SOLVED. Adult Thriller series. (Ex-)Soldier attempts to save the world with a little (baby) girl he rescued. He was tortured as a POW. Some romance with female soldier. Read 2005-2010. Spoilers ahead.

[Anja]

The protagonist is a soldier who was tortured as a POW and they attempted to gauge out his eyes and then left him to bleed out in a cupboard (I don't know of I remember this right, but they locked him in a piece of furniture).
His eyes didn't actually sustain any or only very little damage but he had scars on his face and was always wearing these mirrored sunglasses.

At some point he saves a baby girl by sticking his arm into a hole in a wall to pull a lever or something and that activates a stream of lava that essentially burns off his arm. He ends up raising the girl, I think.

There's also some romance between him and a female soldier.
In one of the books she gets hot pink highlights with the little girl.
And in the same book (I think) she (the soldier) is executed by the bad guys with a guillotine.

I don't remember much after that.
I also don't remember any names.
I'm pretty sure the author is American though.

[Kris]

Anja, what is the story's time period? Which war did he fight in?

What's the genre - e.g., adult thriller, adventure, science fiction, romance?

What's the bad guy/enemy? (Spoilers are okay - just give us a clear warning before revealing a spoiler.)

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[Anja]

Kris wrote: "Anja, what is the story's time period? Which war did he fight in?"

I don't think that was ever specified.

Kris wrote: "What's the genre - e.g., adult thriller, adventure, science fiction, romance?"

I'd say adult thriller

Kris wrote:What's the bad guy/enemy? (Spoilers are okay - just..."

Well, that is something that I do not remember.
I think it was some type of organization instead of just "a bad guy".

[Anja]

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[Kris]

What happens in the first few chapters (i.e., what the publisher's blurb is likely to talk about)?

[Anja]

Kris wrote: "What happens in the first few chapters (i.e., what the publisher's blurb is likely to talk about)?"

I honestly don't remember. It's a book series and it kinda bled together.

[Anja]

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[Angela]

This sounds like Scarecrow / Seven Ancient Wonders

[Anja]

Angela wrote: "This sounds like Scarecrow / Seven Ancient Wonders"

Yes, thank you.
That is definitely it.

[Kris]

Glad you found your book series, Anja. Which series is it by Matthew Reilly?

- Shane Schofield series which includes Scarecrow? First book is Ice Station.

- Jack West Jr series? First book is Seven Deadly Wonders (also called "Seven Ancient Wonders").