This is book four in a series that promises to get longer, and that’s good.
I didn’t review the first three books, but in a nutshell: The main character, John Dempsey (formerly known as Jack Kemper), is an ex-SEAL who lost his entire team in an attack while deployed in the sandbox. In order to go after the people responsible for the attack, Kemper ‘dies’ and changes his identity to Dempsey, and becomes forever lost to his wife, his son, and all of the operators he has ever worked with. He becomes the founding member of an ultra secret, very small cell of highly skilled people who are known only to the president and one or two others. The group is called Ember and they are assigned missions against terrorists that cannot be performed by any other group. They operate autonomously, choosing targets whom they declare to be the greatest threats to America.
Throughout the first three books the team recruits members, loses members, and completes a variety of dangerous missions that are beyond the capabilities of other special forces groups. We watch as interpersonal relationships form, and we watch as various members mature and become even more skilled at their various callings. The growth of the team, both as individuals and as a cohesive, interdependent fighting unit, mirrors how such a group may evolve in real life, and it is gratifying to watch as the team expands and grows in capability.
Interestingly, the authors’ writing abilities seemed to grow along with the fictional team members. When starting the first book, I got the impression that it was written by amateurs. The writing was shaky and unsure at times, the actions of the characters seemed overwrought and unnatural, and it seemed as if the authors weren’t quite on the same page. (And if they had used the term “tier one” very many more times, I would have deleted the thing from my Kindle!) But by the end of the first book (called “Tier One”, naturally) they had their act together and the book turned out to be pretty good – enough to make me want to get the next one. Books two and three each improved on their predecessors, and by the end of book three I was disappointed when it looked as if there were to be no more books by these guys.
And then book four, “American Operator”, came along. This book is probably the best written of the batch so far. It doesn’t exactly pick up where the last book left off, because that story seemed finished. But it does continue with the same characters doing the same dangerous stuff. This book opens with the Ember team conducting a strike against a terrorist group. The bad guys are killed, the good guys are rescued, and all is well. During the mission, however, a person named Malik is revealed; this guy (or the idea of this guy…) is woven into the fabric of the rest of the story, and likely into book five.
Briefly: a young CIA agent is captured during a terrorist attack in Turkey. She is taken away, and Ember is tasked to find her. Dempsey is separated from his team as a result of a seemingly unrelated attack in the same country, and much of the book focuses on his efforts to rescue her. As the book progresses, the captured agent is confronted by Malik, and it is revealed that Malik is part of a plan that goes far, far beyond a simple kidnapping. By the end of the book, the agent is rescued, Dempsey confronts Malik, the president and associates get attacked, and the larger plan is revealed (to a degree). Ember gets new personnel, some soul searching is accomplished, somebody has an epiphany, and all is right again.
Except it isn’t. Unlike the first three books, each of which seemed to have a solid conclusion, this book is open ended. While the good guys make it back home, the events in which they participated are far from over. The ‘big plan’, perpetrated by the Russians, is still in play. The fallout from the attack on the president and its implications for Turkey and the United States are not discussed, leaving the door open for a follow-up. And a traitor is still undiscovered. All of these factors create great anticipation for the next book, which unfortunately is not due for a whole year (November 2019).
Naturally I have some rants, but they are few. While most of the book is written at a perfect pace that prevents boredom yet leaves room for character development and background information, the ending is a little bit “television”. The showdown between Dempsey and “Malik” lasts forever. Their battle goes way beyond what normal humans are capable of (think Jason Bourne on amphetamines) and their continued escapes wear a little on the otherwise credible action. And the “love-in” at the end is a little much. However, this is a good book, the best so far. I recommend you read them all, and most certainly read them in order. And maybe don’t start them until just before book five comes out so you don’t suffer any withdrawal symptoms.
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Awesome 4th installment. Read it!
This was a great read by Brian Andrews and Jeffery Wilson. The Tier One series has been a favorite of mine for a while. John Dempsey (formerly Jack Kemper) is tasked with helping run Task Force Ember and his age is slowly starting to show. The rescue mission he’s tasked with is continuously foiled and stopped, while he’s left alone to his own devices to help save the victim. He might have made some bad choices to get himself in those spots, but he is the best for a reason. The action was great, phenomenal in fact. The storyline is amazing and one that is set up for future books. The length was a little hefty but I had no problem crushing through this one. They did an awesome job creating this Tier One thriller and you will love it!
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- Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2018
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David MakyaReviewed in Germany on February 1, 2019
Former Tier One Navy Seal John Dempsey und die Ladybugs
- Chaitukash79Reviewed in India on March 1, 2022
Another smashing read from the Tier One series
