Get ready, because the Spy Devils are gearing up for another adventure . . . and this time, there’s said to be more action than ever before.
Following the events of The Spy Devils (2021), Trowbridge ‘Bridger’ Hall is set to return and once more lead his team of super spies in Rebellious Son, the highly-anticipated follow-up from author Joe Goldberg, and Book Spy readers are getting an exclusive first look at the striking cover art.
Bridger and his Spy Devils are back doing what they do best – hunting and exposing terrorists, criminals, and foreign intelligence operations. That changes when bomb-laden drones kill drug traffickers in Europe. The evidence points toward Specter known as “The Bombmaker,” the infamous terrorist who was thought to be long retired.
When a dying Wes Henslow, the aged founder of CIA’s counterterrorism center learns his nemesis is active again he asks Bridger to help him find the only terrorist that alluded him during his long career. Bridger agrees, but May, his mother, and CIA handler, orders Bridger not to help her old friend.
Puzzled, Bridger ignores her constant pressure and a relentless international game of cat and mouse begins that leads them through Yemen, Israel, Libya, and across Europe. Specter’s deadly bomb spree continues and Bridger’s urgency increases as he discovers Specter may have access to radioactive materials. What Bridger doesn’t count on is the Spy Devils being hunted themselves.
Battling drug traffickers, foreign intelligence services, and themselves, Bridger’s decisions will determine who will live or die . . .
REBELLIOUS SON is the second novel in the award-winning THE SPY DEVILS series. Filled with pulse-pounding action and an insider’s knowledge of espionage, it will keep readers guessing to the very end.
“Espionage is about relationships. Relationships will always fuel the ideas within my books. I sought to capture these personal bonds in SECRET WARS and then THE SPY DEVILS,” said Goldberg in exclusive comments to The Real Book Spy. “In REBELLIOUS SON, I’m trying to pay homage to the people in my life for their support. My mentors. My parents. A “thank you” espionage thriller book, in a way. I started with those relationships and then worked in the action.“
“This may seem like a ridiculous theme in the era of action thrillers,” the author added, further explaining, “but I dare anyone to say that they haven’t had a parent, mentor, family, or friend they wouldn’t drop everything to help. Bridger and the Spy Devils are doing that in this book. I built around the idea of a dying old spy looking, hoping, needing to get that one last chance to play the espionage game. Would you help? How far would you go? How about an aging parent? Then mix those relationships with action, terrorism, drones, narcotics trafficking, money laundering, and a whole range of emotions, and you get REBELLIOUS SON.”
It’s exactly that brew of espionage writing that has led to Goldberg’s last book holding a 4.4 (out of 5-stars) rating on Amazon, and why his fans can’t wait to get their hands on the next thriller in the series.
One of the most underrated series out there, Goldberg’s work is known to be more rooted in realism than over-the-top scenarios, while touching on relationships and how those might be impacted by the job at hand. That’s not to say there isn’t action, though, and in fact, some of the best action scenes from last year took place within the pages of The Spy Devils.
Asked to explain who and what the Spy Devils are to readers who might not have discovered his work yet, Goldberg broke it all down, saying, “The original concept came from slamming together my CIA propaganda background with my years in corporate intelligence at Motorola. What happens when someone gets caught up in those worlds? Who would come to help? The Spy Devils.
“Led by Bridger, the Spy Devils are a usual collection of covert espionage experts outside the traditional CIA structure. Bridger formed them to hunt foreign intelligence operations and international criminals. Usually, they eliminate these targets by posting videos on social media that go viral. Interestingly, their posts have made Bridger and the team world-famous. One point of tension is Bridger’s trainer and CIA connection is his mother. She is an intelligence legend who raised him only to become her unique independent intelligence weapon.
“Many ask me if Bridger and the Spy Devils are based on “real” people. Bridger did write the forward to THE SPY DEVILS and is doing the same for REBELLIOUS SON. I leave “real” to the reader’s “truth is stranger than fiction” imagination.”
While there isn’t an exact pub date for Rebellious Son just yet, we’ll have that information available soon—along with pre-order links and another author interview—so make sure to check back for updates
Praised as “One of the hardest working, most thoughtful, and fairest reviewers out there” by #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Scottoline, Ryan Steck has “quickly established himself as the authority on mysteries and thrillers” (Author A.J. Tata). Steck also works full-time as a freelance editor and co-hosts the ThrillerTalk podcast. His debut thriller, FIELDS OF FIRE, comes out on September 6, 2022. For more information, be sure to follow him on Twitter and Facebook.