The Warrior Spy by Dony Jay

The Warrior Spy

The CIA has a problem. Its best clandestine operatives keep turning up dead. And now, as if things couldn't get any worse, a Defense Department scientist, specializing in high-energy lasers, has gone missing. America needs answers. And fast.

Delta Force operator Reagan Rainey, on temporary duty assignment with a secret CIA entity known as Directorate Twelve, is tasked to do just that--get answers. But to do so, he not only has to outwit and outmaneuver a dangerous cabal of foreign actors believed to be at the center of it all, he must contend with a deadly assassin who is bent on destroying him.

Relying on his bedrock faith in Almighty God, Rainey is forced to race against the clock to uncover what is really going on and why, before his beloved America is pushed to the brink of war.

The Warrior Spy is the first book in the Warrior Spy thriller series. It is jam-packed with heart-pounding action, all-out spy warfare and a new American hero that is sure to please.

It's comparable to thrillers by such authors as Robert Ludlum, Brad Thor, and Vince Flynn, while also containing a clear faith element. If you love for-God-and-country-type books, The Warrior Spy was written for you!

The Guru's Review: 

The author asked me to review this novel before it's release date in December 2015. I was unable to due to my current reviewing schedule at that stage. Having now read it, I am glad that I had kept it on my To Be Reviewed List. 

I thoroughly enjoyed The Warrior Spy. I have read many Christian military novels and I can gladly add this to my list of favourites. One thought that kept running through my mind while reading, was that Jay definitely knows how to craft a novel. Its construction is well done. He has taken heed of the mentoring that he has received. He is now proficient and "armed" to write more novels of this standard. Every author who has had a background in the military will have their own take on their life in this field. It definitely shows in their novels. It is this that adds great diversity in plot, action, suspense and knowledge of the military in this special ops genre. I have not read one like this, though. Everything has been "upped". Compared to some that I have read, the intrigue, violence, deceit, corruption, religious hatred of the West, in this case, America, is prolific in this novel. The violence more so than others. I am not saying that I endorse or condone this level of violence, nor am I saying it should not be there or watered down. Jay is portraying it as he has experienced it and making it real as possible. To do otherwise would have made this novel less realistic and credible and pretty much a joke to read. 

It is all the above that held my interest and absorbed me on the daily train journey to and from work, to the point where I almost missed my destination station many times. 

Another aspect that kept me rooted in the plot was the characterisation. All novels of this genre have an ops team with a leader, usually an alpha male. Entrance Reagan Rainey. One determined, self-made man with integrity and virtue but one who has a strong faith in God. What impressed me about him was that despite his independence of thought and action and being disciplined as a Delta soldier, he knew his boundaries when it came to exacting justice against the perpetrators. Many times, he came very close, to going further and seek revenge, but was constrained by his knowledge and obedience of God and His commands, 

As he played through several different plans, possibilities and angles, it happened. A verse from Scipture bubbed up into his thought-Deuteronomy 32:35:

Vengeance is Mine, and recompense; Their foot shall slip in due time; For the day of their calamity is at hand, And the things to come hasten upon them. 

Rainer considered his motives, reminded himself to keep them in check. he would do his best to stop the treat, prevent another 9/11, kill if need be, but not exact revenge. This was tricky to explain, but he understood the concept perfectly. He believed in it. 

This is one example of the faith that Rainey exhibits in this novel as he lives out his faith. There is a conversion scene that is quickly actioned by the recipients of Jay's quick testimony. While I felt Jay had rushed this scene, I had to realize that this was happening at an intense and critical moment where time was not their luxury. Rainey and his two new converts had only a short time for this to happen. God is not constrained by time. There were a few other occasions where Rainey had no problem praying for those under his charge. Convictions like this can only enhance this leader's integrity and respect from those in his team and his relationship with them. It gives me great consolation knowing that there is special ops personnel like Rainey in the military who are Christian and willing to act out their faith in their occupation. As we all should in our chosen profession, but more so men and women in the military. They have to lay down their lives for others either for their own or for another country. 

As Rainey states, 

Did anyone back home truly comprehend, truly appreciate the unbelievable sacrifice he and his mates as well as all of those within the intelligence and special operations communities at large were willing to make for their nation, for each other, for all that was right and good? This was the brutal reality of the world in which he and his fellow shadow warriors operated day in and day out all around the globe. A fight between good and evil.

Jay has developed the rest of the characters and the bonds/relationship between them well and relational. In some novels, you know that the other characters are very much secondary and provide a platform for the main character to be always centre stage. Not so in a novel like this. Teamwork and being a special ops unit has to have structure, discipline, and unity. When something happens to one of them, you feel for them and what their leader is going through. You understand and root for this leader and the other members of the team. You become endeared to these characters. 

Jay has also done the same to Rainey's family and closest inner circle. I enjoyed these relationships. I wondered why he had included the degree of relationship with his sister and it seems that this is the author's intention. Maddie is to play a larger role in the next novel based on its plot. I do sense that despite this, there might be another reason the author has included her in both novels. Any reader who sees how she handles herself when kidnapped should be able to join the dots. 

I am looking forward to the next installment in this series, Artifacts of Conspiracy. This will be released soon. I have an advanced reader's copy to review now. 

Strongly Recommended.

World Building 4/5 

Characters 5/5 

Spiritual Level 4/5 

Story 5/5 

Enemy Spiritual Level 0/5

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

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