A solid debut from T.R. Hendricks that delivers knowledge as well as action. Former SERE instructor Derek Harrington imparts wilderness survival advice not just to the characters he shares the pages with, but with the reader as well. Learning through entertainment is not a new concept, but Hendricks executes very well, while putting his reader as well as his main character through the wringer. Thoroughly enjoyed this, looking forward to what comes next for Harrington.

Derek, a survival instructor is struggling to keep his business afloat. One day, a former student comes to him with a great financial offer - teaching a private group survival skills for a month. It's an offer he can't turn down. He takes the job, but finds out it is way more complicated than just a simple month-long job. Luckily, he has agreed to be the inside man for the FBI, who is also interested in the group.

Derek finds himself isolated at a compound run by a cult-leader figure. Of course, once he completes their training, they figure out he's the one leaking information to the FBI. Then, he is suddenly facing the very students who he has trained so well. Will he survive?

This book has all the elements of a great movie. The character of Derek is in the action hero role. We find ourselves rooting for him. He is smart enough to know that he has to hold back some information when he's training the cult members. Once he figures out how they plan to use the training, he uses all his skills to stall them and still make them think he's giving them the full training.

The last part of the book is all action. It just grabs hold and keeps on going to the end. It was well-written and definitely holds your attention. I recommend it.

Retired from his elite military squad, Derek Harrington has been making a living teaching wilderness survival techniques—not a lucrative means of support—but one of his students turns out to have been secretly evaluating him for an entirely different project. This guy offers Derek a lot of money to cancel his upcoming sessions and train a private group. Needing the money for child support and for his father’s care, Derek takes the job. It doesn’t take much for Derek to make an impression, and the group’s leader offers Derek $20,000 to conduct a four-week tactical training session in a secret location. Everything about the situation seems shady, so Derek takes precautions before reluctantly taking the gig. There’s a bit too much detail about the ongoing training. Yes, we need some info, but after a while instead of helping set the scene or establish Derek’s credibility, it just bogs down the story. Once it becomes clear that there is indeed something dangerous going on, Derek has to do his best to suppress the threat in the middle of nowhere among hostile and well-armed crazies. Cue the action and drama worthy of a summer movie.

Thanks to Netgalley and Tor/Forge for a digital advance review copy.

The lead in this violent, action-packed domestic terrorism thriller is retired Marine Force Recon and SERE instructor Derek Harrington. He has PTSD and scratches a living with a bushcraft school teaching wilderness survival

He's offered $10,000 to give advanced training to a private group for two weeks in upstate New York. Derek consults FBI Agent Kelly Scarsboro, who asks him to gather intel on this fringe group (which includes children).

When his trainees turn on him and danger moves too close to home, it takes all Derek's skills to survive and protect those he loves.

I loved everything about this book... fast pace, lots of action, immersive storytelling, excellent plot, and a writing style by someone who clearly understands what they're writing about. Derek is a typical good-guy-badass character but never feels cliche. I am really looking forward to more books in this series.

This is the first book in a new series for T.R. Hendricks and it is full of action, suspense and edge of your seat action. Derek Harrington is a retired Marine Force Recon and is now teaching wilderness survival. Unfortunately he is on the verge of going out of business and he is quickly running out of money. One of his student in a class offers him $20,000 to teach a private class for a group in upstate New York for 30 days. I mean what could go wrong?

"There's no hunting like the hunting of men, and those that have hunted men long enough never cared for anything else."

Derek is a military veteran with a SERE (Survive Evade Resist and Escape) training background who is having a rough time at life. He's divorced and trying to keep his business afloat. When Derek is approached by a group to do private SERE training, he initially resists but once he realized they give off "cult" vibes, he contacts a friend at the FBI and agrees to be their man on the inside. H won't let this group off the hook and is willing to do whatever it takes to take them down, but at what cost?

This book is out of my normal genre, but I still loved it. It has mystery, cultish vibes I can't get enough of. I'm in the military so it was fun to read a military book without the cringey-ness of normal military fiction books. This book had me on the edge of my seat and I was dying to figure out what was going to happen.

I thoroughly enjoyed Hendrick's writing and I can't wait to read the next books in the series!


*Thanks to Netgalley, T.R. Hendricks, and TOR Publishing for the ARC!

The Instructor by T. R. Hendricks
Dereck Harrington #1

Immediate immersion in a compelling story that deals with current issues related to counterterrorism within the USA, ex-military dealing with returning to civilian life while dealing with PTSD, and more. This book had me reading rapidly to find out what would happen.

What I liked:
* Dereck: military veteran, decades of service, divorced, loves his son…and his ex-wife, anger issues, PTSD, father has dementia, financial difficulties, wants to provide for his family, in deep when a potential solution appears
* The plot, pacing, and writing
* That it was believable and written by someone who knows what he is writing about
* That Dereck is not perfect
* Being able to admire Dereck as a warrior, leader, and human being
* Dereck’s wife who wants to keep her son and herself safe but also wants Dereck to get help she feels he needs
* That there are black, white, and shades of gray in this story
* The introduction to the series that provides a lead character I want to know more about

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* The manipulative people, the cult-feel of Sanctuary, that people who believe in a cause can be so deluded…and wondering how many people in the world are taken in by those like Marshal and his henchmen

Did I like this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

QUICK TAKE: It’s a little bit outside my usual genre fare, but I actually really dug TR Hendricks’ THE INSTRUCTOR, about a survivalist instructor who goes undercover and infiltrates an extremist organization that has hired him to train them in his ways. When they discover he’s been working against them, the group uses his skills and training to turn the tables. It’s GI JANE meets THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS; action-packed, intense, and perfect for fans of 90s Jerry Bruckheimer movies like THE ROCK and CON AIR.

Derek is retired from special forces and is having a hard time readjusting to civilian life. The one thing he cares about is his family and his ailing father, but his anger issues have led to a divorce. When it is clear he must put his father into a special care facility, he agrees to provide special training to a group who are living off the grid. That group proves to be a dangerous cult and Derek begins to fear for his life an for his family. There are lots of bad guys but only a couple of good guys and enough "shoot em ups" to satisfy anyone. The book ends with unfinished business and I will be waiting for a sequel. Derek and his family deserve one. I received an arc from NetGalley and am under no pressure for a positive review.

First of all, a big thank you to the publisher for providing an ARC of the book to a German bookseller. I had spotted the book description on Twitter and couldn't wait for the official release date.
And I have to say, I was not disappointed.
Hendricks succeeds in captivating the reader and building suspense from the very first chapter. Already at the end of chapter 1 it is clear that what can go wrong will go wrong. You notice from the first page that T.R. Hendricks knows a lot about survival and is "from the trade". At the same time, his description of the survival passages never becomes too theoretical, but remains exciting throughout and the balancing act of the "Instructor" between the compulsion to deliver survival lessons, but at the same time not preparing the group too much for later intervention by the authorities.
Moreover, Hendricks manages to incorporate surprising twists and turns again and again.
I read the book in a few days and found it all-round exciting and really well written and am now looking forward to the next volume of the Derek Harrington series, which will hopefully be published soon.

Derek Harrington is a former Marine of 22 years. Now he has a Survivalist business and is asked to do private training. He is surprised to find out that the group is a cult. He needs the money but is concerned so he talks to his FBI friend and ends up going into an undercover operation infiltrating the cult. Derek ends up deep in the woods with a domestic terrorist cell. Hendricks is very knowledgeable about military behavior and makes the activities very real. He gives authentic explanations of military weapons and their firepower. I liked Harrington and was disappointed that his interest in money caused him to turn his back on his son and help individuals who wish to divide and destroy this country.

5 stars because fuck yeah. 5 stars because I feel stronger and braver just having read this. 5 stars because we need more Dereks (which, ultimately, stems from the author and his time in the military). 5 stars because I want more!

If you like well written, fast paced, suspense, this book is for you. If you like gory details and a badass lead character this book is for you.

“Welcome to the FBI”

I received an ARC through "NetGalley" and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

The story begins with Derek leading a course on wilderness survival. Since Derek left the Marines, this is the way that he makes his living. Upon completion, one of his students offers him a job teaching a group of individuals the same sort of training that he just did with this group. The amount that he would receive convinced him to take the opportunity. The only thing that bothered him was a promise that he made to his son. It seems that he and his ex-wife had issues and after calling her to explain, she gave him a guilt trip, but Derek and Gil, the trainee who offered the job, went to the location where the training was to take place.

Derek arrived after following Gil where he was then transported to the site. Gil took many twists and turns on getting there so that Derek wouldn't know exactly the location and how to get there. At the end of the week when the course was finished and as a requirement to get paid, he met with the group leader. Marshal, the leader, then asked Derek if he would provide a more extensive course for a special group. The price was a lot, but he had misgivings. Marshal told him to think about it and provided him a burner phone to use if he should reconsider. A member of the group then drove Derek back to his truck once again taking all sorts of twists and turns.

Gerk then drove back to where his son was participating in a baseball. At the conclusion of the game, Derek got involved in trying to protect the umpire. As a result, Derek wound up being arrested. Once he was able to get out of jail, he contacted his ex and discovered that as a result of the baseball incident she had gotten a restraining and also was seeking to gain full custody of their son. Because of this, Derek began thinking about the job Marshal.

Derek decides to take the offer, but having reservations about the group, he contacts an individual from his military days. Derek laid it all out and Derik became a CI. A plan was put together as to how Derek would supply the information to his friend.

Derek arrived again again was driven to the site once more. Derek then started his 4 week course. To learn who the special group was, what the training Derek led and what happen at the course completion, then you need to read this book. The ending will blow you away.

This story is packed with brutal action. Derek is a mixture of every movie action hero you have ever see. A SERE trained retired marine, he tears up the pages with his knowledge and skills. The plot the author has created is enough to fuel any adrenaline junkie. It has a marvelous cast of characters that will ensnare your attention at every turn of the page. This series has started with a bang and hopefully only gets better.

I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC of this book. Military thriller is not normally my genre of choice but thriller certainly is and WOW did this book pack a punch right in the first chapter. Vivid imagery with complex characters that you can't help but cling to with both hands, 'the Instructor' is not only a fantastic beginning for what is sure to be a riveting series.. This author's talent is splayed across the pages. He writes with poise and sophistication but holds the military knowledge and toughness from his own experience in service. This book proves with obvious brilliance that T.R Hendrick's is an author we are going to hear about for years to come.

I would give it 3.5 stars. For me the first half starts out slow and drags on a bit. Towards the middle the book picked up and got better.
It starts with an ex marine Derek who now does survival training. This leads to an unexpected partnership between him and a radical cult. Feeing the need to once again defend his country and infiltrate this group, things start to go wrong.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group, Forge Books for an early edition of The Instructor by T.R. Hendricks. This is a fast-paced John McClane/John Wick like story. Derek is an ex-marine who is spending his days teaching tourists wilderness survivorship. When one of his pupils asks him to teach a group in upstate NY survival skills for a lot of money, money that would help him pay his child support, as such he reluctantly takes the job. After the first week, he is offered to continue, but the group gives off a bad vibe, so he declines. When his personal life goes to crap, he decides to see if he can figure out what this group is up to. The author does a good job of keeping it unclear throughout a good portion of the book what the group is up to.

This is the first book in a series. The author does not give a lot away about the recurring characters, but gives you enough to stay involved. I imagine as the series continues we will find out more. The book moves very quickly and has good twists and turns. I will read the next in the series.

Great debut novel!
An engrossing read that I finished in one sitting. I enjoyed the writing style and pacing, though I felt the training sessions were a bit drawn out. I think this book would make a great action thriller movie.
I look forward to reading more about Derrick and seeing further character development. I do hope any female characters will be less one dimensional.
Thank you Netgalley, Tor Publishing Group Forge Books for this ARC.

What a fantastic debut novel by T.R. Hendricks! The Instructor is the first book in the military action thriller series featuring Derek Harrington. Derek is a retired Marine who has had trouble adjusting to civilian life. After 22 years in service and five years after his retirement, his life is a mess. Teaching wilderness survival classes is inadequate to sustain his expenses including supporting his ex-wife Kim and son Michael. Additionally, his father needs more care than he can give him.

When a student offers him the opportunity to instruct a private group for 30 days in upstate New York, Derek reluctantly accepts the job. This leads to a new offer to him from their leader, Marshal. When something feels off about the offer, and after reaching out to an FBI contact, Derek accepts the offer and goes undercover.

Derek is very capable, but suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and nature is his sanctuary. Despite this, he continues to occasionally suffer flashbacks. He loves his ex-wife and son, but has anger issues. His knowledge of survival off the land, evasion, resistance, and escape methods is unparalleled. Marshal is a charismatic leader that is also a manipulator, but while his character didn’t change over the course of the book, he was memorable. Many of the other characters came to life as well.

Hendricks does a great job on world building. The plot and writing style immediately pulled me into the story and did not let up until the final paragraph was read. The deeply involved plot has several twists and turns and the setting was incredibly vivid. The novel includes a lot of details on wilderness survival as well as punishing training exercises to meet the second job offer’s objectives. Some discussion of weapons occurs as well, but not as much as in some military thrillers. My one quibble is that there were a couple of slower spots, but Derek likely needed them as much as many readers will.

The author is a wonderful storyteller and I found myself progressing effortlessly through the narrative. The most intense action is in the last third of the book. Hendricks balances the shocking and upsetting aspects of the novel well against the mystery of the group he’s training and Derek’s love of his family. Themes include death, anger, power, fear, money, manipulation, trust, lies, politics, and much more.

Overall, this exciting debut novel is a powerful page-turner with great world-building details and tension that was almost alive. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.

Tor Publishing Group, Forge Books and T. R. Hendricks provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. The publication date is currently set for April 11, 2023. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.