Next year, Nicholas Irving and A.J. Tata are introducing readers to a new action hero. Vick Harwood, a lethal sniper, is the protagonist of the forthcoming thriller Reaper: Ghost Target (St. Martin’s Press), co-authored by Irving and Tata, and scheduled for publication on May 8, 2018.
Both Tata (a former brigadier general in the United States Army) and Irving (a former special operations direct action sniper in the 3rd Ranger Battalion for the U.S. Military–whose story is told in the 2015 autobiography, The Reaper) have plenty of military and writing experience. Together, they’re teaming up to bring fans a hard-hitting thriller that promises to be unlike anything else hitting bookstore shelves.
In an exclusive statement to The Real Book Spy about working with Irving, A.J. Tata said “I felt like I was back in combat as Nick and I riffed on the ideas for this new series based on his real-life persona–‘The Reaper.‘ He’s an awesome, creative, and stone cold bad-ass.”
Tata, of course, is the author of the popular Jake Mahegan series. His next novel, Direct Fire, comes out on December 26th, 2017.
“If there are two words I’d use to describe working with A.J.,” said Irving, “they would have to be awe-inspiring and incredible! A true leader!”
Irving, nicknamed “The Reaper” during his time in the military, has a confirmed body-count of thirty-three. Not only was he rumored to be the most deadly shooter, but he was also the 3rd Ranger Regiment’s first African-American sniper.
Together, this writing duo has enough experience to make their new novel so authentic that it’ll have readers hitting the deck and ducking for cover. Check out the explosive plot details below!
The explosive new thriller series written by the New York Times bestselling author of
The Reaper and star of Fox’s American Grit.American hero, or unhinged vigilante?
Vick “The Reaper” Harwood is an esteemed sniper with a record kill count—33
kills in 90 days—when he is knocked out under mortar attack in Afghanistan.
He wakes up back in the United States with little memory of what happened, his
spotter and gun both unrecovered from the battlefield. Harwood has resigned
himself to slowly picking up the pieces of his life, training Special Forces
snipers in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and starting a promising relationship with
an Olympic medalist named Jackie.But when a series of assassinations start occurring in the area, Harwood can’t
explain why he just happens to be nearby for each killing—or how a sniper rifle
that matches the description of the one he lost seems to be involved. His
memory of the past few days is hazy and full of blackouts, and even he has to
wonder, is he being framed? Or is he the killer?As Harwood runs from the authorities, his girlfriend falls off the radar, his
missing spotter resurfaces, and the assassinated men are outed as drug and sex
traffickers. Nothing is adding up. Harwood realizes he has to unravel this
mystery, and fast, or find himself paying the ultimate price for crimes he may
not have committed
While I can’t comment on the story itself since I haven’t yet read Reaper: Ghost Target, several of today’s biggest thriller writers have already blurbed the book–read what they said below.
“You couldn’t ask for a better writing team―from the strategic to the tactical―the experiences of both authors bleed through on every page, the authenticity ripped straight from a battlefield after action report. Reaper: Ghost Target starts with a crack, and hits on all cylinders.” ―Brad Taylor, New York Times bestselling author of Operator Down
“From Nicholas Irving and A.J. Tata―two guys who have walked the walk and definitely know how to talk the talk. Reaper: Ghost Target is impossible to put down.” ―Marc Cameron, New York Times bestselling author of the Jericho Quinn series and author of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan novels
“Ghost Target by Nicholas Irving and A.J. Tata is a kinetic and elaborate page-turner; rich with detail and blazing with action, it’s one hell of a wild ride. Vick Harwood is a bigger-than-life hero thriller fans will love.” ―Mark Greaney, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Gunmetal Gray
And finally, check out the book trailer, posted by Irving on his verifying Twitter account.
“Think “Jason Bourne meets Bob Lee Swagger” “get ready for one hell of a read!””
–@BradThor #1#NYTbestsellingauthor https://t.co/bbimFwWl3L pic.twitter.com/A3gz4yFuzY— Nicholas Irving (@irving_nicholas) September 18, 2017
Readers who are anxious to meet Vick “The Reaper” Harwood can pre-order Irving and Tata’s book here, or anywhere else books are sold.