‘War Hawk’ by James Rollins & Grant Blackwood

Published by Orion Books,
12 January 2017.
ISBN: 978-140915449-5

This is the second interesting collaboration between Rollins and Blackwood (the first was The Kill Switch).

The story reaches into the electronic world of artificial intelligence, cyber attacks   and computerised warfare waged by highly programmed robots, stealth weapons and drones and foreshadows the day, not so far off, when there will   probably be no need for boots on the ground.

 Once again   one meets former U.S. Army Ranger Tucker Wayne a veteran of Afghanistan suffering from PTSD and   his devoted partner, Kane, a keenly responsive and powerful Belgian Malinois shepherd dog. The formidable duo gets embroiled in investigating a diabolical crime that has its roots at the very heart of government when Jane, Tucker’s ex colleague and old flame who’s fleeing those seeking to liquidate her, approaches Tucker for help.

The novel delves in to the secret world of Bletchley Park and the pioneering work of Alan Turing then flings the reader into the 21^st century as a power hungry, megalomaniac head of a private corporation struggles obsessively for global dominance. 

The plot is well constructed, characters are generally engagingly rounded out and the story moves at a good pace with a lively dialogue although readers may find the technological descriptions challenge and jar and some incidents defy belief.  

The hairy adventures twist and turn from the Deep South via the tropical paradise of Trinidad and Tobago to the inhospitable terrain of rural Serbia and   just when one thinks the game’s  up for Tucker and Kane, the situation reverses and they’re riding high again.

I found the pooch to be the real hero of the hour, it being evident that the training of a combat dog by its handler and the unique relationship established between them was thoroughly researched.  The book doesn’t disappoint, as I can’t wait to see more of amazing Kane.

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Reviewer: Serena Fairfax

James Rollins is a New York Times bestselling author of international thrillers, translated into more than forty languages. His Sigma series has been lauded as one of the "top crowd pleasers" (New York Times) and one of the "hottest summer reads" (People Magazine). In each novel, acclaimed for its originality, Rollins unveils unseen worlds, scientific breakthroughs, and historical secrets--and he does it all at breakneck speed and with stunning insight.

Grant Blackwood was born 7 June 1964, He is a A U. S. Navy veteran, Grant spent three years aboard a guided missile frigate as an Operations Specialist and a Pilot Rescue Swimmer. Grant lives in Arizona, where he is working his own standalone series starring a new hero.

http://grantblackwood.com/

 Serena Fairfax spent her childhood in India, qualified as a lawyer in England and practised in London for many years. She began writing by contributing feature articles to legal periodicals   then turned her hand to fiction. Having published nine novels all, bar one, hardwired with a romantic theme, she has also written short stories and accounts of her explorations off the beaten track that feature on her blog. A tenth, distinctly unromantic, novel is a work in progress. Thrillers, crime and mystery narratives, collecting old masks and singing are a few of her favourite things.

www.serenafairfax.com