US Review of Books

Raven: Birds of Flight - Book Two

"He wants vengeance."The Foreign Intelligence Agency, "the brain child of the Department of Defense," is less than forthcoming about their operations scattered throughout the world. It's a clandestine counter-intelligence wing that kills its enemies without hesitation while operating under a veil of secrecy. That is until former agent Alexander Burns seeks vengeance.Burns is out in the cold, a rogue agent wanted by the government after stealing top-secret files about the agency's activities. Working with the FBI, Burns and his girlfriend, Samantha Littleton, agree to return the files. Everything goes as planned until Thomas Webber, a Foreign Intelligence Agency operative, kills Samantha during the exchange. Burns is determined to avenge her death and destroy those responsible.With the help of her family, Burns begins releasing a slow, but dangerous, trickle of classified files that sully America's reputation around the world. Long-standing alliances are shattered as the agency's manipulative and deadly tactics are revealed. It becomes a race against time to stem the flood of information and bring Burns in alive.Erickson has created a taunt suspenseful thriller sure to entice fans of Clancy, Flynn, and Ludlum. Intertwining current events from across the globe brings a sense of realism to the plot. His characters are not one-dimensional. They are well developed, making the reader pause and consider the true motivation behind Burn's actions. The novel is part of the Birds of Flight series, but reading Book One first is not absolutely necessary. Readers will want too, but flashbacks build in the gaps to make this one enjoyable read. The good news is a third novel looks to be in the works to tie up those pesky loose ends.- L.A. Webb;  RECOMMENDED by the USR