my sort of character, a
tough-as-nails, no-nonsense warrior who is instantly suspicious of politicking
and bureaucracy, and often sidesteps protocol to get the results he needs. He reminds me of Vince Flynn's lethal Mitch Rapp, and the storylines and plot devices are certainly similar.
Each book in this series is better than the last, as Mann
and Pezzullo continue to build the depth of each character, and although each instalment
has a similar theme, that of the SEALs heading off to capture or kill a particular
target, there is enough difference in each one to present the characters with
new struggles.
Previously, in Hunt
the Falcon, Crocker (and his trusty team of specialist) gained revenge on
the Iranian terrorist who had kidnapped his wife, and was then involved in stealing
Libyan nuclear material for an attack on America. It involved a risky
mission into Iran, and Crocker’s out-of-sorts father makes a reappearance, the
home-front drama woven nicely in amongst increasingly urgent missions.
Hunt the Jackal
sees the team on the tail of a terrorist who has kidnapped the wife and
daughter of a prominent US Congressman, who also happens to be a former SEAL colleague of
Crocker’s. En route to that mission, there is personal tragedy to be dealt
with, and Crocker’s father once more comes into the frame, when it appears that
he might be being taken advantage of by a new friend. It’s an opportunity for
Crocker to exert some of his battlefield authority at home, too.
Before long, Crocker and his team are sent south to Mexico,
where they must find the Jackal and his captives, before the power-hungry
terrorist, who is fond of particularly brutal tactics to ensure his empire
remains intact. The Jackal also happens to be a sort of modern day revolutionary.
Combine that with the obvious tensions between the United States and Mexico,
and the presence of officials who might not be completely above board, and it’s
a rip-roaring adventure that barely slows down from the first page to the last.
That the book is written by a guy who has been there and
done that means there’s a certain level of authenticity attached, and it made
me wonder that, although the storyline is obvious fiction, just how much realism finds it's way into these great plots. If
anyone knows about modern-day SEAL operations, it’s Mann.
If you want a quick, exciting read, and you love military
thrillers, Hunt the Jackal certainly won’t disappoint.
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