Deep State

Fantastic action,exciting characters!! Only a beta read..Awaiting final copy!!<br /><br />Merged review:<br /><br /><strong>Explosive Thriller With A 'Dead' CIA Operative</strong><br /><br /> This is an intriguing story with interesting characters and explosive action! Jason Trapp is the most lethal CIA agent in the field! Until he is betrayed on an Op, his partner killed and with his body never found, Jason is dead to the world...<br /> Terrorists attack on a train, intent to kill as many as possible. No one can find where they came from or who they are with, all seem to be regular men with no black marks on their records. Jason doesn't have to care anymore, but he is a patriot, so when terrorists strike in Boston, right in front of him, he takes off to save innocents! He kills two men which unearths him to Langley, and he is soon on his way there, where he listens to his old boss and agrees to help with this new attack.<br /> A fantastic story from a new author, I can not wait to see what Jason gets into next!!!

<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1435592874i/15362729.png" width="296" height="47" alt="description" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br><img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1413125244i/11468707.png" width="320" height="146" alt="description" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>When the book starts we follow a couple of terrorists on their way to do their horrible terror business. Which will take place on a train full of people on the way from California to Chicago.<br><br>Then we meet the hero of our story. Kind-of-retired CIA agent Jason Trapp. He's not really retired. He's more dead than retired. At least the CIA thinks he is. But suddenly it seems as if he's the only person who can save the day. Or save America.<br><br>I really liked reading this book. It was an interesting and exciting action blockbuster kind of book. Lots of mystery and lots of bad guys and good guys and shooting and killing. It's not something for readers who are afraid of blood and violence. ☺<br><br>I would say if you're a 40 year old American Vet-turned-high-school-ball-coach on his way to your sister's wedding in Hawaii - this will be the perfect book for you to read on the flight.<br><br>For a 40 year old German housewife it's a nice thriller - but it's a tiny bit too American and it has too much details about guns and vehicles and whatnot in it. But I still enjoyed reading it - and I will definitely read the next book too - because Jason Trapp is all sorts of hot and capable! ☺<br><br><img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1459956012i/18678859.png" width="230" height="56" alt="description" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><a href="https://amzn.to/2JZyJMw" rel="nofollow noopener"> <img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1435221417i/15317893.jpg" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a>♡ <a href="https://amzn.to/2LJZDtO" rel="nofollow noopener"> <img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1435221417i/15317894.jpg" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a>♡ <a href="https://amzn.to/2YoNz31" rel="nofollow noopener"> <img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1435221417i/15317896.jpg" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a><br><a href="http://getbook.at/JasonTrapp1" rel="nofollow noopener"> <img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1483777099i/21647703.jpg" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a><br><br><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/BJsBookBlog" rel="nofollow noopener"> <img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1441813788i/16155653.png" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a><br><a href="https://www.bjsbookblog.com/" rel="nofollow noopener"> <img alt="Smokin Hot Book Blog" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1441658564i/16133891.png" width="40" height="40" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a> <a href="https://twitter.com/BJBookBlog" rel="nofollow noopener"> <img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1441658564i/16133892.png" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BJsBookBlog" rel="nofollow noopener"> <img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1441658565i/16133893.png" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a> <a href="https://instagram.com/fsog_germany/" rel="nofollow noopener"> <img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1441658565i/16133894.png" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a> <a href="mailto:[email protected]" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener"> <img alt="Email" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1441658565i/16133895.png" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a>

A huge thank you to Kronos Ananthsimha for recommending Dark State. This is the first book in Jack Slater’s Jason Trapp series. Despite being my first experience with Slater as well with narrator Mark Garkusha, I immediately grabbed the audio based on his rec. So glad I did.<br /><br />The action and mystery start immediately with the events that will be known as “Bloody Sunday”. Slater does a good job balancing worldbulding, suspense, digital spying, and various responses. Trapp finds himself unwittingly drawn into to the conflict and then learns he’s central to solving the mystery of who is behind terrorist attacks. This has strong political thriller elements as well. Pacing was well done and made it difficult anytime I had to stop listening.<br /><br />I enjoyed the secondary characters, especially President Nash and FBI agent Dani Carter. I hope she’s going to be in future books. Even the protagonist was someone you love to hate. With lots of unreliable folks around, it took me a bit to figure out who it was.<br /><br />I liked the way Slater wrapped things up. It’s wide open where Jason Trapp can go from here and I’m looking forward to False Flag. However, I’ll absolutely be waiting for the audiobook because…<br /><br />Narration:<br />I was nervous listening because not only is Garkusha new to me, this is his first audiobook narration. Garkusha blew me away and I don’t have a single complaint about his performance. He graciously replied to an IG post earlier this week that he’s not new to VO or acting. That experience has obviously paid off. He does a wonderful job with all the emotions, evoking tension, and giving all the characters unique voices and accents consistent with Slater’s writing. What a fantastic listen and I’ll be eagerly waiting for more audios with Garkusha at the helm.<br /><br />Content Warnings (possible spoilers):<br />The main theme of this is terrorism and there are several mass shootings. Domestic white nationalists play a large role in the conspiracy which includes racially motivated murders.

Another novel that appeared on my also bought by the same author page so I thought I’d try out Jack Slater’s first self-published novel (at first, I thought this was his debut work but later discovered he was once a traditional author with HarperCollins).<br /><br />The writing was great and the story got straight into the action. The hero, Jason Trapp is a former CIA agent who goes by the handle Hangman,and he’s very competent at taking down bad guys and solving mysteries, and this is one hell of a mystery. Multiple terrorist strikes across mainland U.S. send the country into a state of panic and the Federal Government scrambling to understand why they had no pre-emptive intelligence as a warning, not wishing to repeat another 11 September terrorist attack. <br /><br />Unfortunately, thousands die and the country falls into chaos. Sinister, nefarious force are behind the attacks and have taken control of the National Security Agency’s vast networks of intelligence to create missions suiting their own, and not the United States’ agenda. <br /><br />I enjoyed this book particularly for its fresh approach to terrorism thriller fiction, and the rapid pace of the prose. Highly enjoyable. 

Dark State, the first Jason Trapp action thriller by Jack Slater, is a fast-paced, adrenaline-charged, technically smart, and complex, politically loaded action thriller. The plot is superlative but well-executed, mixing an NSA super cyber weapon, Middle Eastern terrorists, White Supremacists/Neo Nazis, an Israeli private sector hit squad, the Scorpion tactical unit of the NSA, the CIA, the FBI, domestic political conspiracies, deepfake technology, mass surveillance, and much more in a mind blowing thrill-ride. Though almost everything in this book is purely fictional escapist entertainment, the level of details and research behind it brings about an air of authenticity. <br /><br /> <br /><br /> Jason Trapp, a former CIA paramilitary assassin, is officially declared dead after an operation went horribly wrong and killed his best friend. Now, alone and cynical, Trapp doesn’t trust anyone and blames his former paymasters for betraying him. When a well-coordinated ring of terror attacks strikes the US at many places, the FBI and the CIA are left dumbfounded. Trapp is at the right place and at the right time to intervene and take out a few of the bad guys at one of those locations. He then gets arrested by the cops, choppered away by the CIA, and dragged deep into a nuclear bunker, which is attacked by a US Air Force jet that’s been ordered by a voice on the radio. Trapp is reunited by his former colleagues, an analyst, a spymaster, and two other Ground Branch operators who drag him deeper into a bigger conspiracy behind the attacks. <br /><br /> <br /><br /> Though he and his team suspect the involvement of a foreign nation behind the attacks, they have no real intelligence. Presumed dead, Trapp and his allies investigate the attacks from the shadows, while a female FBI agent who is like the co-protagonist of this story is also digging into the situation when most of her colleagues get arrested for treason. Her path crosses with Trapp’s and they race against time to uncover the truth behind who is controlling the cyber weapon and to prevent a coup from within the nation. A lot happens in the story and there are many characters involved, but it’s paced well and technically descriptive just enough to be smart without dragging the narrative. <br /><br /> <br /><br /> The action is brutal, weaponized, and awesome, and the author’s research shows despite some scenes being too outrageous. The villains who are a mystery for the most part are complex, smart, and diabolical and give the heroes a real challenge. Despite being technically futuristic, Dark State also has a lot of spycraft and tradecraft to satisfy hardcore fans of the genre. Jack Slater uses many of our modern day fears like the DeepFake technology, AI based cyber weapons, false flag operations, the collapse of the intelligence apparatus, and many other things to portray a chillingly haunting alternate reality that is very diabolical. Nobody is safe in this story and things keep escalating with each sequence. <br /><br /> <br /><br /> Jason Trapp aka the Hangman is a haunted and complex character with many personal demons, who is a lot like a darker version of Mitch Rapp, but equally heroic and awesome. The scar around his neck that created his callsign and his troubled childhood, his time in the military, and then in covert operations are painted just enough to give a bleak look at his enigmatic persona. Trapp is no antihero as he’s a badass heroic character who’s personally connected to the President by the end of the book. The female FBI agent character is also an interesting part of the book and I felt that she had more life in the story than Trapp. Though the book’s villains are hyper conservative fringe alt right characters, it does have the values of classically conservative heroism in it. <br /><br /> <br /><br /> Though most of the book happens in the US, it has a post apocalyptic vibe to it and feels like a superlative take on our real world political issues. Trapp is a badass tactical action hero but still remains grounded with his complexities, flaws, and humanity. Hardcore fans of the action thriller genre who like conspiracies, technological elements, politics, espionage, and awesomeness will like this series. This is the first book in the Jason Trapp series and I plan to continue reading it someday. <br /><br />For more long-form book reviews, check out - <a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="http://www.kronosananthsimha.com/book-blog/">www.kronosananthsimha.com/book-blog/</a>

There's a class of fiction called "Beach Reads," typically thrillers that read well and are packed with POWs and WHAMs that keep your attention as the children swim out into shark territory. There's absolutely nothing wrong with these books—in fact, they are a common soporific that we all enjoy. Their appeal, in part, is that they follow a formula so you know where you're going and can sit back for the ride.<br /><br />Occasionally, these beach reads are really very good, going in the direction you expect—the world is saved—but filled with tension and with a tightly written script that keeps your interest high and your adrenalin flowing. <i>Deep State</i>, John Salter's debut novel, perfectly fits this description. If you like geopolitical thrillers with a quality narrative, this one is a good choice.<br /><br />The hero, Jason "Hangman" Trapp, is a CIA special ops agent just six months out of the Company. Trapp resigned from the CIA after a mission to Yemen where he and his partner were sent into an ambush set up, he believes, by the CIA. The partner died and Jason thinks that "they" are out to kill him too. And it sure seems like it—wherever Trapp goes there's someone stalking him.<br /><br />Everyone heroic in this novel is Marine-Corps related: Jason and his deceased partner; President Charles Nash, just two weeks in office; Nadine "Dani" Carter, female FBI agent whose father was in the Corps. For those who didn't read the memo, these are the "Designated Good Guys." The evildoers are generally Middle-Eastern terrorists and those shadowy people who pull the terrorists' strings. The shadowy characters take top billing in <i>Deep ZState</i>. <br /><br />Trapp is in a bar in Baltimore. The bar is owned by his ex-partner's brother and Jason is there to tell him how and why his brother died. But before he can, the TVs blare <i>Breaking News</i>—an Amtrak passenger train in Colorado has been attacked by two terrorists, one at each end working toward the middle and killing the passengers. First responders are then killed by a third terrorist, a sniper. The three terrorists flee on motor bikes leaving hundreds of corpses behind. <br /><br />This is a major "Up Yours" for the U. S. but it's not a one-off attack: this news is quickly followed by reports of other terrorist attacks. The FBI's J. Edgar Hoover building in Washington is blown up—agent Carter killed the suicide-vest wearer but not before he pushed the button. Boston's TD North basketball arena is attacked by terrorists (I hope this doesn't kill Celtics ticket sales). A dozen high schools are attacked with great loss of life. Washington air space is closed down but a fighter pilot in the air obeys a fake order to bomb a site where Jason and top CIA/NSA officials are gathered. This multiplicity of attacks makes the 9/11 disaster look like child's play.<br /><br />It turns out that someone has seriously compromised the NSA's computers via a newly-installed technology called "Birdseye." Birdeye allows the integration of all intelligence into an AI assessment that provides scenarios describing the meaning of the data—a picture of what to expect. But the downside is that hackers who can insert false information into Birdseye can shape the picture to their advantage, and can also have access to the entire array of intelligence information. Evildoers can know everything that the FBI, CIA, NSA and ebery other three-letter agency knows—they have a universal wiretap. <br /><br />False information is inserted into Birdseye that makes the FBI and NSA appear to be managing a vast plot to undermine the U. S. government. The credibility of the information is so high that the Directors of the NSA and FBI are discredited and U. S. Marshalls arrest high-level figures in the FBI's Washington office as potential saboteurs. <br /><br />This collection of events comes to be called "Bloody Monday." The result is chaos—nobody can believe any communications from within their agency or from any other agency, and the entire U. S. government is pitted against itself in a very clever disinformation program that has the U. S. government flying blind while the enemy is fully informed about our intentions, responses and actions. <br /><br />But who is this enemy? Trapp is certain that it's not terrorists like ISIS or Al Queda: the terrorists are simply the boots on the ground used to shape a narrative familiar to the idiot Americans: do not trust your government, or Middle-Easterners. The technology required to compromise the entire U. S. government's communications is too far beyond the ability and finances of any or all private organization (except, perhaps, Elon Musk). This means that it is a state-level program, and, possibly the chaotic beginning of a coup attempt within the U. S. government.<br /><br />Jason Trapp finds himself drafted back into the CIA by its Director. When news arrives that the NSA Director is flying into Andrews AFB carrying vital information for an emergency meeting with the President, Trapp goes to Andrews to assess the Director's security. The bad guys have a plan to assassinate the Director as he exits his plane at Andrews. Trapp arrives at Andrews in time to disrupt that sniper operation, but the NSA Director is killed in a massive firefight that breaks out on a bridge near the base—a firefight between police, FBI, and NSA special ops (Scorpion) agents on one side and, on the other side, a large assassination team of Israeli mercenaries tasked to kill the Director. <br /><br />Dani Carter, the agent in the FBI's Washington office, finds herself in an unexpected position. The arrest of most higher-ups in the Washington FBI office has stripped it of leadership and the President appoints her as Special Agent in Charge (SAC). Trapp and Carter will eventually team up like Supergirl and Superman to foil the massive plot, and we will enjoy the story as it unfolds.<br /><br />John Slater has written a solid story of intrigue and mayhem. He also tips a nod to what he has written when he writes, in regard to one scene of chaos,<i> <blockquote>This was like something out of an airport thriller.</blockquote> </i>Yes, it is. But it still stirs the adrenalin if not the little gray cells.

Good good good

Thrilling story with lots of action. I really liked this book and Jason Trapp, but I had 2 problems with it that interfered with the story: <br />1. The writer is obsessed with shooting people in the head; everyone was getting shot in the head or trying to shoot someone in the head.<br />2. Jason was always thinking about the past and his abusive father. It got very tiresome. I want the action to keep flowing, but Jason stops to think about his father beating his mother or him way too often.

I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I also purchased a digital copy from Amazon because I believe in compensating people for their creative work. <br /><br />Deep State is not a bad book, especially for a first novel, but I am not in the target demographic for this type of book. I think if you enjoy Clancy, Eisler and that ilk, this may be your cup of tea.

If you like FBI/CIA thrillers where the protagonist is fighting his/her own frailties and dealing with issues of mistrust and paranoia, then this is the book for you. Jack Slater does a stupendous job of showing off his knowledge of spies without rubbing your nose in it. His character Jason Trapp is nearing the bottom of the barrel when he gets drawn into a tense situation which requires him to have some faith in people he'd lost faith in long ago. I would classify this as a true thriller and recommend anyone who likes this genre to give it a read. You will not be disappointed.