GOOD DEEDS GONE BAD

Wilson continues the adventures of former Delta Force soldier-turned-mercenary Jackson “Jax” Wade and his giant Kuchi dog partner in this sequel to Dogs Bark and People Die(2020).

Fresh off a successful mission in Afghanistan with former Delta Force brother in arms Jesse Morris (they neutralized marauders attempting to disrupt a natural gas pipeline running through Afghanistan to India), Jackson Wade is contacted by his former employer, Damocles Security Services, at his home in Thailand with an urgent request. As American troops begin their withdrawal from Afghanistan, and as the Taliban rushes in to take over the country, the U.S. president’s niece, a human rights activist, is trapped in Taliban territory with two of her would-be rescuers, both female CIA operatives. With a potential political disaster looming, Wade (along with canine partner Dog) and Morris are tasked with the virtually impossible mission to extract the “package” and the two CIA agents from enemy territory that’s swarming with Taliban and Taliban sympathizers. As the body count rises, the mercenaries travel through a wasteland of inhuman horror and brutality. And as they inch closer to their destination, Morris asks a profound question that is very much a theme of the work: “Is Dog becoming more like us, or are we becoming more like Dog?”

There are numerous narrative elements that make this novel—and this series—simply unputdownable. The character development is exceptional; while the vast majority of military thrillers feature emotionally stunted, two-dimensional stereotypes, Wilson digs deep into not only Wade’s psyche, but also those of supporting female characters, including former U.S. Army captain Gretchen Sachs, the executive assistant to the head of Damocles; Carol Rossa, deputy CIA station chief in Kabul; and Sharon Beck, an analyst on the counterinsurgency desk in the CIA section of the American embassy in Kabul. The multilayered characterizations are complemented by adrenaline-fueled pacing and nonstop action that will keep readers breathlessly turning pages. Short chapters and frequent shifts of POV also help to maintain the fast and furious narrative momentum. Military fiction afficionados will appreciate the attention to detail when it comes to weaponry and tactical equipment: “Oakley Tombstone shooting glasses with gray-brown lenses covered their eyes, and each wore tan tactical shooting gloves. HK 416C carbines were near at hand, with 10.4-inch barrels, vertical foregrips, retractable stocks, Aimpoint CompM4 reflex sights, and inserted twenty rounds of .300 AAC Blackout cartridges.” Wilson’s frequent references to pop culture add an additional layer of interest and subtle humor—name-checks of Jean-Claude Van Damme, the Game of Thrones series, Mad Max, and Stephen King’s Cujo will have readers smiling to themselves. But the principal element that makes this series such a wildly unique military-thriller saga is the psychic connection between Wade and Dog. Their ability to “mind-talk” is fascinating in and of itself, but the way Wilson subtly ties it to arcane Afghani folklore—“some Kuchi dogs are magical”—makes the connection even more intriguing. One minor caveat: The story’s romance elements around Wade and Morris and their respective love interests come across as forced, inauthentic, and, frankly, unnecessary.

A thrilling amalgam of Clancy’s Jack Ryan and London’s White Fang set in the chaos of South Asia.