A fine debut by Brad Taylor. I've read this series out of order and will say that his books get better.

One Rough Man is a great introduction to Pike Logan. I get a better background for Pike and how he operates along with other supporting characters. However, the book felt long especially where the bad guys obtained WMD. The final act was exciting and will put you on the edge of your seat. 3.5 stars ( )

Pike has a family tragedy and he crumbles under the guilt he feels about being responsible for their deaths. He steadily declines until he is out of the Taskforce, despite its best efforts to save him from himself.

He has hit rock bottom and a chance meeting in a South Carolina bar gets him involved in the difficulties a 20-something college coed,Jennifer Cahill, is embroiled in with her uncle's activities in Guatemala where he searches for a hidden temple in the jungle.

Pike and Jennifer then embark on a whirlwind chase from South America, the U.S, and Europe, hunted by enemies and terrorists, domestic and foreign while they unravel the mystery of her uncle, which has led to an ancient weapon falling into the ands of muslim terrorists and they try to prevent a WMD from being activated.

Pike regains his interest in resuming his activities as the lethal weapon he has allowed himself to be at his core. Once unleashed, none of the terrorists stand a chance while he successfully protects Jennifer and the interests of the U.S.A., while finding a person he desperately needs in his life, professionally and personally. ( )

Despite the fact that this is not my genre of choice, I couldn’t help myself. The action was so intense I read the book in three days. But it felt like I was binging on bags of potato chips. Where were the deep philosophical questions? Where was the classical literary style? How could the main characters survive all those bullets? Of course, I didn’t ask these things until I finished the book! Now, if only I could insert some of Taylor’s fast pace and tension into my own sci-fi. They aren’t state secrets, are they? ( )

The first book in this series introduces us to the heart-pounding, action-packed world of super-soldier Pike Logan as he takes on his most perilous assignment. The eBook is available on Overdrive, and other formats are available through the library catalog.

An outstanding debut novel, Brad Taylor draws on his experience as a Delta Force commander to deliver an action-packed thriller. The realism and attention to detail makes this a must read for fans of Vince Flynn and Brad Thor. Pike Logan is a flawed hero who I found myself rooting for time and time again.

Authorized by the President, the Taskforce was formed to operate outside the law and without sanction from congressional oversight in order to deal with the increasing presence of terrorists. Pike Logan was the best of the best, and as team leader never failed to complete a mission successfully. At his best when the plans started to break down, Pike was known for his quick thinking and decisive action. Finally succumbing to his wife's repeated requests to retire from his job, Pike was on his last mission when tragedy struck his family. Unable to deal with the guilt of being away when his family needed him most, Pike went on a downward spiral and sought solace in the bottom of a bottle.

Meanwhile, Professor John Cahill was in the Guatemalan jungle searching for his mythical Temple of the Priests. When his guides refused to go any further into the jungle, two young natives seeking treasure stole his GPS and found the Temple. They also found a white powder which quickly killed one of the boys while the other made it back to tell the story. Cahill, ever cautious, embedded the GPS coordinates in some music mp3 files and e-mailed them to his niece Jennifer, who was a student at the College of Charleston. He then deleted all information from his laptop and GPS.

Miguel, who was a very successful smuggler, was in negotiations with two Arabs to smuggle certain items into the United States when the young boy from the jungle told the tale of finding the Temple and the ensuing death of his friend from the mysterious white powder. Feigning ignorance of the Spanish language, the two Arab terrorists became interested in the powder as a source for a WMD. Miguel, also known as "Machete," was more interested in the treasure and potential wealth it may bring. Machete ordered his henchmen to pick up Professor Cahill in hopes of finding the location of the Temple. Cahill told Machete that he had FedExed the GPS to his niece in Charleston, South Carolina. Professor Cahill died as Machete was torturing him to find out additional information about the GPS. The two terrorists found the key to the embedded mp3 files on a thumb drive amid Cahill's possessions and were able to obtain the deadly powder.

Machete sent a team to Charleston to retrieve the GPS from Jennifer and as luck would have it, Pike was able to thwart the attack and kill the mobsters. Pike did not want to be looking over his shoulder from the Machete's agents for the rest of his life, so he agreed to go to Guatemala and deliver the non-existent GPS. Jennifer went with Pike and they formed a somewhat tenuous and unlikely partnership. It was in Guatemala that Pike and Jennifer learned of the terrorist's possession of the WMD and they decided they had to stop the attack in order to prevent widespread death and panic.

In Washington DC, a member of the government also learned of the terrorist's intentions and decided to delete all known references to the attack in order for him to play the part of hero and savior, thus catapulting him to a higher position in the government. He wanted no loose ends and ordered Pike and Jennifer to be killed. Therefore the dynamic duo found themselves chasing the terrorists and dodging multiple assassination attempts.

This was a very good debut novel with an interesting plot and in depth knowledge of special forces operations. If you enjoy action packed novels as I do, then this is the book for you. I look forward to reading the future adventures of Pike Logan and Jennifer Cahill. ( )