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Dan Hampton
William Morrow
February 19, 2013 / ASIN: B009AKL44C / Kindle Edition
Thriller / Mystery / Military
AMAZON
Reviewed by Elise Cooper |
After his successful book Viper
Pilot, about his days as a fighter pilot, Dan Hampton
has written a genuinely compelling novel, The Mercenary.
Although this book is fictional there is a lot of information
in it that draws on Hampton’s real life Air Force
experiences.
The plot is definitely in the spirit of a Nelson DeMille
thriller: intense with well developed characters. The
plot begins when a mercenary, known as the Sandman is
hired by the Chinese government to attack a supposedly
indestructible US missile battery in Taiwan. After successfully
destroying it from the air, he takes on another mission,
to avenge the personal tragedy from his past. The second
part of the book has a plot where a supposed serial killer
is targeting high-ranking military officials by passing
themselves off as military officers.
Hampton told blackfive.net he wanted to create a book
in the format of The Day of the Jackal where
the main character is only known as The Sandman, until
the end of the book when his name is revealed. It is surprising
that one of the most powerful scenes in the book, the
tear-jerker funeral of the Sandman’s wife and children,
did not happen in the prologue, but instead was placed
one fourth of the way through the book. It is a testament
to Hampton’s character development that he is able
to allow the readers to form a likeable and caring connection
with the mercenary after the opening scene where the Sandman
attacks America’s ally, Taiwan on behalf of America’s
adversary, China.
The supporting cast includes Doug “Axe” Truax,
whom the author editorializes is a “part of a dying
breed in the Air Force. A fighter pilot who was content
to be so. One of the few who did not view operational
flying assignments as an inconvenience between staff tours.”
After interviewing Hampton about this quote it became
obvious he was talking about himself. He noted, “There
is a big disparity between those who live and work in
the field and those that exist in headquarters. There
are exceptions but most will never get above the rank
of Lt. Colonel. I am hoping I painted a realistic picture
where maybe, just maybe, those in the Air Force, might
think about reinvesting in operational officers instead
of thinking about those in staff jobs. After a certain
rank most promotions are based on politics not ability.”
The other supporting character was Air Force Major Karen
Shipman, who was part of the defense intelligence team.
She is a likeable, no nonsense character who reminds readers
of DeMille’s famous FBI character, Kate Mayfield.
Major Shipman is able to hold her own with anyone, partly
due to her quick intelligence. She calls out those who
do not consider her competent, and who will look at her
shape before her brain. There is a scene in the book,
which most women can relate to, when Shipman states, “But
I’ve never failed yet and I don’t intend to
start now… Now if you’d stop staring at my
ass maybe we could get to work.”
Hampton told blackfive.net that he is working on his next
two books. The Iron Ring, a novel that deals
with Israel asking the Sandman for his help, and Lords
of the Air, a non-fiction book about aviation from
the turn of the century to the present. He wanted to write
it as “a history of fighter pilots: how they got
started, the progression through various wars, and what
affect the influence of technology had on them. My theory
is the make-up of the fighter pilots has not changed over
the ages. I was even able to uncover some medical evaluations
of fighter pilots from 1917. I am enjoying the challenge
of writing about this subject.”
Anyone who is looking for a suspenseful, riveting novel
with realistic insight on the workings of the military
should definitely read the e-reader novel, The Mercenary.
It is a fast-paced thriller readers will not want to put
down.
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