The First Time:A Tom Black Novella (Part of the Tom Black Series)

Author: Mike Winter

4.5 out of 5 stars

After a rough childhood, Tom Black spends four years in the military before being recruited by the TEP (Threat Elimination and Protection). After training, he’s finally been given his first mission, to get information from the target about where a cache of terrorist weapons are and then kill him. What should be a fairly straightforward mission quickly goes sideways when the target is expecting him. Now tied up and about to be killed, Tom has to find a way to get free and complete his mission before the weapons are moved.

I liked this novella. Despite being only 63 pages, it didn’t feel too short. Although it could have been expanded as some parts did feel a bit rushed. Still everything made sense and felt complete.

The characters are intriguing. Tom’s boss seems sketchy and had me wondering if he did have ulterior motives for some things he did in the story. Tom’s mission handler, Sarah, has feelings for him, but she’s also married and seems to be an alcoholic. Tom’s past coupled with how he views the things he’s doing made me wonder how his character will develop. I also wonder how the characters’ relationships with each other will develop.

I did want to warn about some gory and kind of graphic descriptions. There’s mentions of blood spray, and one characters death is fairly detailed.

So overall, this is a good book. I did feel that some things that could be improved, but it’s still earned 4.5 out of 5 stars. The characters definitely interest me, so I would read more in the series. If you like stories with lots of action and espionage, then you should give this book a read.

Price through Amazon Kindle: $0

Link to buy: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N74PALH

(I do not benefit from the use of this link.)