Krygystan: Foreign Affairs’ Officer Amelia Lennon is trying to negotiate the continued leasing of an airport by the US government in this country. The president’s daughter is against the idea – and is the target of kidnappers immediately after a meeting where she makes this clear. Lennon steps in to save her, but the women must go on the run as rebels take over the capital city’s streets. Master Sergeant JJ Bartley is sent in as a Special Operations team leader to save the women – unofficially, as no US troops are allowed to leave the base, and under cover of darkness, lest they be spotted and captured themselves. Can the Spec Ops team – with two new, untried members – save two women on the run, without the help or support of their own government?
Struecker and Gansky couldn’t pack any more action into this novel. Not a page is turned without something being shot, smashed, blown up, or, at the very least, followed. For a civilian, Gansky has an incredibly grasp on military life and is able to pour drama and emotion into every action – both for those in the field and for those waiting for them at home. The story feels incredibly real as you read it – as if you’re right there, seeing the fighting on the streets and seeing the terror in the faces of the Krygystani civilians who are just trying to get home safely.
I know virtually nothing about military life – but I feel as if I do now. I have a greater respect for those serving and even more so for their families. Hide and Seek is educational without being obvious and, lucky for me, Gansky is able to teach the military terms and phrases without leaving me in the dirt or making me feel stupid. Both are frustrating, but the story is so well written I felt neither.
I love when I can read a book and hand it to my husband, and that’s just what I did with this one. The relationships between the men and their wives soften the harsh edges just a bit, but the story is really all about the men on this mission and the decisions they must make to succeed. I couldn’t put it down, and I’ve never seen my husband fly through a book as fast as he did with this one.
If action stories are your favorites on any level, be sure to check this one out.
I received a free copy of Hide and Seek from the B&B Media Group in exchange for an honest review.
Alton Gansky is a Christy Award-nominated and Angel Award-winning author who writes to stimulate thinking about spiritual matters. He served as a pulpit minister for twenty years and has published nearly thirty books.
Chaplain (Major, Ret) Jeff Struecker is a decorated member of US Army Rangers, the Army’s most elite fighting corps. His personal experiences in Mogadishu, Somalia were documented in the New York Times bestseller and major motion picture Black Hawk Down. During his thirteen years of active duty, he also fought in Operation Just Cause in Panama and Operation Iris Gold in Kuwait. As a chaplain Jeff has done multiple tours in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Now retired from military service, Struecker currently serves as the associate pastor of ministry development at Calvary Baptist Church in Columbus, Georgia.
