Derek Almer is the main character in an action-packed series of four espionage/counterterrorism thrillers with plots based on realistic, real-world scenarios. There are seven reasons why this series should interest those who read this genre.
Reason one is that the hero is a helicopter pilot, not a fighter pilot. In other novels of this genre, the main character is often fighter pilot in action at high speeds and high altitudes. Unless he is in a dogfight, the fighter pilot rarely sees his enemy. Scenes in the Derek Almer books put readers in the cockpit of a helicopter where one can see the face of men who are shooting at you and the muzzle flashes of their guns!
Number two is that the use of equipment is realistic and accurate. In the scenes in which airplanes and helicopters are “flown,” they are operated within their limits and the characters often have to deal with less than perfect equipment.
The third reason is that the characters are different and interesting. For example, in FAILURE TO FIRE, Fatimah Serraf comes from a traditional Saudi family and refuses to be married in an arranged wedding that benefits her family. Fatimah has a dark side in the bedroom and her success making money for high net-worth individuals leads her to becoming the de-facto investment banker for al Qaeda.
After leaving the Navy, Derek Almer stays in the Naval Reserve and is employed as a contract pilot with the CIA. From operations in the CIA, he developed ties to the Mossad and operates in the Arab world.
Reason four that readers will like the Derek Almer series is that the plot for each book is placed in the proper historical context. The series begins in 2015 so the background is recent history and enables the reader to identify with events he or she witnessed.
By telling the story from both sides, readers meet the protagonists and antagonists along with the supporting cast and learn what drives them. This is reason five.
Reason number six is the titles should draw the reader to read the blurb on the back and even buy the book. For example, the word “Pawnee” in the Flight of the Pawnee’s title is not a reference to the Indian tribe, but to an agricultural airplane built by Piper Aircraft that names the models of its airplanes after Indian tribes. The plane has a major role in the plot.
Number seven is that within a month after being released, Flight of the Pawnee was an Amazon #1 Best Seller.
Even though it is a series, each book is a discrete, stand-alone novel and the books don’t have to be read in sequence. Flight of the Pawnee and Failure to Fire are already out. Here is a description of the third book of the three, Insidious Dragon.
INSIDIOUS DRAGON - Senior Colonel Fang Sun of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of the People's Republic of China (PRC) gets permission to develop a plan to use a bio weapon to test the U.S. reaction to such an attack. After attending the PLA's school on chemical and biological weapons, he learns that in the southern Chinese provinces of Guangzhou and Guangxi, diseases that have been wiped in much of the world, are still present and some of the strains are resistant to current vaccines. With the help of one of the instructors, compiles a list of diseases that might be used as a weapon. Sun wants one that creates fear and has long term disabling effects on the victim, assuming he/she survives. While he is developing his he is introduced to Jun Lin who recently received her doctorate in virology from the University of California, San Diego. Jun's PhD thesis suggests that she has the knowledge and expertise to help him create the weapon he needs.