by Brad Taylor

Head of Zeus, out now

A military aircraft mysteriously crashes – accident or sabotage?

Brad Taylor’s latest novel for Pike Logan and the Taskforce begins with a spectator revelling in the way that his latest scheme seems to be working, then jumps to a domestic scene as Pike has to reassure his daughter that, contrary to precedent, he really is just going on a holiday, and not about to fight the bad guys. It’s this mix of action and drama that fuels the Taskforce series, with Taylor once again using his own skillset to analyse potential flashpoints in our current geopolitical situation, and extrapolate a gripping tale from them.

As he explains in the Afterword, there’s rather more than you might expect in American Traitor that’s based on reality – not, as he underlined in our interview with him a few weeks back, that the Taskforce is real, but the problems that they face most definitely are. In the light of events of the last few days (I’m writing this a week after the attack on the Capitol), the definition of treachery and loyalty have come under fierce debate and without hammering the point home, Taylor makes clear what falls under those headings – as well as the continuing debate in the books about what constitutes a hero. He also navigates the difficult line between satisfying fans who want more development for characters they know, and not antagonising newcomers who might be put off by this being the 15th main novel.

Verdict: A well-written tale that will have you reading just one more chapter every time you go to put it down. 9/10

Paul Simpson

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