Tier One by Brian Andrews

Tier One by Brian Andrews
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In a world violated by terror, the old lines have blurred. Meet the next generation of covert ops.

John Dempsey’s life—as an elite Tier One Navy SEAL named Jack Kemper—is over. A devastating terrorist action catapults him from a world of moral certainty and decisive orders into the shadowy realm of espionage, where ambiguity is the only rule. His new mission: hunt down those responsible for the greatest tragedy in the history of the US Special Ops and bring them to justice.

But how does a man torn between duty and revenge walk the line and preserve his soul?

As Dempsey struggles with the games of spies, the case propels him across the globe in a desperate effort to prevent a new, horrifying attack on American soil.

Once, John Dempsey followed orders blindly. Now he sees behind the curtain, and the security of the civilized world rests on one question: Can a Tier One Navy SEAL adapt and become the world’s most lethal spy?

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Military thrillers aren't usually my kind of thriller. But, I was curious about this book and I'm glad that I agreed to read Tier One. My biggest concern was that it would be too much military lingo and that I would have a hard time keeping up with the plot. Sure there were a lot of acronyms, but it never made the story hard to get.

The best thing was that the story felt very much up-to-date, with all the terrorist acts in recent years. It didn't take me a long time to get into the story. I loved how well-developed the characters are in the book. John Dempsey was easy to like and I could really feel his rage and sorrow when the world he knew was destroyed. It was interesting to follow his journey from soldier to spy. Not easy when you have spent most of your life as SEAL.

The storyline was really good. Sure, there were perhaps not many great twists. But, it was enjoyable and engrossing to read and I came to like the characters very much. Especially Jarvis and Smith that Dempsey came to work with after his world imploded.

So, despite my concern that it would be hard to get into the book, or it would be too much "war" did I come to enjoy Tier One very much and I'm looking forward to one day reading the next book in the series.

I want to thank Thomas & Mercer & Little Bird for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley!