Hawk by Ronie Kendig

About the book:

Raptor’s communications expert, Staff Sergeant Brian “Hawk” Bledsoe is struggling with his inner demons, leaving him on the verge of an “other than honorable” discharge. Plagued with corrupted intel, Raptor team continues to track down the terrorist playing chess with their lives. Afghan pilot Fekiria Haidary is devastated when a systems glitch on her aircraft forces a weapons launch on a safe target. And when the deadly bombing separates Brian from the team, he must make an impossible choice: save his brothers-in-arms, or save the woman and children depending on him to survive a brutal snowstorm.

My review:

This is the second in the Quiet Professionals series. (The first was Raptor 6.) We readers are again taken to Afghanistan where operations are going horribly wrong. Someone has managed to penetrate Raptor 6's communications systems, inserting bogus commands and sending soldiers into ambushes. Hawk is right in the middle of it.

This book has plenty of action, especially in the second half, but the first half is more about the struggles individuals are experiencing. Hawk has his issues with anger. There is Mitch, a soldier who has had to face the death of his wife and is now fighting his in-laws who are trying to take his children away from him. There is Fekiria, an Afghan woman pilot who has managed to hide her accomplishments from her family – until her brother finds out and uses it against her. And we get into the mind of a bad guy, an experience that is chilling.

We get a good idea how women are treated in the repressive society. We also find out about the pressure the soldiers are under to protect the lives of their men and the innocents around them. Yes, there is plenty of action, but I really liked the emphasis on character study in this book. Although it was a side story, I felt most deeply for Mitch and the possibility of losing his children because he is overseas so much. That just tugged at my heart strings.

Those who like military adventure will love this book. If you like character studies of men and women persevering through overwhelming adversity, you'll love this book too. It's another winner from Kendig.

Ronie Kendig is an award-winning best-selling author. She grew up an army brat and married a veteran. Her degree in psychology has helped create captivating characters. Find out more at www.roniekendig.com.

Shiloh Run Press (Barbour), 368 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher for the purpose of an independent and honest review.