JACK CODY

Full Name:	Jack Cody
Series Name:	Cody's War
Nationality:	American
Organization:	CIA
Occupation	Agent

Creator:	Stephen Mertz
Time Span:	2019 - 2023

ABOUT THE SERIES

Jack Cody is an agent with the CIA.

He is described as "a big man, well-proportioned and ruggedly build, with thick black hair that was just beginning to turn gray at the temples". He was also said to possess "cold lifeless eyes" as though Cody had been "touched by Death itself and yet the man still somehow continued to keep breathing".

Some of those who know him think he has a death wish, going so far as to nickname him Suicide Cody and this is borne out in the fact that part of his recent "contract" with the government for his renewed services was that he only be given missions which were deemed suicidal. Which presents a fascinating dichotomy. Death is not something he explicitly sought for if he did he would just let one of the many people shooting at him during a mission have another try rather than be put down as Cody so aptly does. Implicitly, however, he continually takes these impossible missions because should he fail, he would be with his beloved Susan and their kids. Putting proof to all this is the fact as stated in the first recorded adventure after having just narrowly avoided dying while accomplishing his mission, "for Cody, there remained only one unfulfilled objected. He was still alive."

Cody is very, very good at what he does which is take the fight to the enemy and putting them down. "Cody had been famous in the ranks even before the tragedy that had changed him. Tours of military duty in the Middle East and every other hotspot you could name. Former Navy SEAL. Jack Cody had become a legend in his own time, rising through the ranks with such distinction as to become point man in the field in the President's war against terrorism. Then. . .it happened."

The "it" was the murder of his wife and children at the hands of terrorists and the subsequent breakdown of the man as he reeled from the tragedy. He did not stay down, however. He got up again and went to war. Cody's War.

"Privately but using classified government resources, he hunted down and executed every one of the terrorists responsible for their deaths. Every step was so professional and methodical, it didn't come out until after it was over because then he fell apart. Placed on administrative leave. And restored to active service only after extensive counseling, time off and after passing a battery of tests to prove that he was fully recovered, healed and ready to return to work."

"Enlisted after high school and became an Army Ranger. Served all over the Middle East. Tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was The President's Man for my three predecessors who sat behind this desk. He's as well-known in this office as he's unknown to the general public." Those words were spoken by the current President when describing why he was insisting on Cody being used in a mission.

It might be that the President understood that while Cody would welcome death, he would take a many of the enemy with him as he could.

BOOKS

Number of Books:	9
First Appearance:	2019
Last Appearance:	2023


1			Dragonfire! Written by Stephen Mertz Copyright: 2019 The Chinese physicist, Dr. Kwan, creator of a new horrific weapon that could change the balance of power, wants to defect. It is the job of Jack Cody to pull it off but as he starts on the mission, tensions between China and the U.S. heat up as does turmoil back in Beijing.

2			Camp David Has Fallen! Written by Stephen Mertz Copyright: 2019 Next to the White House, Camp David, the Presidential retreat, is considered one of the safest place in the country. That is why the location was chosen for a summit between the U.S. and Israel. But the lauded defenses have been breached by a highly trained and equipped team of terrorist assassins. Jack Cody may be the only hope for both leaders and their families.

3			The Fires Of Allah Written by Stephen Mertz Copyright: 2019 Jack Cody was in serious need of time off to recover from the horrific recent events but life was not that kind. Russian nuclear weapons have been stolen and the question of who has them, American Nazis or Islamic terrorists, must be answered and the weapons taken.

4			Day Of Reckoning Written by Stephen Mertz Copyright: 2019 The best friend of Jack Cody's late wife, Sara Durell, is missing while on a secret mission in Afghanistan. Cody flies in to help her but the two soon find themselves without help or backup - forced to head across a desert with lots of people wanting them dead.

5			The Last Refuge Written by Stephen Mertz Copyright: 2019 The crazed Elkins clan were always troublemakers. Never more than when they decided to hit the small town near the Mexican border when the President and First Lady were making a quick visit to pay homage to an old political friend. The President is taken hostage. Jack Cody was finally getting better and no longer considered "Suicide Cody" when his services are again needed.

6			Cody's Return Written by Stephen Mertz Copyright: 2022 Book One in the Justice Trilogy. After a horrific mission, Jack Cody wants to return to DC for some rest and quality time with his lover and CIA handler, Sara Durrell. He will not get either as two different foreign hit teams cause major trouble in the streets of the capital. Durrell lands in the hospital. A Russian nuke dealer comes to town. And an Arab princess has gone missing.

7			Lethal Assault Written by Stephen Mertz Copyright: 2022 Book Two in the Justice Trilogy. "Cody’s missions as top American agent, 'the President’s man', have seen him tackle terrorists, drug lords and international assassins. But nothing - nothing -could prepare him for the potent alliance of evil created when General Greb Vetrov teamed up with Thelma Justice."

8			Final Strike Written by Stephen Mertz Copyright: 2022 Book Three in the Justice Trilogy. "The fuse can’t burn any shorter. An insane media megastar, Thelma Justice, and her power-hungry lover, a Russian nuclear arms dealer, are close to unleashing hell on earth. CIA field agents Jack Cody and Sara Durrell have gone rogue. On the run, operating without official sanction, they’re the only two people on earth with any chance of preventing a mad scheme of imminent global destruction. But now their own country is after them!"

9			Afghanistan Payback Written by Stephen Mertz Copyright: 2022 "When the US government learns that a handful of American military personnel may have been left behind [in Afghanistan] and are being held prisoner by a cruel Taliban warlord somewhere in that godforsaken country, nothing can stop the man they call Suicide Cody from launching a one-man dark-op mission to locate their people and bring them home . . . or die trying!"

10			Hellfire In Syria Written by Stephen Mertz Copyright: 2023 "CIA field agents Jack “Suicide” Cody and Sara Durell are handed a simple but dangerous as hell mission to locate and rescue an American woman and her son who have been kidnapped by terrorists, whose goal is to prevent a ranking Syrian diplomat from defecting. But with a country ravaged by natural disaster and a dozen years of bloody, unending war, their “dangerous” mission quickly veers towards the impossible. Especially when a remote US Army outpost—the intended staging area for the mission defended by 50 Marines—becomes threatened by an unknown force of 500 mercenaries armed with tanks and rocket launchers. Good thing Suicide Cody and Sara don’t know the meaning of the word surrender and are hellbent on making this mission a fight to the death."

MY COMMENTS

There are a good number of authors whose name on the cover immediately lets you know what you are going to get. Stephen Mertz is one such writer and what you get is lots and lots of solid action, fascinating characters, thrilling plotlines, and, did I mention action?

I have been a big fan of Mr. Mertz's books for several decades now and the man never let me down in all those years. He maintains that level with this latest series and I couldn't be more thrilled. I bought the first in the series and was only halfway through it when I went online and preordered the next two just to make sure I did not forget about them.

I do not know how long he will let Cody survive before giving him the chance to rejoin his family but I hope it will be more than the three I know about. If, however, there are not, I know when the end finally comes, it will be with style. And a lot of action.

GRADE

My Grade: A-

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