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Falcon: Birds of Flight - Book Four

“Falcon” is the fourth book in the Birds of Flight series by J.M. Erickson. The adventure continues following Albatross, Raven and Eagle. Fans of J.M. Erickson will not be disappointed. As soon as I started reading this intense adventure, I found myself immediately caught up in the action. Having read the other books in the series I enjoyed stepping back into this drama and revisiting my favorite characters. Each person has a very distinctive and well developed personality. As their journey continues, they continue to develop and evolve in response to the events that are happening around them. Continuing from the last book in the series, Alex Burns has been kidnapped and hidden away for both information and revenge. Due to some mishaps on the part of men who are enlisted in this kidnapping, Burns is accidentally overdosed on narcotics. While he is off in dreamland, he revisits people from his past; however, it appears that they are operating in the present. While he is interacting with them many questions are answered and he discovers what he needs to do with himself to move to a higher level as an individual. This situation does not make his captor happy. While Burns has people searching for him, the enemies set up distractions to keep them from discovering his whereabouts. Plenty of mind tricks are played to keep them on their toes. People involved from past adventures take on new roles and to add to the suspense, other agencies from around the world are also involved. It is going to take a lot to get everyone back on track! I found “Falcon” to be very fast paced and I felt like I was kept on the edge of my seat through most of the intrigue. I totally enjoyed how the characters adapted and related to each other. Touches of humor helped reduce the tension. While this is the fourth book in a series, it can be read on its own. The author has a talent for incorporating past events into the present story so that the reader is either able to catch on to what is happening or refresh his memory if he has read other books in the series. There is also a list of characters at the end of the novel which allows for reference if needed. For a full appreciation of this series, I highly recommend reading these books in the order which they were written. In doing so, the reader will have a greater understanding of the depth of how and why relationships were developed. They will also appreciate the animosity towards certain people in the story because of their heinous behavior. “Falcon” and the entire “Birds of Flight” series by J.M. Erickson is a must read for people who enjoy thrillers that involve espionage and psychological suspense. - Paige Lovitt, January 15, 2015