Review: Raptor 6 by Ronie Kendig

My rating: 2 stars / It was okay

About the Book

His mission.
His team.

Captain Dean Watters keeps his mission and his team in the forefront of his laser-like focus. So when hackers threaten both his mission and his team, Dean's Special Forces training kicks into high gear. Ten military super-secure computers are missing—which if opened, would give America's enemies a blueprint of U.S. military intelligence. Failing to stop the hackers isn’t an option.

Zahrah Zarrick is a missionary teacher to Afghan children in Mazar-e Sharif. She's also a target. Her expertise in quantum cryptology makes her an unwitting pawn in the hackers' deadly game. They're coming for her, and Dean and his team must stop them.

Before the team can get to Zahrah, she disappears. Now Dean must race to rescue her and stop the hackers from unleashing terror on millions across the globe. But to do so, Dean will be forced to crack open the steel box around his heart—a move that might come at the highest cost.

My Review

I knew that when I was in the mood for a suspenseful book that Ronie Kendig would not disappoint. In a very dangerous part of Afghanistan, Dean is running military missions while Zahrah is doing mission work of another kind- education. Some of the military speak was over my head, but I was able to understand enough to get the gist of the politics that were going on behind the scenes. Zahrah has strong faith that she is doing God's will, even when horrible things happen. Dean is more skeptical, but is profoundly impacted by Zahrah. The book begins with Dean being released from captivity, and then the story backpedals to previous months, so it's not a spoiler to share that their experiences there were more grim than I anticipated, and I would have appreciated a trigger warning for rape. I think this book was published before trigger warnings became popular in reviews and even book descriptions from the author or publisher. Although the scene and Dean's memories of a different rape were not explicit, they were descriptive enough to turn my stomach and make me regret reading the book. I totally get that it is a reality of war and not inappropriate for the author to include in the story for authenticity, but I avoid books that I anticipate will include the content for my own mental wellness.

Disclosure statement: A complimentary copy of this book was provided from a tour group, publisher, publicist, or author, including NetGalley, OR was borrowed from the library, including OverDrive, OR borrowed from Kindle Unlimited, OR purchased. A review was not required and all views and opinions expressed are unbiased and my own.

The Quiet Professionals series