Unknown Rider

Battle Born, Book 1

De: Jack Stewart

Narrado por: Ray Porter

After a Navy pilot inexplicably loses control of his stealth fighter, he stumbles upon a global conspiracy, and embarks on a thrilling chase filled with espionage and betrayal.

“A high-octane and adrenaline-powered thriller… Strap in and hold on!”–Jack Carr, Former Navy SEAL sniper and #1 New York Times bestselling author of the James Reece Terminal List series

TOP GUN instructor Colt Bancroft has just catapulted off the USS Abraham Lincoln, his F-35C Joint Strike Fighter trailing blue and yellow flame as he climbs into the night sky off the California coast.

When he is sent to investigate a series of mysterious lights floating dangerously close to his aircraft carrier, disaster strikes. His jet becomes unresponsive as it rolls inverted and enters a nosedive aimed right at the aircraft carrier’s unsuspecting escort cruiser…

What follows is a tale of heroism and betrayal, spycraft and suspense, and aerial combat against an unexpected adversary.

To clear his name and unmask a traitor, Colt must survive a dangerous game of spy-vs-spy, where trusting the wrong person could cost him his life. To stop the enemy from hitting their ultimate target, Colt must use every ounce of his skill and training…and uncover the identity of the UNKNOWN RIDER.

From author Jack Stewart, a former US Navy Top Gun instructor pilot, comes an exhilarating military thriller that’s packed with high-octane action and puts the listener behind the controls of a modern jet fighter. Perfect for fans of Tom Clancy and Dale Brown.

©2023 Jack Stewart (P)2023 Severn River Publishing

Great Naval Aviation Research and Keeps You Hooked

Very well researched novel, Ray Porter is great as always. The story is very interesting and keeps you hooked. Looking forward to book two when its out.

Fantastic listen

I downloaded Unknown Rider two days ago trying to space the listen over a week. Finished already Jack is a talented writer, paired with the legendary Ray Porter narrating couldn’t stop listening.

Great book!

Great story and characters! Ray Porter is one of the best narrators out there, I’d listen to him all day!

Great pace and focus

Still a good story in today's world. I am looking forward to reading more

Immersive and entertaining

Loved this book! Jack Stewart is in the same league as Jack Carr and Mark Greaney! Awesome writing with great detail and pacing. Really enjoyed the CA settings have been to most of the places. It felt very immersive. Ray Porter is incredible and helps bring the book to another level!

Love Ray Porter’s narration

Slow start, but wow, when it turned the corner, it was full of steam ahead!

Solid Techno-Thriller

The core plot of this book is covert action by Chinese agents against the US, in particular, the US Navy. There are two co-protagonists, a Navy fighter pilot affected by the Chinese plot and an NCIS agent who is trying to hunt down a junior sailor who has been turned by the Chinese.

The Navy characters are quite good, a reflection of the author's service as a career naval officer. They act and react nearly always like naval officers would in similar situations. The naval enlisted personnel are seen almost entirely through the eyes of naval officers, so the flaws in their portrayal really only show up when no officers are present. In those situations, they tend toward caricatures, but those situations are quite rare.

I don't quite buy the NCIS agent; who has both an improbable background (pilot, water polo star, martial artist, sport driver, ....) and seems not to handle physically stressful situations consistently. Similarly, the experienced FBI agent seems to have very uneven capabilities.

The main plot required that I strain my suspension of disbelief quite a bit, in that the most basic level of communication between field personnel and their command structure or ordinary prudence could have pretty easily short-circuited much of the action.

Once you accept the fundamental unlikeliness of the plot, though, the writing is great fun. The writing of action sequences is quite good, giving me a real feel for what the author is intending. Neither side of the competition has a monopoly on either good or bad luck or on good or bad choices. And the technical details (as one could expect) are spot on (within the restrictions of classification).

Even though this book has its flaws, it was quite entertaining to read. With the strengths the author has in what seems to be his first book, I expect other books in the series to be very good. Recommended.

A good first out

This is a standard story about spies attacking the US and a joint operation between different military branches to fight it. It is fast paced with little to get in the way of the plot. Good villains and a good cast of good guys after them. If you like fast jets, navy missiles and secretive, lethal spys, this book is for you. The narration is very good and it keeps the story moving along and the listener engaged.

Very technical

Interesting plot, but the technical aspects of the story are hard to follow for people who are not technically savvy

Making the unbelievable believable.

Well laid out story, with good characters. Some white knuckle moments where I felt like I was in the cockpit of a JSF!