ONE ROUGH MAN

OVERVIEW

They call it the Taskforce. Their existence is as essential as it is illegal. Commissioned at the highest level of the U.S. government. Protected from the prying eyes of Congress and the media. Built around the top operators from across the clandestine, intelligence, and special forces landscape. Designed to operate outside the bounds of U.S. law. Trained to exist on the ragged edge of human capability.

Pike Logan was the most successful operator on the Taskforce, his instincts and talents unrivaled-until personal tragedy permanently altered his outlook on the world. Pike knows what the rest of the country might not want to admit: The real threat isn’t from any nation, any government, any terrorist group. The real threat is one or two men, controlled by ideology, operating independently, in possession of a powerful weapon.

Buried in a stack of intercepted chatter is evidence of two such men. The transcripts are scheduled for analysis in three months. The attack is mere days away. It is their bad luck that they’re about to cross paths with Pike Logan. And Pike Logan has nothing left to lose.

EXCERPT

Chapter 1

The target took a shortcut, unwittingly shaving another four minutes off of life as he knew it. His appearance surprised me, because I had parked in an alley specifically to get out of his line of march, figuring he’d go the long way around the block. He was about fifty feet back and walking at an unhurried pace. A minute later he passed me, unaware of my existence. He was so close that I could have flung open the door and knocked him to the ground. From there, it would have been easy to thump him on the head, throw him in the back, and haul ass. That would have been a bit extreme even for me, so I let him go. Better to stick with the plan.

I keyed the handset of my radio. “All elements, this is Pike. Target just passed by my location and intersected Twenty-second Street. He’s crossing it now.”

FEATURED MEDIA

PRAISE

Most of all ONE ROUGH MAN is a damn exciting book. Leaving aside the deeper glimpses the book provides into the type of man needed by organizations like the mythical Task Force, Brad Taylor has used his experience to provide his thriller with a gritty realism. The violence is to be expected, but the tale also contains moments of humor. The intensely- driven storyline grabs a reader by the throat and drags them into a world made real by an author who knows it intimately. The second Pike Logan Thriller, All Necessary Force is due out January 2012. I am eagerly awaiting it.

FreshFiction.com  Click to read full review.
“…anyone trying to take this book away from me before I finish shall pull back a bloody stump…This is one wild, fun and unforgettable ride.”
bookreporter.com
“Taylor has created a true heroine in plucky college student Jennifer.  While she’s not in Logan’s league, she knows how to hold her own.”
Mystery Scene Magazine
“I have read many a thriller, posted on plenty of them over the past year, and for a debut it was fun. I would definitely give this author a second read. The characters grew on me as the novel progressed and I enjoyed the look at life he gave us from inside the mind of an operator…Hey G-Man, what about the action? There is plenty of that: the pages just about ooze with blood and explode in your hand as there is plenty of death, explosions, and car chases for even the most hardcore thriller/action fan.”
—Giovanni Gelati, Authors.comread full review here
“This is what makes his debut novel, One Rough Man, so fascinating—Brad Taylor has actually navigated the deep currents of the complex and dangerous waters he writes about. He takes the reader beyond Delta Forces and into the realm of the secretive—out of the box and off the grid. His vehicle is called Taskforce and his hero is a guy named Pike Logan. Think Jack Bauer and Mitch Rapp on steroids, or Jason Bourne—only taller, tougher, and totally unlike Matt Damon.”
—David Stokes, Townall.comread full review here
“…The deadly duel between Pike and the terrorists is both cerebral and graphically violent… Taylor…brings such incredible realism and authenticity that readers feel like they are looking over the shoulders of a real antiterrorist operation. This will appeal to Brad Thor and Vince Flynn fans.”
Library Journal 
“Taylor’s debut flows like the best of Vince Flynn and Brad Thor.  An intense and intriguing character, Logan is definitely an action hero to watch.”
Booklist
“Anyone who admires America’s fighting forces and appreciates a page-turning read as much as I do is sure to find Lieutenant Colonel (ret.) Brad Taylor’s debut thriller exciting. One Rough Man is authentic and gripping.”
—Newt Gingrich, New York Times bestselling author and former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives
“Brad Taylor’s One Rough Man is an auspicious, adrenaline-soaked rocket ship of a debut novel.  Taylor’s protagonist, Pike Logan, is One Rough Man who is one bad dude — as a super-hero, Pike ranks right up there with Jason Bourne, Jack Reacher, and Jack Bauer.”
—John Lescroart, New York Times bestselling author
“Brad Taylor has created a feisty, devil-may-care hero in Pike Logan, a man forced to race not only time, but his own shadowy instincts.  A coiling plot, crisp writing, and constant braids of suspense make One Rough Man one exciting debut.”
—Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author
“One Rough Man is a fast and furious tale with a boots-on-the-ground realism that could only have been evoked by someone who intimately knows combat. Brad Taylor spent decades fighting America’s enemies in the dark corners where they live, and his experience shows.  Pike Logan is a tough, appealing hero you’re sure to root for.”
—Joseph Finder, New York Times bestselling author