Steve Stratton delivers a fast-paced, anything-goes revenge thriller with non-stop action that transports the reader back to the brutal drug wars of the late-90s.
In Mr. Stratton’s debut Novel Shadow Tier, we’re introduced to Lance Wolf, an experienced military operator and strategist who immediately suffers tragic personal loss at the hands of the Sinaloa Cartel. Rather than grieve the loss of those close to him, Wolf goes on the offensive, bringing his immense skill set, impressive array of colleagues, and relentless desire for retribution to bear against El Chapo and the Cortes family. Despite danger around every corner, Wolf will stop at nothing and risk everything to bring the fight to the cartel’s front door and obtain the vengeance he so desperately craves with every fiber of his being.
There’s a lot to like about Shadow Tier. First, setting the book in 1998 and bringing in El Chapo as a character are smart choices that differentiate this book from the many thrillers that take place in present time. If you follow the news and are of a certain age (like me), then you’ll likely know ahead of time how the El Chapo storyline is going to play out. But that just adds to the intrigue as you try to piece together the whole story. Second, the pace is unforgiving and ruthless, where literally anything and everything will happen at a moment’s notice. Especially when you least expect it. And finally, the character development brings depth to every person who graces the pages of this novel. Each character is put through personal trials, must decide who they can trust, and is forced to evaluate their actions and relationships along the way.
All told, Shadow Tier is the birth of a new elite black ops unit worth following. The action sequences are solid, the character development on point, and the twists come fast and furious. Mr. Stratton does an effective job of telling a compelling story, creating characters you want to follow, and wrapping up this initial installment of a broader story while showing a clear, high potential path forward for this series with limitless possibilities.
If you’re a fan of the Don Winslow Cartel trilogy, this is the book for you.
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