Redemption: (Ryan Drake: book 1): a compelling, action-packed and high-octane thriller that will have you gripped from page one

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Thrown together in a race to survive, their differing outlooks and experiences allowed me almost endless scope for creating tension and interesting exchanges. Will Jordan lives in Fife, near Edinburgh. He gained an honours degree in Information Technology and currently works in web design for Sky Digital. Aside from writing, his interests include military history, mountain climbing, fitness training, boxing and, of course, reading. Somewhat ironically, considering how I got interested in reading this book in the first place, my biggest gripes have to do with the characters and the story itself. Will Jordan is the bestselling, internationally published author of the Ryan Drake series. He was born in Scotland in 1983. His works to date include:

Redemption: Ryan Drake, Book 1 (Audio Download): Will Jordan

For fans of World War Z, a chilling mystery, an ancient threat, and a race against time to save humanity–inspired by the true events of the Dyatlov Pass incident Came to this book as a fan of the author's YouTube persona, The Critical Drinker. I'll frame this by saying that I don't consider myself to be a fan of this particular genre, but props to Jordan for entering a field already well-populated (saturated, even) with big names and heavy-hitters.

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Ryan Drake, the main character, works for the CIA as a Shepherd – a special operative who finds and brings home lost agents. In Redemption he’s handed the task of breaking into a seemingly impenetrable Siberian prison and rescuing an inmate identified only as Maras. Things seem to go well, until a phone call from a disgraced CIA agent and former student of Maras forces Drake to go on the run with her.

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Before saying anything else I feel necessary to point out that I'm not very familiar with this genre of literature. However, I do enjoy good storytelling and well written characters, and as the author's work and insights on his YouTube channel ("The Critical Drinker") oft resonate with me I decided to give his first book a try, and listened to the audio version of it. Ryan Drake, once a decorated field operative, is now wanted for treason. On the run from the CIA’s corrupt Deputy Director Marcus Cain, he has spent the past six months in a remote French safe house. Drake’s former life seems to be behind him, but the uneasy peace is shattered when Cain moves against him with startling force. It sounds like a simple mission. But nothing is what it seems, and within hours of arriving in the war-torn country, Drake and his team find themselves caught in a deadly conflict between a brutal terrorist warlord and the ruthless leader of a private military company. And lurking in the shadows is a woman from Drake’s past determined to take revenge for two decades of betrayal. Hunted by his former comrades and those willing to do anything to protect a deadly secret, Drake is left with no choice but to trust a dangerous woman he barely knows. This book does not let up. It hits the gas and it doesn't let up on the pedal.' -- ***** Reader review

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Russia, 1959. Nine members of a Soviet mountaineering team on an ambitious expedition into the Ural Mountains are found dead, victims of massive and bizarre injuries. The Dyatlov Pass incident, as this grisly event came to be known, remains unexplained to this day. He lives in Scotland with his wife and two sons, and is currently writing the next novel in the Ryan Drake series.

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But it's when the mission is successfully completed that the real danger for Drake begins. Faced with a terrible threat, he is forced to go on the run with Maras - a veteran agent scarred by years of brutal imprisonment.The experience piqued his interest in military history, and encouraged him to learn more about conflicts past and present. Having always enjoyed writing, he used this research as the basis for his first thriller, REDEMPTION. He was able to supplement this with visits to weapon ranges in America and Eastern Europe, as well as research trips to Washington DC. Distrustful of this uneasy alliance and with no outside support to call on, Drake gathers his small group of trusted team mates and embarks on his most difficult and dangerous mission yet. However, his plans soon unravel, forcing him into a deadly game of cat and mouse against a vengeful British intelligence officer with an unknown agenda.

Redemption: (Ryan Drake: book 1): a compelling, action-packed Redemption: (Ryan Drake: book 1): a compelling, action-packed

During one particular film shoot he was required to undertake military boot camp training, as he was to play the part of a World War Two soldier, and it was this training that led to his keen interest in military history and the many conflicts that have occurred. It was this interest that led him to research historical conflicts and, with his love of writing having already been ingrained from an early age, he then went onto write his first novel that was to see the introduction of Ryan Drake as a lead character. Other research included visiting Eastern Europe and America, spending time on the weapon ranges there, a journey which also took him to Washington D.C. There seems to be no wound, neither mental nor physical, that can prevent her from easily beating up anyone who crosses her path. And this is told to us ad nauseam throughout the book. To be honest, I was more intrigued about Drake's team members than the heavily featured Maras, and it was often the interaction between the side characters that kept the story interesting. Maras could've been great if she weren't depicted in such an unrealistic way, and to me this feels like a missed opportunity to create a truly interesting and strong female character. She would've been equally impressive but much more believable had she prevailed through her conflicts through resourcefulness and deception instead of physically dominating everyone regardless of size or strength.Born in 1983, Will Jordan hails from Fife in Scotland where he still lives to this very day, growing up in the region and taking in a lot from his surrounding environment during his upbringing, right up until he became a writer. He always had a strong interest in computers and information technology, a passion which is clearly reflected throughout the ongoing themes displayed in his books and narratives, featuring heavily, as they are used by his colorful cast of characters. Later on he was to develop his interest in military technology and hardware, which led him towards getting the inspiration for writing his novels. For Ryan Drake, this is just the beginning as the sniper is revealed to be Anya – the rogue former CIA agent he helped rescue from prison nearly two years earlier. Now she has allied herself with an elusive but deadly new terrorist group bent on the utter destruction of the Russian government. I certainly see Redemption as the first step in a complex overarching story that will develop over the course of five books. There are an awful lot of unanswered questions at the end, both for Drake and Maras, and the next four books will see both of them searching for answers – sometimes together, sometimes apart and sometimes against each other.