Most Popular Books by Jim Defelice

The gritty memoir of a former US Marine and Presidential Guard, who, after being unjustly held and abused in a Russian gulag for three years and freed in a high-profile prisoner exchange, seeks revenge against his former Russian captors by volunteering to fight in Ukraine. In August 2019, Trevor Reed, a former US Marine and Presidential Guard, was arrested in Russia on false, trumped-up charges. For three years, he was imprisoned in the infamous Russian gulag, where the inhumane treatment threatened his health so severely his parents and the U.S. government feared for his life. After losing roughly fifty pounds from his already trim body, he was released in a 2022 prisoner swap that dominated headlines. Most people would go home, try to move on with their lives, and forget the horrors they endured. But not Trevor Reed. Reed trained relentlessly to regain his health and strength, aiming to volunteer in Ukraine to fight the Russians and seek revenge. Having faced Russian cruelty up close, he knew what the Ukrainians were experiencing, and he knew he could help them. Just six months after being released from prison, Reed smuggled himself into Ukraine. He fought in one of the hottest fronts of the war . . . until one dark night a comrade stepped on a land mine. Reed almost lost his leg and his life, barely making it home to Texas alive. A harrowing, on-the-ground account of the war in Ukraine, Retribution is the story of one man’s dogged persistence and commitment to justice, regardless of the personal cost.

In 1994, a thirteen-year-old honor student convinced her boyfriend to strangle her grandmother to prove his undying love, and then proceeded to hold her little sister hostage in this true story of murder and depravity.

An attempt on the president''s life sends an ex-Marine to face an old enemy in Vietnam in the New York Times–bestselling author''s technothriller. A Secret Service agent is dead, an apparent suicide. A presidential candidate narrowly escapes an assassin''s bullet. And Desk Three, a convert branch of the NSA, is searching for a chilling connection deep inside The Republic of Vietnam. Once, Charlie Dean was a Marine sniper in Quang Nam Province. Today he''s a Deep Black operator, returning to Vietnam to find the source of some threatening e-mails. Instead, he comes face to face with a man he had once hunted down . . . and thought he had killed. Back in the US, Deep Black agent Lia DeFrancesca has uncovered the trail of a killer in Dean''s path. Now, with every asset, weapon, bug and high-tech magic wand Desk Three can wave, the agents enter a terrifying global race against time. Because ghosts of the past have risen to life . . . to strike a death blow into the heart of the USA.

The mission seems routine: go to London, meet someone in a park, obtain a list of computers that are being used secretly by terrorists to pass messages. But just as Deep Black operatives Charlie Dean and Tommy Karr are about to meet their contact, a sniper guns the stranger down. DeFrancesca, a sexy ass-kicking woman and Dean''s only weakness, gets called in to help. The investigation kicks into high gear when the murder is found to be connected to the disappearance of a French atomic warhead built in the 1960s. Soon it becomes apparent that what was thought to be an elaborate plan by terrorists to blow up the Eiffel Tower is only a diversionary plan for the real target: the Channel Tunnel. A nuclear warhead going off in the tunnel will create an earthquake, triggering a tsunami powerful enough to wipe out the coasts of France and England, killing hundreds of thousands. This is Deep Black''s most dangerous mission yet. It will require all their talents and all their teamwork to make sure that things go right and that justice is served.

The #1 New York Times–bestselling coauthor of American Sniper details the history of the nineteenth-century express mail service that spanned the American west. On the eve of the Civil War, three American businessmen launched an audacious plan to create a financial empire by transforming communications across the hostile territory between the nation''s two coasts. In the process, they created one of the most enduring icons of the American West: the Pony Express. Daring young men with colorful names like "Bronco Charlie" and "Sawed-Off Jim" galloped at speed over a vast and unforgiving landscape, etching an irresistible tale that passed into myth almost instantly. Equally an improbable success and a business disaster, the Pony Express came and went in just eighteen months, but not before uniting and captivating a nation on the brink of being torn apart. Jim DeFelice''s brilliantly entertaining West Like Lightning is the first major history of the Pony Express to put its birth, life, and legacy into the full context of the American story. The Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Company—or "Pony Express," as it came to be known—was part of a plan by William Russell, Alexander Majors, and William Waddell to create the next American Express, a transportation and financial juggernaut that already dominated commerce back east. All that stood in their way were almost two thousand miles of uninhabited desert, ice-capped mountains, oceanic plains roamed by Indian tribes, whitewater-choked rivers, and harsh, unsettled wilderness. The Pony used a relay system of courageous horseback riders to ferry mail halfway across a continent in just ten days. The challenges the riders faced were enormous, yet the Pony Express succeeded, delivering thousands of letters at record speed. The service instantly became the most direct means of communication between the eastern United States and its far western territories, helping to firmly connect them to the Union. Populated with cast of characters including Abraham Lincoln (news of whose electoral victory the Express delivered to California), Wild Bill Hickock, Buffalo Bill Cody (who fed the legend of the Express in his Wild West Show), and Mark Twain (who celebrated the riders in Roughing It), West Like Lightning masterfully traces the development of the Pony Express and follows it from its start in St. Joseph, Missouri—the edge of the civilized world—west to Sacramento, the capital of California, then booming from the gold rush. Jim DeFelice, who traveled the Pony''s route in his research, plumbs the legends, myths, and surprising truth of the service, exploring its lasting relevance today as a symbol of American enterprise, audacity, and daring.

US covert agents must stop a nuclear war threat on the Korean DMZ in this military thriller from the New York Times –bestselling authors. "The Team" lead by top CIA officer Bob Ferguson, and supported by Special Forces commando Stephen Rankin and Marine Jack Young, is authorized to take immediate action, beyond the bureaucratic restraints of US intelligence or the military establishment, in the ever-surprising War on Terror. After years of exhaustive negotiations, North Korea''s Kim Jong Il abruptly agrees to surrender all of his nuclear weapons. This sudden change in policy has the US suspicious, and the Team is dispatched to uncover the truth. Newest Team operative, the young and beautiful Thera Majed, goes undercover during the preliminary inspections of the entire Korean peninsula, on a mission so sensitive that she will be disavowed if discovered. But when she discovers hidden weapons in South Korea, a firestorm of debate is set off in Washington. A public announcement of their suspicions could derail the North Korean agreement, and the South Korean government may not even be aware of the weapons'' existence. Ferg and the rest of the Team jump in to investigate, and the closer they get to the truth, the harder mysterious forces work to keep them away. Someone is planning for a full-scale nuclear attack that would throw the civilized world into political and economic upheaval, and Ferg and the Team are the only ones in the position to stop them.

The Red Dragon Rising Series discounted ebundle includes: Shadows of War, Edge of War, Shock of War, Blood of War "Larry Bond is the literary heir of Tom Clancy.”—Stephen Coonts More than twenty years ago, Larry Bond helped Tom Clancy write Red Storm Rising, the iconic techno thriller of the Cold War era. Now he returns (with Jim DeFelice) to start a new classic series for our era, Larry Bond’s Red Dragon Rising, which imagines the globe torn apart by climate change and its economic and geopolitical fallout. Shadows of War Rapid climate change leads to mass riots in China, and a new communist premier seeks to relieve pressure by marching on traditional Chinese enemies in Southeast Asia. Desperately coping with its own problems, the United States wants to avoid nuclear war at all costs--but ultimately must fight to preserve world peace. Edge of War CIA officer Mara Duncan faces her most grueling assignment yet: get scientist Josh MacArthur and a seven-year-old witness to Chinese atrocities in Vietnam out of the country safely. With a relentless Chinese monk turned commando and the entire Chinese secret service in Vietnam at their back, it''s not going to be easy. Shock of War Under secret orders from the President, U.S. Army Major Zeus Murphy sabotages a Chinese invasion fleet on the eve of its assault against Vietnam. But after Murphy and fellow officer Win Christian are trapped behind enemy lines, Christian''s erratic behavior gives them away. The pair shoot their way out of a Chinese airport terminal, hijack a bus, then barely escape two truckloads of soldiers before disappearing into the night. Blood of War As depression and drought wrack China, the country''s new premier has launched a deadly war with Vietnam. The assault has left the world on the precipice of disaster....U.S. Army Major Zeus Murphy disobeys his commander and plunges headlong into the conflict, leading the Vietnamese in a covert attack against the Chinese army massing on the border. If the gambit fails, China will roll over Vietnam—and Zeus will lose the only woman he has ever loved, kept prisoner in a secret base north of Hanoi. Forge books by Larry Bond & Jim DeFelice First Team Series Larry Bond''s First Team Larry Bond''s First Team: Angels of Wrath Larry Bond''s First Team: Fires of War Larry Bond''s First Team: Soul of the Assassin At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

An Army medic and Silver Star recipient shares a visceral firsthand account of D-Day in this acclaimed, New York Times bestselling WWII memoir. At five a.m. on June 6, 1944, U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Ray Lambert stood on the deck of a troopship off the coast of Normandy, France, awaiting the signal to board the landing craft that would take him and so many others to meet their fate on Omaha Beach. Spotting his brother Bill, who served beside him throughout the war, they exchanged promises to take care of their families if one of them didn''t make it. Less than five hours later, after saving dozens of lives and being wounded at least three separate times, Ray would lose consciousness in the shallow water of the beach under heavy fire. He would wake on the deck of a landing ship to find his battered brother clinging to life next to him. Every Man a Hero is the unforgettable story not only of what happened in the incredible and desperate hours on Omaha Beach, but of the bravery and courage that preceded them, throughout the Second World War—from the sands of Africa, through the treacherous mountain passes of Sicily, and beyond to the greatest military victory the world has ever known.

Castro is dead--but his legacy lives on. In the vacuum left by Fidel''s death, would-be heirs--including his own daughter--battle for power. But as guerrilla rebels threaten to topple the teetering government, there''s more at stake than just the island nation. The U.S. military uses all the high-tech resources at its disposal to try to restore stability, only to find that Castro had kept one last card up his sleeve.

The New York Times–bestselling author shares "moving and passionate" true stories of people who found their purpose through perseverance and service ( Publishers Weekly, starred review). Taya Kyle entered a period of deep grief when she lost her husband, "American Sniper" Chris Kyle. Yet the experience served as a catalyst for profound growth. Taya found her own reserve of strength with the help of family and friends—and also many strangers across America, who shared their own stories of suffering and survival. Inspired by their courage, Taya discovered her calling: spreading a message of how we can triumph over personal pain and heal our communities. Working with trusted collaborator Jim DeFelice (coauthor of American Sniper and American Wife), Taya tells her own story, as well as those of other Americans who have built extraordinary lives after grappling with loss, illness, all manner of setback: a 9/11 survivor, badly burned over 60% of his body, who asked himself What debt to do I owe to God?; a man with the hole in his heart who runs ultramarathons; a young cancer victim whose lemonade stand inspired a revolutionary new model for fighting cancer; a pastor who became an undercover investigator, and more. The more than thirty individual profiled here embody the "American spirit" of resilience, faith, and togetherness that has built the nation. In the end, their stories teach us that "every action, big or small, has the potential to spark someone else''s movement."

New York Times–Bestselling Authors: These CIA operatives are on a mission in the Sudan that''s classified—and illegal . . . In the blistering heat of the Sudan, the CIA has gone rogue. On the trail of a notorious terrorist, Agency operatives have overstepped their sanctioned boundaries. And now the ultimate weapon has fallen into the wrong hands. As Danny Freah and his spec-ops team scramble to recover a top-secret aircraft that has crashed in Africa, Whiplash Director Jonathon Reid finds himself mysteriously shut off from information about the robot drone and its mission. Maneuvering through the twisted back corridors of the CIA and Washington''s power elite, Reid discovers secrets both illegal and highly dangerous—a virtually unstoppable assassin and an out-of-control clique within the Agency. Torn between loyalty and conscience, Reid must find a way to alert the president and avert a national disaster. But with the Whiplash team caught in the chaos of a brutal African civil war and CIA officials desperate to keep Reid from telling what he knows, a monster re-emerges to target its creators . . . Praise for Dale Brown "The best military adventure writer in the country." —Clive Cussler "The novels of Dale Brown brim with violent action, detailed descriptions of sophisticated weaponry, and political intrigue . . . His ability to bring technical weaponry to life is amazing." — San Francisco Chronicle

FBI Special Agent Andy Fisher races to stop a group of terrorists who possess a dangerous secret weapon capable of rendering useless any electronic system and a cache of deadly sarin gas.

"Fiery, insightful memoir from the former Iraqi translator who fought alongside US Special Forces during the recent war in Iraq . . . harrowing." — Kirkus Reviews As the insurgency in Iraq intensified following the American invasion, US Navy SEALs were called upon to root terrorists from their lairs. Unsure of the local neighborhoods and unable to speak the local languages, they came to rely on one man to guide them and watch their backs. He was a "terp"—an interpreter—with a job so dangerous they couldn''t even use his real name. They named him Johnny Walker. They soon called him brother. Over the course of eight years, the Iraqi native traveled around the country with nearly every SEAL and special operations unit deployed there. He went on thousands of missions, saved dozens of SEAL and other American lives, and risked his own daily. Helped to the U.S. by the SEALs he protected, Johnny Walker''s life is so remarkable that his tale reads like fiction. But every word of it is true. For the first time ever, a "terp" tells what it was like in Iraq during the American invasion and the brutal insurgency that followed. With inside details on SEAL operations and a humane understanding of the tragic price paid by ordinary Iraqis, Code Name: Johnny Walker reveals a side of the war that has never been told before. "An amazing story that I feel needs to be told . . . I cannot express how many lives have been touched by Johnny, and how many of us owe him our lives." —Chris Kyle, New York Times–bestselling author of American Gun

In a volatile world, America’s worst nightmares canbecome real—anywhere, anytime, and with no warning. But there is one potent defense: a top-secret military facility in the Nevada desert where the high-tech future of warfare is being conceived and constructed. Masters of astonishing military technology that enables them to deploy almost instantaneously to any part of the Earth, the Dreamland team must now stop a dangerous revolution in the making in Eastern Europe—where a mysterious group of insurgents has blown up an essential pipeline, thereby disrupting Europe’s gas supply. With NATO and the EU paralyzed by the crisis, it falls to Dreamland’s best and brightest to keep the world from the brink of another Cold War. But the secret hand of an old enemy is pulling the strings from the shadows, hoping to reap the rewards of chaos. And the devastating results could erupt with intense, white-hot fury.

A high-tech covert strike force takes aim at a nuclear armed extremist in the New York Times–bestselling co-author''s military techno-thriller. The world is watching as the U.S. and Iran agree to lay down their swords. But one man hiding in Africa holds the power to obliterate the peace. Shrouded by the bloody madness of tribal warfare, Iranian functionary-turned-fanatic Bani Aberhadji has created a vast network dedicated to unleashing a nuclear nightmare. Only by chance are American agents now learning of its existence . . . and it may already be too late. The covert strike force Whiplash is armed and ready to spring into action. Born from the ashes of Dreamland, it possesses the most cutting-edge military technology on Earth. But Aberhadji''s web of death is wide and well concealed . . . and the doomsday clock is ticking.

On the President''s orders . . . one man is tasked with averting nuclear war When the U.S. develops intelligence showing that Iran is in the final stages of assembling a nuclear bomb, the President orders Breanna Stockard and the Whiplash team to destroy it before the renegade nation can destabilize the shaky Middle East. Left with no other choice, Stockard sends young Air Force ace Turk Mako behind enemy lines. His orders: pilot a squadron of high-tech nano-UAVs from inside Iran to destroy the weapon and its assembly bunker. Turk and his accompanying Delta Force team succeed, only to discover another site and another device. With the fate of the region hanging in the balance, Turk and Delta Force must fight off Revolutionary Guards, Iranian MiGs, and the elite Quds Force to locate and destroy the second weapon. With time running out, Turk takes matters into his own hands, hoping to accomplish what no machine ever could . . . stop a nuclear war before it begins.

An American scientist is on the run in the jungles of Vietnam as world powers prep for war in this thriller by two New York Times–bestselling authors. "An adrenaline-fueled, multilayered thriller that cuts right to the chase. . . . Constant action makes this a must read for military adventure fans." — Publishers Weekly In the not-too-distant future, massive climate change has wracked the globe. China''s rice-growing regions have been devastated by typhoons, whiles its western breadbasket is suffering from three years of drought. Riots threaten to tear the country apart. With the old-guard Chinese government paralyzed by the crisis, a young, charismatic party leader steps to the fore. His solution to the unrest is a time-tested one—conquest of China''s neighbors. And after that, the world. Josh MacArthur, a mild-mannered American scientist studying climate change in northern Vietnam, is the only witness to a clever attempt by the Chinese to make it appear that Vietnam started the war. Escaping a massacre, he manages to gather critical evidence that could turn world opinion against China. Unfortunately, the Chinese learn of MacArthur''s survival, and of the information he carries. A former Ch''an fighting monk turned commando is sent to capture him. Mara Duncan, a CIA agent, is also on MacArthur''s trail. The American scientist has become the subject of a deadly race in the jungles of northern Vietnam, with that fate of the world in his hands. "The authors have done their homework, using clips from newspaper reports to heighten the realistic feel and producing a thriller that reads like an account of true events. Fans of military thrillers, especially Clancy''s, are the built-in audience for this one." — Booklist