CAL MARTIN

       Cal 'Spectre' Martin is an agent with Project Archangel.
       He will be as the series progresses though he is not at the very beginning of the first recorded adventure. He will be for a fair amount of time and then he will not be anymore. In other words, Martin, like most people, will have career changes. His will be rather abrupt and not always with his blessing, though.
       Martin was an F-16 pilot during the wars in Iraq. It was there he was given the nickname of 'Spectre'. He had already served one full tour in country and was on his second rotation when an incident occurred and Martin found himself grounded being told he would never fly a fighter again.
       It would be while coming to grips with that news that Project Archangel would come to call. That was an operation put together by an agency that refused to be identified because the operations of the Project were totally off-book. It will be for this group that Martin's second career would begin and he would again put his life in danger over and over again.
       Project Archangel was "comprised of former pilots and Special Operations Forces members from all services". Its leader, a senior officer nicknamed Ironman, "reported directly to the Secretary of Defense. Officially, they were Department of Defense contractors. Unofficially, they were the SECDEF's go-to unit when the President needed plausible deniability in matters involving delicate foreign relations. Specializing in self-sustained surgical strike and counterterrorism operations, the group could be deployed anywhere in the world without a need for U.S. Military air or ground support. In fact, Project Archangel was best known for its ability to provide its own Close Air Support and Airborne Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance." With its own fleet of fighter jets, and Blackhawk helicopters, Reaper Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, and much more, Project Archangel employed some of the best combat pilots in the world."
       One of those pilots was Martin. In the air he was one of the best. He had to learn quickly that Project Archangel also put their people into action on the ground so being able to take care of himself outside the cockpit was also vital. He had those skills.

       This series is a hoot for aerial enthusiasts as well as spy fans. Now, I am not one of the former, being quite happy to remain low on the ground, but I was surprised and pleased at how well I took to the descriptions of events happening up in the sky at crazy speeds. And then there is the ton of action taking place on the ground (where I feel safe?).
       The author, C. W. Lemoine, definitely knows how to put together an action sequence to keep the excitement going and yet put you right in the midst of it. He is a heckuva talent.