Outlaw

Battle Born, Book 2

By: Jack Stewart

Narrated by: Ray Porter

Length: 9 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

A missing CIA officer.

A rogue terrorist faction.

A bioweapon more devastating than anything ever seen…

And that’s just the beginning.

When a rogue military faction in China kidnaps a CIA case officer, global tensions ignite. Desperate to forestall the looming firestorm, the United States deploys an elite team of Navy SEALs to rescue the agent, protected by nothing but their training and a single pilot providing air cover from his FA-18E Super Hornet—normally, it wouldn’t be enough.

But these aren’t normal times…and this is no ordinary pilot.

Fresh off his latest mission, TOPGUN pilot Colt Bancroft is tasked with providing air support to the SEALs. But when Chinese jets engage him just as a bioweapon is simultaneously deployed against Colt’s aircraft carrier, he realizes this is more than a simple kidnapping: it’s a prelude to world war.

Now, aided by Emmy King—an intelligent and beautiful NCIS Agent with a score to settle—Colt will have to use everything he has to figure out who’s behind the attacks. And more importantly, how to stop them before they strike again.

It’s a race between national security and global catastrophe...and only a man used to flying supersonic has a chance in hell of winning.

©2024 Jack Stewart (P)2024 Severn River Publishing

Suspenseful

The outcome was not what I expected. I do enjoy carrier aviation plus cloak and dagger stories. Great story!

New favorite

Plenty of nonstop action in this story. Loved it. Looking forward to next in the series.

Well developed plot and character profiles

This was another really well written book. The story have lots of intertwining plot lines and great character development. Can’t wait for book 3. A very refreshing listen.

it was read by Ray porter

loved the non stop action in book two.
excited for the book three. November can't come soon enough

Thoroughly Enjoyable Read

I liked this book even more than the first one. I would recommend reading them in order to understand some of the reoccurring characters although it is not absolutely necessary. Between the jet fighter jargon, the investigation into a Chinese spy in southern California, and a bio-weapon plot, this book was fascinating to me. It was reminiscent of the early Clancy books where multiple stories weave an interesting plot in unexpected ways. There was also a plot twist that I didn’t see coming which always makes a book better for me.

I have now added Jack Stewart to my "must read" authors which includes John Sandford, Mark Greaney, and Andrews & Wilson. I've already pre-ordered his third book, Bogey Spades.

Ray Porter did a phenomenal narration. 5++++ Stars!

it is possible

with all the advances in medical & technology, it is a possibility? but then again,

Good thriller.

Really liked this book. Also not in the least because of Ray Porter’s Acting Narative. Gotta find book 3!

Ready for the next installment of this techno thriller

Jack Stewart’s works are page turners integrating the military and intelligence communities to fight near peer adversaries. This is the second book in the series, but it’s not necessary to read in order, However, the characters from the first book appear in the second book. Knowing the characters roles in the first book allow for the author’s foreshadowing of the plot development in second book. I’m ready for the third book because there is a cliffhanger at the end of book two. Ray Parker does a great job of reading this series.

Ray Porter really delivers

4.5 stars 🌟

This is the second book in this new series and boy oh boy does it deliver. There are some books that can be either read or listened to without much difference. Then, there are the books that one version is better than the other. In this case, if possible, I would suggest listening to the audio. Why? Well, first of all....Ray Porter....duh. But seriously, the way the dialogue is written for a lot of this book, it is in the format of fighter pilots talking to each other and talking to other people (I don't know specifics...ground crew? Air traffic control?) What I'm trying to explain is that when this is happening, Mr. Porter is so realistic in his portrayal that you can just picture yourself flying in the cockpit, dealing with all of these tremendously crazy happenings....it's truly wonderful.

This second book showcases Mr. Stewart's growth as an author as we have a fairly complex plot with several plot points occurring simultaneously. We are still following pilot Colt Bancroft and NCIS officer Punky (Emmie King), but they are only a couple of the main characters in this book. Outlaw builds on the first book as Ms. King is still trying to follow up on the espionage situation with the Chinese. Colt somehow finds himself in the middle of things again and this time he and his plane have a front row seat to the action. The Chinese are playing a long game and seem to have plan upon plan in their goal for dominance. In this story, we have the CIA, the Navy, and even some Tier One operators involved in the many different aspects of the plot.

This book kept me on the edge of my seat, holding my breath as things built to the climax of the story. I mentioned before that Mr. Stweart's experience as a pilot definitely shines through, and in this book, it is done a little less heavy handedly than in book 1. Somehow, it seemed to make it easier for me to find myself in the middle of the story - versus having so much technical jargon that it kept me from being fully immersed.

I am definitely looking forward to what is coming next from this author.

Story line and detail to attention.

First of all you can never go wrong when the narrator is Ray Porter, he is the best in the business. This is the second book in the series and it did not disappoint. The story and characters are well thought out and detailed to perfection. There are several points during the book that make it hard to stop listening because of its intensity. Overall one of the best books I’ve listened to this year.