Customer Reviews

Arcturus: A Jack McDonald Novel About Soldiers, Spies, Pirates, and Terrorists with Romantic and Historical Twists

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In a genre that is packed full of action and suspense, but chronically devoid of `the why,' Mollenhour's tale stands in a league of its own. While the storyline & suspense are gripping and the characters are real and engaging . . . . it is Acturus' and Jack McDonald's resounding answer to "Why we fight?" that will set this book apart.

Equally impressive is the attention to detail and mastery of research that was constantly on display. No stone was left unturned to complete this well planned thriller.

Make sure you are comfortable when you start the last 25% of the book . . . you won't want to move until it is complete.

Bravo!

Jack Bauer and Jack Ryan step aside, there's a new Jack in town. Arcturus is a fast-paced, white-knuckled book that will make you want to call in sick to work the next day so you can stay up all night reading. It's a must read for all fans of this genre. I hope Mollenhour has more in store for us soon.

Not usually a fan of action/thriller/body-count/terrorism/armed services books (completely my own description), I read the book with hesitation.

I tell you that before I tell you that I spent a weekend completely absorbed in this book. Though it is a purely fictional representation of an imaginary man and his `battle with current day evil', the knowledge, facts and back story are all a result of current political conditions and prior events. After reading this book, the realization of what ubiquitous evils lay waiting in the world scared me to death.

Between the author's history, his knowledge base, expertise and subsequent research, MJ Mollenhour knows of what he speaks; his eloquent mastery of the English language doesn't hurt either. His talents at storytelling and enlightenment are demonstrated on every single page. This is a MUST READ for anyone who believes events like the tragedy on 9-11 will never happen again.

This book is a must have for anyone who wants to understand the mind of a terrorist. Character development is superb, the plot is thrilling, and it made me want to join the Army! This book should be required reading for anyone who is unfortunate enough to not understand the threat our country faces, i.e. the Democrat Party.

Mollenhour has just entered the Tom Clancy / Robert Ludlum class. The characters are engaging and interesting. This book was well researched and I am curious to know whether Mr. Mollenhour has some black ops under his belt. He sure knows his weapons. Don't be fooled by the teasers - this book has the ring of truth and is a believable "terrorist" tale.

A great adventure, action novel with unpredictable twists and turns. There is a story line that maintains interest and entertaining character development. Super read.

In small print under the title, I read,

TERRORISTS ARE HERE

These words immediately hooked me, wondering what the author meant. Then, I found that he was referring to sleeper agents of an Iranian terrorist named Saya-dar - - -

Jack McDonald is a former Army Ranger officer who is seriously considering graduate school, when he and a friend have a chance to provide security on a luxury yacht, the Arcturus. Jack soon finds himself in the adventure of a lifetime, with Cuban pirates, buried treasure, and nuclear material, which Saya-dar is planning on using against the United States.

As the story unfolds, suicide bombers are smuggled into the country, and . . . well, I don't want to give anything away.

Jack also discovers the love of his life, Donna, while on the cruise. The story takes them from the Bahamas to Knoxville, Tennessee, where Jack, Donna, and her uncle Gordon are engaged in a mortal battle with Saya-dar's men.

This story is fiction, but as well known firearms writer and instructor Massad Ayoob reports here:

Those who patrol the borders - and those who own adjoining property - find things left behind by the border-crossers, such as Moslem prayer rugs and copies of the Koran. Since there aren't a whole lot of Mexicans who practice the Moslem faith, this leads people of logic to the conclusion that Islamic fanatics who have declared a fatwa against the United States are crossing into our country there.

So, we know they have come across the southern border. . .

About the author: M. J. Mollenhour is a former Army Ranger and is a Knoxville attorney. He has testified before Knoxville City Council and Knox County Commission concerning the carrying of firearms in parks. He has been a guest speaker at the Knoxville TFA chapter, discussing what to do after defending yourself from an attack.

This is a gripping action novel similar to Joel Rosenberg's Last Jihad series and the detail is fascinating. I could not stop reading the last several pages to eat dinner to the consternation of my wife. I look forward to more of the adventures of Jack McDonald.

Arcturus sets a new standard in terms of the details: the motivations, the weapons, the locales, and the tactics of modern terrorists and those who fight them. Unlike many authors whose details seem to divert them from the story, this author incorporates his knowledge into a fast-paced and engrossing tale. I finished it over two evenings. Buy it, you'll enjoy it!

Thank you for your email note of encouragement, xtreme10kbc. If you enjoy
the story in Arcturus, then hold your breath: the next novel is about to hit
the presses, too. I'll announce on my blog when it's up for sale. In the
meantime, here's the advance description:

A cross between Fatal Attraction and a Tom Clancy thriller, in Amazon
Avenger Jack McDonald discovers lust, murder, and intrigue pointed like a
dagger at the heart of America from Consuela's steamy jungle bungalow.

From the Amazon's murky backwaters, through Caribbean pirate mercenaries, to
Manhattan, Jack stalks America's enemies as the clock ticks.

Jack McDonald's U.S. Army drove him out; his greatest failure as an Army
Ranger Captain tortures his dreams; his wife--his only solace--dies
tragically; loneliness hovers as his constant companion. Recruited into a
secret, illegal, counter-terrorist team, Jack seizes the chance to get his
gun back into the fight--to serve. Yet, Jack's calling to protect the weak
and innocent leads him--once again--to confront his commanders.

Gordon Noone ("No One") struggles to balance covert service to his country
against his longing for personal peace and the desire to skirt congressional
hearings and jail. Jack is the son he never had, yet, time and again,
Gordon risks all, sending Jack to face death. Gordon's shadowy world
wearies and isolates him at a time when he should be retired and enjoying
grandchildren.

Consuela--the dark, Brazilian, jungle beauty with no past--confronts evil
intimately and must choose. She yearns for liberation, love, and life, but
powerful ties bind her to her oppressor.

Saya-dar--the terrorist financier and mastermind--sifts other men, deploying
their greed and hatred for America as his weapons. Bold as he is brilliant,
Saya-dar's twisted, egomaniacal lust for revenge fuels his reckless--but
devastating-plot.

Consuela warns of great evil spawned a thousand miles up the Amazon River.
Her warning summons Jack McDonald and the secret Arcturus counter-terrorist
team. Amazon Avenger's Clancy-like realism could ignite the pages of
tomorrow's headlines.

The author, a courtroom attorney in Knoxville, Tennessee, draws from
personal experience as an Army Ranger and Rifle Platoon Leader with Jack
McDonald's unit--the "Currahee" of 101st Airborne Division "Band of
Brothers" fame--to create Jack and his supporting, not-so-fictional
characters.
M.J. (Mike) Mollenhour