‘RAPTOR 6,’ BY RONIE KENDIG

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‘RAPTOR 6,’ BY RONIE KENDIG. Review of the 2014 release, book one in the Quiet Professionals series. Text © Rissi JC

STORY: Captain Dean Watters is a man on a mission. He has a Special Forces team to lead, and secrets to keep buried. But with insurgents terrorizing the Afghan territory they’re currently stationed in, their mission may prove more difficult. Especially when the team meets the pretty American schoolteacher, Zahrah Zarrick. As the daughter of a general, Zahrah knows all there is to know about the life of a military man, and much as she loves her father, she has a calling to return to her mother’s homeland and teach the children who otherwise would not receive an education. When secrets come to light that reveal Zahrah is not just a high-ranking officer’s daughter, but also a target all on her own, Dean will have to go into the protected areas of his past to be sure than Zahrah’s life isn’t used to compromise the U.S. Military’s missions.

Raptor 6, by Ronie Kendig | Book Review

Going into this, I think I had very different expectations than what the story actually ends up resembling. Unlike Ronie’s prior works, this book is more about information gathering than actionable “excitement.” To be honest, it takes me until ¼ the way in before I’m really hooked. Oh, there’s nothing bad about the story, I just had to pause to realize Kendig is taking a different direction with this new series. Not only is the pacing different, the prose has a new voice as well; it switches off between three POVs, and a first-person villain. On the one hand, it’s just as excellent to read a novel that takes more time to develop the characters and gives them breathing room without putting them in the line of fire. Then there is the expectation of what we’re accustomed to from this name. Once we recognize the shift, turning the pages, we learn, brings more breath-catching danger!

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The characters in this novel are perfect! Not in the sense of perfectionism, but rather because their humanness is written so wonderfully. Dean is one of the best, most heroic men I’ve to date met. This time, while it does apply to brawn, I use “hero” as a means to describe his character. He’s a scared man from tragedy in his early days of enlistment, burdens he shoulders along with the subsequent leadership in his Raptor 6 family. All of whom I love getting to know. The teammates are each unique (the teasing, banter and even, the tense disagreements add authenticity) and I’ve got high hopes that at some point, they’ll get their own due in future novels. 

All of this attests to how beautifully Ronie can write a story about the pride of American military (and the gratefulness of a nation for this) without reading as an cookie-cutter story. Then there is Zahrah. She and Dean were perfect together; I like the added bonus of them having to stay at arm’s length because he respects her (rather than use as a plot device to keep the couple apart) and later, their many deeper conversations.

Enter this story without the same perspective as Ronie’s prior novels, and Raptor 6 defines a new kind of page-turning suspense! It’s brilliant, and the first in a series you won’t want to miss. 

About the Book

Author: Ronie Kendig
Publisher: Shiloh Press
Source: Litfuse Publicity
Publication Date: May 2014
Find the Review elsewhere: Goodreads | Novel Crossing | WordPress
Series: Quiet Professionals, book 1
Genre: Fiction; Suspense, Contemporary
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Sincere thanks to Litfuse for providing a complimentary copy of this book for reviewing purposes.

About Rissi JC

amateur graphic designer. confirmed bookaholic. bubbl’r enthusiast. critical thinker. miswesterner. social media coordinator. writer.

14 comments

    1. As am I, Jamie! All of the team members are awesome and because of Ronie's great characterization, I've got expectations that all of these guys will get their own story, at some point or another. Next up is Hawk… wonder what his story holds?? :)

    1. If you like adventure/suspense stories, you'd like this one, Heidi. It's not quite as "exciting" as some of Ronie's prior books, and is more emotionally heartbreaking (because of something that happens to Zarhah as well as Dean), however it's a great read. :)

  1. UGH I need to get this one. SO much. Desperation. Love the cover and the cover for "Hawk" as well! It's beautiful! So excited. Someday! Maybe when I have a little extra money… :) (ha, like that ever happens – well, it does, but only with books and when it really shouldn't…. make sense?)

    1. Hope you can get it and then promptly read it soon, Charity! Ronie has done an excellent job in the first book of this new series – Hawk is awesome, so here's to the anticipation of his story being equally epic. (In the best sense.)

      Maybe you'll find an extra twenty buried in a pocket somewhere. Rare though it may be, that's the best feeling. ;)

  2. You've convinced me to try it soon! As if I needed much convincing. ;) But I've been intrigued by the synopsis for this book, and now I'm more convinced to read it than ever. And the covers for this series are awesome! Great review! :)

    1. LOL, well, I'm glad this review was the last bit of convincing. ;) Hope you enjoy, Kara – it was very good especially once I adjusted my perspective.

      I agree! These covers are phenomenal, and I love knowing the models are veterans. So cool.

  3. Very detailed review! I LOVE knowing what to expect when I go for a book, especially the literary quality. That doesn't mean I'm a fan of spoilers–not at all! Nice job, Rissi! :)

    1. Thanks, Miranda. Hope this review was helpful – and thanks for reading. :)

      Enjoy Raptor 6 if/when you read it. It's a good one!

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