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What Others Are Saying
About R.J. Patterson
“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.”
- 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
Two Minutes to Midnight
Against All Odds
Any Means Necessary
Vengeance
Code Red
A Deadly Force
Divide and Conquer
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
A DEADLY FORCE
A Brady Hawk Thriller
R.J. PATTERSON
For Jerry, a good friend,
and even better husband and father
CHAPTER 1
Dubai, UAE
BRADY HAWK SMOOTHED both lapels on his jacket and then adjusted his pocket square. Standing behind the coat check counter in the Burj Al Arab Jumeirah hotel restaurant was the perfect location to eye every guest. It was also the best place to nab Max Littleton’s thumb drive full of dangerous secrets. Hawk smiled and nodded at Littleton as he entered the dining area, hoping to catch his attention.
All the intel on Littleton showed that the former Colton Industries engineer was a meticulous man as well as a creature of habit. The CIA put Littleton under surveillance several months earlier when he reportedly absconded with some of his company’s top prototype weapon designs. Even worse, he planned to sell them to Russian arms dealer Andrei Orlovsky. However, instead of detaining Littleton, the agency decided to see what he would do with the information.
Littleton always checked his blazers when he entered restaurants. And he always kept his flash drive in his inside coat pocket. Several of the CIA reports highlighted how Littleton’s carelessness with such a prized possession made him vulnerable, exposing his amateurism in the world of espionage. But one agent contradicted those conclusions, surmising that Littleton feared getting arrested in public with the stolen information in his possession and that checking his coat was a way to keep the device but not get caught with it.
Whether Littleton was sloppy or cautious, Hawk was positioned to take advantage of the move, ready to swap out the flash drive without the engineer suspecting anything.
“Good evening, sir,” Hawk said. “May I take your coat?”
Littleton tilted his head down and peered over the top of his dark-rimmed glasses. “Not today. Thank you.”
Hawk nodded and forced a smile. “Enjoy your dinner, sir.”
Littleton shuffled over toward the hostess out of earshot before Hawk spoke.
“You’re not gonna believe this,” Hawk said into his coms. “Littleton refused to give me his coat.”
“That’s a first,” said Tim Carson, Hawk’s onsite partner from the CIA.
“It’s also why we always have a plan B,” said Alex, Hawk’s wife and handler. “I thought you would’ve learned that by now.”
“But plan A was so easy,” Hawk said. “For once I’d like one of our ops to run smoothly.”
“Where’s the fun in that?” Carson asked. “Besides, if you made the simple switch, I’d be dressed in this janitor’s uniform for nothing.”
“Just hang tight and keep your fingers crossed,” Hawk said. “If all goes well, I’ll be guiding the asset in your direction momentarily.”
Hawk strode over to the bar and asked for a glass of wine, suggesting that he was helping out one of the other servers. Despite a wary glance from the bartender, he poured a drink for Hawk, who promptly placed it on a tray and meandered across the room toward Littleton.
“I’m approaching the target now,” Hawk said. “Wish me luck.”
“If you can’t land a wine glass in a man’s lap, this mission is going nowhere fast,” Alex said.
“I make no apologies about preferring to shoot a man from a half-mile away,” Hawk
