The Raid (Ryan Decker, 2) Paperback – October 8, 2019

Continuing where The Rescue left off, The Raid is the second book in the Ryan Decker series. You do need to read The Rescue in order to know exactly what is going on in this novel.Steven Konkoly is a master when it comes to military/thriller based novels, and this one is no different. It appears that some folks took issue with the amount of "foul language" in The Rescue, based on reviews, which caused them to give lower starred ratings. Apparently, these folks have never been in the military, been around military, nor ever been in any situation similar to Decker and Company. Oh fudge, just doesn't cut it.However, because Konkoly is such an awesome guy, he did cut back on the language quite a bit in this novel. It's there, but it is quite reduced. To remain true to the "former" military life, there are still witty, smart-assed comebacks and nicknames to make your day, if you're into that kind of thing; and this reviewer is. KILLER BEE is nowhere near as funny as the previous call sign guys, just saying.Getting back to the story, it's fantastic. There are some spit-your-drink-out one liners, a tiny bit of romance (don't worry guys and gals, it won't make you gag), thrills and chills to keep your heart pumping, and the patented dry humor between Decker and Pierce that hopefully, you've come to expect and love.If you're disappointed, honestly, I don't know what to tell you.Decker and his team are back, this time, investigating what may be human trafficking at the US/Mexico border. Border Patrol agents, on regular patrol, happen across something they are not meant to see; in a military exclusion zone where they are not supposed to be. What appears to be immigrants, crossing the border, except, they aren't Hispanic. They are European children. The agents are murdered, and the bunker in the area is blown to pieces immediately. One agent manages to get out one last transmission that is heard over the agency frequency. This information gets to Senator Steele, who you'll recognize from The Rescue. Anything related to possible human trafficking is an automatic investigation for Steele, and involving Decker and his team is a no-brainer.But with the border, and trafficking, nothing is what it seems. Harcourt, a player from the original novel, and nemesis extraordinaire for Decker and Steele, may be involved. The stakes are higher than anyone could imagine. Decker and his team must play their cards right, and use everything at their disposal, including all that Senator Steele can offer them, in order to make it through whatever lies ahead.If intense action, suspense, conspiracy, fire fights, and thrills are your favorite type of books then this is the series for you.

Though The Raid by Steven Konkoly is not technically my kind of book, I found this novel very entertaining. The incremental parts of the book: the dirty politicians, the military, the black ops guys made for an interesting contrast with the good guys of each category. I liked the action though I’m not into guns or weapons of any kind. I was able to wade through the weapon technology while latching hold of the plot involving the American military’s cooperation with the Mexican cartel.I think what held my attention was the right amount of action with good guy characters. The female mercenaries were both strong and intelligent fighting for a worthwhile cause, holding their own against bad guy mercenaries who kill whole families for sport.This Konkoly novel rates a solid 4.

I really enjoyed this second book, it moved along well. I did listen to the audio version while on a trip and while trying to come up with different voices to match the characters, having some with normal volume then having a female voice or the voice of Reeves be so much lower in volume makes for difficulty in hearing the dialogue. If you have the volume set for the normal voices, you can barely hear Reeves.

Great development of characters and integration into the story. It moved along seamlessly and another great story. Looking forward to more. I recommend.

The book kept you intent and focused on the building action in the book. I also liked the development of the story between the 2 main characters.

Action packed from the start, I love the detail Konkoly uses to bring you into the action. I feel like I'm right there with Decker and Pierce as they navigate through unfathomable situations with Harlow and her team. This series has me hooked. Cheers to 2.5 pounds!

This book didn’t keep me up at night trying to finish. I listened to the audible part and it lost me at times. But a good finish to the story

Very nice development of the characters. The romance did not get in the way of the story and actually added a nice touch. The action was a little easier to anticipate than the first book but any reader that likes action stories will like this story.