This is one of those reviews where, if I’d done a bit more research, I probably would have learned enough from the context to know to pass on the book. The Devil’s Hand is the fourth novel from Jack Carr, a former SEAL sniper who has used his knowledge of warfare to bring gritty realism to his novels. The Terminal List, Carr’s debut novel, is now a series on Amazon starring Chris Pratt so whatever I think about the novel—it hardly matters. This type of book has an audience and they’re eating it up.

Our protagonist is former Navy SEAL James Reece. Reece is no longer with the military due to…things (read books 1-3). In The Devil’s Hand, he gets called in by none other than the President himself to do a little revenge. The President’s fiancée died in 9/11 and the sole driving force of his political career seems to be geared toward exacting revenge on those who were involved and got away. To this end, he calls Reece. Reece works outside the lines, outside the law, and will do anything to accomplish his mission. It’s a gleeful combination of violence, patriotism, and lawbreaking in the name of the alleged greater good that should be disturbing.

I don’t know that I like former Navy SEALs writing fiction about Navy SEALS who do war crimes. I’ll leave it at that. I’m a pacifist by conviction, but I do enjoy a good fictional action thriller. Thought I’d give Carr a shot and well—other authors have commended his accuracy and realism and if that’s true, I redouble my commitment to pacifism.

The focus on 9/11 and the glorification of violence and death is almost to the point of parody. Carr waxes eloquent about how the men who signed up to fight after the Towers well were the kind of men who knew where to sit at on airplanes to best protect others. It’s a weird, violent patriotism that puts on some major rose-colored glasses and idealizes The War on Terror while yet seeming almost gleeful that there are most terrorists to kill.

Plot and character development take a back seat to action, preferably violent. Carr attempts to organically weave in the past storylines, but to middling effect. I ended up reading a bunch of reviews of books 1-3 in order to understand where we got to book 4. Usually thrillers like this are able to function as a standalone. I wouldn’t say this is the case for The Devil’s Hand.

What plot there is—The President hires a mercenary—is so over-the-top that it makes Chuck Norris films look realistic. But I guess that’s what this is. It’s an 80s action movie in 2020s clothing. It has its place, I guess, but I’d rather just go read Rambo again.