Raptor 6 Is A Novel Worth Reading More Than Once!

For this book review I have a guest, my husband Rick. He was glad to read this book for me and share his thoughts with you. Here's what he has to say!

Ronie Kendig, a self-described "Army brat" who is married to a military veteran. uses her knowledge of military life to great advantage in her novel Raptor 6. The protagonists, while larger than life, are still believable; the action scenes, while intense, are not exaggerated to the point of ridiculousness; the inner doubts of the main characters make sense, and are not overblown, given their involvement in highly volatile. deadly situations. 

Captain Dean Watters leads an elite group of soldiers -- Raptor Team -- on a mission to protect Zahrah Zarrick, a missionary teacher in Afghanistan. When ten very advanced computers are stolen, Watters is told to protect Zarrick, who is also a specialist in quantum cryptology, which makes her valuable to the terrorists who need to gain full access to the contents of the computers in order to take millions of lives around the globe. 

Zarrick is abducted, and Watters is under great pressure to rescue her, partially because of her specialized knowledge, also because her father is a retired general with plenty of connections in the military. 

One major flaw in the story is that, while Watters is told to protect Zarrick, for some time he isn't told why she is important. In several scenes, people refer to withholding this information but wait for Watters to figure it out on his own. While it makes sense to keep the "quantum cryptology" matter hidden from the reader, it makes no sense to hide the fact from Watters. By the way, the synopsis on the back of the book gives this secret away. 

Another point, perhaps minor, disrupted the flow of the novel for me. Kendig manages to capture the machismo and grittiness of the military personnel without resorting to the profuse profanity often found in the genre. That was refreshing. But a rough character, in a tense situation, unleashing the epithet "Son of a biscuit" seemed jarringly out of place. 

Of greater importance: the plot is suspenseful, the stakes are high, the villains are nasty, the physical, mental and emotional struggles are realistic and riveting. This novel is worth reading more than once. 

This is the first in a series of novels, "The Quiet Professionals". The next two volumes, due out in November 2014 and May 2015, will feature characters introduced in Raptor 6.

About the book:
His mission.

His team.

Captain Dean Watters keeps these parts of his life in laser-like focus. So when hackers threaten both his mission and his team, Dean's Special Forces training kicks into high gear. Ten military super-secure computers are missing-which if opened, would give America's enemies a blueprint of US military intelligence. Failing to stop the hackers isn't an option.

Zahrah Zarrick is a missionary teacher to Afghan children in Mazar-e Sharif. She's also a target. Her expertise in quantum cryptology makes her an unwitting pawn in the hackers' deadly game. They're coming for her, and Dean and his team must stop them.

Before the team can get to Zahrah, she disappears. Now Dean must race to rescue her and stop the hackers from unleashing terror on millions across the globe. But to do so, Dean will be forced to crack open the steel box around his heart-a move that might come at the highest cost.

About the Author:
Ronie Kendig is an award-winning, bestselling author who grew up an Army brat. After twenty-plus years of marriage, she and her hunky hero husband have a full life with four children and a Maltese Menace in northern Virginia. Author and speaker, Ronie loves engaging readers through her Rapid-Fire Fiction.

 Ronie can be found at www.roniekendig.com and on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

I was given a copy of the book for the purpose of this review. I was not compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed here are my own or that of my guest writer.