When the hunter becomes the hunted in Peter Kirsanow’s action-packed debut novel, one of the world’s most lethal operators goes on the run from the very country he’s trying desperately to protect.
Michael Garin is the leader of a counter-WMD strike team, known only as “Omega.” Formed under the Joint Operational Command, Omega hand-picks the best of the best operators from various branches of the United States Armed Forces.
As Clint Laws, a veteran spymaster and Garin’s mentor is fond of saying, “there are no coincidences in this business.” So when Garin spots something during a high-priority mission, he can’t shake the feeling that a bigger game is playing out behind the scenes.
Returning to his apartment in northern Virginia after a successful mission, Garin walks into an ambush. Two highly-trained Iranian gunmen were waiting for him. Unfortunately for them, Garin sensed something was off and sprang into action before they could take him out. Within seconds, both intruders were dead. Knowing that the probability of a backup team waiting nearby (standard operating procedure among assassins) was high, Garin flees the scene and begins calling the only people he can trust–his teammates.
After all of his calls go unanswered, Garin fears the worst and starts making rounds, checking on each member of his team in person. One by one, his suspicion that he wasn’t the only operator targeted was confirmed. Somebody came after all of the Omega operators, and he’s the only one who survived the assault.
Going to the only person still alive whom he knows he can trust, Garin connects with his former business partner, Dan Dwyer, who owns a successful private security firm. With help from Dwyer, Garin finds several leads to track down and sets about to uncover the truth about who killed his team members, and why.
Several flashback scenes show Garin during his days with the military. After many thought he flunked out of BUDS, failing to become a Navy SEAL, Garin popped back up on the radar when several American soldiers were pinned down in Iraq and taking heavy fire. Just as it looked like they would be overrun, a lone shooter appeared and started picking off enemy combatants. Such stories are par the norm whenever Garin’s name comes up within the special forces circles, where he’s revered as a living legend.
While some of the tales of Garin’s heroic escapades are embellished, there’s absolutely no doubt that he remains one of the most lethal and most feared special ops soldiers in the world.
As the story takes shape, the author reveals a hair-raising conspiracy that has been carefully and meticulously plotted. Several countries are secretly working together to coordinate a devastating attack on American soil, and only Garin knows who’s behind it all. His only allies are Dwyer and Olivia Perry, an aide to the National Security Advisor, who starts to put the pieces together much faster than her boss.
A one-man vehicle of destruction, Garin leaves a path of bodies in his wake, which lands him on the FBI’s radar. With his own government believing him to be a killer on the loose, Garin soon finds himself being pursued by multiple countries, local law enforcement, one of the world’s most elite snipers, and the FBI.
With the attack date fast approaching, Michael Garin must find a way to stay alive and out of federal custody in order to stop an attack that nobody else sees coming.
After a few slightly choppy opening chapters, Peter Kirsanow settles into a groove and builds plenty of suspense to go hand-in-hand with his many action sequences. While some of the dialogue is a bit repetitive (especially in regards to each character’s understanding of Russia and what they will or won’t do) and the main character comes off as a bit too perfect at times, the final act gets a near-perfect score. It’s here that Kirsanow hits his stride, delivering a heart-pounding ending that will leave readers dying to get their hands on the next book.
Target Omega is easily one of the best debut political thriller novels of the past decade, and fans of Vince Flynn, Brad Thor, and Brad Taylor will enjoy Kirsanow’s blend of hard-hitting action and larger-than-life characters.
Book Details
Author: Peter Kirsanow
Series: Michael Garin #1
Pages: 418 (Hardcover)
ISBN: 1101985291
Publisher: Dutton
Release Date: May 16, 2017 (Order Now!)