Click on cover image to purchase a copy
MWSA Review
Redcon One is a fast-moving military thriller. Author Galen Peterson definitely knows how to draw the reader into a story. When China makes a move to take over the Spratley Islands, a brief confrontation with a small number of US military members results in the Chinese military publicly executing several US officers by firing squad. When they stream this to the world, the US is forced to react. Wanting to keep the response limited, Captain Scott Jansen and his armored company are sent to join a similarly small number of marines to retake two very small, adjacent islands.
The island of Fiery Cross is where Captain Jansen lands and where the main story is set. It is also where the author excels in raising the level of suspense and vividly describes the combat. Up against attack after attack from the Chinese, the author brings the reader into the mind of Captain Jansen. Wounded and seeing several of his team members killed, Jansen fights not only the Chinese but his own mind and body to continue to lead.
This is a good read that I recommend to anyone who likes a good thriller, and especially to readers of good combat fiction.
Review by Bob Doerr (February 2025)
Author's Synopsis
The world order teeters on the brink of war as China flexes its military might in the South China Sea. With events spiraling toward a crisis, Captain Scott Jansen and his tankers and mechanized infantry of Team Knight are suddenly thrust into the mission of the rapid deployment Global Response Force, ready to deploy in ninety-six hours.
When the balloon goes up, Scott and his team find themselves at the tip of the spear in unfamiliar circumstances against a determined and resourceful enemy. Team Knight joins the Marines in an amphibious landing on the claustrophobic island of Fiery Cross Reef, deep into enemy waters.
Isolated and with nowhere to run, Scott must harness all of his courage and creativity to seize Fiery Cross and save as many of his soldiers as possible. But when the Chinese attacks are too perfect, too targeted, not everyone will survive…
Format(s) for review: Paper and Kindle
Review Genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime
Number of Pages: 288
Word Count: 91,000