“I’ve been asked many times during the last few months if I was planning to release a short story to give readers a bit of Pike and Jennifer before Daughter of War hits bookstores on January 8th,” wrote New York Times bestselling author Brad Taylor in a newsletter that went out to readers Sunday evening.
“I’m excited to announce that there will be a Taskforce Short Story titled, The Ruins, available on November 20th. Although calling it a short story is a little bit of a misnomer given that it’s the longest “short” I’ve written, at about a quarter length of a novel.
“When my first novel, One Rough Man was released,” continues Taylor, “I caught a lot of flack over the ending because Pike asks Jennifer to help him find the temple her uncle had given his life trying to locate. Several reviewers basically said, “Taylor clearly sets up the next in the series without any intrigue whatsoever.” In truth, by the time One Rough Man was published, I was halfway through All Necessary Force, and the search for the temple was nowhere to be found. I had no intention of writing about the temple in my second novel and just liked ending One Rough Man with the temple quip. Since then, I’ve been asked on multiple occasions what Pike and Jennifer had done to find the temple. So on November 20th, nearly 8 years later, you’ll know the answer.”
Check out the plot details for The Ruins, which is already available for pre-order on Kindle and e-book for just $1.99, below.
Retired Special Forces officer Brad Taylor’s thrilling new short story sets Pike Logan and Jennifer Cahill on a hunt for an ancient Mayan temple and reveals the origin of their archaeological company, the cover for their clandestine work with the Taskforce.
Deep in the Maya Biosphere Reserve, a huge protected tract of rainforest in northern Guatemala, lies the mythical Temple of Priests. Only one man knew of the temple’s location, but he was killed before he could relay the coordinates. Now, newly reinstated Taskforce operator Pike Logan has the grid location of the ruins, and he’s convinced Jennifer Cahill to travel to Guatemala in search of the Mayan temple her uncle died trying to find.
But Pike and Jennifer are not the only ones heading into the rainforest in search of hidden treasure. A Canadian mining company is determined to explore the Biosphere for rare earth metals, even if it means destroying the way of life for local villagers. When they learn that Pike and Jennifer’s impending historical discovery might thwart their plans, it sets the newly minted team on a crash course with a group of men hellbent on getting their hands on the prize, no matter the cost.
Includes an excerpt from Brad Taylor’s latest Pike Logan thriller, Daughter of War.
Few thriller authors have taken care of fans the way Brad Taylor has over the years by constantly treating his readers to new adventures with Pike Logan and Jennifer Cahill. Though he’s no longer cranking out two books a year, Taylor has maintained a schedule that includes one full-length novel, plus a generous short story, both released in a twelve-month cycle.
Daughter of War, which follows Operator Down (released back in January of this month) is another high-octane thriller from Taylor, who continues to top himself year after year. If you still haven’t pre-ordered your copy, I cannot recommend it enough. In the meantime, don’t forget to pick up The Ruins in November, and make to follow Brad Taylor on Facebook and Twitter for more updates!
Praised as “one of today’s finest book reviewers” by New York Times bestselling author Gayle Lynds, Ryan Steck (“The Godfather of the thriller genre” — Ben Coes) has “quickly established himself as the authority on mysteries and thrillers” (Author A.J. Tata). He currently lives in Southwest Michigan with his wife and their six children.