Executive Order

Reeder and Rogers #3

by Max Allan Collins, Matthew V. Clemens

A riveting novel by MWA Grand Master Award winner Max Allan Collins.

In Eastern Europe four CIA agents are dead—geopolitical pawns caught in border dispute cross fire. Why were they there? Who sent them? Not even the President knows.

Back in Washington, the Secretary of the Interior dies from an apparent allergic shock. As details emerge, so do suspicions that she was murdered.

Investigating their respective cases, ex–Secret Service agent Joe Reeder and FBI Special Situations Task Force leader Patti Rogers recognize a dangerous conspiracy is in play. When suspects and government contacts are killed off with expert precision, their worst fears are confirmed. As the country edges closer and closer to war, Reeder and Rogers must protect the President—and each other—from an unseen enemy who’s somehow always one step ahead.

The stakes have never been higher, against killers who might be anywhere, and Reeder and Rogers have no one to trust but each other.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Politics, Suspense, Action

320 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 11, 2017

About the author

Received the Shamus Award, "The Eye" (Lifetime achievment award) in 2006.

He has also published under the name Patrick Culhane. He and his wife, Barbara Collins, have written several books together. Some of them are published under the name Barbara Allan.

Book Awards
Shamus Awards Best Novel winner (1984) : True Detective
Shamus Awards Best Novel winner (1992) : Stolen Away
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1995) : Carnal Hours
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1997) : Damned in Paradise
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1999) : Flying Blind: A Novel about Amelia Earhart
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (2002) : Angel in Black

Japanese: マックス・アラン・コリンズ
or マックス・アラン コリンズ

Reviews

[Tulay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read.

This book is for those people that likes politics and government, mean time you'll learn somethings about our past presidents. All three books in this series are covers the three branches of U.S. government.
Plot is about shadow government attempting to manipulate world events within.
Read all three books, your time or money won't be wasted.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Action? You want action? This book starts out with four of the top CIA agents in an area between two countries unknown to them that they are about to start a war. They can see tanks and other military vehicles from both countries on either side of them. However they are just sitting there. All of a sudden they start moving towards the agents and then Russian paratroopers start descending from the skies above. The war is starting and the agents are caught in the middle. They are, of course, caught in the middle and killed. No one in America knows that they are there. The head of the CIA does not know they are there. They president has ordered that no one should be there. Why are they there? No one seems to know. What is going on.

The Secretary of the Interior is suddenly dead. She has ate a sandwich that has sesame in it. She's allergic to sesame. Is it murder or just a coincidence?

This just the start of what's going on in this book. The president calls in Joe Reeder to help figure out what exactly is going on.

The action only picks up from here.

This is a book you definitely don't want to start reading at bedtime. I had to stop reading the book right in the middle of the best part and I was not happy. I went back and started again just so I could get my heart pumping and into it. Because, believe me, that's exactly what happened when I was reading this book.

I read number 2 in the series of this book and just like this book found it outstanding. A great read that I did not want to put down. The pages just by. The action was continuous. I was so into this book. While the ending did tie up everything, I still did not want it to end.

The characters of Reeder and Rogers are very likeable. They work well together and their relationship is more like brother and sister. I like that. The author did a great job with all the action that was going on in the book and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thanks to Thomas & Mercer for approving my request and to Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest unbiased review.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great installment with the dynamic duo of Reeder and Rogers. I don't think this book was as strong as the second book but still a lot of good action. Another great narration job for the audio book version of the story.

Executive Order loosely picks up from where the last book left off by starting off with the death of the Secretary of the Interior. The death is initially written off as an accidental death due to a fatal food allergy. Reeder is a friend of the departed and doesn't buy it as an accident. He asks Rogers to check into it. Meanwhile, an international incident occurs between Russia and a neighboring country where some CIA agents are killed. Something is fishy about the whole affair so the President hires Reeder to figure out what's going on. Another conspiracy starts to unfold that might result in a shooting war with Russia.

Book 3 uses much of same formula as Book 2 so that takes some of edge off the story. Credulity gets streched pretty thin in parts. The chemistry between Reeder and Rogers is still a key element with good supporting cast of characters to round things out. Even though the plot is slightly different from Book2, I got the feeling of deja vu in this story.

All in all though, Executive Order is still a quick fast paced thriller worth checking out.

[skw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclosure:
I won this book in a goodreads giveaway. Goodreads encourages, but does not require, giveaway winners to review the book.

Review:
Oh, I like this team of Reeder & Rogers. I like them a lot. Of course, I read the first two books before I read this one and I must say, I hope this series doesn't remain a trilogy. I hope there are many more. I'd buy them and read them and (depending on how long it takes to get another book) maybe even reread the first three. I rarely reread a whodunit/suspense/thriller because if you already know who the bad guy is, the tension is gone and that's half the fun. But I'd reread these (depending on how long it takes to get another book) just to make sure I remember everything before I read the fourth book. I really like this team of Reeder & Rogers.

I usually try to say something else at this point in a book review, but there's really nothing else to say. I really like this team of Reeder & Rogers. Go buy these books and read them.

[Jacob Peled · Rating 3 out of 5]

50% into the book I was sure I am reading a 5 star book, but then the story became quite predictable. Like every other conspiracy story against the presidency. The so called “Twists” in the story were obvious with no surprises for people reading that kind of genre. OK, so it started to look like a 4 star story deteriorating into a 3 stars. But the last 10% of the book couldn’t hold even to the 3 stars and dropped down to a 2 stars kind of ending. Almost a childish ending it was a high school level of writing. So predictable. Not a drop of imagination. So the total average becomes 3 stars.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review to come.

[terry copper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good pace

A lot of action. A fast pace story with just enough characters to steer one away from what could have been an obvious ending!

[Tracy T. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book and Series. Excellent Narration by Dan John Miller (audible review)

This series has been really good. Exciting, mysterious, entertaining and some action thrown in.

I really like Reeder and Rogers. I like that they are friends and don't cross that line. The friendship and trust between these two is great.

The story line and plot was great. I really enjoy a good conspiracy story. There is a lot of great dialogue throughout the entire book. This was also very well written that it didn't get confusing. It all flowed very well.

As for the narration. It is excellent. Dan John Miller does a fantastic job on all the voices including the female voices.

I can totally recommend all these books in this series. All three of the books in this series were free read free listen with KU.

[Cherye Elliott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointed

What kept me from giving this book five stars was they made the Patriots the bad guys. Tennessee is all RED except for Memphis. Also, they are the Volunteer State. Of course they are Patriots. The author's should have made leftist radical groups such as BLM or Antifa the bad guys. Also.....at the end of the book, I was appalled how they made the butler into someone from the 40's. Come on.

[Jim A · Rating 2 out of 5]

Shadow government trying to overthrow the real government.

I usually enjoy Collins' imagination and work in a novel. This one was too predictable and the author didn't bother following the basic Rules of Presidential Succession. His story leaves out the Speaker of the House and the Senate President Pro Tem. And worse, it doesn't conclude the story. Leaves the bad guys out there.

[David Highton · Rating 3 out of 5]

The third in this trilogy, a plot against the President, and our two heroes are the last chance. Exciting, fast moving and stretching credulity. Good thriller style

[Diane Roberson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

I enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it. The suspense begins immediately and keeps you on the edge of your seat until the end.

[Trish R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book started just how I DON’T like a book to start: you get to know someone and within minutes they’re all dead. UGH! I hate when authors do that.

Anyway, this is about those four CIA agents sent to Azbekistan, AFTER the President expressly ordered NO ONE to be sent there because everyone was sure the Russians were about to attack, which they did. And it’s was about Joe Reeder, who owns ABC Security, and Patti Rogers who works for the FBI attempting to figure out if the four CIA agents have anything to do with the murder of Secretary of the Interior Amanda Yellich in Washington DC.

This was exciting from the very beginning and really didn’t let up. But it was kind of scary. LOL… It showed what our politicians are capable of.

There was nothing romantic about this book so if reviews tell you there was they’re crazy. The F-bomb was used 8 times.

The only disappointing thing about this was the fact that you had NO idea what anyone looked like. Oh, once in a while it would say someone was balding or fat or someone was African American or someone had curly hair, but not what any one person looked like. So, Joe, Patti, Miggie, Hardesy, Ivanek, Lucas and Wade could have all looked alike for all I know. So, it lost a star for that.

As to the narration: Dan John Miller did a pretty good job with the narration. I think mostly he had such a nice reading voice that I wasn’t bothered by any lack of something. I would definitely listen to him again.

[Reese Cormac · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid page turner!

This novel is part of a series of thrillers involving the heroic duo Joe Reeder and Patti Rogers. Reeder, a former Secret Service agent, became a national hero by taking a bullet for a previous president and now heads ABC Security, a private consulting firm. Rogers is an FBI Special Agent currently leading the Special Situations Task Force. Reeder and Rogers are close friends whose knowledge and skills often find them working together.

The story opens with the misadventures of four CIA operatives who were sent to the fictional country of Azbekistan (not Uzbekistan) to observe the impending Russian invasion. Watching the activity from a safe distance with night-vision goggles, the operatives are surprised when Russian paratroopers drop down all around them. They make a run for it but are quickly killed by the paratroopers, who mistake them for Azbekistanian rebels.

We follow two plot lines that may or may not be related by a conspiracy. First, the four CIA operatives who died in Azbekistan had no business being there; President Devlin Harrison gave specific orders that no Americans were to be present during the Russian coup, which everyone knew was imminent. Second, Secretary of the Interior Amanda Yellich recently died of a lethal food allergy; having been romantically involved with her for a while, Reeder knew about her allergy and about her OCD--every day she ordered the same sandwich from the same restaurant, so her death may not have been accidental.

Meeting for lunch, Reeder and Rogers talk about their work. Rogers worries about being downsized due to budget cuts after her boss advises her to find a case that makes headlines. Reeder tells her what he knows about Yellich's death, suggesting it might be the type of case she's looking for.

President Harrison calls Reeder to The White House, assigning him to find out who sent the four agents to Azbekistan and giving him a dedicated cell phone so that Reeder can report to him directly.

As they work their cases, Reeder and Rogers uncover a sinister cabal that constitutes what might be a shadow government. Not knowing whom to trust and having to evade the surveillance of highly placed conspirators, the team goes off the grid to develop a strategy for saving the President, the Cabinet, and American ideals.

The story edges briefly into comic-book sci-fi when we learn that the Russians invaded Azbekistan in order to mine the fictional element portillium, which is found nowhere else on earth and is the essential ingredient for stabilizing Senkstate, a fictional, ultra-powerful plastic explosive that, thanks to portillium, a 3D printer can form into any ordinary object. Aside from that, Executive Order is a fine political thriller, well paced with lots of action.

[John Purvis · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Executive Order” eBook was published in 2017 and was written by Max Allan Collins (http://www.maxallancollins.com/) with Matthew V. Clemmens (http://matthewclemens.com). Mr. Collins has authored or co-authored well more than 150 novels as well as short stories and comics. Mr. Clemmens has published 25+ novels, and comics. This is the third novel in their “Reeder and Rogers” series.

I received an ARC of this novel through https://www.netgalley.com in return for a fair and honest review. I categorize this novel as ‘R’ because it contains scenes of Violence. The story is set mostly in the contemporary Washington D.C. area. The primary characters are former Secret Service agent Joe Reeder and FBI Special Situations Task Force leader Patti Rogers.

Four CIA agents are killed in Eastern Europe. The Secretary of the Interior dies from apparent allergic shock. Reeder, a close friend of the deceased Secretary, asks Rogers to look into the death. Reeded is asked by the President to investigate why the CIA agents were in the path of danger when the President had given specific orders to keep people out of the Russian hot zone.

Reeder, Rogers and their small team are soon in the cross hairs of a group of wealthy and powerful Americans who want to put America “back on track”. The group will stop at nothing to see their very conservative goals achieved. A few Americans being sacrificed to achieve their desired ends is worth the price.

I thoroughly enjoyed the 7 hours I spent reading this 318 page Thriller. Even though there are two prior books in the series, this novel reads well on its own. I liked the characters and the plot. The fact that significant characters die in the novel is unusual. The cover art is OK. I give this novel a 5 out of 5.

Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished the last book in the series and was not disappointed Each of the stories have a similar theme; Government takeover from within. The 1st story talked to the Supreme Court. The 2nd story related to the Legislative Body. The 3rd story deals with the Executive branch.

This story started out with 4 members of the CIA on site in Asbekistan. Their orders are just to observe. While performing their duty, they are killed by Russian Forces invading. The real purpose of their mission was to be killed and be a pawn leading the U.S into a war with Russia. With the Russsian incursion, the President has asked Joe Reeder to look into who authorized the mission for the 4 CIA agents especially since he had issued direct orders for no one to go to that area.

As in the previous stories, Joe had advised Patti Rogers, Head of FBI Task Force, that the Secretary of the Interior had been assassinated. As worked out in previous cases, the two activities intersected. While arrested a suspect in the assassination killing, that individual wound up being shot by a sniper. The individuals that Joe was looking for were from the same group that wanted to overthrow the Government.
While pursuing this group, two members of Patti's Task Force was also killed. Through had work, Joe, Patti and two others from the Task Force wound up at Camp David to protect the President and his cabinet.

To find out who the individuals of the group were that wanted to overthrow the Government and what the team did to prevent it, you must read thid book which I highly recommend.

[Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars for me.

This is the third of the Reeder and Rogers trilogy, so it is good to read it in order, but this works as well as a stand alone novel. The plot is well developed and unfolds logically and realistically. Reeder and Rogers must follow the evidence and leads to thwart the efforts of a secretive organization to subvert the government by undermining authority. They must determine whether the "conspiracy" is a theory or an actual threat, then prove to those in authority that there is enough credible evidence to pursue the leads and attempt to bring it to an acceptable conclusion in time.

There are some missing elements in this relative to the order of succession. Maybe there is a "future" constitutional amendment of which we are not aware from the book. If that is the case, the author should have noted it.

The writing is good with generally complete sentences and good grammar and punctuation. Though there is some foul language, the book is not overflowing with it and it is generally used only in dialog where characters are in dangerous situations. (Some authors seem to think it is necessary to load up on expletives unnecessarily to tell a story, but a good vocabulary can convey the thoughts more effectively. That is my opinion, anyway.)

I would recommend this book and this series.

[Kathy Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The third thriller starring Joe Reeder and Patti Rogers begins with four CIA operatives dying in Azbekistan as the Russians invade. The President calls upon Joe to find out who gave the orders sending the agents into Azbekistan since he had ordered that no agents be in that country. The deaths have brought the US and Russia almost to the brink of war with hawks in the Administration agitating for a declaration of war.

Meanwhile, Joe is concerned about the death of the head of the Department of the Interior due to an allergic reaction. He had dated her and finds the death suspicious. He calls on his friend Patti to have her and her FBI team look into the death which quickly becomes a murder investigation.

At first, the two cases don't look to be related but it doesn't take long for Reeder and Rogers to discovers ties to a huge conspiracy to take over the government. The conspiracy has reached deep into all branches of the government leaving them no knowing who to trust.

This was an intense, engaging thriller set in a near future USA. The characters are intriguing and the plot twisty. As narrator, Dan John Miller did an excellent job both illuminating the characters and ramping up the tension of the story.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Executive Action is Third in a series of action-packed Washington, D.C. Thrillers starring retired secret service agent Reeder and FBI Special Agent Rogers. What's great about this book is that it is perfectly paced with the action and tension building to a final all-out battle. The blueprint for suspense here is that rogue elements of the government - a deep state if you will - are staging a violent coup and only Reeder and a handful of operatives have clean hands and can protect the President from the coup.

The stakes - saving the world - are uncommonly high and, as with many such political thrillers, you have to suspend disbelief and accept that a small group of rogue elements with well executed assassinations can change the course of history. The other novels in this series, particularly Supreme Justice, explored these issues. It's quite scary how dependent the world is on preventing assassinations and keeping the line of succession proper.

This is an easy book to read. The writing draws the reader in very quickly and it's an intense race against time to save the world. All in all, an enjoyable read.

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am hopelessly old school. I thought I had picked out a mystery novel to read, but I think suspense novel might be more accurate. Possibly a suspense thriller? I don’t know, but when did mysteries drift away from being a contest between the reader and the author? I’m talking Sherlock, Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot, et. al., who leave clues for us to pick up—just enough to see if the reader is keen enough to solve the puzzle before the reveal.

The recent mysteries I’ve read have cheated. One, for example, introduced a flat secondary character at the beginning of the novel. He wasn’t mentioned again in the book until in the end when the author revealed him as the killer. Others haven’t introduced the antagonist until a few chapters before the reveal.

Executive Order falls somewhere between those two patterns. As such, I have to say it is not a mystery. Its redeeming quality is how Collins created and maintained suspense. Better still is how he could do that without throwing unrealistic twists at the characters. I find I have talked myself into rating it based on suspense and not mystery. Removing my disappointment from the evaluation, I will give it a five.

[Mindo'ermatter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best Book of the Series!

Unlike the first two series books, this one was not only well written, but it had both plot clarity and storyline consistency. A fast, fun, action-packed thriller that was almost believable.

With the exceptions of a couple of contrived dialogues, the book will not disappoint. This storyline was the best of the three, while creating some solid and likable characters for some additional sequels. However, this would make an excellent end to the trilogy and retirement for Joe Reeder.

I read all three books in sequence over a few short days. Although each volume could be a standalone read, I found value in reading them all in order.

Great books for a distracting escape read, I strongly recommend reading each one quickly to avoid getting lost in some details and keeping your memory fresh.

Of the three volumes, this book raises questions more worthy of a most-read discussion. Still, the book's entertainment value ends with the last page, as it can only be read once and then soon forgotten.

Dan John Miller's narration on Audible was excellent this time and added supporting drama to the reading experience, especially at 1.5 times speed.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Four agents find themselves in Azbekistan at the moment of a Russian invasion, race to their car and are killed in crossfire between Russian paratroopers and defending troops.

Who ordered them there, when the President had forbidden any American CIA or other forces there? And why did the Secretary of Interior suddenly die of a severe allergic reaction?

The President calls on Joe Reeder, once of the Secret Service, now head of his own security firm, to help find the answers, and Reeder enlists the aid of Special FBI Agent Patti Rogers and her Special Situations Unit to help uncover not only who gave that order that led to four CIA agents getting killed, but also to uncover a secret plan to take over the government.

With Max Allan Collins writing with his long time cohort, Matthew Collins, forget about sleep, your phone, grab your snacks and drinks and settle into one incredible monster ride – you won’t want to stop until you reach the very last word.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joe Reeder is tasked by the president personally with looking into the deaths for four CIA agents in a border dispute in Eastern Europe that may become the pretext for a war against Russia. Specifically, Reeder is to find out who sent the CIA team into a region about to become a warzone against the president's direct order any why. Meanwhile, FBI agent Patti Rogers is looking into the death of Senator of the Interior Amanda Yellich in what quickly turns out to be a meticulously planned murder. Comparing notes on their investigations, Reeder and Rogers once more find themselves looking at a conspiracy, one that runs deep into the highest echelons of power.

The final book in the Reeder and Rogers thriller trilogy ups the stakes once again, delivering another action-packed read that keeps you glued to the page all the way through.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the only book in the series that I’ve read, so there’s no familiarity with the author’s style. That said, It was an interesting premise, a shadow group of right-wing government & business leaders plotting an overthrow of the president and line of succession to install their own man. Lots of twists and turns, but I grew weary of everyone being described by their clothing choices. Also, it seemed that the author had favorite facial descriptors (“narrowed eyes”, “hooded eyes”) and overused them throughout the book. The part about breaking into Camp David was fairly hard to believe, a group of 4 in camo gear outsmarting highly-trained Marines and Secret Service agents. Again, not a bad story, but some of of the writing prevented me from giving it 5 stars.

[DarcLibrarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Presidential request

After an incident involving Russian troops kills a team from the CIA, America is on the brink of war and the President calls on the one person he can trust to find out what happened. In a seemingly unconnected incident an old lover now a member of government is killed in an apparent unfortunate accident. Reeder and Rogers team up again and find themselves facing a shadowy group with a terrible agenda. As they race to prevent a catastrophe, they find that the only people they can rely on are each other, Rogers FBI team and some old friends. If they fail then all will be lost. I loved listening for free with Kindle Unlimited to yet another fast paced political thriller starring the unflappable Reeders and his 'Watson' Rogers.

[Nancy Silk · Rating 5 out of 5]

"A Complex Web Of Deceit"

In this well-written political thriller, four CIA agents are dead in Eastern Europe. They were caught in a dispute crossfire. Even our president did not know why they were even there! Meanwhile in Washington, the Secretary of the Interior dies from an allergic shock? Suspicions grow that she was actually murdered. There is now a believable conspiracy as more government contacts are murdered. This can certainly evolve into World War III. Ex-Secret Agent Joe Reeder and Special Situations Task Force leader, Patti Rogers, have only to trust each other as they attempt to unravel the massive web of deceit. Great job, author Max Allan Collins.

[Tim Healy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's possible that I'm being too hard on this book. It's really not bad. I enjoy the characters just as much in this one as in the previous two. So...what's the issue? Two coups d'etat in the USA in two books (that aren't separated by that much time, in universe). It's too much, too soon. And to have both be thwarted by the same group of people, mostly led by a retired secret service agent famous for saving a President's life? It's a real stretch. Anyway, the book is fine, and strange as it might be, I'd be interested to read more about these characters if something new were found to do with them.

[Betsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title includes the parenthetical line, Reeder and Rogers thriller. I didn’t realize when I picked this out from a selection at amazon prime that this was the third book wherein Reeder and Rogers save America. Maybe I would have liked it better if I had started with their first adventure. In this book, one is an FBI agent and the other is a former Secret Service Officer. It’s a typical thriller. They defy death repeatedly and just in time destroy a rogue group of so-called ‘Patriots’ who are about to start a nuclear war with Russia. I used to read this kind of thing all the time but I really wasn’t in the mood. It probably deserves more than three stars.

[Georgia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hey! What's going on?

Shots to the left of them, shots to the right of them, volley and many fall down. Reeder and Rogers are on the case to find the conspirators who want to take the government over by killing the President. They are legion and misguided patriots. How could this happen ? Well, this is the author's eye opener to an America that is confused and divided. I really liked the quotes by many of our Presidents before each chapter and also if you have been watching the tv show Designated Survivor, you will understand the threat. Good read!

[TJ Board · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow just Wow!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this page-turner. Fast-paced, believable, action-packed. I felt as though I was watching a movie. I especially enjoyed it because I was stationed at Anacostia Naval Station in the U.S. Navy Ceremonial Guard which was next to Marine One. I also worked in the Washington Navy Yard and the Pentagon and was familiar with the surrounding area. Looking forward to reading more by this author and expect to see a movie coming out based on this book.