The Greek Gambit

Fast-paced, action-packed, and brimful of both suspense and intrigue, Charles A. Salter’s The Greek Gambit, the first book in his Nuke Response Team Alpha series, is a rip-roaring international thriller that whisks readers along on a life-or-death race to thwart a potentially earth-shattering terrorist plot.

As the head of the U.S. Nuclear Response Team, Colonel Blake Hunter is well accustomed to rushing head first into danger at only a moment’s notice and well aware of how danger can be lurking in the most unlikely of places. However, not even he could have anticipated becoming embroiled in a far-reaching conspiracy while enjoying a family vacation in the peaceful village of Oia on the island of Santorini, Greece.

Still, the Hunter family’s much-needed break is brought to a sudden end when wife Mia’s bag is snatched. Hunter immediately gives chase to the thief, but when he corners the kid in what appears to be a small shop, he finds himself confronted by a gun-toting bruiser who looks like a pro wrestler and a sinister man in a white suit. The pair warn that Hunter won’t see his family again unless he does a job for them in Corfu in thirty-six hours, a job involving a deadly hyperbaric plasma sphere.

While Hunter’s strength and advanced military training—to say nothing of the tactics he has taught his family—mean that they are all able to escape this initial danger, he still has to get to the bottom of the terrorists’ plot, especially as it seems that radiation generated by the elusive sphere is already causing major health problems on the East Coast of the United States. Fortunately, Hunter and his crack team are no strangers to dealing with nuclear threats, and they are willing to do whatever it takes to contain the danger.

The Greek Gambit is an explosive techno-thriller that highlights the significant peril posed by unchecked technological development, greed, and ideology. As the conspiracies, lies, and double-crosses come thick and fast, a feeling of nail-biting tension and a serious sense of danger permeate the story, which are cleverly enhanced by the many well-written and scarily plausible action sequences. The character of Colonel Hunter also adds to the realism and excitement of the story, as he’s an archetypal action hero with all the knowledge and skills necessary to save the day.

Packed with thrills, spills, and nefarious happenings, The Greek Gambit is an exhilarating story from start to finish. It should make a great read for fans of Tom Clancy’s Op-Center series, Vince Flynn’s Mitch Rapp series, and Brad Thor’s Scot Harvath series.