A decent book that starts well but strained my beliefs in the plausiblility of the protagonist’s actions toward the end. It ends on a cliffhanger and I look forward to the next installment.

Buried in Black by J.T. Patten did not fail to deliver the high level of quality realistic action I have come to expect from him.  From the first page through the last I was hooked, it engages you and wont let you go.  A few new high-speed heroes make their way into Patten's world, but most importantly, for me, Sean and Lars show up to help take care of some of those bad guys who need taking care of.  One thing that really struck me while I was reading this book was the timeliness of current events interwoven into the fast paced action of Buried in Black.  Patten is spot on with the subject matter he addresses.  In the news over the last few weeks and even today there are actually a few stories that seem as though they were taken right from the pages of Buried in Black.  In short, I loved this book!  I'm a huge fan of the series and the characters.   If you liked Patten's past books (Shadow Masters and Primed Charge) and/or enjoy The Gray Man series by Mark Greaney, you need to get this book on your shelf or downloaded to your e-reader ASAP.

Former intelligence expert J.T. Patten’s newest novel, “Buried in Black,” is part of Patten’s “Task Force Orange” series. Having emerged myself from the world of international intelligence and U.S. special operations, I felt guilty starting the novel, upon reading the acronym list that precedes the story. It is a comprehensive “what’s what” of some of the most sensitive acronyms found in the U.S. government’s most shadowy corners. My unease was assuaged, however, knowing that Patten underwent an extensive clearance process — including through the CIA and the Department of Defense — before releasing his manuscript.

“Buried in Black” is authentically situated within the milieu of military and intelligence clandestine operations, and is as darkly-woven as a journey with Marlow into the heart of darkness. At times, the reader is not sure if he should pull for the hero Drake, sympathize with him given his various psychological infirmities, or report him to Congress for violations of all sorts of international laws and norms. That is not a negative critique, but rather, an acknowledgement of the charcoal gray world in which Drake and his team operate in the novel.

The story centers around the fallout from a program run by U.S. Special Operations Forces in Iraq to train indigenous forces to act as surrogates for America in the Global War on Terror. Once America abandons its former allies to their enemies, the program comes back to haunt U.S. forces where they live, with horrifying results.

“Buried in Black” is steeped in the lingo, techniques, tactics, and culture of U.S. clandestine military and intelligence operations. The technology, equipment, tactical capabilities, and operational techniques are real, and they ably buttress the story of revenge and national defense as it is practiced in the world of “black ops.”

You will find “Buried in Black” to be packed with violence and action, filled with unexpected twists and turns, and loaded with moral ambiguities and hard choices. In other words, you will find the book to be both highly entertaining and reflective of the tough choices made every day as a nation struggles with its unconventional foes.

Black ops. Those two words get used so much, we've become numb to them and forget what that actually means. 'Buried in Black' changes that. This is one of the best books I've read this year. I don't recap story's since the basis is outlined in liner notes. Instead I will tell you what I like in a book, which is what most military fiction fans look for in this genre. So on to that: Buried in Black is filled with an insider's perspective on how certain units, like the ISA or Activity, function. While there are obviously parts of the book that skip sensitive parts about intelligence collection, there is more than enough in there to let you know that J.T. Patten is well versed in the 'finding, fixing and finishing' the enemy using all the tools and tricks of today's top intelligence agencies and tier one units. Abundant in technical details, weapons used and tactics, this book really delivers as a top notch techno thriller, a military thriller and a good old fashioned spy book in one story. You will come away smarter about how JSOC units and intelligence agencies gather intel used for direct action kinetic ops. In a way though this is kind of bad, because once you read other writer's work, you realize just how much they don't know and make it up as they go.
The only drawback to this book is there was a section in the beginning that was filled with quite a few grammar errors and punctuation mistakes. Hopefully this is fixed in the final drafts, but even if not, it doesn't distract too much from the story.
J.T.Pattens was obviously so far into the black side of things that the book title could be about him as well. Buried in Black is the real deal and a real page turner with no dull spots, lengthy hero aggrandizing or convoluted non-sensical plots, a recommended wine list or custom gun shop. It also shows just how dangerous a team trained by us could come back and inflict some serious payback to our country and black ops operators. One of the best books this year and I personally can't wait for the second installment. 
Amazon Kindle disclaimer: (I was given a copy of this book for free to review but only because I have intimate knowledge on how DA units operate. This in no way effects my review).

This is a top notch thriller about international espionage and warfare. This author writes in a realistic and engaging style, drawing you in deep and never letting go. The opening chapter of this exciting thriller is heartbreaking, describing how young Drake Woolf’s life was forever changed. Drake was raised by his aunt and uncle, the latter being Robert O’Toole, the Deputy Director of the Department of Defense. O’Toole pushes Drake to the limits and raised him to be a killing machine. 

The Mohawks were a group of Iraqi insurgents that the US had trained in combat and counterintelligence. When the US does them wrong, these ghosts from Drake’s past begin to haunt him and others they were trained by. The Mohawks plan a revenge attack that will cripple the US intelligence infrastructure. Drake soon discovers that the threat is much closer to home than he or anyone ever realized. 

When someone close to Drake is attacked at home, the situation becomes personal. Drake had been thinking about becoming “disappeared but not dead” after he survived an attack overseas, but now Drake has no choice but to resurface and plan a revenge mission against those responsible. 

Drake is used to working alone. In fact, he prefers it. But in this operation he is forced to work with a small team. As their investigation continues, Drake and his team leave a trail of bodies in their wake. Little do they know, an unlikely FBI agent is hot on their trail. Drake and his team must be cautious of the Mohawks and the FBI, never quite knowing who they can fully trust. 

All guilty parties are held accountable for their actions in the thrilling conclusion, but a window is left wide open in reference to the next installment in this exciting series. I will eagerly anticipate reading more about Drake and his associates. 

I would recommend this book to fans of thrillers and espionage. I received this as a free ARC from Kensington Books, Lyrical Underground on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

JT Patton, what can I say! Buried in Black is a must read. 
It is today, it is The fear every American lives with! Homeland terror.
Well Written and a quick read. This is one you do not want to put down.
When promises are made and broken in a war torn country. The results may
Be deadly, in this case they are! Revenge against americas best is so disturbing 
It is too real to ignore. When all is said the American government dark side is once 
Again portrayed. The ending is for you to discover as evil continues to dominate
The world as we see it in blind eyes.

THIS IS AN EXCELLENT READ!! Get It Now!! 
J.T. Patten’s Buried in Black will take you  into the darkest parts of the shadow Deep State Government with this “CAN’T PUT DOWN Thriller. It’s obvious the author must be or has been involved with or has first hand knowledge of deep dark Special Access Programs Capabilities, methods And Tactics. 
    I’ve been waiting for the continuation of the “SEAN HAVENS” Series. “Buried In Black” brings back Sean Havens and his brother-in-law Lars Bjorklund. This book puts some new special tools into the hands of Sean and Lars plus adds a new highly trained multi-talented character to the team. This trio’s capabilities plus the additional tools and access makes them unstoppable and just plain scary. I’m already waiting for the next installment of “BURIED IN BLACK”!!

I was fortunate to receive an ARC of Buried in Black and I was amazed at how well the story flows, the amount of detailed action, and how well everything fits in modern times. I was also pleasantly surprised with the depth of the story! I highly recommend this and look forward to more JT Patten and Havens/Woolf adventures. 

'Drake' Woolf comes from a hardened background where some can agree he was a child of misfortune. Fast forward to a grown special operator, who is haunted by internal demons and thrives in the black ops world. Woolf is a tremendous character that meet up w JT Pattens Sean Havens and the two are on a mission to stop the killing of innocent people at the end of the most unlikely enemies.

Buried in Black is a thriller that explores a terrifying reality: What if the special operations forces we trained in Iraq used their skills to hit us here in America? After all, as Patten so vividly explains, after the troop withdrawal, ISIS came barreling through drunk on vengeance, butchering everyone who stood in their murderous path, including the families of some of the special operations guys we trained. Not to mention, we broke our promises to bring a lot of these guys and their families back to the states. Holding their dying child or wife in their arms, why wouldn't they want vengeance? 

Patten's plot, as horrifying as it is, felt like a future headline news story. And as someone who knows Iraqis who helped us a lot during OIF, including intelligence assets, I knew that he was dealing in facts with the ISIS piece of things, even though the story itself is written in the fiction genre. And it just gets better from there.

Our protagonist, Drake Woolf, is a hunter of men. He has all the credentials to take down the bad guys and then some. With Buried in Black, Patten did something that I've never seen another thriller writer do. He made Woolf a member of the Intelligence Support Activity, a real unit that most people have never heard of in their lives. To give you a general idea, they were the OTHER GUYS in the shadows, taking down Pablo Escobar, Saddam Hussein, and Osama Bin Laden. 

Woolf isn't just a Rambo carbon copy, though. He has character flaws, and that's what makes him an even more likable hero. His uncle, an old spy himself, raised him after his family was slaughtered, training him to be both a killer and a ghost. But the two could definitely use some relationship counseling.

When Woolf's ready to hang things up, the Iraqi special operations dudes appear on U.S. soil, targeting members of Delta Force, and their families. He can't let that go unanswered. It doesn't take long to find out who is pulling the purse strings on the Iraqi special operations guys. Iran. And there are some twists that won't just have you on the edge of your seat, they will throw you off of it.

The book is packed with awesome gunfights, entertaining and thought-provoking dialogue, bread crumbs of history, and above all a powerful, gritty, emotional plot. When it ended, I wanted to jump in a time machine to read the next one. It's that good. 

Full disclosure: I had never heard of Patten until a few months ago. He now has a fan for life.

This is the 3rd book from the brilliant author JT Patten and introduces us to an all new character, Drake Woolf. The Man from Orange. Not Devgru, not Delta, not SAD, or a Seal. He is a man buried in the dark shadows from a unit that none of us have heard but does exist. The preface at the beginning of the book is not for effect, it’s the truth.
Drake is a highly skilled but seriously conflicted character- not in the normal genre way, who grabs you and takes you into his dark worlld of violence, cutting edge technology, 1/2 truths , political intrigue and self serving agendas, plots and counter plots danger and deniability. The plot is fast paced with questions answered , more questions and twists and turns along the way. If you have  read JT Patten’s first 2 books, you will be pleased to see the return of Sean Havens and Lars. If you haven’t I would read both Safe Havens : Shadow Masters and Safe Havens : Primed Charge. to keep you going till release date.
This book is even better and is one of the best books I have read this year. I strongly suggest it’s one to pre order. The book is full of wonderful characters, some totally vile, dark humour and great action. Take a trip and be prepared to be Buried in Black!

This book wouldn't be out of place in a Shakespearian tragedy if that tragedy included drone strikes, automatic weapons, an FBI bulldog, and the Terminator disguised as a special ops soldier. Drake can't be reasoned with, he can't be bargained with, he doesn't feel fear, and he absolutely will not stop.

There's family that doesn't have your best interest in mind and family that will literally kill for you. There are people called family that can turn on you and people called strangers that become more than family.

Drake suffers an unbelievable tragedy, thank God, his brother wasn't around. Put a pin in that as it's an important part of the story. Years later he suffers a betrayal that sets him on another path no less important but causes major internal struggles because it's not the path he wants to follow. 

When a book manages to make you so angry that you have to stop reading before you do something drastic like throwing your Kindle across the room or has you talking to the book, making you thankful that no one can see you acting like a loon then, you know you've found something wonderful.

I've been waiting for a new book from the author but what I didn't expect was a new series or a new cast of characters. Don't worry, Sean and Lars are heavily featured in this book so fans won't be upset that this isn't the next Safe Havens book.

There are books you read that just ring true like the author knows the subject they're writing about but there's another level to his books and reading his bio, he's lived it.

There's no shortage of action in this book and to prove that point you can't even get through the prelude before you learn some very important information about  Drake. You learn what makes him unique, what drives him, and the events that will forever change and shape his life. As a human, it's a difficult part to read but as a fan, you know you're in for a ride.

I was fortunate enough to receive an early copy of this novel, partnering with The Real Book Spy, in exchange for an unbiased review.

Wow! This book is the Tesla of thrillers. It goes from 0-100 in mere seconds. Kicking off with on of the best prologues I've ever read, J.T. Patten is flying up the ranks as one of the top writers in the genre with BURIED IN BLACK. You can tell Patten is more than a writer. With his insight in counterterrorism, in-field operations, cyber warfare, and everything in between, it is easy to see that Patten knows exactly what he's writing about. As someone who works in cybersecurity, I was partially expecting to be hyper-critical of every and any technological slip-up, but everything was spot on. He hit the nail on the head with every, little detail. It felt almost like a Clancy novel but was half as long (which is a good thing). Patten introduces his newest character, Drake Woolf, who is easily one of the most impressive protagonists I've seen in years, and takes him on a wild adventure around the world.

BURIED IN BLACK is non-stop action from the first page until you flip the back cover. It is one of those books that will literally have your heart racing as you read it. I can't recommend this book enough, especially if you're a fan of thrillers. Great characters, great plot, great insight, great action, perfect thriller.

JT Patten’s new novel is a unique and well written addition to the military/spy thriller genre. Drake Woolf, his new protagonist isn’t the typical Mitch Rapp clone, and Patten’s portrayal of the world of espionage and covert operations isn’t glamorous or black and white, instead existing within a morally grey area populated with complex characters who possess dubious intentions, motivations, and loyalties. Each character has their own distinctive voice and personality, and Patten's dialogue is sharp, authentic, and flows well.. Although the plot has plenty of action and twists, this is also very much a character-focused story. 

Drake Woolf is a soldier from the Intelligence Support Activity, specializing in implementing high tech SIGINT techniques to gather intelligence. He’s also troubled and heavily influenced by a childhood incident in which he witnessed the murder of his parents, who were CIA operatives in Tunisia. An early sequence in the book highlights Woolf’s skills with both SIGINT and direct action as he tracks a terrorist target in Lebanon. Here he’s also introduced to Sean Havens, the protagonist from the author’s past self-published novels. From there, the plot shifts to a terrorist bombing outside the Pentagon, and we are introduced to the Mohawks, a group of JSOC-trained Iraqi special ops soldiers who, with the support of an Iranian general, are personally motivated to launch a campaign of terrorism and assassination against the Americans they believe betrayed them and their families. The hunt begins for the Mohawks, and the plot soon becomes increasingly more complex and personal for Drake. .

“Buried in Black” will appeal to anyone who prefers the darker, grittier, and more authentic side of the genre where authors like Dalton Fury, Jack Murphy, Joshua Hood or Sean McFate reside, and the ending suggests Drake's story will continue.

Wow! Patten has once again hit it out of the park. An incredibly detailed, fast-paced plot that is intricately weaved across multiple continents and leaves you hanging on every word. Patten’s vast experience in the intelligence and military circles is on full display in this work. The plot is entirely possible and the equipment used by the characters is described in great detail. I’d highly recommend this book for anybody interested in thrillers.