Edge of Battle

Jason Richter #2

by Dale Brown, Michael McShane (Narrator)

The War on Terror . . .with a little more firepower

Violence and tensions along the U.S.-Mexican border have never been higher, sparked by battles between rival drug lords and an increased flow of illegal migrants. To combat the threat, the United States has executed Operation Rampart: a controversial test base in Southern California run by Major Richter and TALON, his high-tech special operations unit.

Their success is threatened by a drug kingpin and migrant smuggler named Ernesto Fuerza. In the guise of Mexican nationalist ""Commander Veracruz,"" he causes a storm of controversy on both sides of the border, calling for a revolution to take back the northernmost ""Mexican states"" -- the southwestern United States. His real intention is to make it easier to import illegal drugs across the border. This sets off a storm of controversy that's being stirred to a fever pitch by a popular right-wing radio talk-show host who calls for the complete militarization of the border. Soon Richter and his force are reassigned to the FBI to investigate the murders of several Border Patrol agents -- a deadly mission that will bring him face-to-face with Fuerza and set off a wave of bloodshed that threatens to become an all-out guerrilla war. Lurking behind Fuerza -- and possibly calling the shots -- is Richter's nemesis, former Soviet nuclear forces commander turned terror mastermind Yegor Zakharov, who is set on revenge to the very end.

In Edge of Battle, bestselling author Dale Brown stays a step ahead of world events. Don't miss this sensational ride!

Genres: Fiction, Military Fiction, Thriller, Suspense, Action, Adventure, Military Thriller

Audio CD

First published April 25, 2006

About the author

Former U.S. Air Force captain Dale Brown is the superstar author of 25 consecutive New York Times best-selling military-action-aviation adventure novels: FLIGHT OF THE OLD DOG (1987), SILVER TOWER (1988), DAY OF THE CHEETAH (1989), HAMMERHEADS (1990), SKY MASTERS (1991), NIGHT OF THE HAWK (1992), CHAINS OF COMMAND (1993), STORMING HEAVEN (1994), SHADOWS OF STEEL (1996) and FATAL TERRAIN (1997), THE TIN MAN (1998), BATTLE BORN (1999), and WARRIOR CLASS (2001). His Fourteenth Novel AIRBATTLE FORCE will be published in late Spring 2003... Dale's novels are published in 11 languages and distributed to over 70 countries. Worldwide sales of his novels, audiobooks and computer games exceed 10 million copies.

Dale was born in Buffalo, New York on November 2, 1956. He graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Western European History and received an Air Force commission in 1978. He was a navigator-bombardier in the B-52G Stratofortress heavy bomber and the FB-111A supersonic medium bomber, and is the recipient of several military decorations and awards including the Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster, the Combat Crew Award, and the Marksmanship ribbon.
Dale was also one of the nation's first Air Force ROTC cadets to qualify for and complete the grueling three-week U.S. Army Airborne Infantry paratrooper training course.

Dale is a director and volunteer pilot for AirLifeLine, a non-profit national charitable medical transportation organization who fly needy persons free of charge to receive treatment. He also supports a number of organizations to support and promote law enforcement and reading.

Dale Brown is a member of The Writers Guild and a Life Member of the Air Force Association and U.S. Naval Institute. He is a multi-engine and instrument-rated private pilot and can often be found in the skies all across the United States, piloting his own plane. On the ground, Dale enjoys tennis, skiing, scuba diving, and hockey. Dale, his wife Diane, and son Hunter live near the shores of Lake Tahoe, Nevada.

Reviews

[Peter Cress · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh. I've heard Dale Brown is a good writer, but this book sure doesn't show that. The shallow characters are inconsistent and implausible, the storyline is unrealistic and confusing, and several episodes are clearly inserted as an afterthought.

At one point in the story the thinly veiled caricature of Rush Limbaugh gets into a panic when the Mexican hero incites all the illegal aliens living in the U.S. to punish America by going back to Mexico. In his panic he accidentally fires his pistol in a crowd. Seriously? There are plenty of Americans who want to put an end to illegal immigration, and Brown's portrayal of them as hypocritical, cowardly, racist buffoons with itchy trigger fingers is not only inaccurate, it is insulting.

I won't make the mistake of paying for another steaming Brown pile.

[Cynfully Sweet · Rating 4 out of 5]

at first- I thought I wasn't going to like this... but after I'd say the first 2 chapters or so... WOW!! This book definitely comes from a pro-military stand point... and maybe even a conservative stand point (however, I do love how assinine the talk radio personality was lol and wasn't too upset when the sh** hit his fan) but I do feel this book tried to show a fair representation of both sides... anyways, strictly speaking of the book and it's plot, and not going into the correlations between it and real life... I literally squirmed wanting to know how it all tied together :)

my 4 stars are for the plot and story line alone. -1 star because I really wished a little more was written about the characters themselves. I really wished I knew what the Russian guy's deal was with the US... wish I knew what truly motivated Diaz, since, his other personality was still involved with illegal affairs that gave him power... wish I understood Ariana better and how she knew to go to the university.... so... maybe this is really 3 1/2 stars...

[Carl Alves · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Edge of Battle focus on the border war along the Mexican border. Commander Veracruz, a drug dealer and smuggler, is calling upon Mexican nationalism to take back the southeastern part of the United States back to Mexico. As part of this, Veracruz's forces slaughter a group of US border guards. To combat this Operation Rampart has been created led by Major Richter and his high tech special forces task force.

This novel lacks any kind of believability and credibility. It's almost silly in parts and difficult to take seriously. I found the whole aspect of Mexico trying to take back the Southwestern United States, and especially the big reveal of who Veracruz is, to be just ridiculous. There was almost nothing about this book that I liked. The writing is substandard. There is a lot of action, but I didn't find it to be particularly compelling. Bottom line, I would recommend passing on this novel. There are far better thrillers out there than this one.

Carl Alves - author of Blood Street

[Marilyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an awesome book. Dale Brown in a former Air Force Captain, and this was his 18th book. For me, this book explored the illegal immigration issues of the Mexican/American border. I have been very anti-illegal alien. This book explored some issues from the Mexican side that I had never thought of. It also explored issues from the American side that I hadn't thought about...and...a solution I wonder why we are not embracing. It is a novel...but very real. A page turner.

[Michael Koch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dale Brown is one of my most dependable authors for good action books. In this book he demonstrates the use of high tech military hardware, specifically information gathering, surveillance, detection, electronic monitoring and countermeasures and enhanced infantry mobility and protection device. These are all packaged into a Cybernetic Infantry Device (CID) or often called a man-worn robot.

In this story the tool is used in a policing role to assist in border security with the USA - Mexico boundary. This civilian utilization is controversial in itself but the intervention of notorious terrorist Yegor Zakharov, who triggers a deadly incident plus the provocations of a syndicated rabble rousing radio editorialist result in the CIDs being withdrawn and all military assistance being gradually withdrawn. This provides opportunities for the terrorist and state control actors taking advantage of the chaos along the border.

This bomber caused excess concern for all concerned. The Canadians were ill equipped to do anything with it, the Americans wanted to ensure that it was really inert and sent a team to explore it for historical purposes; the Russians knew it was not inert and managed to place a member with the US team to ensure that “sensitive” historical issues were never uncovered; and the evil arms merchants wanted to seize and remove the active material, repackage it and sell it to the highest bidder(s). This mix of extraordinary men and very potent women, along with massive, blinding and isolating arctic storms to stir the pot ensured a thrilling ride and lots of plot twists for readers to enjoy.

Brown does a great job of the action scenes. In some cases, the move into action is so smooth that it is almost a surprise. It is almost unclear who the protagonist is; it is almost as if the CIDs, are the protagonist. If Major Richter is the protagonist, then Brown has done a fantastic job of maintaining tension and interest with very little participation of the protagonist.

My biggest complaint, about this and other books, is the character of the National Security Advisor, Ray Jefferson. Jefferson left the military with the rank of Sergeant-Major but as NSA he chairs a committee that makes him senior to many Generals. However, military parlance takes precedence, and these Generals continue to address him, the NSA, as Sergeant-Major and he addresses them as General or sir. This parody sometimes seems to make Jefferson the antagonist of the CIDs.

This is a very good book. Lots of interest, lots of tension, lots of action. Dale Brown tells an excellent story. Five stars.

[Peter Cotter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not sure what to say about Jason Richter #2.

I really enjoyed the book, and in the current political situation with the Mexican border at the moment, it seems on target.

I think what got to me though was in my opinion the superfluous verbal diarrhea that appears in certain parts of the book. The story gets really interesting and then we stop for a rant / rave from one of the characters. I don't know why this erked me but it did.

The appeal of a good writer is making you fall in love or hate the characters in a story. I got the hate part......but I just felt blah to most of the rest of the characters.

You'll now who I hate cause she acts like a spoiled little bitch........and the she disappears from the story altogether.

So, while I did enjoy this I am still blah to it at the same time.

[Clyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book differs from other Dale Brown books that I have read. Instead of dealing with Air Force or space exploration or space weapons, this story deals entirely with potentially modern day US-Mexico border issues. It discusses the issue of illegal immigration from both right wing and left wing perspective. Both sides of the argument are portrayed with their potential problematic solutions. I think the book is a little more right-leaning then left, but both perspectives are well represented. I don’t think it altered my way of thinking about the issues in any great detail, although it did expand my horizons somewhat. Clearly this is a fictional book, but it does have modern day implications. It does however clearly demonstrate how political opinions and what is represented to the public by the media can be very manipulated by the players of the political game.

[Neville · Rating 3 out of 5]

Conflict between Mexico and United States due to the movement of illegal immigrants moving across the border and a power hungry Mexican Politian wanting to claim land in USA. There are links in the story to the “Consortium” led by a Russia mercenary who are out to attack America and bring them to their knees.

The story has a little bit too much background that goes into to politics of both countries. The story could be 100 pages shorter if they cut back a bit on the pollical background that I feel is a bit drawn out.

The story is reasonably interesting, but I’m not sure that this is one of Brown’s best.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting read. Plot set mirror reality in a lot of ways and gives a good picture of the dilemma at the border of Mexico and USA. In trying to find ways to tackle illegal migrants entering US, FBI came up with a mechanical solution in the use of manned robots calling it a task force Talon. Jason Richter one of the pilots of the robot never foresaw that the launching of the use of the robots will also coincide with a rogue Mexican minister's plan to take over the Mexican government with the enlisted help of a Russian terrorist.

[Bridgewes · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good, but not great story. The author spent a little too much time on some long discussion in the Pentagon. The storyline is somewhat relative to the current world situation regarding people crossing into the country illegally.

[Steve Osten · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow

Now that was a ride! Even without the robots it was something else. The plot was up to date with the times. With all the border problems. The characters were all great. Can't wait to read more from this author.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a little creepy how I could see a lot of this happening in our current political climate, and this is a few years prior to all the current cheeto issues.

[Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

i think technically it was very well researched, but i just never got into the story. Other may enjoy the war story, but it was not for me

[Steve · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's not a bad book for a very specific set of readers but I am not in that set.

[David Lee · Rating 1 out of 5]

Author very awkward in creating a sex scene. Done with this guy.

[Dennis P Moore · Rating 1 out of 5]

3.

Larry's book

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. Kept me guessing.

[Fred Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another new and good author. My kind of book.

[Marty · Rating 5 out of 5]

fun #2 for the series and fun us of the tech and training.

[John Oldfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good

[Tom Tischler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Violence and tension are sky high sparked by battles between drug
lords and the increased flow of illegal migrants into the U.S. To
combat this Operation Ramport a controversial test unit run by
Major Richter called Talon is called into action. Their success is
threatened by a drug king pin named Ernesto Fuerza also known as
Commander Veracruz, he is causing major problems on both sides of
the border calling for revolution. His real intent is to make it
easier to send drugs over the border. Richter and his force are
reassigned to the FBI to investigate the murder of several border
patrol agents. A mission that will soon bring him face to face with
Fuerza and a wave of bloodshed that threatens to become a guerrilla
war. Also behind the scenes is one Yegor Zakharov a former Soviet
nuclear forces Commander a former nemesis of Reichter who is set on
revenge to he very end. This is another book from Dale Brown and
I found nit as good as his other one's.

[Richard · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a story, it was ok. The audio tapes were so poorly done that I had trouble following the action. Only one actor was used to record or read the book. The worst of it was that this actor didn't speak Spanish or Russian in English with an accent at all well. This guy was tasked with reading all parts of the book (both male and female) with accents and he was awful. The book should have been read like an old radio show with a number of different actors. This audio tape(s) were not worth listening to. I think that you might be better off reading the book. (avoid reading while driving).
Again the story was ok by itself, the audio tapes are not worth listening to.

[Jadrian Wooten · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, the author uses Russian and Mexican characters and occasionally doesn't translate the sentences that the characters are saying. I know a little Spanish, but even I was left a little confused by some of the dialogue. It's a very heavy military book (which I would have known if I knew he Dale Brown was before I bought the book). I bought this at an airport because it talked about a border way and Mexico trying to take back the area it lost in the Mexican-American war, but that's not even part of the book.

If you like Dale Brown and war books, you'll be fine. I bought this book without knowing what I was getting into. If I had known, I wouldn't have bought it.

[Jake · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audio Book. Jason Richter is the engineer who designed man suit robots. They are used to help with the immigration problems on the US Mexican border, but cause problems because they scare people. It is a political nightmare until they finally find out that the antagonist Major Commandante Veracruz is also a high ranking Mexican official and he is helping Jason's old nemesis Russian Yegor Zakarov to smuggle terrorists into the US. The robots are task force TALON. In the end the robots save the day.

[Kevin Bresnahan · Rating 2 out of 5]

My first Dale Brown book, and it was OK. It deals with the reality situation of illegal immigration and the potential for terrorism. A russian terrorist seeks revenge, a hungry Mexican military for legitmacy, and the US government intent on containing illegal immigration. Brown does a nice job in providing different perspectives. The hero is Jason Richter, an army major part of TALON. TALON seems to be the last line of defense. He and his team weren't really heroic, smart, or overly interesting. The enemies were more engaging to read. A mixed bag, yet still got through it.

[Cactuskid · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this was going to be a good read about the problem of illegals from Mexico and the way the US and Mexico deal with this. However it got into a lot of different incidents and was hard to follow. I just didn't like the way he wrote this, I think he tried to make it more mysterious by not telling you who he was even talking about and what was going on until several pages later - if then. One thing I like is he lists the characters and acronyms in the front of the book. Wish more authors would do that.

[Steven Turek · Rating 2 out of 5]

In the first installment of this series, the Spanish was terrible. Unfortunately it gets even worse in this novel. I wish the author would have done a little bit more research to make this story an experience rather than just words on paper. The story is decent, but when you have to pause and try to figure out what the Latin characters are saying, it really detracts from the overall experience.

[Jim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just finished listening to the Unabridged Audio book Edge of Battle by Dale Brown. Generally, I like Dale Brown's works, but, this book was simply too long with tooooooo little action. Many many long long long dialogs (a radio DJ making speeches) that hammer the same point over and over.

Very little action, lots of talking. This would have been much better if it had been abridged from the current 12 CDs down to about 4 CDs. Obviously, not one of my favorite books.

[Ryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very mediocre writing with far too much technical info -- I felt like I was reading the inner musings of an overzealous military techno geek...so it made sense when I discovered that the author is a retired Air Force pilot.

This book does do a good job of illuminating the immigration debate, which recently got a lift from the AZ law that allows police to stop anyone for reasonable cause. Also neat to read how the commandos talk to one another during an engagement.

[Eddie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent Clancy-esk book, it's interesting to read fiction encapsulating current political hot issues and see someone's take on what could happen in the right circumstances. Apparently this book is a sequel to a previous book and so there are numerous references that the reader will be in the dark about unless they've read the previous books (much more so than I can say about other authors I've read.

All in all, I'd say I didn't think it was a fantastic, but it wasn't bad.