ZEB CARTER

Full Name:	Zeb Carter
Nationality:	American
Organization:	The Agency
Occupation	Agent

Creator:	Ty Patterson
Time Span:	2012 - 2020

ABOUT THE SERIES

       Zeb Carter is an agent with the Agency.
       This small government organization is not to be confused with the CIA, also known often as the Agency. It is run by a sharp and dangerous woman named Clare who holds the 'nebulous' title of Director of Strategy, a person who put together the department to 'undertake exothermic missions that no other Special Ops or deep black ops agency in the country's defense and intelligence setup could or would undertake'. By exotermic she means high risk and/or high danger and all with the need for total deniability should something go wrong. It often means doing things which are officially illegal, like taking out a foreign head of state, or super-secret, like retrieving biological weapons that should not even exist.
       Apparently the Agency had at one time been a bit larger than it currently is but when Clare was handed the reins, she overhauled it to make it totally deniable and that meant a good deal smaller; the smaller the footprint, the harder to trace it. That does not mean, however, that she does not carry a considerable amount of power in the intelligence community because taking on assignments other do not want often means amassing a good deal of favors as well as a reputation for getting positive results.
       Chief among those getting those results is Zeb Carter, a man she met through a close college friend. Having dinner with that friend one night, she observed a man who was waiting outside the establishment who 'seemed to become part of the street'. The friend told her that man was her brother, a 'superhero'. After she learned more about him by looking into the official files on him, she began to agree with the description. Carter had been Special Forces for many years before leaving and working a short while as a mercenary then becoming a security consultant. Carter worked within his own set of rules which included never going against women or children or taking on work that went against his country's best interest.
       When Clare first approached Carter to work for her, he surprised with by turning it down but then counteroffering. He and his select group of associates would be available for any job she might have but would also be free to take on other clients to keep sharp and to maintain their independence and their deniability. Her acceptance was, she always considered, one of her best decisions.
       Carter is extremely taciturn and seldom smiles. Having lost a wife and child years before, he is highly reluctant to get romantically close to anyone but he has gathered a close band of friends, each highly gifted in the 'security' work and each as devoted to Carter as he is to them. Carter by himself is almost unbeatable. With his friends, he is dynamite.

BOOKS

Number of Books:	23
First Appearance:	2012
Last Appearance:	2020

The Zeb Carter series really consists of two stages. The first is named the Warrior series by the author and deals with the main character, Zeb Carter, as well as his several friends and fellow warriors. The second is the Zeb Carter Thriller which focus, it seems, largely on Carter himself.
Also quite connected to this character is the Gemini series about Beth and Meghan Petersen, twins who met up early with Zeb Carter and have remained close ever since but who also have their own activities, though Carter often steps in to help.


1			The Warrior Written by Ty Patterson Copyright: 2012 The mercenaries made the mistake of raping and slaughtering in a Congo village when Zeb Carter was near. He could not save everyone but he killed a couple of them and then went on the hunt for the rest. When they went home to America, so did he.

2			The Reluctant Warrior Written by Ty Patterson Copyright: 2012 Broker is an expert at intelligence gathering. The mole in the NYPD is an expert at staying hidden. When the former goes after the later, there will be battle.

3			The Warrior Code Written by Ty Patterson Copyright: 2012 Zeb Carter could have let the Peterson twins fend for themselves when trouble called in Wyoming. It wasn't his fight. But then he would not have been Zeb Carter and he would have missed meeting a pretty amazing pair of fellow warriors.

4			The Warrior Debt Written by Ty Patterson Copyright: 2012 The psycho enjoyed the name the media gave him - BBK or the Baseball Bat Killer. It fit because he was a killer and he loved to use a baseball bat. Then Zeb Carter and team started hunting him in New York and things got really interesting.

5			Flay Written by Ty Patterson Copyright: 2015 The killer liked to do horrific things to his female victims and he had been doing them for some time without anyone realizing. Then the two young children of one of his victims walk into Jeb Carter's office and ask for help finding their mom's killer.

6			Dividing Zero Written by Ty Patterson Copyright: 2015 Book 1 in the Gemini series. At first the case seemed a matter of domestic violence but as the Gemini twins, Beth and Meghan Petersen, get deeper into the trouble they find a much deeper problem. An international financial crime is underway and the twins are up against a dangerous opponent.

7			Behind You Written by Ty Patterson Copyright: 2015 The female journalist would not give up. Even after they raped her. She kept digging. So they killed her. And buried her where no one would find her. Zeb Carter did. By accident. So they went after him. Bad move.

8			Hunting You Written by Ty Patterson Copyright: 2015 When the armed intruders broke into Hank's home and accosted him and his family, they wanted the answer to a question and if Hank did not come up with the answer, his family would die. Unfortunately, Hank really does not know.

9			Zero Written by Ty Patterson Copyright: 2015 Zeb Carter was just having lunch in a DC hotel restaurant when armed assailants attack the place and take everyone hostage. They do not want money. They make no demands. They just seem determined to kill. They did not know about Carter.

10			Death Club Written by Ty Patterson Copyright: 2016 Zeb Carter seems to have a knack for finding dead bodies and he does it again while hiking through the Oregon desert. He learns the hard way that the deceased had been an unwilling participant in a Death Club and to find out more to put a stop to it, Carter decides to offer himself.

11			Trigger Break Written by Ty Patterson Copyright: 2016 The wife of an intelligence chief wants to ask Zeb Carter for help but is murdered before she can get to him. As he starts to look into the matter, another wife of an intelligence chief is killed. Now Carter is determined to find out who and what.

12			Defending Cain Written by Ty Patterson Copyright: 2017 Book 2 in the Gemini series. The parents of a long-missing woman have not given up hope for answers and they hire the Gemini twins, Beth and Meghan, to look into the case where a serial killer named Cain is the chief suspect. The job will take them across the country and up against a vicious murderer.

13			Scorched Earth Written by Ty Patterson Copyright: 2017 Two friends of Zeb Carter, the Gemini twins Beth and Meghan Petersen, have been kidnapped. Carter knows they were snatched to get at him. Now he has even more reason to go after them and nothing, not even war-torn Syria, is going to stop him.

14			I Am Missing Written by Ty Patterson Copyright: 2017 Book 3 in the Gemini series. Cole Patten is the billionaire CEO of a corporation who walks into the offices of the Gemini twins, Beth and Meghan Petersen, and tells them, "I am missing. Find me." Even though they have no interest in helping the rich and powerful, there is no way the two could pass up such an intriguing case.

15			Run! Written by Ty Patterson Copyright: 2017 Once again Zeb Carter is on a vacation in the mountains, this time Idaho, when he comes across a young woman being hunted. Once again he does what he does and goes to her rescue. Unfortunately, those after her have teamed up with a Mexican drug cartel for help. Getting out alive just got a lot harder.

16			Wrecking Team Written by Ty Patterson Copyright: 2018 Book 4 in the Gemini series. The Gemini twins are hired to protect Angie and to find who is behind the attacks on her life. The list could be quite long because her father is a rich man with lots of enemies and she is best described as a brat with her own share of enemies.

17			Zeb Carter Written by Ty Patterson Copyright: 2018 Book 1 in the Zeb Carter Thrillers subseries - Three American soldiers are being held by a Taliban warlord and all attempts to free them have failed. Zeb Carter decides to try.

18			The Peace Killers Written by Ty Patterson Copyright: 2018 Book 2 in the Zeb Carter Thrillers subseries - Palestinian peace negotiators are assassinated in Jerusalem and Mossad is being blamed. To learn who really did it, Zeb Carter must tackle a good number of opponents, including some very impressive kidon.

19			Burn Rate Written by Ty Patterson Copyright: 2018 Book 3 in the Zeb Carter Thrillers subseries - The terrorists were in New York to attack the G20 summit there. Zeb Carter was there to stop them. So was an old enemy who knew how Carter operated and how to best counter him.

20			Terror Written by Ty Patterson Copyright: 2019 Book 4 in the Zeb Carter Thrillers subseries - A series of terrorist attacks around the globe look like individual acts but are really a part of a single plan. Zeb Carter is asked to find who is behind them and stop them.

21			Traitor Written by Ty Patterson Copyright: 2019 Book 5 in the Zeb Carter Thrillers subseries - While in Libya going after one of the worst terrorists, Zeb Carter learns that back home evidence has been found showing he is a traitor and now he is the hunted.

22			Zero Dark Written by Ty Patterson Copyright: 2020 Book 6 in the Zeb Carter Thrillers subseries - A whole lot of people want Zeb Carter dead and they have come for him to see it down. The Chinese Ministry of State Security. The Iranian Revolutionary Guards. Russian Secret Intelligence. They came to New York City to find him at the same time the U.S. President was addressing the nation.

23			Incoming Written by Ty Patterson Copyright: 2020 Book 7 in the Zeb Carter Thrillers subseries - Though Zeb Carter was able to stop the greatest terrorist attack yet against the US, the mastermind behind it has a horrific Plan B and Carter knows he must keep fighting.

NOVELLAS AND SHORT STORIES

Number of Stories:	7
First Appearance:	2016
Last Appearance:	2020


1			Zulu Hour Written by Ty Patterson Copyright: 2016 Set before The Warrior, this tells of the time that Zeb Carter as a Delta operative serving in Somalia, came up against one of the nastiest killers he had yet to meet, a warlord named Jama.

2			The Watcher Written by Ty Patterson Copyright: 2016 Set before The Warrior, in Cape Town, Zeb Carter is the Watcher, a man who seems to sit in a park all day doing nothing. That's when an 11-year old boy robs from him to pay off a gang. Now the boy has two problems - the gang and Carter.

3			The Shadow Written by Ty Patterson Copyright: 2016 Set before The Warrior, Bear, one of Zeb Carter's closest friends, is hired as a bodyguard to keep a star witness alive to testify. His problem is the witness really wants to die.

4			The Man From Congo Written by Ty Patterson Copyright: 2017 Bwana Kayembe is a highly trained Special Forces operative who has seen a lot and done a lot. So, unfortunately, is the Russian he is going up against in a mission to Siberia.

5			The Texan Written by Ty Patterson Copyright: 2017 Only a very special occasion could force Roger Feardon to go back to his home town in Texas. That is a good thing because there are a few people who do want him to ever leave - alive.

6			The Heavies Written by Ty Patterson Copyright: 2017 Bwana and Roger, vacationing in Hollywood, had no interest in getting into the movies but when a big name star pushes for just that, they learn that the Mob is interested in them staying out.

7			The Cab Driver Written by Ty Patterson Copyright: 2017 As a cab driver in New York, the man had seen or heard just about everything. Then two women get into his cab and suddenly he is in the adventure of his life.

8			Staccato Written by Ty Patterson Copyright: 2020 Book 1 in the Zeb Carter Short Story series. Zeb Carter was leaving a coffee shop he frequented when a shooter opened fire on the other customers, killing several and injuring more before escaping. Since Carter knew some of the victims, he is not content to just let the authorities handle it.

MY COMMENTS

       I was reluctant to start my comments with the fact that Zeb Carter is too good to be believed because that invariably would be taken as a negative and I would not want it that way. He is too good ... but that is what makes the series so darn fun. All of his people are. Really, really good and certain to take down the bad guys and win the day. But then just about any series would end up with the hero(es) winning so either that person is either very lucky or the baddie is very lousy or the hero is darn good.
       That all is a rambling way of saying to be prepared for Carter being a wee bit more resourceful than you might expect and just enjoy the daylights out of the series. Carter will make a mistake here or there and will invariably get the tar kicked out of him as a result but you know he is going to get his own back two or three fold and you just have a hard time waiting for the payback.
       And then there are his associates who each deserve their own books but then that would mean not having Carter in it and that would not be as much fun. These friends are really, really good and a hoot to follow and add so much to the series. But Carter is the main draw without a doubt.

       I read the first book because that is what I do before reporting on it. It ended a tad unexpectedly (to say the least) and I just had to read the second to find out what happened next. Then the third and fourth and fifth and ... you get the idea. Meanwhile there was many other series just waiting to be read and I would grimace at the rising pile of books and move on to the next Carter adventure.
       Almost an addiction.
       But the good kind.

GRADE

My Grade: A-

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