On March 2, 2021, Matt Drake returns in The Outside Man, the all-new novel from author Don Bentley.
Bently, one of the top debut authors of 2020, introduced readers to operator Matt Drake earlier this year in his hit novel, Without Sanction. Told in the same vein as Mark Greaney and Brad Taylor, Bently’s hero is as complex as he is compelling, and if you’re a fan of either of those guys, you should check out Don’s work sooner rather than later.
This time around, following the events of book one, Drake is set to take on a team of assassins—but as for who they are and why they’re after him, well, that part’s a mystery, and one that he’ll need to solve quickly in order to stay alive.
“As a case officer for the Defense Intelligence Agency, Matt Drake operates in the world’s most treacherous locales,” Bently told The Real Book Spy in an exclusive statement. “But in The Outside Man, overseas treachery follows Matt back home to the streets of Austin. After surviving a complex ambush in broad daylight, Matt must trace the ensuing trail of death and deception to where it inevitably leads—a man known only as The Devil.
Last time he gave The Devil his due, Matt nearly paid with his life . . .
This time the bill will be much, much higher.”
See the cover art below.
The fight for freedom has sent Matt Drake to some of the world’s most dangerous spots. This time the war is coming to his front door.
Broad daylight on an Austin, Texas, street and DIA agent Matt Drake is fighting for his life against a highly trained team of assassins. Who are they? Why do they want him dead? How will he protect those closest to him?
Don Bentley spent a decade as an Army Apache helicopter pilot, and while deployed in Afghanistan was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and the Air Medal with “V” device for valor. Following his time in the military, Don worked as an FBI special agent focusing on foreign intelligence and counterintelligence and was a Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team member.
2021 could be shaping up to be a two-book year for Bently, as it was recently announced that he would be replacing Mike Maden and taking over Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan Junior franchise beginning next summer.
While details about that project are still pretty hard to come by, readers can already pre-order The Outside Man anywhere books are sold.
Praised as “One of the hardest working, most thoughtful, and fairest reviewers out there” by #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Scottoline, Ryan Steck has “quickly established himself as the authority on mysteries and thrillers” (Author A.J. Tata). Steck also works full-time as a freelance editor and pens a monthly thriller column for CrimeReads. For more information, be sure to follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He currently lives in Southwest Michigan with his wife and their six children.