RYAN DRAKE

Full Name:	Ryan Drake
Nationality:	British
Organization:	CIA
Occupation	Agent

Creator:	Will Jordan
Time Span:	2012 - 2020

ABOUT THE SERIES

       Ryan Drake is an agent with the CIA.
       Drake is also British which makes him quite a rarity in the Agency and sometimes the subject of suspicion if not actual hostility. The UK might be the US's closest ally but it was not the US so why was a British citizen employed by one of America's most secretive organization - that was a question asked on more than one occasion.
       His unusual situation in the CIA was not made any better by his role with the Company. Drake was a leader with a Special Investigation Team, a "small but prolific sub-unit of Special Activities Division formed to investigate, track down, and, if possible, bring home missing CIA operatives." On the one hand, if you went missing through no fault of your own, chances were that Drake's team or one like it would try to rescue you. That was a good thing. The other hand said, though, that if you left on your own but without permission, they would hunt you down, a not-so-good thing.
       They were called the Shepherds and there were six team leaders of them. Each leader could pull his or her people from pool of agents but by and large the teams were set through experience and confidence. Drake had his list of those he trusted and those he didn't.
       Drake came to the CIA through his involvement in Afghanistan. Now in his late 30's, Drake had joined the British military in the mid 90's. He was a part of the Parachute Regiment for a couple of years before being accepted in the prestigious SAS. With them he did two tours of combat including a highly classified Operation Hydra.
       He had earned two commendations for his bravery. He then did something he still does not like thinking about, let alone talking of. A court martial ensued followed by a dishonorable dischage. Then came the unusual offer of a job with the CIA and, desperately needing something to grab onto, he took it.
       As the series begins, Drake has been in his job of Shepherd leader for four years. He is very good at it but the dark cloud still hangs over him, at least in his mind.

BOOKS

Number of Books:	9
First Appearance:	2012
Last Appearance:	2020


1			Redemption Written by Will Jordan Copyright: 2012 The job of rescuing a female CIA agent held prisoner is a very difficult mission for Ryan Drake but the fallout of being successful will find Drake on the run with the woman as his own people hunt them both.

2			Sacrifice Written by Will Jordan Copyright: 2013 The CIA team known as Shepherd, headed by Ryan Drake, are sent into Afghanistan to rescue a senior agent shot down there but the group known for saving others must save themselves when a warlord takes a dislike to them.

3			Betrayal Written by Will Jordan Copyright: 2014 The Russian FSB squad attacked in D.C. was targeted by the woman that Ryan Drake had once helped. Since he cannot believe she would have been so vicious, he is determined to find out the truth.

4			Black List Written by Will Jordan Copyright: 2015 Computer hacker Alex Yates reluctantly accepts a lucrative assignment to hack into the CIA's system and steal a file called the Black List. Doing so will get a lot of people on a couple of sides out after him.

5			Deception Game Written by Will Jordan Copyright: 2016 With his personal life in a mess, Ryan Drake has to return to England. There he is presented with the chance to take down his nemesis but to get the help, he needs to go to Libya and grab a high-ranking intelligence officer.

6			Ghost Target Written by Will Jordan Copyright: 2016 Ryan Drake is now wanted for treason and all the CIA is out for his blood. To get his life back, or at least some revenge, Drake must turn to one of his most deadly foes for help.

7			Shadow Conflict Written by Will Jordan Copyright: 2017 Just when you thought things could not get worse, for Ryan Drake they do. He is a prisoner of the treacherous Deputy Director of the CIA at a black site - naked and freezing. He would be dead except his nemesis needs information on Anya and so Drake has one use - bait.

8			Downfall Written by Will Jordan Copyright: 2019 Wanted as enemies of the state and hunted by numerous agencies, Ryan Drake and his team are in hiding. Then a CIA agent who was one of those going after Drake is killed in a car bomb attack and Drake learns that someone using his name is claiming responsibility.

9			Something To Die For Written by Will Jordan Copyright: 2020 It looks like the corrupt head of the CIA has about won and is soon to take the reins of power of the country. Ryan Drake wants to lie low but a message from his recently deceased mother puts him and his sister Jessica on the trail of another mystery. Meanwhile, his sometime ally, Anya, is on her own mission making new enemies along the way.

NOVELLAS AND SHORT STORIES

Number of Stories:	2
First Appearance:	2016
Last Appearance:	2018


1			Second Chances Written by Will Jordan Copyright: 2016 Olivia Mitchell was supposed to kill her target but she chose not to and now she is being hunted. Ryan Drake would prefer she not be caught.

2			Trial By Fire Written by Will Jordan Copyright: 2018 The new kid in the group is Keira Frost and while she is not new to the service having a tour already in her record, she has not been in the group long. Unfortunately, her history of insubordination came with her and that might get her and others killed.

MY COMMENTS

       I really like this series. It has good solid plots, believable and understandable characters, terrific pacing, and very good writing. Dialogue is crisp and realistic. Descriptions quickly paint the picture for any scene without slowing down the action, something quite challenging.
       The author chose to make the hero someone worthy of that title but still fallible. Ryan Drake routinely opts to do the right thing and sometimes pays a price for it but is still good enough to choose right the next time as well. What makes it so enjoyable to read about him is to watch him wonder if maybe this one time he can choose to walk away from a problem all the while knowing that he cannot stop being who he is.
       Adding to the enjoyment of the series are a cadre of support characters that you quickly get to know and either like or dislike. The reader gets the feeling that no one in the storyline is certain to get eliminated or is anyone sure to survive. That is hard to pull off and the author succeeds.
       I am hooked on Ryan Drake and will be a follower for some time.

GRADE

My Grade: A

Your Average Grade: A+

YOUR OPINIONS

Tdonoghue	A+	2017-10-24	Phenomenal series, but I’ll admit that after the first 3 books it has gone a little downhill. The first book Redemption is perhaps one of the best debut novels I have ever read!

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