Fallen Angel by Jeff Strueker and Alton Gansky

Major Jeff Struecker (a real life Black Hawk Down veteran) and his award-winning coauthor tell a space-based intelligence story of intense extremes in their new novel, Fallen Angel, named for the "Angel-12" American satellite that is ambushed by China and falls 22,000 miles to land in remote Siberia. U.S. Sgt. Major Eric Moyer and his Special Ops unit are deployed to find Angel-12 and keep its advanced nuclear fuel from enemy hands-and there are many. A Russian shadow government bent on restoring the former USSR pursues the satellite as does the Chinese special forces group that knocked it from the sky. A rash of military and domestic hostage concerns ensues as the stark truth looms: three nations are racing to the satellite, but only one will get there first.

My review:
This is the third book in a series, and is the best so far, in my humble opinion. This is writing at its best. Special ops, suspense, international intrigue, kidnapping.... it just can't get any better than this.

When a book of this type is written by an author who has "been there" and knows what he is talking about when describing military actions and technology, it makes the book all the more enjoyable and believable, and Strueker knows what he is talking about. Add to that the great writing talents of Alton Gansky, and you have a book that is definitely worth reading.

I started reading this book and it didn't take me long to get involved in the story. I didn't want to put it down, but had to for phone calls, etc. I still finished it in one evening. The book was so riveting that I was determined to finish it before I went to bed - and I did.

The book had an excellent, though scary plot. Though the book and the plot are fictional, the fact that countries like China and Russia do want to steal our technology and any secrets we have, is not fictional, and this book brought that fact home.

This book, and the two that precede it, are definitely Christian, though that doesn't come through on every page. Only one member of the team of Special Ops is a Christian, and he isn't "in your face" about it, but the authors still have the message of a sovereign, loving God in the story.

One of the themes explored in the book was the question of how a man can be a Christian and a soldier who kills people to protect our country. The question is never completely resolved, but I am sure there are men in our military who struggle with that, and it was interesting to see that discussed.

I would recommend these books mainly to men. Some women might enjoy them, but these books are about military, special ops, and other themes that are more male-oriented. But no matter who reads them, this series is definitely worth reading.

About the authors:
Chaplain (Captain) Jeff Struecker is a decorated member of the United States Army's most elite fighting corps whose personal experiences in Mogadishu, Somalia, were written about in the New York Times bestseller and major motion picture Black Hawk Down. In thirteen years of active duty, he also fought in Operation Just Cause in Panama and Operation Iris Gold in Kuwait. As a chaplain Jeff has done multiple tours in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom. He uses his personal story of survival on the battlefield to tell others how they, too, can be prepared for any circumstances life may bring. Struecker and his wife, Dawn, have five children, and live in Columbus, Georgia.

Alton Gansky is the author of nine novels, including By My Hands, Distant Memory, A Ship Possessed, and Vanished. Alton holds B.A. and M.A. degrees in Biblical Studies. His first novel, By My Hands, was published in 1996. He lives with his wife Becky in Phelan, California, where he is senior pastor of High Desert Baptist Church. The have twin daughters and a son. You can find out more about Gansky on his web site at http://www.altongansky.com/.


Fallen Angel will be available from Broadmand and Holman Publishing in July, 2011.

Thanks to Broadmand and Holman for the review copy.

Check out the other two books in the series, Certain Jeopardy and Blaze of Glory.