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What Others Are Saying
About Jack Patterson
“Jack’s storytelling feels as natural as James Patterson’s, and the short-chapter setup is the literary answer to Lay’s potato chips: you just want one more and before you know it, you’ve gone through the whole thing.
- David Bashore,The Times-News, Twin Falls, ID
“Jack Patterson does a fantastic job at keeping you engaged and interested. I look forward to more from this talented author.”
- Aaron Patterson, bestselling author of SWEET DREAMS
“Patterson has a mean streak about a mile wide and puts his two main characters through quite a horrible ride, which makes for good reading.”
- Richard D., reader
“Like a John Grisham novel, from the very start I was pulled right into the story and couldn’t put the book down. It was as if I personally knew and cared about what happened to each of the main characters. Every chapter ended with so much excitement and suspense I had to continue to read until I learned how it ended, even though it kept me up until 3:00 A.M.
- Ray F., reader
DEAD SHOT
“Small town life in southern Idaho might seem quaint and idyllic to some. But when local newspaper reporter Cal Murphy begins to uncover a series of strange deaths that are linked to a sticky spider web of deception, the lid on the peaceful town is blown wide open. Told with all the energy and bravado of an old pro, first-timer Jack Patterson hits one out of the park his first time at bat with Dead Shot. It’s that good.”
-Vincent Zandri, bestselling author of THE REMAINS
“You can tell Jack knows what it’s like to live in the newspaper world, but with Dead Shot, he’s proven that he also can write one heck of a murder mystery. With a clever plot and characters you badly want to succeed, he is on his way to becoming a new era James Patterson.”
- Josh Katzowitz,
NFL writer for CBSSports.com
& author of Sid Gillman: Father of the Passing Game
DEAD LINE
“This book kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I didn’t really want to put it down. Jack Patterson has hooked me. I’ll be back for more.”
- Bob Behler
3-time Idaho broadcaster of the year
and play-by-play voice for Boise State football
DEAD IN THE WATER
“In Dead in the Water, Jack Patterson accurately captures the action-packed saga of a what could be a real-life college football scandal. The sordid details will leave readers flipping through the pages as fast as a hurry-up offense.”
- Mark Schlabach,
ESPN college sports columnist and
co-author of Called to Coach
Heisman: The Man Behind the Trophy
Other titles by Jack Patterson
Brady Hawk series
First Strike
Deep Cover
Point of Impact
Full Blast
Target Zero
Fury (coming January 2017)
Cal Murphy Thriller series
Dead Shot
Dead Line
Better off Dead
Dead in the Water
Dead Man's Curve
Dead and Gone
Dead Wrong
Dead Man's Land
Dead Drop
James Flynn Thriller series
The Warren Omissions
Imminent Threat
The Cooper Affair
Seeds of War
TARGET ZERO
A Brady Hawk Thriller
JACK PATTERSON
For Ed, one of the best
men I've ever known
CHAPTER 0
Berbera, Somalia
HAWK FIGURED HE HAD five minutes to live, ten if he was lucky. The rope binding his hands behind his back burned as he slowly twisted his wrists in an effort to break free. The scent of sweat and grease wafted from the gag secured around his head. In front of him, an armed man paced back and forth, eventually shedding his shirt to combat the sweltering heat. Hawk couldn’t wait to remove his own shirt, but first things first: he needed to escape.
Sweat poured down Hawk’s face, stinging his eyes. But the pain wasn’t enough to distract him from the task in front of him. Small but deliberate movements had already started to loosen the rope’s constriction on his hands. Hawk stared at the survival knife dangling from the guard’s belt.
If I can just get my hands on that knife . . .
Hawk noticed at least two sets of feet that flashed by periodically beneath the only door leading into the room. A small elevated window was the only other potential exit point. Hawk thought it would be a tight fit but that he’d still be able to squeeze through the opening to the other side. What was beyond that window, however, was merely a guess.
Hawk had only been conscious for fifteen minutes and awoke in his current position. The armed guard still pacing around the room had ignored all of Hawk’s questions so far. The only time he’d heard the man speak was when another man entered the room and said everything was going to happen in about twenty minutes and to be prepared.
The overhead fan spun steadily but slowly, failing to create much of a breeze. It creaked as it turned. Hawk eyed it cautiously, not because he was annoyed with the noise but because he surmised it could serve another purpose.
Hawk initiated his plan, which started with a gargling noise to get the guard’s attention. The guard marched over to Hawk and glared.
“What do you want?”
Hawk threw his head back and forced out some sound. It was unintelligible in any language, partly by design, partly due to the gag shoved into his mouth.
The guard leaned closer to Hawk. “What did you say?”
Seizing the opportunity, Hawk threw his head back before unleashing a vicious headbutt on the guard, who staggered backward. Hawk rose to his feet, bringing the chair with him. The guard let out a yelp, an obvious effort to attract the other guards’ attention. But the men stationed outside the door never heard him.
Hawk placed one of the legs on top of the man’s throat and sat down. The man struggled to get free, putting his hands
