Unlawful Combatant

David Shaw #4

by Harrison Kone

An elite warrior. A double agent. A conspiracy that could burn the world to the ground.

David and Natalie Shaw have hunted traitors, dismantled shadow empires, and walked away from wars no one would admit were being fought. But when an allied operative turns on them, the result is a coordinated strike that cripples the West’s most elite warriors—and shatters the Shaws’ lives.

Faatin Radi served the Crown at the highest levels of Britain’s military and intelligence services. But after uncovering a life-changing truth, he’s armed himself with nuclear weapons, a vendetta that spans generations, and the intent to strike the United States’ most revered strongholds. With allies compromised and enemies hiding in plain sight, Shaw and Natalie must pursue him across Europe, the Middle East, and the storm-tossed waters of the Mediterranean before the unthinkable happens.

Every step brings them closer to the center of their war against a hidden council acting as puppeteers, instigating global events, and pulling the strings of nations. And in a game where loyalty is a liability, the price of losing is a world left defenseless.

Packed with relentless action, high-stakes espionage, and globe-spanning intrigue, Unlawful Combatant is the must-read thriller of the year.

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Praise for The David Shaw

“I guarantee you will enjoy the twists, turns, and gunfights.” —SGM (R) Kyle Lamb, author of Leadership in the Shadows, President of Viking Tactics, Delta Force

“…authentic, accurate, gritty, and relevant.” —LTG (R) Joe Anderson, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army, Airborne Corps Commander, Air Assault Brigade Commander, Airborne Battalion Commander, Ranger Company Commander

“As a former SEAL TEAM SIX operator, I was riveted from the first page.” —Mike Noell, CEO, SENTRY Products Group, SEAL Team Six (DEVGRU)

“Harrison Kone's fiction story lures his readers into a storyline that could very well have happened on any operator's watch.” —GySgt (R) Phillip Wyman Jr., USMC, Plank owner of Marine Corps Martial Arts Instructor Trainer Program (MCMAP), Iraq Veteran

358 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 20, 2026

About the author

Harrison is ardently committed to story and narrative, that a good narrative is driven by believable and compelling characters whose struggles are sincere, difficult, and meaningful. Story has spurred humanity into the greatest of endeavors, and valuable contribution is made to the larger human narrative with the telling of a good story.

Inspired by the great stories of Tolkien, Pressfield, Dumas, and others, Harrison strives to build on the foundation of humanity’s story to inspire to action, provoke to thought, and call to integrity all who choose to read his work. His gratitude to you is sincere and deep.

As part of his commitment to humanity, 10% of all royalties go to help pregnant mothers choose life for their babies and to help free those held in slavery and bondage. Thank you for your support and partnership in saving lives.

Harrison lives in Texas with his wife and two daughters.

Reviews

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC through "Severn River" and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

The story begins with the raid in London on a terrorist's apartment where we are introduced to Rowan McEwen. In this raid the terrorist and his wife are killed by Rowan, however there is a baby in the room who is saved. This baby will play a major role in the story.

The story then brings into play a meeting between a group of wealthy individuals who each control a section of the world. The meeting is being held as a result of one of these individuals dying and the other three believe that the other's wealth would be spread between each of them, but instead another individual arrives and has control of the deceased fortune.

The story tells about the recovery of an individual who winds up providing a trove of information. It contains details about terrorist leaders that eventually brings the U.S. England and other countries into creating a taskforce to make those terrorist pay for what they did to the various countries. Included in the force is David Shaw and his wife Natalie who represent the U.S., Rowan McEwen and Faatin Radi who provided the information. The taskforce is primed for go on the mission and as each unit focuses on their target, things go bad for the taskforce with a majority of them being killed.

It is discovered who was behind the breach of information and as a result David and Natalie wind up getting involved in a mission to find the traitor and bring him to justice. Information is discovered of this person's location and a mission is put in place to attempt to capture him. It's go time a the mission begins.

To discover what role the baby has in the story, who is the traitor as well as following all of the action that happens throughout, then you need to read this book, you won't be sorry!

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Shaw and his new wife, Natalie, have just formed a new company that can hired to hunt after the most dangerous people in the world. Their experience in both intelligence and combat with the government have given them the tools they need to track down people that others cannot. When they are called in to assist with a huge operation that has been put together based on intelligence from the British, they join the team to take down several of the biggest terrorists in the world. And when the operation goes terribly wrong, the Shaw's realize that the mastermind behind the plan to take the operation down might have a personal vendetta against them as well.

If you like action packed thrillers, this one is for you. In addition to all the action, the author does a good job of bringing a human aspect to the story, which made me more invested in the characters.

This is book 4 in a series, but I have not read any of the other David Shaw books and was not confused at all. Definitely not necessary to read the other books.

I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Ross Sidor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark, gritty, and realistic thriller centered around espionage, special operations, conspiracy, and corruption, with compelling characters and authentic action scenes, tactics, and technical details. This series was originally meant to be a trilogy, but Unlawful Combatant seamlessly continues the storylines and introduces new elements. David Shaw and Natalie Hale are strong and believable protagonists, and, rare for this genre, the villains are interesting and cunning and not just generic, forgettable terrorists. Fans of The Terminal List or Strike Back will certainly enjoy this series.

[Texas · Rating 5 out of 5]

UNLAWFUL COMBATANT - Although I have not read the previous books, I was not lost or confused by the infrequent mentions of the past. I like the writing style of the author and I like this book. Interesting story lines. A variety of good characters. An intense pace. A variety of emotions and good thought patterns. Source: Severn River Publishing and I won a GoodReads Giveaway on December 18, 2025 and have yet to receive my Kindle copy. Bad SRP. 5*

[Jim Flagg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advanced copy of this book for my honest review. This book is about special force’s people, spy’s, and politicians. The story moves along at a good pace keeping the reader wanting more. The story and the characters are believable and well developed. I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series.

[Courtney Pityer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this in a giveaway

[John Sigvald · Rating 3 out of 5]

The main plot here is paper thin, and really not believable. Ruined the book for me