JOHN BARRONE

Full Name:	John Barrone
Nationality:	American
Organization:	Code Name Project
Occupation	Agent

Creator:	William W. Johnstone
Time Span:	2000 - 2003

ABOUT THE SERIES

John Barrone is an agent for the CNP.

That acronym stands for the Code Name Project. This organization was founded by a collection of billionaires who felt a more effective force was needed to defend freedom. In their eyes, the various governmental agencies were too bloated or too inept or too busy with building and maintaining its own empire that the real work that needed to get done was either ignored or sloppily handled. The CNP was their answer, paid for and guided by them alone.

He is not only one of the agents, he heads an elite team of agents from numerous branches of Intelligence and law enforcement, each like him now hired by the CNP.

Barrone was a CIA agent for twenty-two years before he was approached by the CNP to head the group. Most of that time had been in the field in a variety of countries around the world performing a large variety of tasks. During that time he had earned a solid reputation as a man who got things done and as a natural leader of men. It was for both reasons that he was chosen to head the new group.

The other members of the CNP team came from the FBI, IRS, NSA, BATF, Border Patrol, and LAPD. There were nine more in addition to Barrone, ten agents chosen because they excelled at what they did and what they did was needed by the CNP if it hoped to be effective. Though he did not pick the other members, he was responsible was honing their skills and their attitudes until they worked as a team.

Once ready, they would be given assignments that took them around the world, striking at the nation's enemies before those enemies could strike again.

BOOKS

Number of Books:	7
First Appearance:	2000
Last Appearance:	2003


1			Code Name: Payback Written by William W. Johnstone Copyright: 2000 The group that Barrone leads is set up at the start of this adventure and immediately sets out on its first assignment. Word of the arrival on the West Coast of a band of terrorists set the team to find out where they are and what they are up to. There is little known except that there is to be a tremendous attack against America until Barrone's people can stop them.

2			Code Name: Survival Written by William W. Johnstone Copyright: 2000 An ultra-violent group of racists is starting its own brand of race purification and will certainly start a national race war unless Barrone and his group can find out who's behind the group and how to stop their brand of lunacy.

3			Code Name: Death Written by William W. Johnstone Copyright: 2001 The death of a teenage prostitute would not have sparked any response from Barrone and his group except for the fact that she was the granddaughter of one of the billionaire backers of the strike force. Her murder in a disgusting snuff film sets the force out to break an international pornography ring that is headed by a man Barrone has hated for 20 years.

4			Code Name: Coldfire Written by William W. Johnstone Copyright: 2002 The word is that someone has smuggled a highly destructive thermal-nuclear bomb into the United States and plans to make a heckuva statement. The trouble for Barrone and his people is there is no clue as to who or why. Is it the far-leftist Oppressed Brotherhood or the far-rightist Freedom Nation that is behind the danger? To find out, the strike force must infiltrate both sides hoping to get a glimmer.

5			Code Name: Quickstrike Written by William W. Johnstone Copyright: 2003 Barrone is in the building using the men's rom when the terrorists takeover of the skycraper starts. Rescuing the billionairs who were the target of the attack turns out to be just the beginning of the action.

6			Code Name: Extreme Prejudice Written by William W. Johnstone Copyright: 2003 A powerful drug lord, angered that his business is constantly being harrassed by the government, makes a deal with foreign entities: they supply him with heroin to sell on the streets and he attacks America from within.

7			Code Name: Kill Zone Written by William W. Johnstone Copyright: 2003 A powerful Cali cocaine kingpin has seceded the section of Columnbia he rules, creating a new nation of Pangea. As other nations ponder whether to acknowledge it, Barrone is sent to destroy the new leader.

MY COMMENTS

Mostly paramilitary in nature, the series nevertheless deserves a place here as many of the teammates, including Barrone, were former spies and much of the work they do was in conjunction with the spy agencies.

Mr. Johnstone was a master at the action adventure genre and he continued that expertise in this fast-paced series. The agenst of the Code Name Project seem a bit stereotypical but maybe they are meant to be because they represent people from all over, people who are recognizable as our neighbors, but with a bit more attitude. They are certainly fun enough to keep you reading.

I am sure that Mr. Johnstone would have continued the series for some time but he passed away in 2004 leaving not only 7 books in the John Barrone series but over 200 other books to enjoy. The man could write!

GRADE

My Grade: B-

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