Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

This time out, it's the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution against Gunnery Sgt. Kyle Swanson. Guess who wins? Accountant Norman Haynes would have had plenty to tell Task Force Trident, the president's personal team of intelligence troubleshooters, about the shadowy Palm Group, which he'd been auditing, if he hadn't been assassinated. His death, and the attempted kidnapping of Swanson's adopted mother, retired actress Lady Patricia Cornwell, make Trident's antenna bristle so furiously that triggerman Swanson (Running the Maze, 2012, etc.) is soon on his way to Sharm el-Sheikh, partnered with Egyptian-born MI6 operative and Egyptologist Dr. Tianha Bialy, who doesn't trust him any more than he trusts her. Their mission is to make contact with the Pharaoh, an agent who's been passing on information about the Army of the Guardians. Bialy has her own agenda, but her clashes with Swanson are soon mooted by a series of terrorist attacks on Egypt's national soccer team and an Iranian ship plying the Red Sea. The attacks, which look like the work of Egyptian terrorists determined to stabilize their emerging government, have actually been masterminded by Pharaoh, otherwise known as Col. Yahya Ali Naqdi. This high-ranking officer in the Army of the Guardians has hatched a plot to create a pretext for an Iranian invasion of Egypt. He plans to insert a slender military force into Sharm el-Sheikh, ostensibly at Egypt's invitation, so that he can commandeer the city's airport, cow the locals into submission and ultimately establish control over all shipping that passes through the Suez Canal. The Egyptian forces are so credulous, disorganized and ill-equipped that nothing can stop the Pharaoh's plan except for Swanson, armed with his sniper's eye, his talent for creating new alliances and whatever weaponry he can lay his hands on. Swanson, who clearly thinks he's an American James Bond, dishes out plenty of "plain old ass-kicking payback" for red-meat fans.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Publishers Weekly
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

The political upheaval in Egypt after the fall of the Mubarak regime provides the backdrop for Coughlin and Davis's serviceable sixth novel featuring Gunnery Sgt. Kyle Swanson (after 2012's Running the Maze). Kyle, the Marine Corps' top sniper, works for Task Force Trident, a super-secret agency that answers only to the U.S. president. After investigating a shooting death near Washington, D.C., Kyle follows the evidence to Egypt, where an Iranian spy, Col. Yahya Naqdi, is intent on fomenting discontent among the populace that he hopes will lead to an Iranian takeover of the government and the Suez Canal. The pairing of Kyle with MI6 agent Tianha Bialy, an expert on the Arab world, adds some personal tension. An attack on the resort area of Sharm el-Sheikh raises the suspense. Series fans will enjoy the combat scenes, but those looking for a more original military-action story should search elsewhere. Agent: Jim Hornfischer, Hornfischer Literary Management. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

*Starred Review* Sniper and former military man Kyle Swanson returns for his boldest and best adventure yet. Swanson is enjoying a vacation when he gets a call for a rendezvous at Andrews Air Force Base. An auditor working with major contracts has information that he considers vital to national security. When Swanson lands, he learns the auditor is dead. Meanwhile, in Egypt, an entire Iranian soccer team is killed when the team bus explodes. Are terrorists trying to provoke a war between Egypt and the much more powerful Iran? A source who calls himself the Pharaoh has information that Swanson and his team need to avert a fiasco that could shift power in the Middle East forever. Then it becomes personal when someone tries to kidnap Swanson's mother. Coughlin and Davis' series only gets better with each installment. Series fans will devour this one, but new readers will enjoy it just as much, as knowledge of prior novels in the series is not required. A great military thriller for anyone with a little time to kill.--Ayers, Jeff Copyright 2010 Booklist