Happy Christmas War Is Begun

There's no Jack Ryan. No Jason Bourne. There's no Jack Reacher, Mitch Rapp, or Alex Fletcher. No heroic wrecking ball super-agent or humble dad with a mysterious special forces background.

Just flawed and mortal people and low-level soldiers caught up in the sweep of history.

The global order is changing.

Friendship Games is a modern take on the USS Maine incident that kicked off the Spanish-American War in 1898; this time it is a US aircraft carrier that sinks in the Persian Gulf amid tensions with Iran.

There's Daddy Longlegs, the American VP who sets out to rid the world of that pariah state once and for all.

There's Hashemi Ghavam, the brilliant Iranian admiral riven by insomnia and paranoia who desperately just wants to sleep.

There's the US President, overwhelmed by the magnitude and speed of events.

There're missiles falling out of the sky across the Middle East and beyond, and Iranian troops at the gates in Damman, Manama, and Doha.

There's Seaman Apprentice Thew Bryson, an 18-year old fresh out of bootcamp sailor just trying to survive moment to moment. He is dragged along by Navy SEALs for his own protection as they fight their way out of Bahrain and escape from an advancing Iranian army.

Friendship Games earned a coveted Kirkus starred review and consideration for the Kirkus Prize for literary excellence. It was selected by the editors of Kirkus Reviews as one of their Best Books of the Year. It earned a Bronze Medal Award from the Military Writers Society of America, and was named a Global Thriller of the Year by Chanticleer Reviews.   

If you like geopolitical thrillers and/or political thrillers that take a big picture perspective – or you know someone who does – this is the book for you.

It'll make for a great Christmas gift.

Happy Christmas! War is begun.