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When Javier Oropeza, Mexico's most powerful drug lord, orchestrates a lethal terrorist attack on a United States-Mexico border crossing in southwestern Texas, the Pentagon unleashes Rage—a deadly super soldier called the Specialist—as part of a highly trained team to defeat him. Meanwhile, Border Patrol Officer Otis Brown survives the attack and suspects that migrant worker Enrique Castillo—who also survived the attack and fled the scene—is a culprit. As Otis tracks down Enrique, he finds that Oropeza, Enrique's uncle, has blackmailed Enrique into working for him. Soon enough, they find themselves deep inside Mexico's crime world, and their paths converge with that of Rage. Together, they must race to stop Oropeza's ruinous future plans.
Lindberg delivers an edgy sequel to Code of Darkness, focusing on Rage's dangerous missions. Somewhat similar to Vincent Keller in Beauty & the Beast, Rage is the result of a government experiment aimed to create super soldiers to destroy enemies. The chapters alternate between the detailed activities of the Mexican Mafia and the counter-strategies of the U.S. Intelligence, while concentrating on Rage's continuous battles with his inner violent beast. Brilliant twists and sturdy supporting characters like Javier Oropeza, the antagonist, Otis Brown, the officer with a noble purpose, and Jack Dunlap, Rage's commanding officer, provide volume to the plot. Readers will experience an adrenaline rush with a story that includes manhunts, traitors, fights, explosions, Rage's superhuman stunts, and an assassination attempt on President Vincennes. It may ultimately fall upon readers to analyze whether Rage has free will or he is simply a dispensable weapon. A stylish, binge-worthy thriller that balances the darkness of a terrorist-infested world with the flawed light of a super soldier destined to save us all.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review