Dead Man's Hand
Brad Taylor
New York Times bestselling author and former special forces officer Brad Taylor is back with a propulsive and topical edge-of-your-seat thriller featuring Pike Logan as he goes head-to-head with Putin’s henchmen. To finally end the war between their nations, a rogue band of Ukranian partisans known as the Wolves teams up with members of Russia’s military intelligence to assassinate Vladimir Putin. But Putin is aware of the traitors in his midst and assigns the loyal commander of the Russian National Guard to root them out. more
464 pages, Hardcover
First published William Morrow
4.32
Rating
1014
Ratings
83
Reviews
Brad Taylor
44 books 2277 followers
Brad Taylor served for more than twenty-one years in the U.S. Army, retiring in 2010 as a Special Forces Lieutenant colonel. During that time he held numerous infantry and special operations positions, including eight years in 1st Special Forces Operations Detachment—Delta, popularly known as the Delta Force, where he commanded multiple troops and a squadron.He has conducted operations in support of U.S. national interests in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other classified locations. His final military post was as Assistant Professor of Military Science at The Citadel. He holds a master's of science in defense analysis with a concentration in irregular warfare from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA.
When not writing, Brad serves as a security consultant on asymmetric threats to various agencies. He currently lives in Charleston, SC, with his wife and two daughters.
Community reviews
In Dead Man's Hand, Pike Logan and the Taskforce team face off against Russia, Putin and upper management in Brad Taylor's newest. Putin catches wind of an assassination plot and gives his most trusted advisors a remote they must use if Putin is threatened. This remote launches every nuclear missile they have. Seems reasonable. He also wants to assassinate a U. more
Pike Logan and his fellows is back. Dead Man's Hand by Brad Taylor is without a doubt one of the best books in this series ever and that is not because it takes place in Sweden for a part of it. This one feels almost to real and living in Sweden and being close to the antics of the infamous russian leader, it is scary. Taylor has managed to create a story that is plausible and very contemporary. It is a mean feat to write a book about the war in Ukraine that has almost no events taking place in Ukraine. more
Always love this series. But this one seemed to be a lot of wheel spinning and repetitive set pieces. Still fun and enjoyed the team interplay, but was hoping this was a little more in the end. more
An excellent thriller, but also quite depressing. Maybe the subject matter was too topical and hit a bit too close to current events to allow me to really immerse myself in the fictional aspect of the story. Or, having spent the month of January immersed in a reread of fae fantasy, this particular genre was too abrupt a change to allow me to really enjoy it. Either way, I feel like it deserved a better reaction than the one I gave it; I simply was not in the mood. Bummer. more
READ MY FULL REVIEW AT Best Thriller BooksMake sure to check out the full review. more
4. 5 Stars 🌟As always, I was so excited to see the latest Pike Logan story. The events are taken from today's headlines with events that are actually occurring in our present day. There is a really interesting Author's Note at the end of the book where Mr. Taylor actually discusses his concerns regarding certain situations and how things were going to play out - both in his book and in real life. more
Its's obvious, that Brad Taylor's Spec Ops' experience bleeds through his writing, both the actual operations and the "tug & pull" of the political and bureaucratic nonsense that those "down range" are subject to. And, we as readers, can more appreciate when the tragic news stories of lives lost on special missions emerge. George Orwell has been attributed with something that has stuck with me regarding these brave men and women. "We sleep soundly in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm. ". more
The plot of this novel revolves around one question: whom do you trust. Pike Logan is placed in a nearly unwinnable situation. Russia vs. Ukraine. Putin loyalists vs. more
Pike Logan his team have a very different mission…the “keep watching” technique that usually gets one killed. Suspense, Sweden-joining NATO, Ukrainian fighters, Putin, Russian killers and even an Israeli fighter are after one another…Enjoy. more
Needlessly LongThe plot may have made sense in the author’s mind, but to readers it’s clear as mud. Characters with similar names made the story hard to follow. Unlike other books in the series, this novel was a slog to get through. If I hadn’t paid for it, I would’ve given up a third of the way when it started to go off the rails. The conclusion was ridiculous. more
I have read all of the Task Force books and this one may be the best yet. Incredibly topical in today’s day and age, Full of action with Pike’s patented humor. Perfectly paced, always wanting to know what happens in the next chapter. Well done and keep these coming. more
I am so disappointed in this book. It is nothing but adults on both sides whining about whether they should be on the mission. Literally 12 hours of annoying writing about why are we being ordered to do this- then - why is he doing this. It goes on and on. There is very little substance here and almost painful to listen to. more
Pike Logan and his Taskforce team - Jennifer, Knuckles, Veep, Brett along with Israeli agent Shoshone are back in the latest addition to Taylor’s series. The story revolves around the ongoing war in the Ukraine, with the majority of the action taking place in Finland and Sweden. There are plenty of people both in Ukraine and Russia who oppose the war as well as Vladimir Putin and some will go to extraordinary lengths to change the course of history. Pike and company are on a mission that lacks any specific guidance from the Oversight Council. As they move about Scandinavia, they are chasing an elusive goal - who are they chasing - Ukrainians or Russian GRU members or some other Russian group - all of whom seem to be stumbling about as well. more
Vladimir Putin has enemies in high places- in his own cabinet. He is paranoid of his own people and party who he believes will plot a coup or assignation attempt. Of course, he also has enemies among the Ukrainian people. A cell of Ukrainians called the Wolves join forces with a sect of Russian GRU agents to do just as Putin fears- assassinate him. To thwart an assignation, Putin has four loyalists with devices from which they would immediately initiate a nuclear strike in the event of his death. more
Brad Taylor has once again created an excellent continuation to the lives of his literary characters. The way that he writes about the way his character’s move about in their world that closely mirrors our own, keeps the reader on the edge of their seat, since the story is so realistic that we know any one of the characters could be killed off to keep the story evolving. As with each of Mr. Taylor’s books, the story could be taken off the current news of the day, and is still a pleasure to re-read years later. Dead Man’s Hand, the novel, deals with repercussions from the current war between Russia and Ukraine, and without bogging the reader down with whether or not the USA should be involved in it. more
This is the 18th book from the Pike Logan series. Taylor takes the story from the world's events happening now. This focuses on an internal rife in Russia. Some Russians are sick of the war with Ukraine and want to assassinate Vladimir Putin to bring an end to it. Putin hears the rumors and has given control to four "horsemen" to launch a nuclear strike if he is assassinated. more
Brad Taylor dials things up in a big way for his 18th Pike Logan novel, kicking off the new year with an exciting, ripped-from-the-headlines thriller that sets an impossibly high bar for the rest of the genre to try and match in 2024. Set after the events of The Devil’s Ransom (2023), a group of Ukrainian partisans known as the Wolves are tasked with responding to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Their mission is to assassinate Putin, finally removing him from power once and for all, but doing so brings its own set of potential problems. For starters, Putin, who knows all too well of the target painted squarely on his back, including threats from within Russia, has taken steps to ensure he won’t go quietly into the night. Rather than fade from relevancy and let his death bring peace to surrounding nations . more
1. 5 stars rounded upСказ о том, как президент Путин отважных украинских партизан перехитрил, а заодно с ними и нерешительных американцев. Поспешная залепуха на злобу дня, ещё и халтурно придуманная, с единственным сюжетным ходом, повторяющимся до одурения. Читается легко, и на том спасибо. При этом, "Dead Man's Hand" безусловно интересен, как пример реакции масскульта на восстановление России в статусе Империи зла. more
I received a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway. This is the 18th book in the Pike Logan series; I've read some of the earlier books, but not all. However, I didn't have any difficulty engaging with the characters or following the plot. The background to the story could have been taken from current news media: focused on the war in Ukraine and Russia's objections to the possibility of Sweden joining NATO. Certain members of Russian military intelligence join with Ukrainian partisans to stage a Nazi-style Valkyrie attempt to assassinate Putin, hopefully ending the war. more
Dead Man's Hand takes current events and throws a wrench into them, also known as Pike Logan. Caught up in an intrigue with no clear direction from the powers that be, he must decide whether to help the Ukrainians who intend to assassinate Putin or to walk away. What he doesn't know is that Putin has a plan that will start a nuclear war upon his death. Lots of intrigue and action here as the team globe hops. This book is deep into the series, but if you are new to it, you can still follow along without having read the others - though I would encourage you to do so since much of their character and interaction is developed there. more
This was my first Brad Taylor book and I definitely liked it. It was chock full of information on tactics and government and Russia/ Ukraine. The premise of the novel is pretty cool and it was fun to go along with Pike, the protagonist, and his team as they hunted the “bad guys”. There was an interesting moral predicament the team encountered for a good chink of the story and the book definitely delved deeply into the sidea of this moral predicament. I picked up this ARC through NetGalley and it was no problem joining Brad Taylor’s Pike series this many books into his professional and personal story. more
It's surprising that this is the first book I've read by this author. Pike Logan is just what I look for in a main character - alpha male, follows orders but knows when to go rogue, has a loyal team, and so much more. While current events are an influence in the storyline, they are in the periphery. This story will keep you on the edge of your seat as the team pivots when new information comes to light, uncertainty as to who is the "bad" guy, and political cya. I loved the interplay among the team members and the respect that Pike has earned based on his past missions. more
Brad Taylor’s books are always excellent, reflecting his extensive military experiences and knowledge. This one follows the pattern. A group of Ukrainian men meet with Russian dissidents in Scandinavia and else where as Russian National Guard members search for them and all are by chance chased by Pike Logan’s team. The action moves the story along and ramps up as pages turn. The weapons descriptions are startling, and become more amazing as the Afterword separates reality from fiction. more
It was great meeting Mr. Taylor in New Castle, IN on Wednesday, and hearing about some of the plot points, ideas, and locations in Dead Man’s Hand. It was AWESOME reading the story and seeing them come to life. As I have stated previously in other reviews of Pike Logan novels, Brad Taylor is at the top of the genre currently. Not many can hold a candle to him. more
Pike and crew including Shoshanna are in Copenhagen/Finland/Estonia "following" Valkyries (a Russian assassination crew), Wolves (resistance fighters from Ukraine) & GRU officers from Russia that are hunting the former two groups all while trying to determine what the end play is. They "follow" from country to country getting bits of intel for a job that is not what the Taskforce does. The scenes set the stage but are repetative in nature and they have no true "task" except follow everyone without engaging. Kind of drags along until the culmination in the last few chapters where there are a few daring scenes by Pike. It's a 3. more
The average writing still gets to me occasionally and this one was less action-oriented and more intrigue-oriented, but I still liked it. Taylor still has a gift for plotting and moving pieces around authoritatively. The basis for this novel certainly was a good one—what if you uncovered a plot to kill Putin but had to stop to prevent an even bigger clusterfuck. The way all the groups and plots fell together in the end was genius and I was genuinely nervous for how it would all turn out. The ending was a bit abrupt. more
Fantastic, fast paced book from Brad. Same main characters, with a great plot, spooky current at times, and a great conclusion. Brad created great characters at the beginning of this series and has continued to build them and fill them out as the series progressed. This story is very close to current world events, which is the spooky part. Great read. more
Fast-paced adventure with plenty of action. A good story arc with the usual banter kept things moving along, and the locations were very interesting. I do wish Pike hadn’t kept harping on so much about the mission “not being in our charter”. Ya ya, we get it. Spoilers alert here: The biggest hole in the plot was the fact that the Valkyrie team didn’t need the Wolfs AT ALL to accomplish their mission and lead an impossibly convoluted series of threads for the GRU to pull on throughout the book. more
What a master of special-ops novels Thor as become. This storyline dwells on world events happening now and is well written with many twists and turns. At times, the storyline did get bogged down with unnecessary info and details that really did not pertain to the story i. e. practicing jumping from planes and at times idle chit-chat. more
Liked the spin on current events. Liked the spots if European history. Liked the believable use of technology. Didn’t like Pike Logan. Any guy that signals his serious intent to have a fist fight with his boss over orders by taking off his watch is too macho for me. more