Reviews for Black flag

Book list
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Piracy ain’t what it used to be. Gone are the days of motorboats and automatic weapons. Today’s pirates are skilled operatives, as well trained and well armed as any special-ops team. When CIA officer Jake Keller is tasked with penetrating a Somalian piracy operation, it will take all of his skills, plus a rather large quantity of good luck, to complete his mission. This is the third Keller thriller (after Warning Light, 2018, and Rogue Strike, 2019). The writing is a little rough in places—one last polish might have been in order—but there’s no denying the story is timely and genuinely dramatic. Jake, too, is a good series lead, a tough guy who’s used to working alone and who’s possessed of a sharp mind that keeps him one step ahead of mortal danger. Fans of the first two Keller novels will certainly want to read this one, and action-adventure readers who haven’t yet met Jake should seize this opportunity.


Publishers Weekly
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Ricciardi’s exciting third Jake Keller thriller (after 2019’s Rogue Strike) finds the CIA officer and his agency partner, John Pickens, in Mogadishu, Somalia, seeking to identify the mastermind behind the bandits who have been using high-speed skiffs to attack oil tankers. After killing the crews, the bandits seize the oil and sell it on the black market. The two most promising suspects are Badeed, chief elder of the Hawiye clan, and Yaxaas, the warlord of the Darwood clan. Yaxaas keeps a pet alligator named Little Yaxaas, and it’s no surprise what Little Yaxaas’s job is in the organization. Keller has a plan to lure the mastermind out of hiding, but the mission is complicated by a secret agenda originating from CIA headquarters. The appealing leads have complimentary strengths. Pickens is old school, interested in human intelligence, while Keller comes from an analysis background and is adept with technology. The complicated plot and furious action build to a final, head-snapping twist. Riccardi has hit his stride with this outing. Agent: Rick Richter, Aevitas Creative Management. (May)

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