The Last Refuge

By: Martin Roy Hill

Narrated by: Tim Danko

Iraq, 1991: Operation Desert Storm. In a terrible friendly fire incident, a U.S. helicopter massacres a small convoy of American MPs. Among the dead: a mysterious American civilian engineer discovered by the soldiers behind enemy lines.

San Diego, CA, 1993: A freelance journalist is hired to research a story about a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the dead engineer's widow against the government and the defense contractor which employed him but the government insists there is no lawsuit, and the contractor claims the engineer did not work for them. And someone is willing to kill to keep it that way.

Peter Brandt, the war-scarred journalist from Empty Places, returns in this story of greed, betrayal, and government secrets. With federal agents, foreign spies, and shady covert operatives standing in his way, Peter discovers patriotism is often the last refuge for those whose motives are far from patriotic. Can Peter expose the truth without becoming another victim of the wartime tragedy?

©2016 Martin Roy Hill (P)2019 Martin Roy Hill

Gripping Conspiracy Tale

I received this book for free. I am voluntarily posting this review and all opinions expressed herein are my own.

This is the second book in the Peter Brandt Thriller series. It is a standalone book and no cliffhanger ending. It has numerous references to characters and events from the first book was "Empty Places" but you do not have to have read the previous book to understand the events in this book. The author graciously provides a quick summary of the prior events. You can start with this book but I would recommend starting with the first book so that you can better understand Peter Brandt's character and how the events which occurred in "Empty Places" affect his life and his actions in this book.

This book occurs in the early nineties, when Saddam Hussein was in power in Iraq and the United States was involved in Operation Desert Storm. Peter Brandt is writing a story about a wrongful death lawsuit related to the death of an American engineer during Desert Storm. Problem is, everyone from the government to the engineers employer is denying it all and Peter is having trouble finding evidence of what actually occurred.

This is a story of political intrigue, governmental conspiracies, and a murder mystery not an action adventure story. While Brandt does get involved in some action sequences, he mostly uses his experience and his wits to find sources he can trust to get the answers on what really happened to the American engineer and to keep himself alive while he discovers the truth behind the conspiracy to cover everything up. Peter Brandt is a great character - he is seriously flawed and scarred, both physically and mentally, but he is sharp, head-strong, and charismatic. The mystery is well-crafted and has several unexpected twists. This is a great sequel and am looking forward to more adventures with Peter Brandt.

The narrator, Tim Danko, is perfectly suited to this story. He has a great tenor voice which embodies exactly as I would imagine the battle-scarred Peter Brandt.

Riveting Thriller

Once I started listening to this audiobook, I had to continue until the end of the story. I really liked the scarred character of Peter Brandt, the freelance journalist. The story was convoluted and complex. I like that the author has taken actual historical events and weaved a very creative tale around them. Tim Danko's narration was entertaining and kept my attention. I was given a free copy of the audiobook, and I have voluntarily posted this review.