Point of No Return: First in the Jack Copeland series

When U.S. Ambassador Charles Alden is violently abducted in Sierra Leone, the delicate balance of global diplomacy shatters. Behind the chaos is Hassan Bah, a ruthless warlord orchestrating a deadly campaign against American interests. But the deeper threat lies in whispers of Firestorm-a covert plan that could ignite destruction across Africa. Jack Copeland, CIA's most lethal operator, is pulled from his training mission and thrust into a race against time. With his elite team, including the enigmatic CIA asset Blackthorn, Copeland must hunt Bah through the dense jungles and treacherous battlegrounds of West Africa. But the mission spirals into darker territory when they uncover a traitor within their own ranks-and a deadly alliance that could redefine global terrorism. As the clock ticks down and alliances blur, Copeland faces impossible odds. But failure isn't an option. Not when the life of an ambassador, the stability of a nation, and the survival of his team hang by a thread. In a world where trust is fragile and betrayal deadly, one man must navigate the shadows to stop a catastrophe. Intense. Gripping. Unrelenting. This is espionage at its finest.

About the Author :
Ethan Ross has a vast wealth of knowledge and experience within the Close Protection (CP) sector and has provided CP to the Foreign Office and assignments at NATO, Cyprus and during the first Gulf War. He is currently Head of Protective Security Detail Operations in the United Kingdom

Review :
Point of No Return is Ethan Ross's first book in the Jack Copeland series and it's where the reader first meets Jack Copeland and his sidekick, Elisabeth Young. The book is pacy and engaging and immediately captures the reader's attention. The action bursts from the very first pages and the pace remains taut and relentless. The immediacy of the scenes and the well-written tension draws the audience in a world of military ops and espionage against the backdrop of geopolitical conflict. Ross cleverly manages the prologue, making it especially effective as he sets a tense and foreboding atmosphere while he introduces the reader to the narrative's key players. The scenes played out in Dar es Salaam, Washington D.C. and Nairobi lay the groundwork of the tale. Jack Copeland is a decisive, compelling, well-trained operative and in his role as protagonist, he shoulders the weight of the story. Not only does he have experience and tactical intelligence, but he also has underlying emotional depth. His initial reluctance to return to the world of covert operations demonstrates the complexity of his character, which makes his decision to re-enter the fray very much more significant. Secondary characters such as President Slater, David Reynolds of M16, and his task force members are written authentically and clearly reflect the relationships and power dynamics behind elite intelligence ops. The other members of Copeland's operations force are well-drawn, and the reader immediately roots for a favourable outcome for them all. The author's obvious knowledge of covert ops, world events, terrorism in the form of Al-Qaeda and Hezbollah, for example, and espionage seamlessly draw the plot out and seamlessly transition between perspectives and operations. This lends the tale a sense of immediacy amid the unfolding crisis. All the action sequences are superbly crafted, with the author's knowledge of weapons, special ops and tactics adding a sense of realism and absolute credibility to the story. Another aspect that really stands out is the global scope of this novel. This tale spans many locations, from the rugged terrain of Tora Bora to the high-powered corridors of the White House. This shows us how conversant the author is with such locations because he describes them all very realistically and draws out the very atmosphere of each locale in such a way that it immerses the reader in those places. Point of No Return is a well-executed military action espionage novel bound to endear all readers to the author and to the lead character. Once readers have finished this novel they will be eagerly awaiting the next Ethan Ross thriller. Colleen Figg -Professional freelance editor and reviewer