brad taylor debuted his pike logan thriller series in 2011, but in just six years he has produced an impressive collection of twelve novellas and seven novellas. Having proven himself over the years with fans of military thrillers and on the best-seller lists, he took a different approach in writing his latest novel operator.
operator down is the first book by mr. Taylor where he started with a blank slate and a plan instead of relying on a news story to generate an idea. the book has been a starting point for him, from furiously writing two books a year to having some time to reflect. The result is something different: It’s a story that would never make it into the US news cycle. uu., but it’s still real.
You are reading: Pike logan books in order
Introducing an African element to this new story, the author went on a fact-finding trip to Lesotho, where he was detained by a counterintelligence unit for “spying” on Lesotho special forces and was interrogated for six and a half hours. In the end, everything he learned during those experiences was captured in the book.
The result is a refreshing plot, compared to previous novels, that sets Pike Logan on a collision course with a ruthless military coup in Africa – a story that is, if nothing else, entertaining.
The release of Operator Down is an excuse for Mystery Tribune to take a look back at Brad Taylor’s rich career and some of the most popular espionage thrillers on the market.
brad taylor: a brief biography
brad taylor was born in okinawa, japan, but grew up on 40 acres in rural texas. A graduate of the University of Texas, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States. army infantry. he served for more than 21 years and retired as a special forces lieutenant colonel. During that time he held numerous infantry and special forces positions, including eight years at the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta, where he commanded several troops and a squad.
his final assignment was as an assistant professor of military science at the citadel in charleston, sc. he has a master of science in defense analysis from the naval graduate school, specializing in irregular warfare. In 2011, Brad published his first novel, One Rough Man, which was an immediate success and launched the Pike Logan series. Now, with over 11 installments and 1.6 million copies sold, the series has consistently made the New York Times bestseller list. He lives in Charleston, SC with his wife and his two daughters.
brad taylor in his own words (interviews):
perhaps the most relevant interview brad taylor has done with the media, in regards to his writing, is his conversation with alberto rios (pbs of arizona). In his short TV exchange, the author talks about his writing process, character development, writer’s block, and finishing a book.
in the development of the story, for example, mr. Taylor does not develop a scheme. in fact, he claims that he doesn’t know how to properly prepare one. instead, he starts with a thread that he knows how it will unfold. he uses this as a compass and will change the details or even the ending based on research or ad-hoc thoughts during the writing phase (if necessary).
Unlike what many writers experience, he doesn’t have writer’s block and is always taking notes in his personal journal. he moves his notes to his manuscript file once he feels he has enough detail to write a chapter of the piece.
keeping the characters and their personal attributes consistent throughout his series is something the author has found challenging, especially as the number of figures has skyrocketed over the years.
lastly, mr. Taylor typically completes a book through the typical collaborative process of working with book publishers to polish the first draft.
you can watch the rest of brad taylor’s conversation as part 2, part 3 and part 4 of a video series.
books by brad taylor (in order):
A key element of the Pike Logan novels is the Task Force: a top-secret team that exists outside of US borders. uu. law and is tasked with finding and destroying asymmetric threats. pike logan is a member and leader within this team.
A Tough Man (#1): As mentioned above, the Pike Logan series began with A Tough Man in 2011. In this novel, Pike Logan is the most successful operator in the task force. however, a personal tragedy permanently alters his view of his world.
All Force Necessary (#2): A shadowy trail leads the task force to Egypt, where an attack leaves one member dead and another barely alive. Pike Logan and his young partner, Jennifer Cahill, are forced to lead an increasingly complicated and dangerous mission – a mission that tests both Jennifer’s ability to justify her actions and Pike’s tenuous ability to maintain control.
Breaking his way through the opposing plots of two terrorist organizations will prove to be the least of his problems when a weapon of unthinkable power touches American soil, the only country in which members of the task force are prohibited from operating, and the only country pike logan can’t save.
my enemy (#3): the united states has negotiated a tentative peace between israel and palestine. but the task force learns of an assassination attempt on the American envoy sent to solidify the treaty. the task force must dedicate all resources to save his life and prevent another bloody outbreak of violence.
Pike Logan and his partner, Jennifer Cahill, must hunt the killer across the Middle East, following a trail that becomes more dangerous with every turn. and must contend with terrorist organizations, freelance assassins, and unstable allies to uncover the greatest threat of all: an American citizen harboring a secret that could destroy everything, including the task force.
The Widow’s Strike (#4): Invented by nature and genetically manipulated by man, a highly lethal virus has just fallen into the wrong hands. Angry at the sanctions imposed against his nuclear program, a rogue state is determined to release the virus. the only thing standing in their way is the extralegal counter-terrorism unit known as the task force.
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But as they trace the virus through Southeast Asia to the United States, the task force soon discovers that the enemy they face may not be the enemy they should fear.
The Polaris Protocol (#5): As an investigative reporter working for the Mexican drug cartels, Jack Cahill has unwittingly been caught between two rival groups. his desperate call to his sister is the last before he is kidnapped.
In their efforts to rescue Jack, Pike and Jennifer uncover a plot far more insidious than illegal drug dealing: The cartel that put a target on Jack’s back has uncovered a GPS hack with the power to effectively weaken Jack. the united states.
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With the GPS hack about to be exploited and Jack’s life on the line, Jennifer and Pike must find a way to eliminate the looming threat. the price of failure, both for the task force and for the country, is higher than ever.
days of rage (#6): intending to entangle us. uu. In a quagmire that will undermine its economy and drain its legitimacy, Russia passes a potential weapon of mass destruction to Boko Haram, an extremist Islamic sect in Nigeria. The Russian FSB believes that the weapon, a Cold War relic, has deteriorated and is no longer effective, but they are wrong. Boko Haram has the means for mass destruction, to be unleashed on a crowd of unsuspecting innocents in one of the world’s greatest arenas.
Trying to figure out who might be stalking them, Pike Logan and the task force have no idea what’s been set in motion. But there is another cold war secret buried in the Russian FSB, and exposing it will mean the difference between life and death for millions.
No Lucky Son (#7): When Pike Logan and Jennifer Cahill receive a letter from the umbrella company for their real employer, the task force, they await orders for their next assignment. instead, they learn that their latest actions have gotten them fired, despite saving thousands of innocent lives.
Pike’s shock and fury are redirected when his commander, Colonel Kurt Hale, asks him and Jennifer for help with a personal matter: his niece Kylie, an exchange student in England, has gone missing. neither pike nor jennifer understand how critical her disappearance will be.
Meanwhile, all workgroup teams have been redirected to a developing situation. A terrorist organization has targeted military relatives of key members of the US government, including the vice president’s son. now they face a terrible choice: cease counter-terrorist operations or watch the hostages die one by one.
How much is a single life worth? Unless the task force can unravel the web of lies concocted by their enemies, America is about to find out.
The Insider Threat (#8): The United States has anticipated and prevented countless attacks by terrorist groups, thanks in large part to the Task Force. But now, a much more insidious evil is about to destroy the false sense of security that surrounds civilized nations.
As world powers engage Isis on the battlefield, the group unleashes a different threat, one that cannot be defeated by air strike. Outside the radar of any Western intelligence organization, capable of penetrating America or any European state, they intend to commit an unimaginable barbaric act.
Only Pike Logan and the task force stand in the way of an unanticipated attack, a grand deception that will cause unthinkable chaos and reverberate across the Western world.
The Forgotten Soldier (#9): For years, the task force has worked in the shadows, anticipating and preventing attacks around the world. Created to deal with a terrorist threat that shuns the civilized rule of law, it abandoned it, operating outside the US constitution. Though highly successful, he was rooted in the fear that the cure might be worse than the disease.
and now that fear has come home. A special forces soldier is killed in an operation in Afghanistan, and the accomplice in the attack is a government official from an allied nation. while the US administration wants to forget the victim, a member of the task force will not. When he sets out to avenge his brother’s death, his actions threaten not only to expose the task force’s activities, but also to destroy a network of alliances against a greater evil.
pike logan understands desire, but also danger. Brought in to eliminate risk, he is now forced to choose between his friend and the administration he is sworn to protect, while, unbeknownst to either of them, the soldier’s death is just the beginning.
Ghosts of War (#10): The task force has stopped countless terrorist threats around the world, operating outside American law to prevent the deaths of innocents. but now, along the fault lines of the old iron curtain, the danger is far greater than a single attack. With Russia expanding its influence from Syria to the Baltic states, the task force withdraws due to the actions of a rogue operator.
Meanwhile, Pike Logan and Jennifer Cahill travel to Poland, hired to check out artifacts hidden for decades on a legendary Nazi gold train, only to find themselves caught in the middle of rising tensions between East and West. A Russian incursion into Belarus under the guise of self-defense is outpaced by a horrific attack on the United States, prompting NATO to mobilize even as it tries to determine who is behind the attack.
On the brink of war, Pike and Jennifer discover there is a separate agenda at play, one determined to force a confrontation between NATO and Russia. With time running out and America exacting revenge, Pike and Jennifer race to unravel the mystery before the point of no return is reached. Unbeknownst to them, another attack is on the way. one that will guarantee world war three.
Ring of Fire (#11): Fifteen years ago, to win a contract in the kingdom, a desperate defense contractor used a shell company to bribe a wealthy Saudi businessman. Now, a power player in the defense industry, he panics when the Panama Papers burst onto the public scene. by providing information on illicit acts of offshore financing, they could prove their downfall.
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To avoid exposure of his illegal activities, he sets in motion a plan to intercept the next leak, but he’s not the only one worried about the secrets being revealed. data theft has left the workgroup potentially vulnerable, leaving a trail that could compromise the drive. Back in the good graces of the new president, Pike Logan and Jennifer Cahill are also ordered to intercept the next leak, for damage control.
Unbeknownst to either group, the Saudis have been using the shell company to finance terrorists around the world, and have planned a spectacular attack to coincide with the fifteenth anniversary of 9/11. The information pike and jennifer uncover will put them on the trail of the impending threat, but they may not be able to stop it.
Called the Ring of Fire, it will wreak unimaginable destruction on the United States, and the ensuing chaos and terror will distract the task force from a truth no one sees: The Ring of Fire was only the beginning, and the danger is far away. to finish .
operator down (#12): It was going to be an easy mission. nothing more than assessing whether a trader on the fabled israeli diamond exchange was involved in a scheme that could potentially embarrass the state of israel. But nothing is simple in the world of intelligence, as Aaron Bergman, the former leader of an elite direct action team under the Mossad, should have known. running the operation as a contractor, a cut that gave the state of israel plausible deniability, disappears without a trace.
Pike Logan and his team don’t know about this, but they’re tracking down an American arms dealer in Tel Aviv who may or may not be trying to sell sensitive nuclear weapons components to the highest bidder. When Pike’s team interrupts an attempt to kill Shoshana, Aaron’s partner finds much more than they bargained for: a concerted plot to overthrow a democratic African country.
Starting to unravel a web that stretches across the American and Israeli intelligence community, Pike is forced to choose between his Israeli friends and his task force’s mission, even as the coup execution begins to take shape. . At the center is Aaron, and his disappearance is the only mistake the conspirators made. Because Shoshana is the greatest killing machine the Mossad has ever produced, and she will stop at nothing to help Aaron, even if it means killing Pike Logan.
brad taylor novels/short stories (in order):
the callsign (#1): commissioned at the highest level of the us. uu. government, a new counterterrorism unit known as a task force has just been formed, but it has not been fully tested. until now. Pike Logan has been assigned a team of operators drawn from the CIA’s National Underground Service and the Army’s Special Operations Forces with no say in the selection of the men he is to report to.
while executing a full mission profile exercise in the us. ground, a target of opportunity appears before the task force is considered mission-ready. Forced to execution, Pike and her team are sent to Yemen to track down their first real target. The task force’s future depends on its success, but when Pike is challenged by one of his own, his clear mission teeters on the brink of disaster. the price of failure will reverberate much more than the loss of the objective, directly in the presidency itself.
Instinct (#2): Fresh off a brutal mission with the task force, Pike Logan and Jennifer Cahill are still dealing with their side effects. With his injuries on the mend, Pike is forced to let Jennifer take the lead when another crew asks for her help. But when her stint spying on two women suspected of being involved in a terrorist plot takes her in another direction, the team leader doesn’t take her seriously.
Beating heads with spades costs them credibility, but Jennifer doesn’t let it go. Determined to uncover the true target, Pike must trust Jennifer’s instincts more than ever. being wrong means risking your reputation and your future with the task force, but being right means avoiding a threat no one else can see. a threat that may be bigger than they can handle.
Black Flag (#3): On leave after a particularly critical and dangerous mission with the task force, Operators Knuckles and Brett joined Pike Logan and Jennifer Cahill in Charleston, South Carolina. Their goal is to learn more about Grolier Recovery Services, the archaeological research agency that the task force uses as a sophisticated cover for their work.
But when Knuckles takes a job finding the lost treasure of notorious pirate Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard, the entire team is put to the test, because their new employers have a very different agenda, one that leaves the members of the task force at the mercy of real pirates determined to seize a shipment of precious contraband at all costs.
The Dig (#4): After finding the ruins of a Mayan temple and saving the world from a terrorist attack, Pike Logan has been given the chance to rejoin the Task Force, a top-secret counter-terrorist organization. It operates outside the bounds of US law. But before he goes back to being an operator, he’s determined to include Jennifer Cahill in the task force as well, though no one else seems willing to give a civilian woman a chance.
Jennifer herself would prefer to focus on building her new company, Grolier Recovery Services, an archaeological research agency that Pike hopes will also serve as a sophisticated cover for future task force missions. When Grolier gets his first job offer to visit a site in Roswell, New Mexico, Jennifer convinces Pike to go. But once they arrive, it becomes clear that much more is at stake than a simple search for Indian artifacts, and uncovering the carefully kept secrets in the desert could not only cost them their future with the task force, but their very lives. /p>
The Recruit (#5): When task force operator Knuckles brings his old friend Decoy, a former Navy Seal teammate, to Lima, Peru, he wonders if he was wrong. Knuckles’ sole objective is to assess decoy covert surveillance skills in an orientation deployment, the final step before any recruit is accepted into the extralegal counter-terrorist organization known as a task force.
Just as Decoy’s wild side threatens to expose their cover as technicians working for the embassy, and derail their chances of becoming a full member of the task force, the two discover an unexpected piece of intelligence involving the terrorist group, the luminous path, which makes its mission go from evaluative to operational. With no backing and a flimsy cover story, Knuckles and Decoy find themselves in shady territory, relying on the help of an untested asset to prevent a devastating attack on countless innocents.
the target (#6): 1998. a year after a disastrous mission in amman, jordan, israeli agent aaron bergman and his team samson feel more outcast than ever. Fearful that his team is about to be disbanded, Aaron finds himself caught up in another curveball: a discarded operative named Shoshana, whom no one in Mossad trusts, and whom everyone feels he is a traitor. When the new Mossad commander summons them immediately after being sworn in, Aaron’s fears are confirmed. the team breaks free from the mossad but not from serving their new leader.
Without authorization from the Israeli government, his mission is to assassinate a Nazi murderer from Auschwitz: a man who stood guard at the wall of death and has since escaped to Argentina, and who has a lucrative business with his children. When Aaron and Shoshana accept the mission, it puts them on a collision course with an active operation involving a reborn Nazi network intertwined with Iran, forcing the pair to trust each other while the evil they were tasked with destroying. sets his sights on one last attack. against israel no one sees it coming.
The Insider (#7): Task Force operators Pike Logan and Jennifer Cahill are used to traveling the world on counter-terrorist missions, but this time they’re in the Old City of Jerusalem under happier circumstances. his friends aaron and shoshana, former israeli mossad agents, are getting married and have chosen to marry on the western wall of the temple mount. The holiest site in Judaism and the third holiest in Islam, the Temple Mount is a dividing line between Jews and Muslims, the flashpoint of eons of struggle, and it will remain true today.
Unbeknownst to them, a Palestinian terrorist cell has planned an attack on innocent tourists to incite the Arab world to demand that Israel withdraw from the holy site. but the terrorists do not realize that they themselves are being deceived by an infiltrator with a subversive plot that will lead to the Arabs losing control of the temple mount. but not even the insider knows the full extent of the terrorists’ plans; they are preparing an attack much bigger than he imagines, one that could split the fault line into all-out war. As Pike and Jennifer explore the Old City with their Israeli friends, neither the terrorists nor the insider are reminded of one unchanging truth: In war, the enemy gets a vote.
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Before publishing his first thriller, Brad Taylor had already been brewing Pike Logan for several years. he had no name or face, but his adventures unfolded for most of his adult life. they finally came out in the form of new series and we’re glad they did.
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