Without sanction

Hoping to catch a glimpse of his estranged wife at the airport, Matt Drake becomes blindsided. PTSD takes hold of him and his focus flashes back to what caused the death of a family and why he holds himself responsible. When suddenly, he’s surrounded by FBI agents that rough him up and make sure he’s secured in order to bring him back to the Defense Intelligence Agency with a specific goal. With survivor’s guilt and haunted by memo, Matt is once again forced back to Syria. Einstein is his target as he’s called and he’s a Pakistani scientist working for an ISIS splinter cell and created a weapon of mass desert. Chemical warfare and a chemical weapon are at the heart of why Matt Drake after getting back to his agency, sees his disabled friend Frodo and realizes his mission is to bring this scientist out of Syria which is the stipulation the scientist made.

We enter the White House and get to know the President and more about his Chief of Staff Peter Redmond and his adversary CIA Director Beverly Castle who ordered an operation that cost lives and possibly what the administration’s plan was for operations in Syria.

The challenge is hurled as a serious confrontation arises between Peter and Beverly as the President realizes her true intentions involving Ho’s re-election and a curve ball is thrown in her face. The tables are turned, and the blame placed on Drake as he is now back in the hands I of his former boss. Get Einstein out the man responsible for the chemical weapon.

Conflicts arise and Redman plays a dangerous card as one piece of paper changes the battlefield and Castle might be the lead in the operation to take down the Assad regime but appointing Charles Fisher to plan the ops let’s her know she has no choice. As Drake is about to alight from a plane and the two plots might intersect as one.

Drake lands in Syria with another operative and from this point on things take a turn you won’t see coming as he goes to the proper office, gets the runaround and then comes face to face with the chief of base and the man who took away Frodo’s mobility and more. Over reacting but yet knowing his target he’s forced to release him but this is where the playing field changes as he has an asses too that needs to help him get Shaw whose been kidnapped and whose gruesome death is imminent if this killer named Einstein whose chemical weapon killed quite a few will come face to face with Drake hoping he can help with the location of Shaw but what about his demands?

Redman then battles it out with The Chief of base in Syria and words are threatened and motives are revealed as the President about to launch a rescue attempt for Shaw waiting for actionable intelligence which Peter says better not happen. Sabotage is the name of his game and threats are burned on both sides and at the center, Matt Drake who wanted to take down the man who went after him and injured Frodo but he’s about to find obstacles that hers never expect.

The CIA arrived and the haji and his men were the first visitors of the men incarcerated and the Chief was planning a raid to rescue the captured paramilitary officer. Drake was befriending the guards to gather information about the man who destroyed Frodo’s life and took aim at him.

As Drake is escorted out and must find his friend Zain just how far will he go to get the man that was the jihadist that ambushed Frodo and Matt explaining why Frodo was missing an arm. Assad the other target mounted a new offensive supported by the Russians. They appear to be trying to capture several key road intersections. Then the real mission goes off as Drake and a team go after Einstein and a helicopter landing that took Drake crawling to safety with a broken ankle and seeing hallucinations. Rockets, warheads and pain radiating up his leg, but will he meet his asset?

Facing off with his asset he learns the harsh reality about what Assad planned, what he created, what it would do and the reason why Assad wanted the chemical weapon he created but what would Drake do with what he learned if he lived long enough to go home. Author Don Bentley allows readers to understand when things are done without sanctions. Existing sanctions made obtaining the necessary precursors to get his weapon done almost impossible.

Going back to the President and a final showdown of those present as the decision was made and a man’s life is at stake, but Redman makes a phone call that will change it all. Caught up in his own agenda and wanting to undercut Castle’s decision that stabbed him right in the back the lines are drawn and an unexpected ally is asked to come to his aid what will the final outcome be before more weapons are drawn?

An ending that will shock readers as the President has to make a decision and one man threatens to take them all down if Drake and Shaw are nit saved but opposition is voiced, allegiances exposed and two lives hang in the Baltic a beacon is not ignited and if the cry it plead for their rescue is ignored. The ending might be a new beginning for one and an ending for another as the author draws the conflict to a violent close. Deception, betrayal, blindsided and tricked into believing that one man would lead him to find the kidnapped man . What’s next for Drake ? Is this over yet? What happens when you bend the laws and rules to get your ultimate weapon or goals Without Sanction. Characters that are sharp, vividly different and one man named Matt Drake that would give his life to complete his mission and would like the definition of loyalty and deceit. Lies were told and coverups were manipulated as the man closest to the President had it all mapped out but will Drake take his map in a different direction and what is next for him, Jorge Gonzales?

Fran Lewis just reviews