The Orion Team. discussion

Here you can find my review of J.T. Patten’s fantastic spy thriller “Primed Charge”. (the review will remain an exclusive and is only for members of this group to read, until the novel gets officially released this Friday)

I received an ARC, in exchange for an honest review:



Kill a few people at random, nothing changes. But kill the right people…

Warning the following review contains major rambling and minor plot spoilers! So if you just want to know how good this book really is, skip to the last paragraph.

Conventions and clichés can be a true pain in the ass, especially in today’s spy thriller novels. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t enjoy a well-executed formula f thriller, where the “good guys” must stop the evil terrorists from launching a devastating nuclear strike against the West. But unfortunately reality is rarely that simple. The world just can’t be divided into black and white (especially not in the spy business), because such things don’t exist. They never did. Today’s times in particular require a much more sophisticated worldview, in order to see the million shades of gray that define the shadow world of global politics and international espionage.

That’s why I’m always more invested in books that not just entertain me, but also make me think about the world we are living in and the greater questions that come with it. J.T. Patten’s debut was such a book, which showed the world of black-ops for what it is. A very dark place in which honorable and not so honorable people alike, make morally ambiguous decisions, because they think the outcome will be better than the alternative and where the darkness can destroy even the most honorable man’s soul.

I’m happy to report that Patten succeeds where many of his peers have failed, surpassing the gold standard set by his mesmerizing debut novel! “Primed Charge” has all the elements that made the first one so great, but the scope and scale of the story Patten tells, have grown significantly.

There are bombings happening around the world, taking out civilians, soldiers and diplomats alike and even some high ranking CIA officials and analysts on US soil. They seem random and unconnected until formidable intel asset Sean Havens discovers a possible link to some ambiguous activities from China, Iran and Russia around the golden triangle. But as always, nothing is as it seems, in the shadow world of intelligence entities, international conglomerates and ancient old secret societies…

The author – who has worked as a counter intelligence and financial fraught analyst for many years – again displays a profound knowledge of global affairs, military tactics and the inner workings of the intelligence community, that can’t be acquired just through thorough research, but only through personal experience. The heart of the story however, is again his grounded everyman protagonist Sean Havens.

For over 20 years, he traveled through the dark places of the world as a highly specialized intel asset, who provided backup for elite military units, implemented schemes to destabilize terror groups and created opportunities for the US government to exploit. Basically he helped making the world a little safer or that’s what he thought. Betrayed by the very government he gave everything for and because of reasons he doesn’t fully understand yet, Havens’ family fell victim to a vicious false flag attack on home soil, leaving his wife dead and his daughter in a coma. Now one year later, Havens struggles with his duties as a single dad to his recovering daughter, while at the same time trying to come to grips with his addiction to the work that caused his life to unravel in the first place. It is due to the author’s nuanced characterization, that Sean Havens doesn’t come across as just another Mitch Rapp or Jason Bourne type of an indestructible larger than life superspy, but a flawed and broken man, who is deeply damaged in his soul after the traumatic experiences of the last book and who’s indelible need to right the wrongs of the world and helping comrades in danger, make him the perfect pawn for the shadow masters. Seeing Havens struggling with both global threats and his obligations as a father truly let my heart go out to him and I really could identify with his mental struggle and the driving motives behind his actions. There is one scene in particular, where he promises his teenage daughter to kill the people responsible for her mother’s death, which feels so real, that it almost made me cry!

Next we have the female lead Tanya Crowe, a brilliant intelligence analyst, who shares quite some history with Sean and guards a secret with the potential to make his life even more complicated. Many authors overdo it when they try to create strong female characters, making them seem almost invincible and more like larger than life stereotypes than real human characters as a result. Tanya is a great example on how to create a strong and independent female character that is very tough but also can be very sensitive and self-conscious at times. In a way she is broken, like every one of us, strong on the outside, but conflicted and vulnerable on the inside. Tanya is the perfect shimmer of hope on the horizon for Havens and was someone I as a reader, not only cared and rooted for from early on, but also admired for her strength. And the end suggests we haven’t seen the last of her, which is great!

Now to the main villain of “Primed Charge”: Paulo Violardo, an Italian intelligence officer, explosives expert and fanatic Freemason master. He is a bit more “outlandish” than Prescott Draeger from the last book (who also plays a big role in this one) but no less compelling. Paulo is a true believer of God and a “Christian fundamentalist” in his own right. I found it very refreshing to see a believable portrait of a holy warrior of Christ for a change, instead of the ever repeating stereotypical Islamic Jihadists. The author places little tidbits of Paulo’s backstory through the book, helping the reader to better understand how this guy ticks. But just when you think you figured him out, wait for what he does at the end. It really rattled my feelings about him!

Now to the last character I will introduce here (there are some more very interesting lads but analyzing them all, would truly be beyond the scope of this review). He is the one who secretly steals the show. Meet Jerry a spy master in his eighties, who you would probably slight as a cold war relic at first sight, but rest assured, you couldn’t be more wrong about the coveted Director of the CIA’s National Clandestine Service! He takes the sentiment “to play both sides of the fence” to a whole new level. As a Yale absolvent and longtime member of the secret Skull & Bones society, he seems also to be the only one, who keeps the forces aligned against Sean Havens at bay or is he? Jerry surely knows his way around the shadow games of international intelligence and he is a perfect example of a morally gray character. Is he a villain or just someone trying to pull the world back from the brink of disaster, by all means necessary? After Jerry’s gut-wrenching trade at the end, the readers will probably lean towards the former, but everything else aside, Jerry might be the only one capable of stopping the ongoing conspiracy and impending doom.

Which brings me to the next big standout: Patten’s ability to mix fact with frighteningly plausible fiction to create a realistic conspiracy, which is not of the “could really happen” variety, bus is quite possibly already happening, for all we know. The Pond, a once truly existing radical anti-communism offspring of the CIA (which was already established in the first book) makes a return in “Primed Charge” and continues to wreak havoc around the globe. Additionally Patten introduces P2, a secret Italian Mason lodge, with ties to the Mafia, intelligence services the world over and even the Vatican. The author’s inside knowledge as a former financial fraud expert, makes the whole conspiracy highly plausible and ring true with authenticity. Being an independently publishing author, also gave Patten the time flexibility to weave recent events into the schemes of P2 and the Pond – namely the Belgium attacks and the Panama Papers – which lends even more credibility to the whole story. The author proofs that the biggest threats for the western world mustn’t necessarily come from the Middle East, but could quite possibly originate from power hungry factions embedded in our own institutions!

Also of note is one of the book’s main themes, which is not only very important to the story the author tells, but also highly relevant in today’s times: Those who walk the thin line between light and darkness, sacrifice they health and often their sanity to protect their country, but what does their country to help them and their families? The sad answer becomes more and more apparent as the story progresses and Patten shows through different characters, how the government’s unwillingness to take care of the people who protect it, creates shattered lives in abundance. Some are over the edge and beyond saving and therefore become perfect surrogates to be exploited by the puppet masters pulling the strings in the shadows of plausible deniability. But there are also some people, who despite experiencing unimaginable losses and suffering in the line of duty, still feel only alive if they can help others in need! The message sounds clear: It are men like Sean Havens giving their all, so that normal people like us can go peaceful and blissfully unaware about their lives, that should receive our uttermost gratitude!

The verdict: J.T. Patten crafts the most memorable thriller I have read in a long time, combining his inside knowledge, crisp writing and unconventionally realistic portrayal of action scenes and the inner mechanisms of the intelligence world, with a multi-layered and fast-paced plot full of twists you won’t see coming, until they hit you with more velocity and stopping power than a 357 Magnum slug, to create a dark, action-packed and highly relevant masterpiece, which at the moment ranks without equal in the military/spy thriller genre! The author is now in the same sphere (if not a little above) as the likes of Tom Wood, Terry Hayes or Stephen England and easily surpasses heavyweights, such as David Baldacci, Ben Coes and Barry Eisler! If you read only one book this year, make it this one!

It is now available on amazon!

http://www.amazon.com/SAFE-HAVENS-Pri...

Ladies, gentlemen, meet "THE POND!" Not the most impressive name for an intelligence agency, but at one point it came incredibly close to becoming American Foreign Intelligence instead of the Central Intelligence Agency. Group member JT Patten brought it back to life, turning it into a formidable beast of an organization that can actually manage the world.

https://www.cia.gov/library/center-fo...

Safe Havens: Presidential Retreat continues on as I struggle to find time for completion. However, as I progress, I did have fun going back to the beginning and throwing history on its head.
Below is a few page draft preview of what is to come. America will never be the same now that you know the truth. (Italicized "thinking" is lost in paste) Let me know your thoughts. Never said I was a good writer, but unconventional works for me. -JTP

Prelude
Lower Manhattan, New York, 1783
The aged hardwood planks squawked under each footfall as the young man weighed his booted gait somewhere between a race of excitement and a madman’s haste in utter panic.
America is not its own. That is the message. Be succinct. Be brave. You can be brave. “Good day, Sir,” the young man wheezed with forced breath heralding the greying officer seated ten paces away. An officer, who in moments, would know the lie of a nation.
As the caller quickly closed distance, the middle-aged military man cast a brief sideward glance before resetting his eyes to the stacks of desk-covered paperwork. “Your boots. They’re sopping my floor. Do you take this for a regiment tent?”
Thrown off for but a moment, the young man persisted steadfast and carried on. I have but one opportunity. Fear gripped him but his treasured evidence demanded liberation. “I should thank you, first off, for seeing me,” he croaked under false bravado. His mouth was dry and lips cracked from the biting winds raging over the Upper New York Bay winter waters. “Sorry about the floor. I shall clean it up after our conversation, if you care?”
The question was met by a warm smile and a hand flick of dismissal.
Snot ran from the lad’s nostrils. He fought the urge to lap it up out of the way. His coat cuff would do. The abrasive wool raked across his chaffed nose. His watering eyes briefly met disgust from the polished man before him.
The young man regretted not detouring to Fraunces Tavern to warm by the hearth, sup a hot punch, and steal some edge in advance of such a meeting. The tavern next door was one of the meeting places of General Washington and secret society, the Sons of Liberty. If they hadn’t been so damned secretive, perhaps he would have found an audience.
The lad eyeballed the fire in the corner of the dank room. He longed to warm his bones, but he had so much to share. A naïve country in its infancy had played to a trap. He could be a patriot, father be damned. This was his battle … against a king, nonetheless. A battle much more grand than coloured rank and file clashes.
“Please, it’s the least I can do, Mr. Johnsen” the officer replied with equal measure to his tenor. Excitement. Panic. “Indeed, your persistence has paid off. Come. Sit. May I offer you tea, water, perhaps a brandy?”
“Thank you, Sir. Tea would be fine. I’ve a bit of a chill. Down to the bone.” He paused. He felt safe now. It was going to be okay. His wife was wrong, this man could be trusted. “Perhaps a brandy after all, if it pleases,” he tested.
“Indeed. Winter has set. And neither New York nor Virginia wants not to escape it.”
“No truer words, spoken.” The young man fell quiet, his heart racing.
The silence yielded to the crackle of a log but for a moment as he collected himself and snorted the cascading mucus before accepting the drink. A surprise lump of phlegm shot to the back of his throat, which he gulped, eyes bulging for a moment before chasing it down with the burning mahogany spirit.
He coughed and mucus bubbled again from his nose. He was a sorry sight to behold. “Pardon, but I fear perhaps I’ve been too familiar. Short of my father, I have never addressed an officer of rank.” He took a deep breath and attempted composure.
“Your father serves?”
“Served, Sir. He died defending Gloucester Point. Across the York River. Musketry battalion.”
“At the hands of Cornwallis, no doubt.”
“Indeed, Sir. Which brings me here, General Hamilton, Sir.”
“Major General,” the officer corrected, “I’ve had the pleasure of your letters, boy. And they speak nothing of your father. They speak of a conspiracy fancy. Call me Alec.”
“Not fancy, Sir. Alec. Alexander. Sorry. You see, I’m schooling in law … Uh, you can call me Hans Petter. Petter would be fine.”
“And yet you question our freedom from British rule … Petter? You question my travels to England? What law schooling is this?” Hamilton scoffed. “I hale from King’s College and certainly they would not stand for such hearsay. From a man of the law, no less, his Dutch blood aside.”
“Dutch-Swedish. Here for generations. Please hear me, Sir,” Petter transferred. “While Cornwallis surrendered, it was only the battle. Not the war. I have it documented in my writings.” The young man reached into his satchel and ruffled through notes seeking the proof he had devoured in his mind a hundred times before.
The officer waved him off and started with the next battery of questions. Again, measured. Nay, probing. Circling. Waiting. And testing. “You question the treaty of 1783? A schoolboy? I was there.”
“Indeed, Sir. And meaning no disrespect, but if we were a free and independent people, why would we sign a treaty? The terms of which were negotiated by men of British subjection and loyalty to the Crown. Sirs Franklin. Adams …”
“Benjamin Franklin? James Adams? Loyal to the crown? Ha! I’ve read your letters,” the officer interrupted again. “You postulate then … if I understand … your … hypotheses. I stress. And that the King’s claim to America was relinquished, but … maintained?” Hamilton’s eyes searched the young man as he cross examined, “Aaand that the Crown possessed rights of ownership … and claims as a business venture; one that now spans … an agreement?” Hamilton’s brow closed over glaring eyes. His voice grew, the pace more rapid. “Between ... well, from your … suggestion … your assertion … that the Bank of England and the Bank of New York are in collusion? My Bank of New York?”
“Absolutely, Sir,” Petter validated with the first degree of confidence he had exhibited … ever. “I have read the documents through and through. But not collusion, Sir. Subjugation. The government we believe to be free remains in the hands of British rule. We remain subjects and colonies and are burdened with the debt of war and the imposition of a new tax. One that we can never be repay. The people must know this, Sir. And I know you remain an aid to General Washington. Surely he’s been … tricked.”
“Tricked?” The officer grinned. “And who knows of this?” Alexander Hamilton’s eyes searched the room.
“I’m afraid you are the only to listen,” he lied. My claims fall like a mute to deaf ears. Despite my protests, you remain the only to see me.”
Hamilton’s lips spread in satisfaction like spilled liquid running its course. “And your research, your writings, and notes? Has anyone else …?” Hamilton continued to test, his eyebrows now lifting. Bemused.
“I carry them with me everywhere, Sir.” He patted the worn leather bag. “It is my life’s … well, a year’s work. I’ve even left law school.”
“Left?”
“Tossed, Sir.” He lowered his head with remorse as true as his assertions. His new wife, now with child, remained his rock and sat with him by candle ‘til dawn each day piecing the evidence together. She was the puzzle master, in truth, though he the envoy of the scandalous findings.
“Again, my friend, Petter, call me Alec. May I show you something?”
“Sir? Alec … Sir?”
“It’s a prized possession of mine. I found it on the battlefield in New Jersey.” He handed the tarnished cast iron pistol to the young man. “Never mind the rust. The trigger and hammer work excellently.”
The young man feigned admiration to be polite. What about the findings?
“Hold it like a man, Son. Point it.” Major General Hamilton reached across the desk to softly raise and guide the pistol in his own direction. “Point it towards me.”
“Sir?” Petter Johnsen stepped back in shock.
Hamilton’s voice boomed. “I hereby judge you as enemy of the United States of America and the sovereign crown of England.” The officer blindly reached across the desk, grasped, and raised a Smith & Walker double barrel flintlock pistol from the top of his writing desk. Unrushed in his movement, he aimed the weapon at the young man.
And fired.
Johnsen flipped back, his head thumping on the puddled hardwood floor.
A heavy soot ring showcased the irregular black hole in his forehead. A powder burn tattoo silhouetted the terminal wound. His nose ran clear then red.
“Guards!” Hamilton howled. His majesty shall hear none of this. We shall continue to bring a new order to this land.
As the guards rushed in, Hamilton retrieved the man’s bag, sauntered across the modestly adorned room, and tossed the satchel to the fireplace with a resounding thud sparking the glowing logs before flames re-emerged, licked the hostile leather intruder, and consumed such non-sense from further discussion.
"United, indeed."

Chapter 1
Mid-town Manhattan, New York, 2016
Sirens screamed around Sean Havens and the cordoned off emergency response area. Lights from vehicles responding to a Masonic Lodge explosion radiated swiveling prisms of color. They exacerbated Sean’s pounding headache. He lay collapsed in a doorway alcove shrouded by the nighttime shades of New York‘s concrete jungle.
First responders scurried like rats nearby to carry the dead and wounded.
Havens had saved a city, but continued to pay the price for good deeds. Checks cashed on the lives of family and friends. Immediate choices in the moment were clear but consequences remained obscured until they arrived. It clouded whether or not the job of national defense was worth it--to anyone.

Was immediately drawn in from the first sentence! What do you think, Sam?

Bodo wrote: "Was immediately drawn in from the first sentence! What do you think, Sam?"

Well written. Mr Patten continues to improve as a writer, making exponential leaps and bounds in refining his prose. Perfectly executed narrative hook for starters.

Totally agreed

Shucks. Thanks guys! It was fun. And I have to keep at the writing craft to keep up with so many great writers out there who are much better at the craft. Hopefully the rest of the novel once completed and released won't disappoint.

No worries there!

Presidential Retreat. Three bad men and Sean Haven's is like the pinball.

Indeed!

J.T. Patten has a question for his readers:

If, hypothetically, I needed to start a new series, would #SafeHavens fans want a new character or Sean to get new name like John Clark did?

1000 congratulations for group member JT Patten for landing a deal with a mainstream publisher. I wish him the very best in this new venture.

https://therealbookspy.com/2017/10/02...

Burried in black. https://therealbookspy.com/2017/10/02...