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Formats
Ebook Details
  • 04/2016
  • B01EEW0C02
  • 444 pages
  • $5.99
Paperback Details
  • 04/2016
  • 978-0991476428
  • 444 pages
  • $15.99
Michael Lewis
Author
Veil of Deception
What if the company building America's most expensive weapons system was secretly owned by one of our enemies? For years, Air Force Captain Jason Conrad flew and instructed in the supersonic T-38. Despite his decline into a self-destructive lifestyle, he was considered one of the best instructors on the base. Following a terrifying jet crash, Jason finds himself on a very short list of people on their way out the door. It is a surprise to everyone when he is assigned to the home of the U.S. Air Force Flight Test Center. Jason should have known that in a ‘one mistake Air Force’ where you ‘do more with less’, everything would not be what it appears. Attached to a secret project with a shadowy contractor, Jason is caught between two complications; an overbearing, retired general determined to see him fail; and an aggressive television reporter who wants him in prison. When a ghost from the past shows up and a beautiful, yet mysterious woman enters his life, Jason soon discovers his special project has more secrets than anyone knows about . . . and it could cost him his life.
Reviews
BestThrillers.com Book Review

The Bottom Line: This supremely satisfying military thriller hits all the right notes while establishing Lewis among the best in the genre. Highly recommended.

The new F-2000 fighter jet is the most secretive project the Air Force has developed since the B-2 bomber. Featuring advanced stealth capability, vertical takeoff/landing and RPA, the ability to fly the aircraft remotely in the event that the pilot becomes incapacitated, the plane is slated to be a game changer for American air superiority. All is well with the F-2000’s tests in the Mojave Desert until the RPA contractor discloses that the sale isn’t necessarily a done deal. Unless their price is met, technology may be sold to a group from Saudi Arabia.

But why exactly are the Saudis interested in remote piloting technology? That depends on who you ask.

Meanwhile in Florida, New York Times investigative reporter Sherri Davis narrowly escapes from a small arms attack, and in Manhattan, she meets an informant who tells of a group of Saudis traveling to the Mojave Desert just moments before being gunned down in the street. Sherri’s quest for truth soon leads her to the Mojave, where she goes undercover. There she meets F-2000 pilot Jason Conrad, whom fans of Lewis’ first book will remember fondly. Can she earn Jason’s trust in time to discover the truth and avert disaster? 

We hear a lot about “post-9/11 fiction” in relation to the thriller genre, but Lewis has taken a huge risk by setting Veil of Deception several months before the attack, ending the book’s final chapter on September 10, 2001. It's a gamble that pays off handsomely, as the dangers and technologies depicted in the book feel both fresh and relevant.

With his second novel, Lewis proves to be a master puzzle maker. The opening chapters give equal attention to several seemingly disparate characters and plot lines - each of them fully engrossing in and of themselves - before fusing them into a cohesive story that is impossible to put down.

As with Surly Bonds, Lewis’ experience as a combat pilot in Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan pays off with a remarkable dogfight. Such authentically written scenes set Lewis apart from his peers. With no disrespect to the talented ghostwriters that continue to write for the late authors Tom Clancy, Vince Flynn and Robert Ludlum, it’s time that genre fans stand up and pay attention to one of the most talented living writers in the genre today.

 

--Bella Wright, BestThrillers.com

Manhattan Book Review

You save an influential politician seeking a run for the presidency from Russian assassins and ultimately find out he is your father and then the love of your life disappears. You would think that is enough excitement and drama to last a lifetime. That is not the case for Jason Conrad. In Veil of Deception, bad luck, lies, and corruption seem to follow him wherever he goes. When a routine practice flight goes horribly wrong and he and a trainer pilot have to eject as their plane crashes, he figures his career is all but done. Especially since television reporter Dane Robinson is quick to jump on the story, set on killing Conrad’s career. However, instead of a reprimand and dismissal from duty, he is called to Edwards Air Force Base to help test a simulator that will ultimately help with the creation of a new age fighter jet referred to as the F2000 that is being created by a private Chinese run company, TRENCOR, and the Department of Defense (DOD). Uprooted from Oklahoma and set to be moved to California in less than two weeks he receives an unexpected visit before he leaves from old flame, Kathy Delgato, who mysteriously walked out of his life all those years ago. Her arrival is strange and sends off signals but he takes her back. As he settles into his new surroundings he is met with more questions than answers about the people he meets, why he is there and what exactly is going on with this top secret project. A chance run in with investigative reporter, Sherri Davis, who has her own information and theories convinces Conrad that all is not what it seems. As all the pieces begin to come together and information comes to light about money, people, companies and agendas involved in this F2000 project Conrad and Davis end up joining forces to stop a possible disaster. However, at the end of the day, with so many dirty hands in the pot, who survives the fallout?

Michael Byars Lewis created a fast paced military thriller with twists and turns that will hook a variety of readers. His use of military acronyms, brings a sense of real life to this fictional joy ride that flies full throttle until the very end. The characters are well developed and while there are a lot to keep track of, their importance is made apparent and adds to the story’s overall impact. A fly by the seat of your pants page turner and not to be missed.

“At what cost?”

Reviewed By Amy Synoracki

San Francisco Book Review

Pilot Jason Conrad thought he’d put all the intrigue and scandal behind him. For years, he’d kept his nose clean as an instructor at Vance Air Force Base, doing what he loved to do: fly. But the past has a long memory, and soon Jason finds himself thrust back into the middle of something much larger—and darker—than he ever anticipated.

First, there’s the accidental crash of his jet, which brings the attention of a nosy conspiracy-minded reporter with Jason in his crosshairs. And out of nowhere, Jason is recruited for a top-secret piloting gig, just as the love of his life reappears years after her disappearance.

As soon as Jason arrives for his new assignment, things grow even more complicated. The love of his life isn’t the woman he remembers, he’s caught between a lusty fellow pilot and a condescending commanding officer. To make matters worse, his new job makes less sense every day. When people connected to the project—and the shady contractor behind it—begin disappearing, Jason’s not sure who to trust. It’s a high-stakes game of cat and mouse, but with potentially global consequences.

Veil of Deception is a military thriller, but far from your average military thriller. First off, our hero is no master soldier or one-man wrecking crew. Jason is a pretty average guy with one particular skill: he’s a damn good pilot. That everyman quality serves him well, making him a more accessible character for the reader to get behind. There’s genuine tension when Jason is in a bad spot, because he’s not Jack Reacher or Batman or a member of Seal Team 6 . . . he’s a guy in over his head. Except with the girls, as Jason always has multiple women gunning for his attention.

In fact, in many ways, Veil of Deception bucks the trends of the military thriller genre. Sure, there’s plenty of tech-speak and military jargon, and the action sequences—particularly the dogfight and piloting scenes—are loaded with topnotch descriptions that clearly reflect the  author’s familiarity with both the tech and the experiences. However, this is no mere “Yay America, boo foreigners!” jingoistic claptrap.

There’s a very real undercurrent of judgement about military oversight and government spending—much of the plot hinges on these two factors—and it’s interesting to see the bad guys exploit those weaknesses so blatantly. Lewis practically makes the U.S. government a collaborator in its own destruction here. That was a surprising and very intriguing touch that added a lot to what, in a lesser author’s hands, could have been a humdrum conspiracy plot.

That level of detail and forethought serves Lewis well here, as the motivations of virtually every character make sense, and there’s none of the plot-necessity character-breaking storytelling that many thrillers fall into. Characters are manipulated, but by other characters, not the author. That’s an important difference.

Although I was a little disappointed by how quickly—and undeservingly—some of the major players in the novel were written out, for the most part, I enjoyed the read, and I was impressed by Lewis setting the novel in the year 2001, but never exploiting 9/11 itself for cheap drama.

Lewis set up quite a tightrope to walk with Veil of Deception, and with relatively few wobbles, he makes it to the other side with style.

Reviewed by Glenn Dallas

News
05/06/2016
VEIL OF DECEPTION Gold Medal Winner!

Veil of Deception is a Gold Medal Winner in the 2016 National Indie Excellence Awards in the Military Fiction Category!

Formats
Ebook Details
  • 04/2016
  • B01EEW0C02
  • 444 pages
  • $5.99
Paperback Details
  • 04/2016
  • 978-0991476428
  • 444 pages
  • $15.99
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