Note from Ryan Steck, The Real Book Spy: For obvious reasons, I couldn’t review my new book, Out For Blood, on my own website. Thankfully, I haven’t needed to after receiving incredible support from #1 New York Times bestselling authors Brad Thor (“Bigger, better, and more badass than ever before, Matthew Redd is back . . . You’re about to be taken for one hell of a ride!”) and Jack Carr (“Packed with intense, hard-hitting action, Out for Blood reaffirms Ryan Steck’s prowess in the thriller genre.”), two of my writing idols. Much like last year, though, when Jack Stewart wrote a guest review of Lethal Range, I again reached out to another really talented writer I admire to see if they might be willing to check out what Matthew Redd is up to in this book. Thankfully, not only was T.R. Hendricks willing to give Out For Blood a read, but he also took the time to write a review, which you can read below. If you’re not familiar with Hendricks’ work, he burst onto the thriller scene last year with his lights-out debut, The Instructor, a story that completely blew me away. Hendricks’ second book, The Infiltrator, which returns his hero, Derek Harrington—a retired Marine Warrant Officer and SERE instructor—comes out on April 23, 2024. And yes, it’s amazing! You can see my full review soon right here on TRBS, but let me just say this . . . pre-order your copy right away! Special thanks to T.R. Hendricks for taking the time to read and review Out For Blood. I am so thrilled you enjoyed it. To everyone else, I can’t wait to share this story with you when it comes out on June 4th! Oh, and FYI—for a limited printing, every hardcover copy of Out For Blood will be signed by me, no matter where you buy it from. Not only that, but the hardcovers will also have a bonus novella printed in the back of the book. So, pre-order now to make sure you can get one while supplies last!
Relentless.
If there was one word that came to mind again and again throughout my read of Ryan Steck’s Out For Blood, the third installment in his masterful Matthew Redd series, it was that. Relentless. In what is the conclusion of the current story arc (worry not, reader, Redd is destined to return), Steck crafts with precision a climactic finish to his inaugural trilogy.
With Out For Blood, everything that has preceded Redd’s recent adventures now culminates in a furious, no-holds-barred delivery. The story is relentless in pace as you leap from one adrenaline-filled page to the next. Relentless in action, as you are thrown into the midst of epic clashes, whether they be a sophisticated terrorist attack on an international airport, hand-to-hand combat in the Montana wilderness, or a blistering firefight in the streets of a quaint, ranching town. Relentless in its immersion, where you are fully enveloped in the tale that Steck has woven around you. With every interaction I could not only envision the setting, meticulously described in great detail, but also experience with all my other senses that which was leaping off the page. The bone-chilling cold of the winter tempest that relentlessly hammers Redd and his pursuers permeated my bones. I felt the numbness of my fingers. The saturation of the snow. The bite of the sub-zero winds.
Bullets cracked and whistled as they streaked by my head. My ears rang with the burst of flashbang grenades. I felt the concussive force of an explosion wash over me, only to be subjected to the heat of the flames a moment later. I tasted the dust that sifted down from the ceiling of Steck’s Alamo (a battle that in and of itself simply cannot be missed) as it mixed with the scents of carbon and spent gunpowder.
Truly, thriller fans will find all that they love in Out For Blood. In addition to the remarkable pace and action, all of the elements that draw us to these novels are there and then some. Conspiracy and intrigue. Devious plots and assassinations. It is a showcase of man vs. man, man vs. nature, and, in my opinion, most poignantly—man vs. himself.
It’s in this final tenet that I found Steck’s character evolution of Redd at its most impactful. Yes, there is honor in sacrificing oneself for the greater good, especially when that greater good is the safety of your family. Likewise, there is an inherent honor and admiration for someone who continuously overcomes not only the situation they find themself in but their own physical limitations through sheer force of mind and will. But what I truly loved about Redd’s internal battle was how he relented to his self-imposed isolation.
Finally realizing that he simply cannot overcome such overwhelming odds on his own, Redd (albeit reluctantly at times) achieves his greatest internal victory. By accepting the help and support of those around him, of those whom he loves and strives to protect, Redd realizes an all-important lesson that rang home as I read it. We’re stronger together than we are apart. That the insurmountable is considerably less so when your friends and family are by your side. That going it alone, while seemingly the most noble, may, in fact, be the exact thing that puts those same loved ones in the greatest danger. This, in my mind, was Redd’s ultimate achievement.
In closing, prepare yourself for a full-gallop charge through the storm, one in which you will find yourself relentlessly engrossed. Out For Blood is an achievement, and I can’t wait to see what Steck delivers to us next.
Book Details
Author: Ryan Steck
Series: Matthew Redd #3
Pages: 464 (Hardcover)
ISBN: 1496485971
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
Release Date: June 4, 2024
The Infiltrator by T.R. Hendricks
T. R. Hendricks’s Derek Harrington returns in The Infiltrator, an adventure of man vs wild―and the domestic terrorists hidden there.
One year after the clash with his former students in upstate New York, retired Marine Warrant Officer and SERE instructor Derek Harrington is the tip of the FBI’s spear in their mission to eradicate the domestic terrorist group known as Autumn’s Tithe. After several successful operations, intelligence points to one final camp in the remote Kentucky wilderness, and Derek prepares to take down Autumn’s Tithe for good.
At the same time ex-FBI Special Agent Hannah Kittle, or Sarah as she is known to the group, devises a plan to meet Derek and her one-time Bureau colleagues head on. Yet her benefactor’s faith in Sarah’s ability to lead Autumn’s Tithe is waning, and other plans are being enacted. Knowing full well what it means for her should those plans succeed where she has failed, Sarah will stop at nothing to see that she is the victor.
As the competing agendas unravel, events place Derek and Sarah on a collision course, setting the stage for a confrontation that will bring Autumn’s Tithe right to Derek’s doorstep.
Praised as “One of the hardest working, most thoughtful, and fairest reviewers out there” by 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 is building a growing community on Twitch. His debut thriller, FIELDS OF FIRE, which #1 New York Times bestselling author Jack Carr says “will leave you speechless and begging for more,” is now available. His second novel, LETHAL RANGE, is also in bookstores, and his third book, OUT FOR BLOOD, comes out on June 4th. For more information, be sure to follow him on Twitter and Facebook. To interact with other readers and talk about your favorite books and authors, join The Real Book Spy’s Discord server.