Rogue Strike

A Jake Keller Thriller, Book 2

By: David Ricciardi

Narrated by: Jonathan Davis

Length: 12 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

Jake Keller finds himself in a familiar position - on the run for his life and desperate to find the shadowy figures behind a global conspiracy.

CIA agent Jake Keller and his partner, Curt Roach, are in Yemen on an important mission. They've been tipped off to a secret meeting of top al Qaeda leaders. The plan is to interrupt the meeting with a few unexpected visitors - a pair of Hellfire missiles from an orbiting drone. But the drone stops responding to their signals and soon disappears over the horizon. When next seen, the drone is attacking innocent pilgrims in Mecca.

Jake and Curt are staggered. The US government is desperate to disavow this atrocity. Who better to blame than a couple of rogue CIA agents? With all the governments of the Middle East looking for them and no help from their own side, they are in a desperate race to stay ahead of the mob and find out who's actually behind the crime.

©2019 David Ricciardi (P)2019 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Rogue Strike doesn’t let up for a moment. There’s no time to sit back and catch your breath, because each chapter explodes with action.” (New York Journal of Books)

“Zac Miller, the hero of Ricciardi's Warning Light (2018), has changed his name to Jake Keller, but he's still a badass.... Fun fare by a talented storyteller.” (Kirkus Reviews)

“Thriller fans who have not yet discovered David Ricciardi are in for a wonderful new treat. This extraordinarily imaginative, very talented thriller writer is well on his way to becoming a giant in the field.” (Washington Times)

Phenomenal follow up

I love book 1 in the Jake Keller series, and book 2 was even better. I think that David Ricciardi is cementing himself as one of the newest and best authors in the thriller genre. This book was fast-paced, had great action scenes, and had a plot line that was all too believable. Let me put it this way, it dealt with Iran. He couldn't have predicted it better. I was floored by how good this book was, and I will indulge in it over and over again.

Jonathan Davis is one of the best in the business. I am used to his first-person narrations, but this was incredible. I can't recommend this book/series enough. Keep it up, David. Please don't quit this series. It's amazing!

Wow👏

Ricciardi put together one hell of a story. It's like a fireworks show produced by Disney and performed in concert with a world class orchestra. Starts out with a bang, keeps you guessing and so engaged in what's going on that you won't even have time to prepare for the grand finale when it comes... and it will come. In my opinion this is where the series truly begins. The first book (Warning Lights) seems more like a prequel now that I've finished this one. It's been a while since I've found a new writer/narrator combination this exciting! If you are taking the time to read this review just stop now and buy the book! P.s I've been an audible listener for about 15 years and have only written 4 or 5 reviews. I don't want to over sell this book but; even if I did, it would be hard to do.

lots of yelling

Dtory was ok, and the performance would be fine if he didn't think that he had to yell at you and then whisper all within the same 30 seconds so you're forever fiddling with your volume. not something you can listen to to help fall asleep because you'll be yelled at every couple of minutes. Also getting yelled at while you're trying to drive isn't very helpful either. If you're not listening to books to help fall asleep or during a commute why don't you just read. As to the story, a fairly good yarn, but it's way too far-fetched to accept that one guy is able to sort out a global mess as far reaching as the one here.

Lots of Fun

Jonathan Davis is awesome, and the story is great also. Good action and with a creative plot. Ricciardi is now going on my list of must read thriller authors.

Reminds me of Tom Clancy at his best

Good writing, character development and international intrigue. Maybe not the scope of a Tom Clancy Jack Ryan Universe book but a great start.

Great series

As indicated the story is great; hope the author continues the series. Love Keller character

Volume varies too much.

Listening with headphones, the voices of some characters would be very soft and then another character would blast your ears. Everything else was great.

Fantastic!

I loved it! The book reminded me of Tom Clancy and Mark Greaney, lots of different moving parts all over the globe, intricate plots and twists that all come together in a big bang!
I loved every minute of it and was very sorry when it was finished.
I went looking for more of David Ricciardi's books, only to realise this was his 2nd book!
This new author has got a fantastic career ahead of him!

Very, very creative plot!

Author David Ricciardi's first novel was Warning Light was an outstanding espionage thriller. It also began the Jake Keller series. ROGUE STRIKE, the second novel in the Jake Keller series is even better. If you like the work of Jack Carr, Brad Thor, Mark Greaney, Ben Coes, Vince Flynn, etc., you will enjoy this series. Jonathan Davis narrates superbly.

Realistic? Hmmmm. Exciting and engaging? YES!

Rogue Strike is that must-have second book you buy even before finishing the first book. The author has some good characters and great plot twists. Lots of Jake leaving rescue or safety to head back into the fray to do the right thing. Very satisfying.

Okay, I will suspend all belief for this kind of characterization and action! The more we learn of actual government and military behavior, the more believable this all gets. Sad but very possible.

The author needs a researcher (many authors have them) to get cultural details correct. The Chinese general and his wife call each other Honey and Darling. Not gonna happen, just ask any Chinese person over 40. His use of General Wu Ding's name is inconsistent, confusing, and probably incorrect. Most of the way through the general is called Wu Ding by all his government cronies until about chapter 92 where he is suddenly, and only once, called Wu Ding Yang. I'm assuming that Ricciardi thinks Yang is the family name, in which case only the closest of friends and family would call him Wu Ding. But if the author is being true to Chinese ways, Wu is the surname, and Ding Yang is the given name and calling him Wu Ding is just impossible. Anyway totally confusing if you know how it is supposed to work. Then Wu Ding shows up somewhere in a long Chinese coat called a cheongsam. No. Women wear the cheongsam (that slinky dress slit up to there), men wear a chang ao.

These errors will slip painlessly past everyone not in the know, but slap those in. It's not easy to get it all right, that's why the researcher.

Jonathan Davis is a highly respected narrator with a great voice. His accents are quite good. He lost a star for me for unnatural sentence emphasis, and some mispronounced or inconsistently-pronounced words like Makarov.

I'm a detail listener so I pick, pick, pick. I don't go in looking to pick, things just stand out for me. If they jump in my face, I comment. I loved the story and the characters Ricciardi has created, and I anxiously await the next one!