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DESERT FIRE
Regular readers of my book and media reviews will know that
it’s very rare for me to delve into the world of fiction so it has
to be something pretty special if it’s to make it in here; “Desert
Fire” really cuts the mustard though!
I recently reviewed “Born Fearless” by former SAS soldier “Big
Phil” Campion, and I recommended it as a thoroughly good
read. Now Phil has followed other of his esteemed Regiment
colleagues by utilising his vast experience of matters military and
private military to move into the world of storytelling.
Colonel Gadaffi’s youngest son, Sultan, has been kidnapped by
Tuareg warriors armed to the teeth with illicit NATO weapons.
Sultan Gadaffi has escaped from Libya with a fistful of dangerous
secrets, and is being held, along with a kings ransom in gold,
in a fiercely defended Libyan desert stronghold. The British
Government is desperate to stop Sultan sharing his fathers
deadliest secrets, and needs a black-ops team to seize him
before it’s too late!
They want ex-Special Forces operative Steve Range, the go-to
man for any black-ops missions, to lead an ultra-covert mercenary
group to seize him from his near-impregnable desert stronghold.
If Range’s “Blackstone Six” team can somehow overcome the
enemy, then they will earn themselves gold bullion worth $500
million. But as the bullets begin to fly and the body count rises,
Range realises that he’s been double-crossed. Unwilling to lose
the gold, he begins to contemplate cutting a deal with the very
man they came to rescue.
That’s the basic premise of the story, and in many ways it’s a
familiar theme, but what stands this book aside from the majority
of the others out there is Phils intimate understanding of how
these things really go down. His obvious knowledge of the kit and
weaponry is pretty encyclopaedic, whether it be from the Maximi
that Range carries into battle, or the SpecOps Chinook that he
and his colleagues manage to “borrow” for part of their mission.
The battle sequences themselves also have you right on the edge
of your seat, and at times you can almost hear the rounds going
downrange and smell the cordite. When Phil gets things going, his
effective narrative style really drives all of his characters forward
at breakneck speed. It’s not all “gung ho” though, as the book
also shows the meticulous planning that really goes on behind
any mission, and the obvious professionalism and intelligence
that all of the operators share. It shows in no uncertain terms
that some bonds will never be broken.
Phil Campion is a veteran of military operations in just about
every conflict prone corner of the world, both as a soldier in
the Armed Forces, an elite SAS operator, and as a mercenary
soldier. He lives with his partner, Wendy, and their children and
continues to work as a much sought after operator on the private
military circuit.
Author: Phil Campion
Publisher: Quercus
ISBN: 978-0857384447
Price: £7.99
All in all I found “Desert Fire” very hard to put down once I’d
started it, with great action, some memorable characters, and a
well thought out storyline. Luckily for us this appears to be the
first of many “Blackstone Six” thrillers from “Big Phil”!
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