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What Others Are Saying
About R.J. Patterson
“R.J.’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
“R.J. 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 R.J. 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 R.J. 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. R.J. 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, R.J. 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 R.J. Patterson
Brady Hawk series
First Strike
Deep Cover
Point of Impact
Full Blast
Target Zero
Fury
State of Play
Seige
Seek and Destroy
Into the Shadows
Hard Target
No Way Out
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
Dead to Rights
Dead End
James Flynn Thriller series
The Warren Omissions
Imminent Threat
The Cooper Affair
Seeds of War
SIEGE
A Brady Hawk Thriller
R.J. PATTERSON
For Dave Mondt, a fiercely
loyal friend and a great American
CHAPTER 1
Istanbul, Turkey
BRADY HAWK TUGGED HIS PANTS LEG down and smoothed it out, better disguising the knife holster strapped around his ankle. With a gun tucked in the belt behind his back, he put on his jacket and grabbed the stack of laundered clothes scheduled for delivery to Ahmet Polat. A well-placed asset within The Chamber, Polat had reported to Blunt for several years before the agency became the target of the U.S. government instead of serving as a more discreet approach to handling terrorists. However, Polat was in danger.
Two weeks prior, Polat went to meet with his handler in a local park when he was gunned down at midday. Women and children scurried away in search of cover as the handler’s bullet-riddled body slumped to the ground. Polat had yet to make visual contact and give the signal to initiate the exchange, something he was relieved never happened after observing the carnage. He spun on his heels and hustled in the opposite direction, hoping he never again crossed paths with the people who created chaos in the park, obviously unconcerned with making a scene as long as they hit the target.
There were secondary and tertiary protocols in the event of a breach in the pipeline. Polat still possessed valuable information that needed to be passed on, yet all he could do was wait for the next set of procedures to be activated. According to Blunt, patience wasn’t one of Polat’s stronger virtues, and the Firestorm chief feared if time dragged on without any contact, Polat might miss the window to pass on what he’d learned and ultimately pay a steep price. Blunt determined not to let either of those hypotheticals become reality and sent Hawk to Istanbul to see if he could salvage the situation.
Hawk stepped out of the back of the truck and went through the motions of locking it up. But it was an act in case he was being watched by either street thugs or one of The Chamber’s spies. Giving every indication that he was nothing more than a delivery man dropping off dry cleaned suits, Hawk kept his head down as he marched up the steps to Polat’s second-story apartment. But when Hawk knocked on the door, it opened farther with each thump from his fist.
Hawk pushed his glasses up on his nose.
“It appears to be open,” Hawk whispered.
Listening in on his channel were his handler, Alex Duncan, and the newest member of the Firestorm team, Shane Samuels.
“Do not go in, Hawk,” Samuels said. “I repeat: Do not go in. Protocol dictates we abandon all attempts to make contact.”
Forget protocol.
“Hello?” Hawk said as he ventured inside. “Mr. Polat? Are you home?”
“What was
