The Outside Man is a gritty, brutal, badass, and compelling follow-up to Don Bentley’s superb debut, Without Sanction. It is twice as action-packed and twice as much packed with gut-wrenching twists and turns that sucker punch you in the best possible way.
The Outside Man starts off running as former DIA operative, Matt Drake, is ambushed by a group of highly trained operators in broad daylight on the streets of Austin, Texas. What results, is a spectacular combat sequence where Drake displays tactical acumen as he repels the ambush with his Glock 23 in a show of badass fashion. From that moment on, Drake and his partner, Frodo, work on figuring out the mysterious party behind the ambush on Drake, drudging up enemies from the past. The investigation by Drake results in more bloodshed and action sequences as Drake faces off against members of a sinister organization run by an Arab known only as The Devil. The Devil was also the foe that had sentenced Drake to death in the events of Without Sanction before Drake had miraculously survived his ordeal. With bad blood between the two characters, Drake takes up the task of finding The Devil and putting him down. Things become personal for Drake as he comes across betrayals and risks the well-being of people closest to him. The narrative takes a darker turn as Matt comes across a sex-trafficking ring run by The Devil. The darker turn in emotions bring about a stronger sense of responsibility for Drake and his friends to put an end to a despicable monster.
One of the many things that make The Outside Man an excellent thriller, is the constant feeling that nothing is what it seems. The Devil is ten steps ahead of Drake at every point, and when The Devil upsets the playing field with twists that even Drake couldn’t foresee, it makes the experience even better as the twists hit the reader like a freight train.
The first person POV from Matt Drake’s perspective is a clear winner. With Drake’s witty and somewhat dark humor in tight situations along with his vulnerable and raw thoughts, Matt Drake’s character development is taken a notch higher. Drake’s vulnerability and his tenacity to push through when odds are against him make him an even better protagonist than the one we saw in Without Sanction and that is a tall order. The focus on expressing situations from Drake’s POV helps with the twists and turns that readers won’t see coming because the POV is strictly Drake’.
The action sequences are written in a way that play on all sense of the reader to fully immerse the reader into the middle of the shootouts and the hand-to-hand combat sequences. Each sequence is tactically and technically sound and descriptive without overwhelming the reader with too many details. From weaponry to rappelling down an Osprey, Don Bentley displays all sorts of knowledge about the topic of being a believable badass.
The Outside Man is an adrenaline-pumping action thriller that starts off with a bang and goes for bigger bangs until the very end. I cannot recommend this action thriller enough, and the book further cements Matt Drake as a badass protagonist who can hold his own.
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