Published by St. Martin's Press on June 1, 2021

There are so many things to dislike about Chasing the Lion, it’s hard to know where to start. The protagonist, the plot, and the prose are unworthy of a reader’s time.

The protagonist is Garrett Sinclair, a lieutenant general in the Army. Sinclair is completely full of himself. He takes every opportunity to tell the reader just how special he is. He is “a leader of combat warriors,” worshipped by the team he leads. He has “wrestled al Qaeda terrorists in knife fights.” There is no person in the world who is better equipped to understand the novel’s evil Iranian villain than Sinclair. There is “no one better” at fighting bad guys. An antagonist might be half his age, but Sinclair is “twice as quick.” Even if a villain “removed his mind, his body would still be a killing machie, and if [the villain] removed his arms, his mind would be a killing machine.” Sinclair is proud of the “selfless sacrifice it took to serve the nation and not himself.” Sinclair claims his maxim is “We do our job and don’t brag or bitch” before spending an entire novel bragging and bitching.

Sinclair is special not only because of his mental and physical superiority, but because (he tells us) he has a high moral standard. The standard is, to put it nicely, flexible. He condemns Iranians for torturing people before he uses torture to get the information he wants. He declares that’s he’s not a murderer but engages in two unnecessary revenge murders. Sinclair is a hypocrite who is blind to his own hypocrisy. I guess that’s the one aspect of his character that’s realistic, but it doesn’t make him easy to tolerate.

Sinclair also tells us that he’s a true American patriot who loves his children. Frankly, if you’re a father, you’re supposed to love your children. You don’t get extra credit for reminding the reader every now and then how much you love them, particularly when you devoted your life to not seeing them very often. (Thank God he had a patriotic wife who stayed home and raised them for him.) We are probably supposed to believe that his children love him, but the only child who makes an actual appearance (as a hostage) doesn’t even rate a speaking part. He’s a prop, not a character. A.J. Tata doesn’t try to develop the kid’s personality because the kid exists only so that Sinclair can save him while telling us what a great dad he is.

Thanks to his position in Joint Special Operations Command, Sinclair knows the president-elect and everyone else who important because a certain kind of thriller hero is expected to hang out with important people as a signal that the hero is also important. Not content with being a military policy maker, however, Sinclair is an action hero, leading his little group of followers on dangerous missions around the world because that’s what aging lieutenant generals do. Well, not really, but that’s what Sinclair does. I didn’t believe for a second that an older guy of his rank would be getting into all the fistfights, knife fights, and gun fights that are meant as a substitute for a plot.

What passes for a plot is based on evil Iranians who have developed some kind of ill-defined “mind control” gas that — I’m not joking here — makes people look at their cellphone screens, as if everyone doesn’t do that already. How exactly minds are controlled by the gas or the cellphones or what the controlled people are supposed to do is never explained. Sinclair at one point is going to kill the president because of “mind control” but we’re never told how he was instructed to do that. Of course, Sinclair has the world’s most powerful mind, so hearing his dead wife telling him to be a good boy is all it takes to overcome the nefarious mind control device. Still, Sinclair knows all about mind control because that’s what “stay at home” orders were. Yeah, public health edicts to prevent a contagion from spreading during a pandemic are mind control. Give me a break.

Perhaps sensing that the whole mind control scheme is too silly to credit, Tata has an evil Iranian mix some sarin gas with the mind control gas and sends a bunch of drones to release the gasses at the presidential inauguration. So wait, is the plan to control minds or to hope that the sarin gas (which actually dissipates pretty quickly in open air) will kill a bunch of people? The plot is too muddled to deliver a clear answer. And if that’s not sufficiently nonsensical, evil Iran has just discovered that it has huge oil deposits, so it intends to use cruise missiles to take out American oil refineries, making America dependent on Iranian oil. As if American would do anything other than invade Iran and take its oil if it did anything like that. Are we supposed to believe the ayatollah doesn’t know that? The notion that Iran is sending submarines with cruise missiles to attack the US is preposterous.

Some neocon Americans are in on the scheme (which they assume is only a small attack at the inauguration) because they want to provoke a war with Iran. I didn’t buy that, either. It’s one thing for neocons to pretend that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction as a pretense for invading Iraq and quite another to aid and abet an enemy attack on American soil. Maybe if Tata were a better writer, he would have sold me on the conspiracy, but the plot comes across as the lunatic raving of someone who suffers from paranoid delusions.

Sinclair grinds multiple axes as the story tears through through the thin plot. Sinclair tells us that the intelligence community and the CIA have repeatedly betrayed America without explaining which mistakes he regards as betrayals. He often expresses his disdain for neocons (presumably meaning Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld), a common theme on Fox News, a network that worshipped Cheney and Rumsfeld before the new cons replaced the neocons. Sinclair doesn’t flesh out those complaints either, making it difficult to understand what Sinclair actually believes. He comes across as an angry man whose anger is ill-defined. Sadly, there are a lot of those in the country. They might be the novel's target audience.

On a smaller scale, the plot imagines that the conspiracy [spoiler alert] victimizes Sinclair’s wife (whose death may not have occurred in the way it was explained to Sinclair) [end spoiler alert]. That’s only possible because the whole world revolves around Sinclair, who is just so important that naturally his wife has to be drawn into the conspiracy. A collateral benefit of that plot twist is Sinclair’s ability to tell us what a wonderful guy he is because he loved his wife. (They met at church, of course, because where else would they have met?) I guess that loving his perfect God-and-America-loving wife makes Sinclair special, as does loving his kids.

Tata’s prose is functional but too often overwrought. Sinclair embarks on a “complex and daring raid” that is part of “the most sensitive, important op in our lifetime, perhaps since World War II.” Sinclair saves the nation from “unspeakable attacks.” The villain is “an Iranian madman” who plans to execute a “sweeping plan that would force America to a tipping point of economic and psychological collapse.” (The absence of any acknowledgement that a good Iranian might exist suggests that Sinclair doesn’t believe in that possibility.) Unfortunately, all of this self-aggrandizing, Iran-hating prose doesn’t create even the slightest bit of dramatic tension. The plot is silly, the protagonist and the villain are both cartoons, and the insinuation of ill-developed politics into the plot prevent Chasing the Lion from working even on the minimal level of a mindless action novel.

NOT RECOMMENDED

About:

‘As a child, Dariush Parizad survived Iran’s Islamic uprising, becoming a symbol of the revolution. Named The Lion of Tabas by the ayatollah himself, Parizad rose through his nation’s military to become a lethal soldier and brilliant tactical commander. Now a general, he leads Quds Force, an extremist terrorist organization targeting America and its western allies.’

‘Assigned to stop the terrorist strike are Army Lieutenant General Garrett Sinclair and his Joint Special Operations Command team. Across the Middle East, Europe, and the US, Sinclair pursues Parizad only to discover a deeper conspiracy . . .’

My Thoughts:

That. Was. Intense! If you enjoy reading Military Thrillers, (Yes, Please!) I Highly Recommend CHASING THE LION!

Thank you, NetGalley and St Martin’s Press, for providing me with an eBook and physical copy of CHASING THE LION in request for an honest review.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.
Review of this novel will be posted soon.

With this book, A. J. Tata has crafted an exciting book about good vs. evil - more exactly a special forces general fighting a rogue Iranian terrorist backed by power-hungry U.S. politicians and high-ranking military personnel.
Although, Tata does many things right (allowing good guys to die, making the reader doubt who is in fact good or bad, adding realistic twists and turns to the plot etc.), he unfortunately also falls into a couple of traps (painting the line between good and bad a little too clear at times, and wrapping the story up a little too fast in the end).
Overall, however, I was very well entertained, although I struggled somewhat along the way. 3½ stars rounded up to 4.

Since my favorite reading genre is thrillers, how did I ever miss this author? I was on the edge of my seat and didn’t want to quit reading. Lieutenant General Garrett Sinclair, still grieving his wife, Melissa’s death from cancer, is called to lead a mission to thwart a bio-chem terrorist attack that intelligence reports indicate is scheduled to occur in Washington, D. C. Developed by Iran, this weapon of mass destruction contains mind altering drugs and chemicals that destroy the nervous system. The leader of this attack is a member of Iran’s special Quds Force and someone General Sinclair has experience with. This wonderful novel takes you across the globe as Sinclair ‘s Special Forces fight this newest threat on America.

Army Lieutenant General Garrett Sinclair and his team are all that stand between the Unites States and Iranian terrorist Parizad. Parizad has developed a weapon called Demon Rain. A biochemical weapon with mind control properties that can be directed through cell phone imagery. Parizad plans to deploy this weapon during the inauguration of the first female president.

Sinclair is still reeling over his wife's death and as the investigation proceeds, he discovers that Melissa's death is connected to the terrorist plot. After a mission goes sideways in Japan, Sinclair must pull his group back together and bring down Parizad.

Chasing the Lion is terrifyingly possible today. I'll be looking for more books by A. J. Tata.

“Chasing The Lion” is a non-stop thrill ride, so allocate your reading time appropriately... Colonel Garrett Sinclair talks to himself, talks to readers, and second guesses his actions. (If I had known ahead of time any of what was about to transpire…) His tone is official, professional, and direct. He goes back and forth in time, filling in details on everything and telling background that the “public” does not know. (The events that have unfolded since are well known today; the ghastly story behind them, not so much.)
“Chasing The Lion” has the quintessential thriller premise -- can the plan be stopped before time runs out. I will not give away the critical elements, but I will give a few hints. The operation is the most sensitive, most important in a lifetime. Traces of a new mind control drug Demon Rain were found in a cave high in the Iranian mountains. Kim Campbell, a former schoolteacher, is set to be the first female president of the United States. “A product” is already in America.
“Chasing The Lion” has layer upon layer of intrigue. The characters are complex and multi-faceted. At times it pushes the limits of credibility and reads like an onscreen action thriller, but that can be a good thing. My main complaint is that there are constant references to COVID; we do this because of COVID, we have that left over from COVID; it was just overkill. I received a review copy of “Chasing The Lion” from A.J. TATA, and St. Martin’s Press. It was a real “nail-bitter.”

"The United States has just uncovered a biochemical weapon developed by Parizad’s group. A viral agent, it attacks a person’s nervous system and renders them susceptible to mind control. Parizad plans to unleash the weapon in Washington D. C. on Inauguration Day during the swearing in of the country’s first female president, turning civilians into weapons."

Wow! When I read the write up on this book I wanted to read it. Biochemical viral agent that sounds like a virus that will spread easily, quickly and so deadly! Full of suspense, action, double agents, hero's and a book I had a terrible time putting down because it moved along so fast I didn't want to miss anything.. This book was advertised on the television and my husband said, that sounds like quite a story! And.. I said, Hey! I read that one!
If you like military, suspense and a exciting read... get this one, you will like it!
I was gifted a copy by the publisher through NetGalley. No review was required, My opinion and review is voluntary.

If you love detailed action packed military/political thrillers, this is definitely your book.

I kind of struggled with this book. I hopped into this series with this book and it felt like I really should have started with book one. The author did a great job trying to fill in the blanks, but it just felt like too much additional information to process and took away from this book.

Thanks Netgalley and publisher for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

I really wanted to like this book. It seemed like my type of action-packed thriller. However, I basically had to force myself into read the book and bring it to completion. I wanted to give up around the 25% mark, but persevered since I had to review it for NetGalley.

The sole positive I could find was the final few chapters. There was finally some payoff and real action. However, by that point I just didn’t care anymore and was skimming it very heavily.

Onwards to the negatives. As many other reviewers have stated, the plot is convoluted and poorly described. I still don’t understand what the “virus” did, or how it worked. It’s also strange that a general would find themselves in so many active engagements.

The writing itself leaves a lot to be desired. If I have to read “As I was doing this, the bad guy was doing that” one more time, it will be too soon. It was quite literally used every time in the opening sentence when there was a chapter from the villain’s POV. Additionally, it took way too long to get to any sort of point and there was a ton of back story that was randomly woven in throughout the first third of the book.

Basically, I hated this book. I even downgraded it from 2 stars to 1 star as I was writing this. I simply did not care about the characters or feel invested in anything. It usually takes me about 3 days to get through an action thriller and this took me almost two weeks of torture. I would not recommend this book to anyone.

As always, this is my opinion and your mileage may vary. ARC given through NetGalley and my thoughts are clearly my own.

An action packed non stop thrill ride. A great start to a new series with well developed and likeable characters and some truly evil villains. A bit of suspended disbelief made the complex story a wild and entertaining read.

Thank you St. Martin's Press for this ARC.

This pits Army Lieutenant General Garrett Sinclair and his Joint Special Operations Command team against Sinclair's nemesis, Dariush Parizad, Lion of Tabas, a hero of the Iranian revolution.

Parizad plans a horrific attack against the U.S. on the Inauguration Day to swear in a first female U.S. President. The attack will unleash a biochemical weapon and psychoactive viral agent, Demon Rain on unsuspecting civilians.

There are surprises and betrayals, captures and escapes, and constant over the top action.

An amazing read, with never ending action. An intense page turner that will keep your interest through out the book. If you enjoy an adrenaline rush than this book is for you. An enjoyable read by an accomplished author.

This is an action packed military thriller. An Iranian terrorist is planning an attack on the US with the intent to cripple the US economy. General Garrett Sinclair and his team are the only thing standing in his way. Without knowing who is friend or foe within the US government, they are in a race against time to stop the impending catastrophe. Buckle up and get ready for an exciting ride as you get sucked into this ripped from the headlines thriller.

If you like military thrillers you will really enjoy this book. This is my first one by this author and it will not be my last. This has a lot of action throughout the whole story. I enjoyed the characters. There were many times where I was not sure who could be trusted. I liked that. I received a copy of this book from St. Martin Press for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

The pacing of this book is beyond phenomenal. I could not put it down once I began reading and not a single chapter felt superfluous. A testament to both the author's writing skill and an expertly planned plot. Edge-of-your-seat reading at its finest.
It also helps that both sides of the conflict get explored and humanized, so it's not the all-powerful American against a flat caricature of a foreign offender. Parizad's path may be the wrong one, but you can't help but empathize with what he's been through. He's a fully realized person whose choices in life were shaped by tragedy and circumstance. And it's not just him and Lieutenant General Garrett Sinclair that get the full treatment, side characters play a pivotal role in many of the events of the book and they read as (unfortunately in some cases) people that could really be out there doing the kinds of things that happen in the plot.
Lots of action, terrorist plots that make sense, betrayal, and so much more made this a book that I could not put down once I began and one that I'll be happy to recommend to anyone looking for an intense read.

Many extremely happy thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the great read!

Intensive, detailed and action packed. AJ Tata keeps rolling with the punches. I was quite impressed with the amount of detail in this book, he truly puts you into the story as a fly on the wall. I would certainly recommend this to all readers who want to feel like you're on the front lines. Well done!

The best part of this book was the authentic military detail and vocabulary -- which is no surprise, since author A.J. Tata retired from a distinguished career in the armed forces. There was a lot of edge-of-the-seat suspense, but the overall pace was uneven.

I was a bit disappointed in the flat portrayals of the female characters, particularly the idealized, dead wife Melissa; but also Sally McCool, a helicopter pilot and a valued part of the main character's team. They seemed like cardboard-cutout projections of Gen. Garrett Sinclair, our hero.

I'm always put off by anything that smacks of propaganda in fiction, and the repeated pairing of Covid 19 with conspiracy set my teeth on edge -- for literary rather than political reasons

Having some exposure to military life, I was also surprised that an officer of Sinclair's rank showed up front and center in every operation, on ground and in the air. But there were other elements that were equally implausible, so I tried to roll with it.

Thanks to NetGalley and St.Martin's Press for an advance readers copy.

Chasing the Lion by A.J. Tata is an action-packed military thriller that left me breathless. Written in a first-person POV, the story's tone is very much in keeping with its military setting. The narration explains most military jargon throughput, which is a massive help for a non-military person like me. Colonel Garrett Sinclair, the main character, is recently widowed with two adult children, Brad and Reagan. The loss of his wife is tragic, but the current threat against the US is so complex and so evil that the military must catch the Lion of Tabas to stop the attack, and Garrett is uniquely equipped to do just that. The covid references throughout gave the story just the right touch of realism in an excitingly far-fetched tale (or at least I hope it is). There are so many twists and turns in what also turns out to be an unexpected murder mystery. I often sat with my mouth agape as I took it all in. The well-developed characters, even the villain with the detailed look at what made him the person he is now, helped to complete my buy-in and allowed me to immerse myself even deeper. If you are looking for an exciting thriller that is part murder mystery, part military thriller, and part terrorism thriller, this story will have you picking up your jaw off the floor and realizing you had no idea when it got there.

General Garrett Sinclair’s is a wily combination of James Bond, Jason Bourne, and Superman. He is a true believer that anyone who had missed the trenches of combat were nothing but unfortunate. Blessed with an extraordinary team, they are going to search and unveil the baddies trying to unleash the most horrific destruction and pandemonium imaginable. Add a personal tragedy that lingers without absolute resolution. Got your attention?

“Feints and ruses” trickery, deception, skilled planning, close in fighting, military gadgets and move, run, fly, dangle from a rope, find it, get it done. Who to believe? Who to trust? Who is the target? Who offers true support? The action never flagged, the mind games were cunningly effective, the political posturing so very believable - really enjoyed this book.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a copy.