Raptor 6

Title: Raptor 6
Author: Ronie Kendig
Publisher: Shiloh Run Press
Pages: 352
ISBN: 978-1-61626-040-8
Publication Date: May 1st, 2014

Synopsis:

His team. His mission. A mission that comes at the highest cost!

Captain Dean Watters keeps his mission and his team in the forefront of his laser-like focus. So when Dean’s mission and team are threatened, his Special Forces training kicks into high gear. Failing to stop hackers from stealing national security secrets from the military’s secure computers and networks isn’t an option.

Zahrah Zarrick is a missionary teacher to Afghan children in Mazar-e Sharif. And a target. When Zahrah is captured because of her expertise in quantum cryptology, compromising the U.S. military, Dean is forced to crack the lockbox around his heart—a move that might come at the highest cost.

Review:
Raptor 6 was a new genre for me to read. I didn't know what to expect going in, so it was a interesting story to follow along with. The military based stories I usually read are that of historical, give me the Civil War, Revolutionary War, and WW2, I know how those turn out and where they are going. Modern day warfare stories are new to me, and I can't tell you anything about them.

I fallow the news pretty well and know people who have served in Afghanistan, so I knew how the set up would be and I will say, what a back drop to the story it turned out to be. The area in itself is a character to the book. The culture, the way of living, the burning heat, it all came together with the characters and the suspense of the story.

Ronie Kendig presents such a realistic set up. The culture is different than that of what we live with. The story almost feels like a step back in time, except for the modern weapons..., when we follow Zahrah around her family's village where she is working as a teacher. She has to change who she is a bit to fit in to the community to work with the children she desperately wants to help. Her dedication the the kids was a wonderful aspect of the story and her passion helps you root for her. However, Captain Dean Watters has a very logical argument for wanting her to leave when attacks start happening in the village. There were times Zahrah was a bit stubborn, but she had a calling and wanted to see it out.

Dean was a great character, he is the all American solider, he is tough and ready to fight, but cares for his men, like he should and for those around him. Despite the danger he and his men face from computers that have been compromised, which in turn comprise him and his men, he still pushes forward to keep with his mission. Even though he is a good guy, he has struggles and it made him all the better to root for.

The secondary characters also added to the stories depth and gave it a very realistic feel with the issues that they faced. I enjoyed reading and getting to know these characters as they were introduced. Each are real and they aren't perfect. I loved that. Some face illness or anger issues and they are characters that you can think and say, you know someone just like that, or you know someone going through something personal like that.

The only small complaint I had to the story was the second chapter. A lot of information about the characters were given in such a way it was a bit confusing for me to keep up with. So, with the confusion it took me a couple of chapters to really get pulled into the story, but once I did, the story took off.

Too Read
4 out of 5