The Lion's Den [Paperback]

Jon F. Skaehill (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 26, 2003

Whether it's drug raids, high-risk apprehensions or hostage rescue takedowns, Lieutenant William Peterson and his SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) officers have done it all. In the face of any threat, they're ready to risk their lives to serve and protect. When citizens have a problem, they call the police. When the police have a problem, they call in Peterson and his SWAT team. Peterson loves his assignment as SWAT Commander and is in charge of one of the best tactical units in the country. But, for unknown reasons, his immediate supervisor is determined to see him fail. Peterson soon finds himself under fire from the police department. He is forced to defend his credibility, fight for his career and battle for the every existence of the SWAT team. Caught in the middle, trying to train, conduct raids and balance their professional and personal lives, assailed by enemies from outside the department as well as from within, the SWAT officers struggle for survival. To make matters worse, Peterson and the SWAT team are about to square off against the most dangerous criminal they've ever faced.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

J. F. Skaehill has a Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice Administration and over twelve years of law enforcement experience. He is an eight-year veteran of his police department's SWAT team. He has drawn from his own tactical experiences and imagination in writing The Lion's Den. He is currently assigned as a patrol sergeant and SWAT team leader.

Product Details

• Paperback: 388 pages
• Publisher: Virtualbookworm.com Publishing (January 26, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1589394240
• ISBN-13: 978-1589394247
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,148,895 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Major First Novel, March 17, 2004

By 

Higbe (South West Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Lion's Den (Paperback)

This book is riveting! It was hard to put down. I had to - the book is simply too long for me to read in one night - 385 pages of virtually non-stop action. This book is a fictionalized account of the workings of a suburban police SWAT team. I believe the professional critics would call it a "Police Procedural".

There are a lot of well written works about infantry tactics, mostly designed for circumstances where there are no innocent non-combatants and where everyone not in the same uniform is an enemy in a free fire zone. SWAT teams operate in a very different climate - typically, an urban or suburban setting with innocent and unarmed citizens all around and a few baddies, who must be presumed to be quite willing to kill anyone in their way. Clearly, the tactical problems a Police SWAT team must deal with are far different from traditional infanty combat.

This work fascinates in covering the planning and real craftsmenship a well trained SWAT team uses in pursuit of their goal - neutralization with minimal force of the baddie and most certainly with minimum danger to lives and property. Tactics are carefully developed and practiced to reduce risk to the team and to innocent bystanders to the absolute minimum while leaving the baddy no options for escape or the opportunity to inflict further damage.

The novel deftly develops, setting the stage by giving the reader an insite into the regular training the team goes through, exploring the politics of a suburban police department in a city always looking for ways to cut costs, and with a police department member intent on sabotaging the SWAT team for his personal gain. The last third of the novel plays out a desperate confrontation with an enraged ex-Marine who has nothing to lose and is intent on avenging himself on society with the largest possible bang. And to his credit the author gives us considerable insite into the mind of the villain, and in doing so we gain understanding, sympathy and respect for the baddy as well.

In sum this is a remarkable first novel. The polish and development, while not perfect, leave the reader with much satisfaction, and a very real hope that the police or sheriff in his or her area are as well trained and prepared for emergencies. The novel ends well, with all loose ends neatly tied. This is a most satisfying book.

A last note: our military might do very well to consider engaging Mr. Skaehill as an advisor for developing similar teams for duty in Iraq.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Lion's Den, August 9, 2004

By 

Terry "Kraut" Johnson (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Lion's Den (Paperback)

I have read a lot of military books that cover infantry and Spec-Ops but I have found few that deal with the in and outs of a city level police SWAT team. I found the book to be exciting to read and interesting to see the inner workings of a SWAT team. I liked the team spirit portrayed as well as the day to day politics of every day police work. In this day and age risk of street level terrorism, has thrown the local police SWAT team from a necessary evil that police administrators hate to have, to a front line defense that is truly needed and wanted by every citizen and every level of law enforcement. I am hoping that Jon Skaehill is going to pleasure us with another book soon! A MUST READ.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Buy, May 29, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Lion's Den (Paperback)

The Lion's Den is a well written book that steadily improves in its readability throughout the story. Mr. Skaehill's knowledge of police department politics, the criminal element of our society, and modern SWAT team operations is both apparent and interesting. The book provides, not only a solid story line with good characters that are interesting and believable, but also a unique look into the professional hazards faced by police officers in a midsize to large sized police department.

Hopefully, Mr. Skaehill will continue to develop these characters and provide more insight into police/SWAT operations with future books. It would also be interesting to hear from this author in stories written from the prospective of a Patrol Sgt., a Detective, or even an Internal Affairs Investigator.

A Cop