I have read and enjoyed every book in the Jack Noble series, The First Deception, is no exception. After Jack and Bear's former missions and level of expertise, it was difficult for me to look back at the "rookies" and to take a step backwards, so to speak. They were dire enemies during USMC boot camp and were prematurely pulled from the Corps before graduation to participate in a special ten-week training program for a clandestine organization. It didn't take them long to become fast friends and learn about each other's strengths and weaknesses in the weeks leading up to their successful completion of training.

Their first mission required that they assassinate a US government official and then evade and escape via plans their superiors had arranged. However, it turns out they were set-up by their trainer and had to figure it out for themselves. Their failure would result in life sentences for murder if caught and the agency could not help them. They eventually escaped and returned to the training center for answers, here, the trainer tells them that the mission was a final exam and that they both passed, but now, their trust in their superiors was debatable.

Their real first mission required them to travel to Turkey and Hungary to locate and free a high-level agent who was captured ten days earlier. From that point on, the story evolves into one hell of a tale with many twists and turns, dead-ends, double crossing agents and dead agents turning up along the way. This story is riveting with edge of your seat suspense. Jack and Bear can trust no one or find any support along the way. They were on their own and evidently set-up for failure - Individuals were expecting them to fall like many of the other agents they've encountered so far. For Newbies, they exceeded everyone's expectations, and what they stumbled upon at the end was a jaw dropping discovery for everybody.

Well done, Mr. Ryan. Looking forward to your next installment in the coming months.

John Podlaski, author
"Cherries: A Vietnam War Novel" and "When Can I Stop Running?" ( )